Clueless And Senseless

“Y/N.. Honey, we should go.” Your mother urged you with a comforting hand on your back. 

There was one issue that seemed to stand out, the idea of leaving your house right now made you sick to your stomach. You could see it now, constantly in and out of interviews, giving your victim statement and being where he was.

Your mom lays a gentle hand on your shoulder, pulling you from your thoughts. “Honey..”

You shake your head like you're trying to clear a fog. “What?”

“Sit down. You look faint.” Your mom instructs you.

“Sweetheart, you don’t need to come to the station right away. If you need time to process..” The Sheriff began but his words faded into the background as you thought back to all the times Will had been close to you.

How could you not see the signs?

How were you so blind?

Was Denise right about him? 

It felt like a while until you came back down to earth, you let your thoughts spiral out of control. You do not even remember sitting down at all but all of a sudden your mother was kneeled on the ground beside you as your father began his own spiraling.

You could hear his rhythmic footsteps along with the awkward shuffling of your friends but you kept your gaze down focusing on picking at a scab on the underside of your forearm. You were almost shocked that you did not realize it sooner, it must have happened when you were pushed against the brick yesterday.

“-That punk had the nerve to show his face here after what he did to my baby girl! He’s lucky if I don’t kill him..” Your dad seethed as he paced the length of the room.

“Honey! Not now. Just sit down, relax. Please.” Your mother urges him with pleading eyes. She was always so much better at keeping a clear head where your dad and it shows every emotion.

“You're right.” He huffs, taking a seat beside you and he looks up at your friends who are still lingering on the other side of the room. “You guys should leave, get some rest. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

You finally lift your gaze again only to be met with the sympathetic eyes of your friends as they leave towards the exit to join the other guests who had moved to the lawn to watch the police escort.

You hated that it had become a spectacle, you hated that it had to happen in your own home and that everybody could just accept this outcome while you were still trying to wrap your head around it. But what you hated most was that you did not see it coming. People always said you were naive but you didn't pay it much mind until right now.

[Damian]

Damian wanted to stay, he wanted to let you know he was there for you but when he saw your face, how shattered you looked it broke him a little too. He didn't know if he had the capacity to give you the support you needed, he didn’t even know what to say.

The arrest was so quick but he couldn't get the scene out of his head. All he really saw was you, his eyes were on you the whole time and he saw the way your lips trembled, the crease in your brow, and the fear and confusion in your eyes as you blinked away uncertain tears.

He wanted to hold you, be your shield and tell you you were going to be okay but his mind was in two places at once trying to decide if you needed him and how he let the person he told himself he would track down get so close without him knowing.

Damian felt like he had let you down, he should have seen the signs. God, Denise was practically spelling it out for everybody and he did not listen, he let her words bleed into the background while he selfishly enjoyed your presence.

Damian was so out of it he completely missed the goodbyes as the group split off to their designated vehicles. Everybody but him, he could barely tear his eyes away from the house until Jon addressed him directly.

“Damian c’mon man.” Jon calls from inside the truck as he rolls down the windows. “We should leave..”

“Do you know him?” Damian bluntly asks as he swings the door open.

Jon wasn't surprised by the question, it was exactly what he expected from his friend. He would have a one track mind until he had all the details to make it make sense.

“Uhh, yeah. We went to Smallville High together. He was in my grade. He was pretty unassuming, kept to himself..” There was uncertainty in his voice as he continued. “I never thought he would do something like this.”

“None of that is helpful.” Damian snaps.

“This isn't some mission brief. I barely know the guy, we went to high school together and he goes to MetU! It's a big campus.” Jon raises his voice clearly frustrated, Damian just huffs in response. He could tell Jon was probably thinking the same way he was, blaming himself for not seeing the signs sooner. “Dude, they caught him, the case is solved and you need a shower.” Jon turns the key in the ignition and shifts the truck into drive.

“This isn’t right.” Damian says mostly to himself, earning him a skeptical side glance from Jon.

Jon sighs. “You're just too close to this. Man, she's one of my best friends and I didn't even know anything was wrong but you're like, in love with her it's no wonder you got side tracked.” Damian is caught off guard by the pang he feels in his chest at the revelation and Jon notices his change in demeanor. “I can tell you really care about her and I’m happy for you, just don’t drive yourself crazy.”

“I would have recognised him.” He was trained to not let these things go over his head.

“It makes sense that you have doubts, I get it. You weren’t the one to figure it out but the case is solved. Y/N is gonna be okay.” Jon wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Damian or himself.

“It was too simple, too quick..” In any other situation Damian would say it was a set up.

“I know how you feel. You're used to doing this kind of stuff yourself and picking apart every detail.. I guess it wouldn’t hurt if you did some more digging..” Jon turns away from the road for a moment to face Damian as he continues. “Just let me know if you find anything.”

It wasn't long before they arrived back at the farm and Damian wasted no time getting to the house. He marched up the porch and through the front door not paying any mind to the curious gazes of Jonathan and Martha as he rushed past them without even a hello.

Once he was finally alone in the confines of the Kent’s guest bedroom he slammed the door behind him. He needed to clear his mind so he could think things through logically.

Damian relaxed his tense muscles as cold water rushed down his back. He stared down at the tile watching droplets combine onto the floor. The water temperature is a drastic change compared to the dry July heat.

Damian thought he could think with some semblance of clarity but he's a ball of pure heat and energy waiting to erupt at what might be the wrong time.

The person on the other side of your computer screen last night would have known to cover their tracks but Will almost seemed surprised. He was nothing like the person Damian had imagined was arrogant but careful. They would never risk getting caught if they knew the cops were on to them.

It was possible he was wrong about everything.. Could it be that this case was more simple than he thought?

Stress rose off of his skin like steam waiting to settle back where it came from until then.

The detectives traced the spyware back to William Wheeler that should have satisfied him. But if that was the case then he would have known to wipe any evidence of him accessing your devices. He knew the cops were involved and he knew Damian had found the spyware, so why didn’t he do anything to save himself?

Was he sadistic enough to prioritise watching the aftermath of his torment first hand in your own home over saving himself? Damian couldn’t answer that question; he hadn't been paying him much mind until it was too late and he was being handcuffed and hauled away.

Damian had a way of getting all the information he needed so he stepped out of the shower wrapping a towel around his waist not paying much attention to the trail of puddles he left as he exited the bathroom.

He wiped his hands on the towel hanging from his waist before picking up his computer; a miniature version of the bat computer.

Before he could even begin to type a message flashed across the screen; *Red Robin has transferred a file* he read as he clicked on the message, opening a large file filled with information about where you were on certain dates when you (Site A*) received texts or 

emails from your tormentor (or site B*).

Over a year's worth of evidence, things that Damian couldn’t have known and yet he still felt guilty he couldn’t have done something sooner. As he read over everything, opening folders filled with candid photos of you. It was sickening.

He was barely half way through and his hair had already air dried when there was a knock at the door.

“Hey! Ya know there’s a puddle in the hall?! Least you could do is mop it up.” Jon yells through the door. Damian waits on the other side silently as if not to give away his position. “Don’t Pretend you're not in there I can hear your heart beating!” Jon continues. “Anyway dinner is on the table, don't make us wait!”

Jon’s footsteps disappeared down the hall as Damian closed the computer on his lap, pushing it aside to get up and dressed for the mandatory Kent Family dinner, knowing they wouldn’t start until he joined them.

He told himself he had seen everything he needed to know, that it was okay for him to relax for just a few minutes over dinner.

[Y/N]

You had barely spoken since everybody cleared out, you didn’t know what to say or how to say it. Your parents looked at you like they were expecting something, like a grand emotional out pour or a dramatic retelling of your suffering but you gave them nothing.

They lingered nearby, their gazes never straying away from you for too long in case you showed some sign of being ready to talk but the idea of telling them all of the uncomfortable details made you sick to your stomach.

Hours passed and dusk arrived. Your parents had not stopped moving since the arrest, anxiety ate them alive. They did their best job to clean around you as they waited for you to reach out to them but they didn’t ask, they didn't know how to.

Eventually your mother announced she was going to make dinner, she tried to offer you suggestions of things she knew you would like but you gave no response, just shallow breaths and a blank stare as you watched dust fall in the fading streams sunlight coming through the curtains. So she left you with a sigh, deciding to make your favorite meal.

Your thoughts eventually began to quieten and the rhythmic sound of a knife hitting the chopping board took over as your eyes began to feel heavier and just as you felt sleep taking over you heard their hushed voices.

“She hasn’t moved in hours!” His voice is hushed but you hear the agitation loud and clear. “I don’t know what to do! How do we help her when we don’t even know what he did?”

Your heart sank at the thought of telling your dad the truth about what happened to you. You don’t know if he could take it.. Or the idea that it could have been worse

“We just need to give her time.” You hear your mothers hushed voice.

He sighs and the sound of chopping stops. “I know but what if time isn't enough? Our little girl couldn't come to us for who knows how long.”

“She was afraid-”

“Because she was being stalked. You know I thought he was a good kid. His parents are good people, they go to our church. How are we supposed to face them after what he did to her?”

“Shhh.. We don’t need to think about that right now.” Your mom urges him to end the conversation.

After sometime your mom comes back holding a steaming plate, the smell hits you instantly and usually you would smile but your stomach turns in the most uncomfortable way but you force a smile anyway, sitting up.

“You don’t have to get up.”

“No, I’m okay. I.. I was just tired.” It was a lame excuse but it killed you making your parents worry so much. “I’ll eat at the table with you.” You say pushing down your nausea.

“Yeah?” She asks and you stand taking the bowl with a smile.

When you entered the dining room your dad seemed surprised as he watched you place your bow down in your usual seat. The table was not set and it looked like you were the only one eating until your mom spoke up.

