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Bennet parked discretely among the trees after John came out of the house looking happier than I'd ever seen him. He directed the truck to go beside the house, and as soon as we were out, Mary tackled her son with hugs and kisses, cooing and clucking over Bennet's wounded eye. Amaya nearly took me down when she hugged me, crying hysterically over how worried she was.

She leapt onto Bennet's back after that and clung there until we were inside and he let her down on the sofa. After that, he got a real hug from her, ignoring her sobbing and complaints on the shape of his eye. Mary had her hands over her mouth when she came up to me, eyes red with tears and cheeks pink. I buried myself against her, feeling overwhelmed with joy to be in her motherly embrace. I probably could have just stood there in her arms and forgotten that I was twenty again.

From the corner of my eye I caught sight of Bennet kissing Amaya's cheek, and I don't think I'd ever felt so much happiness from witnessing a cheek-kiss before. I just wanted to put my face in a pillow and scream, and then throw it at them so we could get back on topic.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to prevent this," John apologized to us, me specifically. "If there was a way to stop him from taking you two-"

"They didn't hurt us much. I kept Tyler away from Bennet as best I could," I jumped in. "Don't beat yourself up about it. We're here now."

"Oh, Lily, I'm so sorry about everything! I feel like had I told you and Amaya sooner, it never would have happened," Mary gushed, taking both of my hands in hers and kissing them repeatedly, still crying as she scurried over to Bennet and took both Amaya and him into a group hug.

"How long have you guys been here?" I asked, wondering if their tracking skills were as accurate as they said.

"Not long. When we got here, we weren't sure how long it'd be until they found the cabin so we spent an hour setting them off our tracks," Amaya said, looking to John for approval. He nodded, agreeing with her.

"How?"

"We left a few things out in the open at the shop to throw him off. We dug up an old picture of Mary and I with her husband and Tyler when he was little, to make him think whatever and delay his leave of the shop. Mary left a note above the door-"

"That basically saved our lives," I snorted with a smile. "Bennet and I found it and gave it to Brian to give to Tyler, and while he was gone we locked ourselves in the house and escaped through the attic."

"Well how 'bout that?" Mary perked up, grinning so wide I feared her face might split in half. "I told you the note was a good idea!" she snapped at John, who folded his arms over his broad, barrel chest and raised an eyebrow at her. She stood up to him with her hands on her hips and her nose wrinkled up. Amaya rolled her eyes and whispered something to Bennet, who laughed and nudged her in the side.

"Where's Brad?" I interrupted.

"We're holding him until we decide to leave. We've tied him up in the bathroom tub--he's sleeping I think," Amaya said, glancing at the door that remained partially open. I debated checking up on him, and after small chitchat with Bennet's parents, Mary started fussing over his eye again and urging him to let her clean it. I asked John for permission to see Brad, and he reluctantly agreed, but stood outside the door while I entered the bathroom.

The rope tied around his wrists was secured around the base of the toilet, and gave him enough wriggle room to walk the length of the bathroom and back. I noticed the mirror had been removed and stored outside the room, and really all that was in the bathroom was what was built into it.

He was barely able to fit in the tub lying down, but he managed it anyway by resting his feet up against the opposite wall and resting his hands on his stomach. It almost looked like he was sleeping, but when I walked in, he looked up. He appeared entirely different in the well-lit bathroom than he did in the dim garage. His eyes were red and bloodshot, with bags under them and stubble strapped around his chin. He was shirtless, and his shoulder was wrapped with gauze that stretched across his chest in a diagonal fashion. His hair was unruly and looked less than clean.

He licked his tongue on the inside of his lower lip. He nodded his head towards the sink, and inside it I found his tobacco container. I took it and tossed it to him. "Thanks," he mumbled, voice gravelly.

After a few moments of silence, I took a seat on the closed toilet seat and asked, "How are you?"

"As fine as a man could be tied to a toilet," he replied, which caused me to smile and look away to avoid seeing his sad state. "Thought Tyler got you."

"Yeah, he took Bennet and I. We got out of it, though," I told him. I played with my fingers, trying to find something to do with them in an attempt to distract myself from his stare. "You have a wife, don't you?"

He didn't say anything for a long while until I met his eyes again. "Yes. Niki. How do you know?"

I hesitated saying it, "I, uh, overheard them talking about her. I don't think they've informed her yet about what's happened." He nodded, saying that was what he expected to happen. He opened up the container of tobacco and stuffed a packet into his bottom lip.

"I can... feel your sympathy. Thank you. I don't normally accept it, but I trust you. If you ever decide to take Tyler up on his proposal, then you have my loyalty," he told me. I felt my cheeks go pink, and I nearly laughed as I turned away with a small smile.

"I don't think that'll happen anytime soon, but I'll keep that in mind," I replied. He chuckled and passed the tobacco back. I dropped it into the sink bowl.

"Listen, I've been told that I'm gonna be a free man pretty damn soon, so I might as well apologize for being an ass about the whole campfire thing, and that I didn't mean to hurt your friend. Ya'll aren't so bad."

I gave him a peculiar stare and leaned over to press the back of my hand against his forehead. He looked at me strange as I pulled up his eyelid a bit. "Are you okay? You don't have a concussion do you?"

He chuckled and shook his head, swatting my hand away. "I'm being serious here, all right? Give me some credit."

I rolled my eyes and glanced back at the open door. I could see John's shoulder from where he stood just to the left of the door. Bennet was by the kitchen sink with his mom while Amaya dampened a cloth.

