Katie tried to stifle her screams. Everything had happened so fast, from the point that Nick was tranquilized to this moment, when both of them were victim to that psychotic bastard! Now, all she could do was gaze over at Nick's unconscious body. Both of his hands were tied securely to the bedpost behind his back. His head lay uncomfortably on the bed as he sat on the floor with both legs bent and tied together as well. Most of his clothes were torn and the only item of clothing left on him was his pair of jeans.

Katie cringed at all the marks, cuts and bruises on his light flesh. The attractive face, those alluring eyes revealed no sign of consciousness. Nick had been in that state for over five hours. What did that bastard give him?

"Nick?" she called out quietly, although she didn't know why her voice was so soft. That psycho bastard had left hours ago after securing Nick to the bed. She wanted so desperately to touch him and make sure that he still had a pulse, although her mind knew that he was not dead . . . yet. But Katie couldn't move. She was, herself, paralyzed. That man-what was his name? Bernardo? That Bernardo had given her some sort of medication that numbed her legs up. She couldn't move.

She could feel the endpoint that was drawing nearer and nearer as the horrors became more real.

"Nick!" Katie cried out again, desperate for his attention now. "Please wake up! Please!"

"You can call all you want, but he won't hear you!" a harsh voice snarled from behind Katie. Katie turned around to see Bernardo's menacing features as he entered the room. He walked over to Nick's limp body and grabbed Nick's face roughly, moving it around as he examined it.

"Hmmm, pretty boy, isn't he Katie?" Bernardo barked. He glared at Nick awhile before slapping Nick hard in the face. "So if I cut his face apart, does that mean you won't like him anymore?" Bernardo took a pocket knife from his slacks and held the blade to Nick's cheeks. Slowly, he made a gash through the youthful flesh, leaving a stream of blood on Nick's face.

Then, he cackled like a raging hyena. With one burst of anger, he pushed Nick's face away. "Pretty boy . . . but after all, he is a boy! You do know the penalty for messing around with little boys, don't you, dearest Katie?"

Katie shook her head in fear, her eyes pleading for an inkling of mercy. "What is it that you want?" she weakly demanded. She stared at the man who she had hated so much these past few years. His rugged features, his angled face, his streaks of gray hair were as unappetizing as ever.

Bernardo smirked. "If you had asked this a few years ago, I would have wanted you back. But hopelessness brews hatred. I don't give a damn about your love anymore. What I do care about is that you know how it feels to have your love rejected." Bernardo smiled cockily.

"I know you still love him," Bernardo pointed at Nick. "Before you came to Florida with that Brian, you still loved him!"

"But how?" Katie looked at Bernardo, her face contorted with confusion.

Bernardo inched closer to Katie. "What do you think? I have money. I can hire spies. I can track down any b---- I want. And I tracked you down." Bernardo stared at Katie with a pained expression. "And while you lived in fear of your past, you still loved him. You had all his pictures hidden under your bed-pictures of him. And every night, you stare at them for hours."

"You've been following me since then?!" Katie cried out, finally recognizing how crazy the man before her was.

"Correction!" Bernardo silenced her. "It was I who lured you from that hermit hut of yours back to Florida. It was I who helped you with that first chance encounter with your replacement boyfriend Brian. Wasn't that a nice show? A little mild for a soap opera, but pretty amusing nevertheless." Bernardo laughed. "Two friends plus one cousin losing their cool over one little woman.

But it was good for a scare. Admit it. You were scared shitless! Oh, and that father of yours? He was good for a few laughs. Yep, when I showed him the video of you gashing Nick's face apart to try to frame him, boy was your dad hysterical."

Katie's eyes became red with fury as the pieces of the puzzle were laid out one by one for her to digest. "You let my father out of prison?"

Bernardo chuckled. "Actually, you can call it coincidence. When my two psychotic sons ended up in jail for shooting Nick, they met your dad in prison. I say sons, but really, I adopted them straight from a mental institution because they were fixated on the concept of Hell."

Katie could feel Bernardo digressing. He appeared to be absorbed in his own little world as he recounted whatever he thought about at the moment. "Yep, those idiot sons. But they were useful. And they obeyed me. I loved what they did for me."

Katie shivered. "So you want us dead? Is that what this whole grand scheme is about?"

Bernardo looked at Katie in surprise. "Death is the most lenient form of punishment. Physical and emotional torture are far more appetizing for me. No, I don't want you dead. I want you to live." He walked over to Nick's unconscious body once again and grabbed Nick's chin, pulling it up so that he could see the gentle features. "And I want him to live. He'll be a reminder of your sins. And he'll be to you as you have been to me. Just as you despise the love that I have for you, he will look upon your love for him with disdain."