“Babe make a plate we’re eating together.” Your mom called out to your dad.

You tried to eat as much as you could, it wasn't like you weren't hungry, your lunch was interrupted by the arrest and you don’t remember eating breakfast but every bite now tasted like ash in your mouth.

You absently replied to whatever conversation they were trying to have to distract you from your situation.

Your face could hide it well enough but your parents noticed the way you pushed the food around. All you could do was count the seconds until your parents were finished with their food so you could excuse yourself.

Some time had passed since Damian went down for dinner, he ate in silence as Jon and his grandparents tiptoed around the events of the last couple days trying to avoid it completely. Damian helped Martha with the dishes in the kitchen while Jonathan put the leftovers away.

Damian slowly closes the door behind him as arrives back in his bedroom, leaning his back against it and pausing to take a short breath. Before he had not felt the weight of exhaustion but now it pulled him like a magnet toward his bed and he let that force take him without resistance he collapsed onto the bed.

He laid there listening to the sound of the night as he stared up at the ceiling with heavy lids and his mind filled with thoughts of you as he drifted off to sleep.

The morning came too soon along with an irritating high pitched ringing that resonated off of the walls.

Damian groaned, grabbing the pillow beside him to cover his ears parying the sound would go away and that he could go back to his dreamless sleep in peace but it persisted and he eventually conceded pulling the pillow away from his face, peeling his eyes open and reaching for what could only be his phone ringing on the side table.

When he answered the phone he noticed the time, it's past mid day now. He was supposed to be at the Sheriff's station by 9am. You were there probably expecting him to show up hours ago.

Damian didn’t even realise that he had already picked up the call and before he can think too much he hears a voice coming from his phone which pulls him back to the present.

“Hey, did you get what you needed? You never said anything after I sent over that file. —I did a track and trace and I sent over everything I could find. Can I at least get a thank you?”

“Too late, Drake.” Damian’s reply was blunt.

“What does that mean?” His brother replies and he was half tempted to hang up so he could leave to get to the station.

Damian could feel himself getting frustrated now as he got up to get himself changed and ready to leave. “The Sheriff picked Wheeler up yesterday.”

“Yeah, well if you had read the file I sent you then you would know he's the wrong guy.” Tim scoffs, knowing by the tone of his brothers voice that he wasn't fully informed of the situation.

Damian pauses, with one sock on. “What does that mean?”

“C’mon did you not read the file?” At this point Tim didn't know if he really needed an answer.

Damian shifts to sit up slightly in the bed now. “I read most of it..”

“If you had read the whole thing you would have been out looking for the actual suspect.” Tim sighs then continues not leaving space for Damian to ask another question. “I've got it all here. I traced the spyware to a PC at MetU, it belonged to William Wheeler but it was cloned. And I checked, the original is clean. The one I found? That's a whole different story.. This guy- this guy has remote access to her phone and computer. Hours or recordings and hundreds of photos.”

“Get to the point Drake. I need a name.”

“James Bower.. Friends call him Jimbo. He grew up in Star City, has a clean record and as far as I can see he's never even gotten a detention.” As Tim rambled on Damian could hear the tiredness in his voice.

Damian’s free hand clenched at his side, knuckles turning white. “Where do I find him?”

“That is where I draw a blank, this dude doesn't have a permanent address. He was living with his parents in Starcity until he graduated high school, then he left home for college and never went back.”

“So you can't find him?” Damian grumbles

“No, I’m still working on that. I spent all night trying to find him. This guy is impressive.” Damian responds with a disapproving grunt. “I mean for somebody so messed up..”

“..So how do I find him?”

“He lives in the dorms at MetU and he doesn't have a permanent address but if he was able to follow this girl so closely he's living in town.” “Bower has no family in or around Kansas, I just compiled a list of properties in and around Smallville that have been rented in the time he's been following her. He probably would have used an alias. You can start there with the list and I’ll get back to you if I get any more leads."

“Thanks.” That is all Damian said before he hung up the phone.

“Yeah, no problem.” There was a beat of silence before the call was cut off from the other side.

Damian did his best to get dressed as quickly as possible because even if had to search until night he was going to find James Bower and make him pay for what he did to you and whatever else he was planning to do.

Jon had doubts where Damian felt there was something wrong from the day that he met you. The door of the guest bedroom swung open revealing Jon on the other side.

He knew you were hiding something but he was blinded by your attention, your smile, every time you looked at him it became easier to ignore that sense of unease that flowed off of you.

“You were listening?” Jon nods. “You know what we need to do?”

“I’ll check his dorm and you can start in town on that list.” Jon instructs and Damian responds only with a short nod that Jon mirrors as he hands over the keys to the truck.

“Send me that address?" Jon asks less like a question and more like an expectation then he speeds out of the room no doubt already flying past Smallville’s border.

You never imagined you would be tired of telling the story, you never even thought you would have to tell it but the hardest part of all of this for you was telling the story over and over.

It never crossed your mind that it would hurt even more to know the real identity behind all of your torment. Before you you could only imagine some inhuman monster but that is not who he is. He is the furthest thing you could have ever imagined he would be, Will.

Will was.. Well you thought Will was a good guy, maybe even a friend. He was unassuming and sweet but everything you thought you knew about him was wrong but it was still hard for you to imagine he was the monster who stalked you like prey.

A voice cuts through the haze of thoughts in your mind. Scarlett's voice. “Hey, are you alright?”

Her words don't register. It's just noise.

“Mmm? What?” You ask, letting your gaze travel up to meet hers. You had forgotten where you were for a moment, completely lost in your thoughts.

Just another day in the sheriff's station.

“I was just askin’ if-” You weren't listening.

“Where is Damian?” You ask thoughtlessly, your words overlapping with hers before she could finish talking.

Her mouth forms an o shape as she thinks for a moment. “I don't know, babe. He hasn’t shown yet.”

“Oh.” You say, mirroring her expression.

“I could call Jon to see where he's at?”

You purse your lips. “No, I should go. My parents are waiting for me.”

Scar reaches out for you, tugging at your sleeve. “Wait before you go.” She looks upset.

“What's up?”

“I’m sorry that I pressured you to tell the cops. I know I shouldn’t have been so hard on you about it.” She was straight to the point as always. “.. and I know this is hard for you and you hate it but when it's all over everything will be better.” Her voice wavered slightly as she spoke, you could see the tears forming in her eyes. You didn't want her to carry around guilt when all she did was try to help.

“No. You were right from the beginning. I should have listened to you from the beginning. But is it bad that I wish I had never found out who he was?”

Her grip on your wrist loosens slightly. “What do you mean?”

“It just doesn't feel right thinking about him like that. It's not like we were close but I thought he was a good guy. God I feel so stupid, I should have known he could be anybody but, I-I ignored you and Dee when all you guys wanted to do was help me.. I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t apologize! You're the victim in all this.”

You closed your eyes tight, wincing at her words. You knew she was just trying to reassure you but it was hard to hear those words out loud for the first time.

“I hate being a victim. Everybody looks at me like I’m fragile, like they're afraid to say the wrong thing but I’m still me..” You look down at your shoes starting to feel insecure. “That's why I hid the truth for so long, so I could still be myself even if it was just an act everybody still saw me as me.”

The breath is knocked out of you suddenly as Scar tugs on your wrist pulling you into her wrapping you in a tight hug. “You're still my best friend. You’ve always got me and the others.” She squeezes you even tighter. “I love you bro.” Scar said with a laugh.

“I love you too bro.” You smile resting your head rest on her shoulder. “I can't breathe though.”

“Oh-” She pushes you away, holding you by the shoulders. “Sorry.”

“You're good.” You say reassuring her. “Hey, how about you stay over tonight?”

Scarlett flashes you a toothy grin before responding. “Yeah, I’ll let my dad know.”

“I’ll go find my parents.” You say, matching her enthusiasm.

Your Parents were waiting for you by the exit, you had told them you were going to the bathroom 15 minutes ago and you could see from the worry on their faces that you had been gone for too long.

“Baby, where have you been?! Your mother went to look for you!”

“Sorry, I bumped into Scar.”

Your mom seems less upset and more so just happy that you're back as she lends you a small smile and loops your arm with hers. “We were gonna send out a search party.”

You roll your eyes. “Nothing is gonna happen to me in a building full of cops.”

“We know that but you can never be too careful. Now, let's get out of here, you need to rest.” Your mom replies as she tries to pull you toward the exit.

“Actually, Scar is coming over. She went to tell her dad, I hope that's okay?”

“Are you sure that's a good ide-” Your dad starts but his words are cut short by Scarlett’s arrival.

“Hey! Thanks for having me over.” Scarlett cheered as she joined you by the exit.

“Of course Honey, we're glad to have you anytime.” Your mom says, nudging your dad with her elbow as a sign to fix his face.

“Yeah, anytime.” He said, sporting a half hearted smile.

It wasn't that he wanted to control you or that he didn't like your friends. No, your dad actually thought Scarlett was one of the good ones and he sometimes forgot that you weren't a kid anymore, you didn't need him to help you deal with your trauma.

Honestly he didn't even know how to start with what you were going through, one thing he did know was that you needed a support system and if he or your mother couldn't be that for you maybe your friends could.

[Damian]

Damian had finished searching the first location. He came out without finding anything which was no surprise. This method of tracking Bower down wasn't ideal or efficient but it was all he had unless Tim got back to him with more information. Until then he would go through the list of rentals starting with the ones closest to your parents restaurants and home.

What concerned him was that Jon had not called yet about the dorm. With his super speed he would have been done by now, even if he had not found anything Damian would expect some kind of update. It was protocol and Jon knew that better than anybody.

He pulls his phone out dialing Jon’s number waiting for the dial tone to start before he turns the key in the ignition, killing the engine. He steps out of the truck onto what was a pretty busy street, trying to appear unassuming as he made his way into the building acting as though he was just visiting a friend.