"When are we leaving?" I asked John, who partially peered into the bathroom.

"Hard to say. Before dark hopefully. Brad's been getting better; he might be able to shift completely soon," he said, which caused Brad to scoff loudly.

"As if I'd shift here. In the garage, maybe, but not in a bathtub. I'd be askin' to get my paw twisted--I wouldn't fit."

"Cocky much?" I retorted jokingly, nudging his good shoulder playfully. I stood up and made a move to leave. "It was nice talking to ya, but I should probably head back. Don't get too bored."

He nodded, settling back down into the tub with his chin to his chest as if he was about to start sleeping again. John closed the door just a bit after I exited the bathroom, but he took a moment to check the rope before leaving Brad alone.

"Where will you release him?" I asked John, keeping my voice down as we moved away from the bathroom. If Bennet had as good of hearing as he claimed, then Brad could easily hear us.

John glanced at the bathroom before turning back to me. "Can't say. Still considering the spots," he replied, and I knew he was being vague for the same reason I was worried. I sighed, reluctantly nodding in understanding. He clasped a hand to my shoulder and gave me a long, worrisome look. "Get some rest. We'll most likely be leaving tonight now that everyone is here."

I did as he said. Bennet and Amaya joined me in her room where we crashed horizontally on her bed. Bennet's feet fell off the other side, but he curled them up so he was spooning Amaya, and Amaya was practically on top of him, and I was just there with her foot on my stomach. After a while, I fell asleep, exhausted from the night in the hotel and the hectic drive to the cabin and back. Bennet passed out almost instantly, snoring softly beside me and lulling me to sleep.

I dreamt through the eyes of Tyler. The world was black and white compared to the stir of emotions that spilled through me like hot blood in my veins. Anger, betrayal, regret--it was all there, and it was enough to jolt me back awake with just simply a touch on the shoulder from Mary coming to stir us out of our slumber.

Amaya and Bennet were out of the bed as soon as Mary walked into the room. I was sluggish in sitting up, my head weighing heavily in my hand as I tried to soothe the tormenting current of thoughts in my head. I couldn't remember a single fragment of what he saw like I did the first time, but this time, I was bombarded by the feeling of sheer regret. Regret for what? I wasn't sure.

"You okay dear?" Mary inquired, sitting down on the bed with me. I barely noticed, though, but once I did I stared at her for a long while. I was so lost and felt depression slowly crushing me here in Amaya's house. I wanted to break away from the chains holding me to Tyler, because he was dragging me to the ground, and I was grasping for a rock to hang onto. If it weren't for the Karstens, there wouldn't be a rock for me to hold.

"N-No. No, I'm not," I said, voice breaking as I knotted my hands into my hair. "I-I can feel everything he's feeling and more and- and I can't, Mary. I can't do this." Salty tears stained my cheeks, and she reached over to brush them away.

"It's just when you're feeling vulnerable, dear. It'll be gone soon, I promise," she murmured. I crawled over to her and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. Being next to Mary made me feel so much better.

"D-Do you still feel it?" I asked her, and she shrugged.

"No, not too often. Normally it's when John and I get in a fight, which isn't very often mind you," she told me, and I smiled, already feeling better knowing that. Mary was always a happy woman, and more often than not so was I. "We made dinner while you three were sleeping. Once we eat we'll get going, yeah?"

I agreed and made a move to clean my cheeks of tears before leaving the room. Out in the living room, Bennet and Amaya had already gotten their fill of food and were eating on the couch. I joined them, savoring the last meal we would have here in Stillwater. When I was halfway done with my meal, I grabbed a second serving and brought it into the bathroom to give to Brad.

"What brings you to my humble bathroom?" He gave a vast sweep of his arms, displaying his tub beside the toilet. I smirked and held out the plate of food.

"I come with food," I replied. He thanked me and took it. I sat on the toilet seat and worked on polishing off the rest of my plate.

"So I hear we're leaving soon," he commented before stuffing a fork-full of food into his mouth.

"Yeah, you won't be attached to a rope anymore. How's your shoulder feel?" As I said it, he rolled his shoulders back and cracked his neck back and forth. I cringed at the sound, but he didn't seem all that phased by it so I let it go.

"Fine, actually. Still can't shift though."

"How do you know?"

"Tried it a few times." I grew quiet after earning that little bit of knowledge. For some reason, I felt betrayed knowing that Brad tried to escape knowing he'd more than likely be released. But then again, if I was in his position, I'd do whatever I could to escape.

We ate in silence, listening to the television playing in the other room. John was in the kitchen leaning up against the counter, in view of the bathroom, watching Brad eat away at the meat on his plate.

In the midst of setting my plate aside, there came an audible knock on the door. At first I thought it was just from the television, but John heard it to and made a move to answer it. The entire house grew quiet as soon as Bennet shut the television off.

I leaned over to see the front door, but it was out of view from here. I could see Mary looking through the kitchen window, and looked back at us with wide, startled eyes.

"Who is it?" Brad asked, not bothering to whisper. I shushed him a second before I heard the person speak up.

"I know you're in here. Next time keep the blinds closed." My heart nearly stopped when I heard his voice muffled through the door. I glanced at Brad, who was blinking fast and trying to believe what he was hearing. "I'm alone. I think."

> AUTHOR'S NOTE: *GASP* Who do you think it is?!?! I DON'T KNOW IT COULD BE THAT LITTLE MR. BETCHER BOY FROM THE FIRST CHAPTER. You never know. Let me know who you think it is in the comments! <