Bernardo turned his head to look at Katie. "He has suffered enough, don't you think? He has gotten his punishment. To tell you the truth, I absolutely adore him. Like a son. I used to hate him for having your affection, but now, I finally found a thread that links him with me. We've both been your puppets. I'm as much a victim as he is. And for that, I love him." Bernardo traced the angle of Nick's jaw with his fingers.

Then, he smiled longingly at Nick. Slowly, he got up and hovered over Katie. "So I guess this is good-bye, Katie. I would stay longer, but the police will be here soon to escort you and Nick back where you belong." He smiled his last smile at Katie, and with those parting words, the man left the remains of his reign of terror and disappeared. He brushed off all responsibility and conscience and strutted out of the room.

Katie tried to bite back her tears. The mystery had ended, but the pain had barely began. In fact, it was slowly seeping into her consciousness now as she laid there, gazing at Nick.

Years of sadness, of painful longing, of fear were coming to an end. She looked to Nick's face, once again, as if in her heart she knew that this would be the last glance she would ever have of him. She memorized the angles and curves of his face, drawing in the reality before her. Was it her endless love for Nick that had recreated this tragedy? Or was it simply ingenuity on Bernardo's part?

Katie's eyes lingered on Nick's lips, those same ones she had allowed herself to bathe in six years ago. He had only gotten more mesmerizing since then. His innocence, even until now, remained a mystery.

The bittersweet tears left trails down her cheeks as Katie heard the wailing sirens, calling for her doom. Then, the random footsteps filled her mind as the policemen surrounded the house. Katie didn't know how long ago Bernardo had left. It had probably been hours. No way were the police going to find him. But they had found her . . . at last. She mustered all her courage, but knew that despite being strong enough to face her legal punishment, she was not yet ready to face the people she knew. And she was not ready to face the anger and hurt from Nick . . . or Brian.

That was it. Bernardo was gone, escaping the legal system. She had yet to know why he had chosen her six years ago. It was he who taught her how to frame her father, he who taught her how to murder Nick. And now, he rid himself of all responsibility? Was that how justice worked? She knew she wasn't clean, but how could a man with more blood on his hands than hers, escape the justice system like that?

The footsteps were getting nearer. Katie mustered all the energy she had and pulled herself towards Nick. Inch by inch she crawled. The footsteps were getting louder, but she continued. She pulled her body until her hands latched onto the bed. She pulled herself up so that she could level her gaze with Nick's face. The tears streamed down even more now as she felt his cool skin against her hands for the last time.

Perhaps it had been best that his memory of the past was gone. Six years!!!! She had never once forgotten what had happened these past six years. She had lived in darkness, with melancholy as her mate for six damn years. And Bernardo had lived with his vengeance for six damn years. Yet through it all, Nick had forgotten. Katie smiled as she caressed Nick's face. Perhaps his loss of memory was a blessing after all.

The footsteps had reached the hallway outside their room. Katie felt ready to face the others. She took in a deep breath. She was about to turn around and face the door. The footsteps were nearing their room. But Nick's eyes opened. Not one flutter. Not one yawn. They simply opened and revealed their crystal blue calmness. And then, the door to their room was kicked open. And after the officers filed into the room, Katie turned to stare directly into Brian's fiery blue eyes.

But it didn't feel like an ending. The tension was barely beginning. She felt Nick's soft gaze on her, chilling her to the core. But Brian's gaze burned holes into her heart. Two men, two vibes. Both friends, both her lovers. She didn't have to choose between them. Her soul belonged to that little innocent boy whose life she had taken away six years ago. Yet now, as she dangled on a rope, not knowing if her legs were strong enough to balance her, she felt strangely unstable.

Two sets of blue eyes. Two separate emotions. She much preferred the one with the calmer, cooler eyes. But Katie didn't have the chance to stare into Nick's eyes once more before the police officer roughly yanked her body up and away from the blond boy. As they whisked her past Brian's perilous glare, she gave Brian one last neutral look. She didn't hope that he would forgive her. In fact, she didn't even want his forgiveness. She wanted Nick's forgiveness. But she was too afraid to look into Nick's eyes. She was afraid of what they would reveal.

Brian slowly stepped into the room towards Nick. Katie had been taken away, but Nick's body was left to rest on the bed. Brian's steps were gentle yet firm. He had seen the gash on Nick's face from afar. He had seen the bruises and the cuts, but as he neared the body, he began to see the mental scars as well. Nick's eyes were wet, but the tears didn't fall at all. Brian placed a few fingers on Nick's forehead and looked down with nothing but affection.

"You pulled though," he whispered softly into Nick's ears.

"Yeah," Nick smiled sadly.

"We saw the tape. We saw what happened in the past," Brian explained.

"Then you know about Katie and me." Nick's eyes revealed an expression Brian didn't truly understand.

"She was a pedophile." Brian placed a hand on one of Nick's.

Nick closed his eyes as if thinking really hard. When he finally opened, his words ended all doubts, all dark thoughts in Brian's mind. "I loved her."

>>>>>

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