It took three rings before the call was answered. “Dude the cops are here..” Jon said, sounding hushed and frantic. “Did you know they were roommates?”

“What?”

“Wheeler and Bower? They're roommates! I got here less than a minute before the cops showed up.”

That was one vital piece of information the insomniac forgot to mention.“Where are you now?”

“I flew out of the window, they've just been searching the room for Will’s computer and anything else they can find that could connect him to the case.” Jon glances over his shoulder through the window.

The room was filled with MetPD officers, pulling the room apart and turning everything over in order to find what they needed.

“Wait for them to leave, then search through Bower’s belongings. If they have a warrant they won't be able to touch any of it without reasonable cause. I’m at the second location.”

“Okay let me know if you find anything, I don’t think the cops are leaving anytime soon.”

[Y/N]

Scarlett’s followed you into your room shutting the door behind her softly as she watched you deflate. You were never good at hiding how you felt.

“So you were pretty quiet the whole drive here..” Scarlett's voice cuts through the silence that had been established on the car journey by your lack of responses.

You flop down onto your bed. “Yeah, I just zoned out.. Sorry.” You say hiding your face in the comforter.

“Right, I don’t believe that at all. What's on your mind?” She knew it couldn't be anything good from the way you squirmed in your seat and faced the window to hide your face. “C’mon now isn't the time to start clamming up. You have made major progress in the last few days.” She said with a smile, resting a hand on your shoulder.

You turn over, letting your eyes drift in her direction. “It's nothing..” Scarlet raises an eyebrow giving you a look that tells you she knows you too well for that answer to pass. “Okay it's not nothing, it's Damian. He didn't say much yesterday and he didn't show up today. I think this whole situation has freaked him out and I don’t have any way of contacting him but then again if you do maybe he’ll think I’m being pushy or I’m upset.”

“Hey, it’s alright. He probably just woke up late, right? He is going to show and you’ll see him again.”

“Scar, it's 1pm. How late could he have gotten up?.. What if something bad happened to him?”

“Girl..” Scarlett says giving you a look that you knew well, you had your own version of that look that was used a lot more due to Scarlett’s typically dramatic behavior.

“Okay, you're right. What could have possibly changed since last night?”

“Exactly.” Scarlett affirms.

[Damian]

Damian had searched three locations and the list didn't seem to be getting any shorter, he didn't think it would be as extensive as it was seeing as Smallville was such a small town but there were eighteen rentals left to search.

As Damian slipped the lock pick back into his pocket a voice called out to him.

“Hey neighbor, nice to finally meet you.” Damian turns to face the stranger, relief flashing over his face as he realises it is not Bower. “It's crazy that this is my first time bumping into you. How long have you lived here? Almost a year, right?”

“Yeah..Uhh nice. I have to go though.” Damian spoke, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly as he took a step back pushing the door with his body weight.

Damian was putting up a front. Making himself seem uncomfortable to get rid of the nosey neighbor.”

“Of course but hey, don’t be a stranger.” The neighbor said as he turned back to face his own apartment door.

Damian eventually stepped into the apartment, swiftly pushing the door closed behind him as he hurried to look around. Unlike the previous places he visited, this one was almost bare, nothing hanging from the walls, no furniture in the living room or kitchen and when he finally reached the bedroom he saw exactly what he was looking for.

A computer with three monitors all on large desk with a printer. Next to that was a large filing cabinet that piqued Damian’s interest as he approached it he noticed on the opposite wall there was what could only be described as a shrine to you.

There were dozens of candids of you pinned to the wall with dates on yellow sticky notes that contained annotations of where you were and what you were doing, some could have even been read as love letters.

“..I like you in blue..” Damian mumbled as he read off of one of the notes.

Something that could be described as close to anger began to bubble up in Damian’s chest as he focused on one particular photo of you. Your hair was different, you had your phone in your hand and tears in your eyes as you peered down at the screen and the note had been pinned to cover the face of the person next to you.

The note read; Pretty when she cries.

Below the shrine was a wooden cabinet and as Damian opened the top drawer to examine the contents he found that it was full of random items, like hair clips and candy wrappers then there were more personal items such as an old toothbrush and a collection of used chapstick bagged up like evidence.

The only correlation between the items was that they all seemed to belong to one person. It was Bowers personal collection of things he had stolen from you and proof of every time he got too close.

It made his skin crawl just to look at the sealed plastic bags but as his mind wandered to what the purpose of these trophies were. Why did bower need so many? When was the last time he went through your trash or laundry? Did you notice when things would go missing and did you ever think it could have been him? Was this something else you were afraid to talk about?

Damian didn't let his thoughts wander for too long. He knew at this point Bower was aware that even if the cops had the wrong guy somebody was on to him, so he would do something drastic unless he was stopped in time.

Damian pulled his phone out from his back pocket, immediately dialing Jon who he could only assume was still in Metropolis waiting for the police to clear the dorm room.

The moment the dial tone cut out indicating the call had been answered Damian spoke. “I found the apartment.” He said voice low but confident.

Jon sighs. “Thank goodness, I’m still waiting for the cops to get out of here! Have you found anything useful??”

Damian looks around the room taking stock of all the evidence there was a gleam of pride in his eyes until they landed on the shrine of photos and stolen objects. “I found a computer, it probably has all the evidence we need and I’m sure there's finger prints all over this place.” His voice is more flat and serious as he speaks. “I need you to get out of there and go to Y/N.”

“What about-”

“That doesn't matter anymore, I have everything we need here but it won't be long before Bower makes a move. He probably already knows he’s out of options.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“I will call the cops. I just needed to know she was safe first.”

“Don’t worry man I got ‘er.”

Damian hummed in approval, sure that Jon would get back to you in time. Before he could say another word Damian heard a floor board creak behind him and there was no time to think as the back of his head was met with a blunt force and then everything went dark.

Jon goes silent on his end just listening out for a response on the other side of the phone line but suddenly the line goes dead.

Hey, I know it’s been forever since I last updated sorry I’ve been so busy and so stressed but I am back!

The drive to the Sheriff’s station was quiet until you reached about half way. Damian pulled your car over next to the park right in the center of town.

You had been counting breaths in an attempt to calm yourself up until the point you felt the car stop “What are you doing?” You ask with a crease in your brow.

“You're going to need to trust me. I need to contact my brother.” Was about to ask Tim to do something illegal that would help you. “He can help, hand me your phone.”

Despite how much he wanted to deny it, Tim could help. He knew much more about Tech than Damian did and he would know how to dismantle the firewalls blocking the exact location of your stalker.

You lean back pulling your laptop and phone out of your bag. “Which brother is this?”

“Drake, he is an expert at these kinds of things.” Damian answers as he took the devices from you.

“This is legal though, right?” The last thing you wanted was for somebody else getting in trouble because they were trying to help you.

“He will do his best not to get caught.” You could tell by his tone that it was supposed to be a joke but all you could think about was the very real consequences if the cops found out.

“Damian.. I don’t know about this.” You can feel the anxiety begin to swirl in the pit of your stomach.

“Just trust me, okay? I promise he won’t get caught.” Something about the way he looked at you told you that you could trust him.

“Okay.” You knew you could trust him.

Damian types something into your phone then proceeds to hold it up to his ear. Coming from your phone's speaker you hear the dial tone then somebody picks up almost instantly, you perk up, turning to watch Damian carefully.

“Hello, Y/N Y/L/N. How did you get this number?” Your eyes widen at the sound of your name coming from the stranger on the other side of the phone.

“It's me.” Damian corrects.

“Oh. What do you want?” The man on the other side almost sounds disappointed. “Did ya lose your phone?”

“I need you to trace this device for spyware, there is a computer too. Can you find it?”

Tim decides to answer his brother's question with a question. “Is this about the girl the kents were talking about?” No doubt something Conner told him.

“Just do your job and contact me when you have traced the IP and user.” Damian huffs.

“You know I have other things I’ve gotta do..” Tim drawls, elongating the words.

“This is important.. Please?” Damian mumbles the last part, low enough that you can barely make it out but his brother on the other hand hears him clearly.

“What was that? It almost sounded like you said please? Could you repeat?” Tim snickers.

“Just do it.” Damian orders, rolling his eyes.

You hear a sarcastic.. “Yes sir but only cause I’m curious.” And with that Tim says his goodbyes and Damian hangs up without a word.

Once you're sure the call is over you turn to Damian, looking hopeless. “Are you sure he’s gonna help me?”

“I promise. He is more reliable than I make him out to be.” Damian looks at you for a second longer than necessary and you can tell he has something on his mind.

“How did he know my name when he picked up the phone?”

“It's nothing illegal, he just set up a system that identifies callers through a quick search of the number.” He reassured you as he unconsciously took note of your nervous ticks. His eyes couldn’t help but land on your pursed lips or your creased brow.

“Can anybody do that?” You ask, resting your hands on the middle console separating you from Damian.

“They’d have to know it could be done.”

You visibly deflated at that answer, deep down you hoped that he would say, only people with access and the right tools could get to you so easily. It was a scary thought.

“Oh.. Okay.” What other things could people do without you knowing? Was there anything you could do to prevent it?

Damian turns to face you fully, placing a hand on yours. “Hey.. don’t worry, when this is all over I will teach you to defend yourself.” He says punctuating his words with a squeeze of your hand.

“But you're leaving at the end of the summer and this could take forever-”

“I will come back to visit you, I promise.” Damian closes the distance between the two of you, one hand cradling your neck.

His words make your heart swell and a smile spreads across your face. “In your private jet?” You smirk in the most infectious way and Damian can't help but smile as well.

“..If I have to.” He said with the most sincere look in his eyes. “Y/N.” He sighs, lips pressed together as his eyes meet yours.

You bite your lip trying to suppress a smile. “Hmm..?”

“I don’t want this to end between us.”

“Neither do I..I really Like you Damian and I’m sorry that all of this is happ-” He can feel you pulling away.

Before you can get the words out Damian’s lips connect with yours as he pulls you into a tender kiss. You just melt right into him, your lips parting slightly to catch your breath as he forgets about breathing entirely.

This kiss was no different from any of the others you had shared with Damian, your lips meshed perfectly together spelling out all the feelings you couldn’t express in words.

You were dazed and breathless by the time Damian pulled away from the kiss. For half a second you hesitate. “W-we should probably go.”

Damian looks at the road ahead through the windshield. “Yeah.” He affirms, turning to look at you sincerely, his gaze lingering a little too long on your lips.

Eventually you pulled into the parking lot of the Sheriff’s station. Damian didn’t wait for you to get out, instead he made his way to the passenger side of the car, opened the door for you, helped you out of the car and carried your bag for you.

Once your door was closed Damian let his free hand slide onto your waist pulling you into his side and as you approached the sheriffs station from the corner of your eye you see a familiar group of people headed your way.

“What are you guys doing here?” You ask.

“Scarlett..” Alia said, glancing at the blonde.

“She told us everything that happened.” Dylan confirms.

“How could you keep this from us for so long?” Bailey asks as she hugs you.

“How did Scar not let it slip for so long?” Danny cuts in before you can to reply to the last question.

“He’s here?” Jack finally butts in, aiming a half assed glare at Damian.

Scarlett rolls her eyes. “Dude he's a witness.” She replies as she pushes past the group to give you a tight hug. “Please say you're not mad?”

“I’m not mad. Thanks for coming.” You look over her shoulder at your other friends. “All of you, I really appreciate it.”

Jon wanders over to Damian patting him on the shoulder. “I was wondering where you ended up last night.”

Damian raises a brow. “You mean after you abandoned me at the hardware store?”

Jon laughs, smacking Damian’s back in the process. “That doesn’t sound like something I would do.” He jokes. ” ..But I guess I’m glad I did it. Did you see the guy's face?”

Danny turns to Damian. “Right, you caught him?”

“No, he got away.” Damian’s head bows almost like he was ashamed.

Dylan swings an arm over Damian’s shoulder, a friendly gesture to try and comfort him. “Dude, don’t feel bad. ‘Least you got her away from him.”

“Yeah, you did a good job.” Jack adds, Damian nods as a silent thank you in response and you smile at the interaction appreciating the effort Jack put in to be civil with Damian you half expected some snarky comment.

“You should probably get in there, my dads looks like he's about to come out and get you himself.” Dylan points.

You look to where Dylan is pointing to find the Sheriff watching from the front desk. “Yeah, you're right.” You agree, about to make your way over when you're interrupted.

“Wait!! Group hug!” Alia calls pulling you into a hug then Bailey joins and then Dylan and Scarlett and Danny and finally Jon pulls Damian in with him, letting Damian take the space behind you standing awkwardly as he is wrapped up in the hug with your friends.

You enjoy the embrace for as long as it lasts but the end comes too soon and again you turn back to face the Sheriff’s station as your stomach fills with dread.

You turn back to your friends one last time, giving them a weak meek smile. “Bye guys.”

“Good luck!” Alia calls.

“They’re gonna catch him!!” Danny calls with a level of enthusiasm that only he can show.

There is a chorus of cheers that follow until the doors of the station close behind you.

“Thank you for coming.” Sheriff Reid greets you. “There are some detectives from Metropolis PD here to help with your case. Follow me this way.”

“How did you get Met PD here so quickly?” You ask in shock or maybe in concern. It all seemed too serious.

“I called an old friend.” He pauses beside his office. “Meet detective Byron Miller."

“Y/N, this my uncle Ronny, obviously not my real uncle. You've met him.”

“Hey kid.” He says giving Scarlett a squeeze.

“Hi uncle Ronny. Thanks for coming.”

“Y/N Good to see you again, I wish it was under better circumstances.” The detective said, holding his hand out for you to shake.

“Thanks.” You said, reciprocating the hand shake, giving him a small smile.

“And you’re Damian, correct?” The detective asks not waiting for a reply before he continues. “Of course you are, you look just like your father. You've got that coolness about ya, just like your dad.”

Detective Miller straightens his expression and turns back to you with a soft smile.

“You ready kid? I’m gonna go over everything you told the sheriff last night, maybe there are a few minor things that slipped your mind..? And I’m gonna need you to sign a few things but you're gonna have to come back later for that. And finally I’d like you to meet detective Angela Garçia, she is an expert at Digital Forensics. She is gonna need your phone, Laptop and any other devices you might have even your MP3 player. Finally I will take any evidence you’ve collected.. Is that it?”

Damian looks at you almost as if to ask if it was okay for him to hand over your things

“Umm.” You bite your lip looking down at the bag hanging from Damian’s shoulder. “..Yes.”

“I just need you to talk me through all of this and then I can get a better idea of what's going on.” You nod along. “Follow me.” Detective Miller ordered and you followed compliantly without saying goodbye to Damian or Scarlett.

“You seem nervous.” He glances up at you. “Don’t be, you're not in trouble.”

“I know.”

You are in an interrogation room, it's hard not to be nervous.

The walls are a cold beige color that looks like they could have been white many years ago, the lights were harsh on your eyes and buzzed with a low hum. You saw a clock on the wall behind you as you entered but now all you could hear was the tick. There was a window with one way glass across from you. You couldn't see through but the idea that somebody was watching or listening had you shrinking into your seat.

“How about we start with what's in the bag?” You look at the bag that is now sitting in front of you on the table. “Can you show me what is inside?”

You reach for the bag pulling out your lap top first, it is heavier than you remember and it clatters slightly as you place it on the table.

“I think maybe he was using this to watch me.. Sometimes when I was doing my assignments the webcam would turn on and I didn’t know how to turn it off so I covered the camera." The whole time you speak your eyes stay on the device covered in stickers before reaching for the bag again, this time going right to the bottom to grab your phone. “..I don’t know what to say. I guess it's self explanatory..”

“I see here you said he would text you often, did you ever reply?”

“Once.. I was upset about my finals grades and he texted me. I just wanted him to leave me alone.” You sigh. “I begged him to stop, he told me he would help change the grade I got in my final. I tried to ask him what that meant and by the end of that week I was in the dean's office for tampering with the grading system. I tried to show them the text but they were gone, all of them and after that they would all just vanish after I read them.”

You pull out the envelope next putting it down on the table carefully, at this point you could feel your heart beating in your head every pulse sending shockwaves through your mind. You don’t know when your hands began to shake but you sat on them to still yourself.

“I found this.” You take a short breath exhaling out of your nose. “..it was in my bedroom when I got home one night. That and a flower.”

“What kind of flower?” He asks, tapping his pen on the table.

“My favorite.. chrysanthemum morifolium, it was yellow.” You say with a bitter taste on your tongue.

“It's rare?” He asks and you nod, so he notes that down. “Do you have an exact date for when you found this?”

“June 28th. No, it was the 29th. The twins had a birthday party at the Kent farm. I got home pretty late-”

“How late?” The detective interjects.

“I think it was 3am, I dropped Bailey off then I went straight home.”

“Can anybody confirm that?”

“Ummm.. I-I don't know. My parents were asleep.”

“Do you have a home security system?”

You nod. “Mhm, I reset it when I got in and then I went up to my room.”

“So he would have had to have known the code or broken in before it was armed?”

“Yeah, my parents usually wait to turn it on until they go up to bed.” You never thought something so insignificant to you could be useful.

“I’ll have somebody call your parents so we can get in contact with the security company. It's really important we have an accurate time line.” He glances at the envelope then back to you. “Is it okay if I open it?”

You nod and watch as he pushes aside your phone and laptop and pulls out the photos spreading them on the table in front of you.

“There is nothing in the report about these. Why did you not say anything when the sheriff interviewed you?”

“I was tired. I forgot.” You lied seamlessly because at this point it was second nature.

The detective hums as he compares what you said to the notes from your interview with the Sheriff. “This seems like a big thing to forget and you didn’t report it when it happened? Why?”

“..I didn’t think things would get this bad. It was the first time he left anything behind and I.. I thought if I reported it and nothing came of it it would be a waste of everybody's time and my parents would know and people would worry and then my life would spin out of control.”

He raises a brow at you. “I can’t say I understand but you could have saved yourself a lot of trouble by coming to the police. The sheriff is your best friend's father, why didn't you go to him?”

“Scar told me a hundred times to go to the cops. I couldn't, I know I should have..” It was hard for you to even wrap your head around.

He hums in understanding but his eyes tell you he has other thoughts. “Can you tell me about these photos?”

“I’ve seen some of them before.. He would send me emails and texts with pictures I recognise most of them but some I didn’t even know about.”

“You didn't know any of them were being taken?” You shake your head.

“He wrote on the back of a few of them.” You point to one and he flips it over, he seems unfazed. You notice the way his lips slightly curl in disgust as you flip over another.

“Do you recognise the handwriting?” You shake your head and the detective flips over a few others analysing the text. “It seems like whoever this is really cares about you, he writes like he is enamored by you.”

You don’t reply too busy chewing on your bottom lip as you reread the sentences on the papers in front of you.

“Do you have an idea on dates of when these photos were taken?”

With a shaky hand you reach for a photo. “This one must have been taken last year, I don't know when but probably in the winter.”

“Where were you?”

“In the campus library at Central Kansas. I go to school there.”

“Do you think he goes to school with you?”

You shrug but really there was no way for you to know. If somebody was willing to go through the effort to stalk you, maybe they would go through the effort to put their responsibilities aside to follow you around. “Maybe. I’m not sure.”

“Okay and what about the others?”

You go through each photo naming dates when you can and identify the people in them with you. It takes a while for you to get through each one with all the questions the detective gave you.

“And these were all taken on the same night?” The detective asked as he looked at the remaining few photos.

The 12 hour shift and 6 hours of sleep seemed to be catching up on you, it was that or the hour you spent in the interrogation had drained you, whatever it is, you were feeling worn out.

“Yeah the same night that they were left in my room.” You glance at your reflection just imagining your parents and friends on the other side listening to you go on about how well you hid everything that happened to you the past year.

“So the unsub would have had time to print these and go to your house and leave them?”

You clear your throat. “Yes.”

“Can you give me an estimate on what time these were taken?”

“Uhh.. This one was probably the latest around 11pm maybe.” You point at a photo of you in the barn. “I don't know about the others so much happened that night.”

“Anything significant.” You shake your head. “Do you think there was something that happened at the party that triggered this?” He asks, tapping his pen again this time on the envelope.

You glance at the oneway glass behind the detective, was the sheriff on the other side? “I was in the barn with Damian.. It was after this photo was taken but we kissed and then I left him up there to go back to the party.”

“It makes sense that could have led the Unsub to act quickly to show their devotion to you.” XXXXXXX“..and were there a lot of people at the party?”

“Maybe fifty give or take.” It was practically your whole high school graduating class.

“You knew most of them?”

“Practically all of them.” He notes that down.

“I need you to tell me everything, from the beginning.” You exhale a heavy breath just hoping for this all to be over.

“Thank you for cooperating, I know this has been difficult, you're free to go whenever but i still need to interview your friends.” Detective Miller holds the door for you to exit, then follows behind you to go back to the bullpen. “Garçia.” He calls for his colleague to follow him.

Your mind is still on the conversation you had just finished. Retelling the events of the past year to a stranger was difficult but the hardest part was explaining what happened last night. You were still stuck in the fact that without Damian you could be gone, with the man that made it his job to document your life for his own twisted reasons.

“Hey, how did it go?” Scarlett's voice brings you back to reality as she appears in front of you her face twists into a frown as she looks at you, Damian is following right behind her with a similar expression. “Are you alright?” She asks.

“I’m fine.” You say but your voice betrays you, sounding weaker than it had been when you spoke to the detective. “I just need some water.”

“I’ll fetch you some.”

Damian didn’t miss a beat taking up the space that Scarlett occupied as soon as she left. You look up giving him a weak smile.

“It went better than I thought it would.. I didn't cry or throw up.” You say with a tight smile.

“You don’t have to put up a brave front.” He says in a gentle reassuring tone.

“I almost cried but I couldn't but I’ve already cried so much over this. I just couldn't find it in me. Ya know?” It was a rhetorical question of course but Scarlett nodded in agreement anyway.

“Mister Wayne!” Detective Miller calls from the desk Detective Garçia had occupied. “Would you follow me?”

Damian’s Interview was quicker than yours, he recounted the same information he told the sheriff the night before, the bonfire and last night's incident, then he was back in the bullpen being swapped out for Scarlett who was gone for a similar amount of time as you. She had so much more to say, spilling things she had been withholding for months, things she promised to never say.

XX

After hour in the station you finally escape around 3 pm, the plan was to go straight home and drop Scarlett and Damian off on your way.

You're walking to your car with Damian and Scarlett when the aforementioned blonde speaks out. “Sooo…I texted Dylan that you were heading back to your place and he said he’s there.”

You pause a few feet away from your car, confused by the situation. “Did he say why?”

Scarlett shrugs. “Alia’s parents asked her to meet them there. Dyl and the others tagged along”

“As much as I love them, I’m not really in the mood to be seeing people right now.” You wince at the though of having to save face in front of more than just your parents.

“Apparently the whole gang is there.”

“I’m getting a bad feeling about this..”

“Well, I wanna see what's going on.” Scarlett says heading to stand by the passenger side of your car with a smile.

As if the universe had heard you and decided against your wishes you pulled into your driveway only to find your house surrounded by a dozen or so cars.

You look to Scarlett for answers but she shrugs. You searched your mind for what could possibly have so many visitors arriving all at once and the only thing that came up was that word had spread about last night's incident. The one thing you hated about living in such a small town was the lack of privacy.

As you entered the house you were hit with the most pleasant smell of baked goods and all sorts of foods that reminded you that you had skipped breakfast.

You had barely made it into the living room when you came face to face with Denise’s mother who instantly pulled you into a hug.

“Oh darling! I had to come and check if you were okay!” She asks as she squeezes you tightly then pulls back holding you by your shoulders as she takes in your appearance. “Are you alright?”

You look around the room, everybody is frozen, all eyes on you. Your friends are all squeezed onto the sofa on the far side of the room and your parents make their way over slipping through the crowd. There are familiar faces everywhere, from members of your church to family friends and fellow business owners all with sympathy painted over their expressions.

“Does everybody know?” You say once your mother reaches you.

“I’m sorry Honey I couldn’t turn them away, they brought food.”

“It's okay.. Just caught me by surprise.” You turn back to Denise’s mother with a tight smile. “Thank you for coming.” Then you turn to the room. “I guess I have to say hello.” You say under your breath.

Scarlett and Damian are silent following behind you as you delve further into the room, unlike you however they are able to slip away while you talk to each group of uninvited guests. When you're finally done making your rounds the smile you put on falls and you join your friends standing by the table covered in food they had gathered around.

“How are you doing?” Jon asks.

“Pretty much jaded at this point.”

“People have been in and out for the past couple hours.” Denise informs as she casually inserts herself beside you.

You let out a dry laugh. “Did they all bring food?”

“Pretty much.. My mom brought her famous cherry pie.”

“Honestly, I am kinda hungry.. Does anybody want a plate?” You say as you head into the kitchen in search of the paper plates and disposable cutlery your dad keeps for potlucks and barbeques.

“Yes please. I’ve had my eye on Alia’s mom's lamb chops for hours.” Danny says as he eyes the spread and rubs his hands together.

“Dude, you legit act like a cartoon sometimes.” Dylan mocks and everybody laughs with him including you.

You turn back to the group with a smile on your face, Denise takes the plastic utensils from you, deciding to help you as you hand out the plates. Scarlett even thanked Denise as she retrieved a knife and fork from her.

“I never thought I’d see the day Scarlett Reid said thank you to me of all people.” Denise joked in faux shock.

“Don’t get used to it.” Scarlett retorts with a smirk.

“Who knew all it took was a stalker to get you two to start acting civil?” The joke doesn’t land the way you expect it to and everybody goes quiet for a second and you wince at the way they look at you. “Sorry, I was trying to make light of the situation.”

“I thought it was funny.” Danny says after he swallows a mouthful of food.

“Thanks Danny.” You say giving him a smile. “I should probably go and hand out the rest of these.”

You begin to pass out plates to the rest of the guests, your friends moved away from the now crowded dining room and by the time you were done everybody had either already started eating, filled up their plate already and somehow despite the massive amounts of food you're left with scraps to pick from.

As you ponder between your options of key lime pie and cheese cake of unknown flavor your mother comes up beside you resting a hand on your shoulder.

“Honey, the Wheeler’s came to see you.” You turn to find your father talking with mister Wheeler and Mrs Wheeler rushes to pull you into a hug.

“Y/N, you poor thing. How are you?” Mrs Wheeler asks as she pulls away from the hug.

“I’m okay having all these people around is actually kinda helping.” You say as you look around at all the guests, that is when you notice a large bouquet of flowers floating beside mister Wheeler. “Those are beautiful.”

“I closed the store early and made this bouquet for you. Willy darling, find somewhere to put those down and say hello.”

Will groans. “Mom please don’t call me that in public.” The flowers dip low enough to reveal Will’s face and he grimaces then glances at you shyly. “Hey.” He nods as opposed to a wave which he is incapable of at the moment with his hands full.

You put down your plate and clear a few of the empty dishes from the table. “Here, you can put those down on the table.”

“Thanks.” Will murmurs awkwardly as he pushes the heavy bouquet onto the space you cleared for him on the table.

Your mom reaches for the plates you had cleared. “Honey let me take those. Go eat, I made you a plate it's in the microwave.”

“Thanks mom.”

“Take Will, honey.” Your mother instructs as you retrieve your food from the microwave.

“Yeah. Follow me.” You gesture for Will to follow you as you head toward your friends who are now sitting on one of the couches in the now less crowded living room. “You know my friends? Bailey, Scarlett, Dylan, Alia, Danny, Jack, Jon, Danise and Damian.”

“Guys Say hi.” Denise is the only one who doesn't greet Will as you instructed.

“Hi.” the group said with the most enthusiasm they could muster, which was not much

You perch on the arm rest of the couch next to Damian, he placed a hand on your hip casually like it belonged there. You were unphased by the action, it was subtle enough that it went unnoticed by everybody but you and Will who stood opposite you.

“Hey, Will. You haven't met Damian yet.. Have you?” Denise asked, giving Will a pointed look.

“Uhh.. no.” His eyes shift over the group like he's looking for a life line.

Will doesn't seem to understand what point she was trying to get at, so she continues. “..Well he was just telling me about what happened last night, it's horrible.”

“I-uh. I didn’t really get any of the details.” Will seemed lost, like he wasn’t sure how to react.

Denise tilts her head, like a kid or a puppy would when they're curious but less innocent and more judgement. “Huh? I thought you’d know.”

“Dee..?” You meant to say something else. Tell her to stop but you were almost as curious as everybody else where she was going with this conversation.

“What?” Denise shrugs. “Word spreads fast, that's all. Half the town knew almost instantly, what were you doing last night?”

“I don't know, sleeping.. Probably.” 

“..Right.”

You put your plate down on the tv table. “Will, I'm sorry if she's making you uncomfortable.”

“Y/N, what do you mean..?”

Denise is still talking when Will begins to back away and retreat. “Maybe I should go.”

You shake your head. “No. Dee apologise.”

Bailey intervenes, looking just as bewildered as the rest of your friends. “What is going on?”

“Nothing. Ignore her, she always does this.”

“What? What is she trying to say?”

“I’m gonna go.” Will says as he's already halfway out of the living room in search of his parents but before he can make his escape another voice cuts in, halting him.

“Don’t go anywhere.” Sheriff Reid calls.

“Dad..” Scarlett and Dylan say in tandem as they watch their father cross the room.

“Sheriff, do you have new information on the case?”

“Yes, we do. We have a suspect and a warrant for his arrest.”

“Why are you here then?”

The Sheriff cast his eyes to the floor for a moment almost looking remorseful. “We wanted to do this somewhere more private.”

“Whats going on here?” Your dad asks, suddenly aware of what is happening in his own house.

The Sheriff's face instantly straightened out, now more apathetic. “William Wheeler, you are under arrest. On suspicion of attempted kidnapping. You have the right to remain silent.” He sighs as he closes the cuffs around Will’s wrists one at a time. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attourney..”

You take a couple steps toward the Sheriff. “I don’t understand..” You were genuinely at a loss for words, you couldn't understand what was happening even though it was going on right before your eyes.

Denise grabs your arm stopping you in your tracks. “Y/N this is exactly what I was talking about.”

Detective Miller barely steps out for a moment before a couple Deputies come waltzing in

“Hey, I think everybody should head home.” Dylan says and your friends begin to stand and collect their things.

“Honey, come here.” Your mom gestures for you to stand by her, opening her arms for you.

You look Will right in the eyes and he doesn’t say anything, he just looks right back at you and he doesn’t say a word. It's unsettling how calm he is. “Mom..?” You blindly reach for your mother not once looking away from Will.

“Can you get him out of here? Thanks.” Detective Miller instructs the deputies to guide Will out. “Y/N, I’m gonna need you to come down to the station. You too.” He points between Damian and Scarlett.

When I said monday or tuesday I meant wednesday..

You’re lounging in bed when you hear your window begin to rattle, obviously startled by the sound you jolt up from your spot in the middle of the bed slowly crawling over to the edge to assess the threat when you see a familiar face.

Of course it was Rafe. You open the window slightly sticking your head out to see how Rafe had precariously perched himself on the small roof below your window.

You jump out of bed to open the window. “What is wrong with you?” You ask looking around for his car. “What are you doing here?”

“Don’t worry. I parked down the street and I know my way around the cameras.” He grinned. “So you gonna let me in?”

You shake your head slowly, almost somberly. “No. No boys allowed in my room.”

“Is that a new rule for your recovery?”

You grin wickedly. “Nope, it’s a rule I just made up.”

He clicks his tongue in annoyance before he reaches a hand in to shove you away. “Move.”

You stumble back slightly falling onto your bed, watching as Rafe shimmied his way through the window head first. His foot catches on the window frame and he falls pretty unceremoniously on his face groaning in annoyance as he picks himself up off the floor.

Rafe takes in your room nothing has changed really but it looks tidier.

You sit, watching him mostly unbothered by his presence and if anything it was kinda maybe a little bit pleasant. Until he starts to take his shoes off and make himself comfortable on the bed next to you.

“Hey, outside clothes on my bed!” You scold, tossing a small decorative pillow at him. “You know how I feel about that.”

“Damn, sorry.” He stands and begins pulling his shirt up and over his head, tossing it on the floor before starting on his belt.

Your brows furrow as his pants fall to the ground. “What are you doing?”

“Taking off my clothes so I can lay on your bed.” He says, dropping his pants leaving him in just his boxers.

“You could sit on the chair..” You suggest in a mildly condescending tone.

“I wanna lay down.” He says as he flops back onto the bed, pulling you into his side. “‘M tired.”

“Hands to yourself Cameron.” You command as his hands wrap around your waist.

“What?” He asks like it's the most innocent thing in the world. “I just wanna cuddle.”

“Cuddle Mr Valentine.” You say shoving the stuffed cat into his chest and sitting up.

“I’m not cuddling a dude.” He says tossing the stuffed animal across the room and tugging your arm so you fall into him. “Do you know how many times I caught him watching us fuck? The man's a pervert.”

“Shut up. You’re such a freak.” You say while making yourself comfortable in Rafe’s arms, letting your head rest on his chest.

“Your freak?”

You roll your eyes. “No, you are a free agent bro.”

“Bro? Seriously? What happened to Rafey or Ray?” He asks putting on a pout. “You know you’re my favorite girl, right?”

Your eyes narrow in confusion but you don’t let him see it. Ignoring the implication that he had other girls made your stomach twist in knots. “..Right.”

Rafe sits up enough to hover over you. “Seriously and not just because you like to party or because you give good head.”

You smirk. “I do, don’t I?”

“Fuck yeah..” He wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you closer, pressing himself into you more. “The best.”

Admittedly you were enjoying the way he held you close despite the intimacy of it, maybe that's what you needed to ground you. You hadn’t felt this relaxed since.. “Ew are you hard?” You say, pinching his shoulder so he would let go of you.

Rafe jerks back slightly but his hold on you remains firm. “Ow, yeah! You got me thinking about getting a blow job.”

You shove at his chest trying to create some space between the two of you. “Get off me!”

“No, wait. It'll go away.. Lets just talk?” He says keeping his hands locked in place.

You lift your head to look at him, all of a sudden remembering you're mad at him. “Why don’t we talk about when you ditched me at Midsummer and I ended up in rehab for six months?” The words came out almost as if you were telling a joke but your face said it all you were still mad.

His hold on you loosens and you slip out from beneath his arms. “You’re still pissed at me?” He asks.

You sit up and he mirrors your action to face you. If there was one thing you knew about Rafe was that he would not back down from an argument no matter the consequences.

“No, I’m grateful actually, because now I know what kind of friend you are now. That's what you call us, right? We’re just friends?”

“What did you want me to do?! Drag your unconscious body out of there?” Instantly his words have anger bubbling up.

“I remember you leaving when I was heaving over a toilet but maybe I’m wrong..”

“You said you didn’t wanna leave, something about your dad.” Rafe shrugs and you copy his action in mocking.

“Anybody with half a brain could tell I shouldn’t have been left alone!”

You poke at his chest and Rafe cuts that shit off instantly grabbing your wrist and shaking you slightly, just as a warning. “You were acting fucking crazy!”

“Because you loaded me up with pills and booze! Of course I was gonna have a melt down..” You knew how you felt about Rafe, he fucked you over plain and simple he was a bad friend or whatever you two were. “You literally abandoned me! I would never do that to you.”

“You weren’t the only one who was fucked up that night, Y/N!” With that said he releases your wrist with a slight shove. “Stop acting like a victim.”

There is nothing between you and Rafe but pent up resentment and vitriol. It takes a moment for you to compose yourself and you don’t even think twice about what you want to say next. “Fuck you! Get out!” You say pointing at the window he came through.

Right now you were prepared to fully wash your hands of him and never see him again. Rafe had brought nothing good into your life and if anything things got worse because of him.

As you and Rafe stared at one another you could feel the tension in the room was so thick not even a bullet would be able to pass through it. Rafe didn’t budge from his spot; he sat unflinching challenge permeating through his expression.

You opened your mouth to speak again but as you did you hear the sound of the mechanical gate opening in the yard and you knew that could only mean one thing, your dad was back. Rafe noted the change in your expression and you could just tell he was eating it up.

“You need to go now!” You begin to push him to the edge of the bed with urgency in your movement.

Despite the fact that he had never explicitly stated it you knew that you weren’t supposed to have any one over until your dad approved it and you knew he would not approve of a half naked Rafe laying in your bed.

He folds his arms over his bare chest not moving an inch from his spot. “I’m not done talking.”

You stand and start collecting his things from the ground. “If my dad finds you here I’m never gonna have any freedom.”

“I don’t see how that’s my problem..”

“Rafe this isn’t a joke.” You warn.

“I get that but I just don’t care.” His words made your frown deepen.

As you collect his clothes from the ground a small plastic baggie slips out of the back pocket of his jeans and you pause. Your heart rate spikes instantly and you’re too scared to look at the baggie let alone to reach down and pick it up. Instead you take a step back, hugging Rafe’s things to your body like a life line.

Rafe chuckles at your reaction to the baggie filled with a white powdery substance but you don’t react, not until you hear the sound of the front door closing.

You adjust your posture and your gaze sharpens, aimed right at Rafe. “You’re really fucked up you know that? Bringing this here.” You were astounded by his recklessness but it was to be expected from him.

He bent down, picking up the baggie and checking that nothing spilled. “Chill the fuck out I wasn’t gonna give you any.”

“Just go. Now!” You command, shoving his clothes into his chest.

Rafe shrugs. “Okay but I’m taking the front door.” He knew how to be petty when he didn’t get what he wanted.

You could hear your dad’s footsteps ascending the stairs and you knew your bedroom would be his first stop before he did anything else, it always was these days.

“Please Rafe just.. Just get in the bathroom and I promise we can talk once he’s gone.” You were literally begging at this point.

Rafe doesn’t say anything he just stared and for a second, you almost thought he wasn’t going to budge. Eventually though he conceded and finally entered the en suite right as what could only be your dad’s footsteps passed right by your room to your surprise but only a moment after Rafe closed the en suite door behind himself.

After an excruciatingly long minute there was a knock at your door. “Y/N?” Your dad called from the other side?

You let out a heavy breath before you responded. “Come in.”

He opened the door with his right hand and in his left he held what looked like your laptop case and on top of it was your phone and car keys.

“I wanted to return these to you.” He said holding your things out for you to take. “I’m so proud of you for getting this far and I know you probably don’t care but I really appreciate you trying tonight. It meant a lot to me. You were a good sport.” You could tell by his tone that he was being sincere and for just a second you felt bad that you couldn’t appreciate that the way you should.

“Thanks dad..” Your voice lacks the confidence it usually holds and your eyes don’t meet his.

“You know I only do what I think is best for you?”

“I know.” You nod.

“I love you, you’re my baby girl. I can’t lose.” Your eyes softened at that and you could feel tears beginning to surface.

“I love you too Dad.” You really did, you just didn’t know how to show him that. You knew you disappointed him years ago when you decided not to go to college and almost everyday since that you had stopped trying to meet his expectations. “..I’m sorry.” You add with tears blurring your eyes.

“Hey, it's alright.”

But you knew it wasn’t.

“It’s all in the past now.” He pulled you into a hug and for the first time in longer than you could remember you reciprocated with your one free hand wrapping around him.

He pulled away and spoke, keeping his eyes on yours the whole time. “Get some rest, okay?” All you can do is nod in response, not trusting yourself not to break down in tears.

When the door closes behind him you back up until the backs of your legs hit the edge of your bed and you let yourself fall back sitting on the mattress clutching your things in your lap, letting silent tears fall down onto them.

Just as your mind began to wander to self loathing the door to your bathroom opened up but you didn’t bother looking, you already knew what was coming.

“You gonna keep wallowing in self-pity or keep up your end of the deal and talk?” You raise your head looking right at him shooting him with a scowl but he doesn't react the way you expected. No, instead his expression smoothed out into a sympathetic one. “Shit, I didn’t know-”

Your words over lap with his.

“Can you-” You hiccuped. “Can you just leave?”

“No, you said we would talk so we’re gonna talk and I’m not gonna leave you like this.” He sits down beside you and you think if he’s not gonna respect your request to be alone at least he’s clothed now.

You try to wipe the tears from your face but they persist. “Rafe..” You sigh.

“Tell me what’s wrong?” That was the last thing you expected him to say. “I’m not leaving ‘til I know you’re okay.”

“I’m okay.”

“Don’t lie..”

“Don’t pretend you care.” You snark back hoping Rafe would concede and just leave you to feel bad for yourself. 

“C’mon you know I do.” He whispered into your hair. Rafe's actions were unusually gentle and you didn't know how to react.“If it makes you feel better no one can disappoint their dad the way I did with Ward..”

You knew he probably understood more than anyone, even if your situations weren’t exactly the same, at least now he could function and keep up his habit.

“Everybody on this island thinks I’m a lost cause and they’re right.” It felt wrong to take comfort in Rafe considering everything but you would take what you got.

“That’s not true.” He pulled you tighter into him. “Plus you’re better now.”

You peer up at him through your wet lashes. “Am I?”

He pulled away from the hug to cup your face in his hands. “You will be.” His words felt loaded, like a promise he planned to personally make happen.

You don’t know what possessed you to do what you did in that moment but you find yourself leaning in closing the space between the two of you. Something about the way he looked at you made you reckless.

Your lips press to Rafe’s firmly and maybe, if either of you had more self control somebody would have pulled away even if that's not what you wanted at the time, he should have.

Instead Rafe let one of his hands drop to your side grasping your flesh as if to keep you from escaping, you had no intention to. You wanted to let him use you like he did so many times before and you didn’t care that you’d spent the last three and a half months hating him, you needed a distraction and distract you he did as you forgot about the world outside of your bedroom. You didn’t even care that your dad was home.

You pulled away only long enough to reposition yourself straddling Rafe’s lap and push him down to lay on the bed. He grinned wide at your urgency but didn’t dare say anything that might make you stop what you had initiated.

“You better not have done coke in my bathroom.” You lean down reconnecting your lips in a hungry kiss and begin to grind your core down on his crotch and Rafe just grips your hips tighter encouraging your movements.

“Never.” He said into the kiss and you know for him it's probably the same reckless pleasure he was used to receiving from you but for you it was placating. A mindless fucking was what you needed nothing else and nothing more. “Fuck you don’t know how much I missed this, did you miss me too?” He almost sounded desperate as he spoke.

“Hmmm.. Please don’t talk..” something about the way he spoke to you made everything feel to intimate like that first night all of a sudden felt like the naive idiot you were when you were 19.

Your hands made their way down towards the buckle of the belt he had just put back on a few minutes ago. You didn’t want to waste time with foreplay and despite how much Rafe wanted to taste you again he didn’t dare stop you from taking what you needed.

It was embarrassing how impatient you were being right now but your need to disappear into your pleasure was more urgent than your pride and you didn’t have that much self respect.

You could feel the wetness in your panties growing and your desperation only grew, wanting him inside you.

Once his jeans were unzipped Rafe flipped the two of you so he was on top now, his hands made their way under your shirt one of them pushing at the small of your back forcing you to arch into him and the other found your breast squeezing it gently just enjoying the feel of exploring your body.

You were so impatient that you tugged the hem of your shirt up pulling it off which meant breaking away from the kiss for an excruciatingly long moment. You expected Rafe to press his lips back to yours but instead he dipped his head down placing a kiss over your stomach then continued trailing his lips down, when they reached your naval you twitched away from him at the way it tickled.

He didn’t stop until he reached the hem of your shorts. He didn't wait or ask for approval to continue, instead he brought his hands down to pry your shorts and panties away from your body, tossing them aside then tugging off his own shirt sending it flying in the same direction.

Rafe leaned down kissing the tears away from your face. “I wanna take my time with you but fuckk..” You ignored the implication that came with Rafe’s words. “You look so God damn hot like this.”

“Shut up and fuck me.” Your words were slurred and low but he heard them loud and clear and with that he finally dropped his pants letting them hang around his ankles, revealing his erect cock. You bit your lip trying and failing to repress a moan.

Rafe yanked you by the hips to the edge of the bed, lined himself up with your entrance and without warning he sank into you with one brutal thrust and try as he may he couldn’t stop himself from setting a brutal pace not even giving you time to adjust to what was now an uncomfortable stretch.

Rafe found your G-spot almost immediately and when he did your mouth opened wide and you let out the most pathetic moan, his hand shot down to muffle the sound instantly and you continued moaning into his hand now without shame, it was too late for shame now.

“Gotta stay quiet for me princess.” Rafe shushed you and slowed his pace. You were being too loud, he didn’t need your dad hearing and coming to ruin this for him. “Can you do that for me?” You nodded, instantly closing your mouth and he removed his hand letting it find its way to your clit rubbing it in slow tight circles that you had you leaning into his touch. “Good girl, you’re so wet for me.”

Rafe pushed your legs up onto his shoulders so he could hit deeper in your gut.

You couldn’t stay quiet for long once Rafe started rocking into you again at his original rough pace so you slung your arm behind his neck pulling him down into a breathy kiss. Your tongues tangled together fighting for dominance and as hard as you did try Rafe won, he had all the control and you let yourself give into it.

Rafe stared down at you, obsessed with the way his cock stretched you out. “Fuck- did you get tighter?” Rafe asked, eyes locked on where you were connected.

“Fuck- fuck me harder.” You watched the corner of his lips curve upwards as you pleaded with tears beginning to brim in your waterline. “Make me feel better.”

He complies with your request right away but not without a snarky comment. “I should make you beg for it, ya know? But I’m feeling generous even though you don’t deserve it.”

As if he hadn’t been practically begging you to fuck him hours ago at the club. You don’t care though too caught up in how good he was making you feel.

It seemed that you and Rafe had both stopped caring about how much noise you made as he pounded into you and you felt a pit begin to form in your stomach and you began to clench around him and his pace quickens chasing both of your climaxes.

You moan, hips jerking as your walls flutter and pulse around him, consumed by pleasure as you finish around him, slick gushing around him and he follows soon after letting his hot seed spill into you as he slows his pace. Rafe lets himself go limp, pausing his thrusts finally giving you some reprieve. 

Rafe pulls back a bit to look at you taking in the sight of you beneath him sweaty and out of breath. “You did so good for me, princess.” He says as he dips his head down to press light kisses along the column of your throat.

When he pulls out you hiss, finally feeling the stretch as your walls readjust to being empty. Your head lulls to the side and Rafe takes the opportunity to press a kiss to the column of your neck knowing that spot was sensitive for you. What he expected was for you to moan and pull him closer, instead you shove him away.

“Thanks I needed that.” You sigh out as if he had just given you his last cigarette and Rafe looks at you with a frown. You sit up resting on your elbows wincing slightly at the ache between your thighs. “..You should leave though.”

“How about another round?” He asks.

“No, thanks. I’m good.” You sigh.

“At least let me clean you up?” He knew your body well enough to know you needed it even if you tried to act like you were fine. He knew what he just did to you took a lot out of you.

You grimace knowing that was a bad idea. “Rafe I’m fine..”

He took a few steps back looking down at you. “Prove it.” He gestured to the ground for you to walk over to him. His command was final and you knew he wouldn’t leave until you proved wrong but your legs felt like jelly.

You bit your lip sitting up fully now, your eyes not leaving his. “..I can’t walk but I don't need to, I’m already in bed.”

He smiles victoriously. “You sure you wanna sleep with my cum dripping down your thighs?”

“You're so gross.” You sigh in defeat knowing you were only fueling his smugness. “Okay, get something to wipe it then.”

“Say you need me first.” He was really trying to rub it in.

You scowl knowing you would much rather bite your tongue off. “Fuck you, no.”

“I’m kidding, damn. Thought I fucked the bitch outta you, guess I was wrong.”

“You guessed right. Now, help me?” You ask, ushering him off to get you something to clean up the mess he made.

“Your wish is my command.” He replied sarcastically.

What Rafe was supposed to do was bring you a damp cloth so you could wipe yourself down and pass out but instead he loops his arms around your torso lifting you up into his arms.

You loop your arms around his neck finding it the most comfortable way to place your hands as he held you in a bridal carry. “Rafe?”

Rafe glances down at you for a moment as he kicks the bathroom door open. “Yes, princess?” He asks, placing you down on the cold counter next to the sink.

“Ugh, I had a moment of weakness. Don’t read into it.” You sat uncomfortably in front of him, your legs slightly parted, his cum dripping out of you, as you waited for him to do what he had to and leave.

He rests his hands on your hips stepping between your legs, this needed to stop here it felt too intimate. “And when you have another moment of weakness, call me.”

You place a gentle hand on Rafe’s face tilting his head up so his eyes lock on yours. For a moment there is a flash of softness in his gaze but you shut it down quickly. “Get to work, Cameron.”

“Yes, ma’am.” His tone drips with sarcasm.

You focus your attention on the wall behind Rafe trying to distract yourself by counting the tiles as he grabbed a hand towel from the shelf next to your shower, holding it under the tap and wringing it out. Rafe makes a point of going slow, his touch is gentle as he swipes the warm cloth on your inner thighs, yet you still let out a soft hiss.

“Man up, I’ve done worse to you.” Rafe taunts, as his hand moves over to your other thigh.

“I haven’t been with anybody in six months. You basically just took my virginity.”

“Again? Maybe we’re meant to be.”

“Dude..?” You said giving him a deadpan look. “I’m starting to think maybe you have a little crush on me.”

“C’mon I’m the only guy you’ve been with.” He says, tossing the towel in the sink. “Right?”

“Why does it matter?” Your eyes say it all, of course you haven't been with anyone else Rafe made sure of that.

With a big grin on his face Rafe lifts you, taking you back to your bed, placing you down and crawling in behind you.

“What are you doing?”

“What? ‘m tired.” Rafe pulls you into him, nuzzling his face into your shoulder.

You didn’t have it in you to argue right now or at least that's what you told yourself.

“Just be out of here before I wake up.” Rafe hums, bringing an arm around your waist pulling you into spoon with him. “I mean it I don’t want my dad finding you in here.” He doesn't respond but let your body sink into the mattress.

You should have said something, set a boundary, scolded him maybe but instead you closed your eyes letting sleep take you.

You woke the next morning to the sound of three beeps that sounded suspiciously similar to the noise your shower made when it turned on. You turn over to the other side of the bed finding it empty, not that you had any question about it to begin with but you were just pissed that Rafe was taking a shower in your house after you clearly asked him to be gone.

You lean over the side of your bed plucking your shift from last night, pulling it over your head going straight to the window that faces the front yard checking for your dads car once you confirm he’s gone you head for the bathroom.

“Didn’t I ask you to be gone by the time I woke up?” You call as you close the door behind you.

He turns to you, still holding your pink luffa in his right hand. “Your dad didn’t hear or see me, I don’t see what your problem is..” He lifts the luffa to his chest moving it in circular motions over his pectoral muscles then down over his abs.. And then you remember why you’re mad.

“My problem is you’re way too comfortable.”

Rafe shrugs, continuing his ministrations in the shower. “You were the one moaning my name like a whore last night.”

When the luffa reaches his crotch you scoff. How could he defile your luffa?! You reach into the shower aiming to rescue the luffa but Rafe’s hand catches your wrist pulling you in with him. You stub your toe on the shower door on the way in, which amplifies your anger tenfold.

“Damn. You’re all wet.” Rafe says crowding you against the tiled wall. “..and dirty.” You watch as he drags the luffa up your inner thigh until it's under your pyjama shirt grazing your lower lips. You reach a hand down to move it but his free hand grips your wrist again holding it above your head.

“Rafe..” You warn.

“Yeah, baby?” He leans in shielding you from the falling water.

“Stop with the pet names, it's getting old.” That shouldn’t have been your priority at that moment but he was just so distracting.

“That all you gotta say?” He whispered, his lips just a hair's breath away from yours. You lean in connecting your lips in a passionate kiss and the hand that was once holding your luffa is gripping the underside of your thigh bringing your leg up to rest on his hip.

“Knew you couldn’t resist.” And at that you bit down. You could feel your kainines cutting through the soft flesh of his bottom lip drawing blood. Rafe practically throws himself to the opposite end of the shower. “Fuck! What is wrong with you?”

You give him a wicked smile making sure to flash your teeth a little extra. “You Rafey. You're what's wrong.” You say in a sweet placating tone only to drop it and say; “..Now, get out of my shower!”

Rafe backs off reluctantly, glaring at you and whispering. “Fuckin’ bitch.” Which makes you smile. You take the opportunity to clean yourself, pulling off your now soaked shirt, tossing it in the corner and picking up your luffa.

When you’re done with your shower Rafe is still in the bathroom butt naked dripping onto the tiled floor, staring at his reflection in the mirror with his bottom lip pulled out so he can assess the damage you had done.

You couldn’t help but take a moment to appreciate his sculpted back and practically perfect ass.

“You maimed me.” He said expecting sympathy but you grin, enjoying his suffering a little too much.

“I could have done worse. And hey, maybe now you’ll listen next time I tell you to leave.”

“I woulda taken a stern talking to.” He snaps back with a scowl on his face.

“Next time.” You pat his cheek as a faux sympathetic gesture. “Get out I gotta moisturise.”

Rafe reluctantly gives in, grabbing a towel on his way out to dry himself off.

You weren’t in there for long but despite that when you reentered your room you found Rafe still in his towel, standing over your dresser rifling through the top drawer.

“I don’t have any panties in your size..”

“You should wear these.” Rafe says holding up a pair of hot pink lace panties that he had bought you months ago on your birthday. “..And the matching bra.”

“No, thanks. I know how to dress myself.”

“Why not?” He asks, tilting his head like he’s never heard the word no before.

“I don’t take fashion advice from people who wear Khakis.” You sigh out a breath of frustration. “Can you leave already?”

His brows furrow. “What did I do?”

“..Over stayed you’re welcome. How many times do I have to tell you?” Rafe was like a nasty cough you just couldn’t shake and you knew you couldn’t place all the blame on him but that was so much easier.

“When did you get so boring?” He asked as he collected his clothes off the ground.

“Bye..” He didn't even get a chance to put his shirt on when you point toward the window he came in through last night demanding he leave. “Rember to avoid the cameras.”

“Before I go.” He raises a hand as if to ask a question. “..Since you have some freedom now, come to the club later. I’ll be there with Top, Kelce and a few other guys playing golf.”

You knew you should stay away from them but what was the worst that could happen at the country club? There were cameras almost everywhere so you knew your dad would know every move you made which meant you would be less tempted to do anything reckless, so what was the harm? (Dumb question.)

You nod. “Yeah, okay.”

“Cool, be there at 2pm?”

“Got it.” You smile and before you have a chance to dodge, Rafe places a chaste kiss on your lips.

“Bye.” He grins as he backs away.

You watched as Rafe ducked his head climbing out of the window like he’d done it before a thousand times, which maybe had considering all the times he’d given you a ride home just out of the kindness of his heart only to follow you in and fuck you to sleep right after.

It had been six months since you last stepped foot in Kildare and as expected nothing had changed at all, nothing but you of course. You had been rehabilitated, locked up in some facility with a bunch of freaks who didn’t even know how to wipe their own asses. All of that because you had one little mental break down at midsummer and your dad decided that you were too far gone for his help.

Midsummer was your last memory of home before you were shipped off. You remember Sarah Cameron trying to calm you as you yelled at your dad for God knows what, then you blacked out and woke up in a hospital bed. You had been keyed up the whole day, it was the only thing that kept you awake for as long as you were that day but mixing pills, coke and alcohol didn’t end well for you that day.

But now you were back home locked up in a room, your dad had said it was what was best for you, so you could adjust. Your car keys, phone and laptop were locked in a drawer in his office pending when you were ready to rejoin society.

It had been this way all week and you were growing restless. At least in the rehab center you had entertainment in the form of the other patients but at home you watched television, played chess alone and read the pages of your old Diary.

A knock at your door startled you out of your day dreaming. You got up from your bed slowly, smoothing out the wrinkles in your pyjamas.

The door opened before you could reach it and your dad pokes his head in. “Y/N, Baby?” He whisper yells, not expecting you to be up yet.

You scoff in annoyance. “You can't wait for me to answer before you just waltz in?” You could already feel yourself getting frustrated. You weren’t mad because you had something to hide, no. You just hated the lack of privacy.

A year ago your dad wouldn't have even walked past your room and now he was checking in on you five times a day, knocking and barely giving you a chance to respond before he came waltzing in with a benevolent smile.

“I wasn’t sure if you were awake.” He said as he stepped in letting his eyes drift around your room as if he was looking for something that shouldn’t be there.

It was literally 3pm, of course you were gonna be awake, you had nothing to keep you up late anymore, you were getting ten hour nights.

“What do you want?” You ask in a huff starting to feel your annoyance growing.

“I came to remind you we’re having dinner at the club tonight.”

“I remember.. Anything else?” You say in a clipped tone.

“We leave in an hour and please wear something nice, we’ll be in the formal dining room.”

“Okay, bye.” You say pushing your dad out of your room and slamming the door behind him.

The formal dining room meant you were going to be hanging around a bunch of people who compete to show off who's richer and who has more cars and properties. It was all so exhausting.

Two hours later you were waiting in the living room as your dad searched the house for his glasses, despite calling you down fifteen minutes ago to leave, normally that would annoy you but you weren’t in a rush to face any of your fellow Kooks just yet. So even though you had been staring at his glasses since you sat down you didn’t say anything instead you let him run around like a headless chicken.

Eventually he came back into the room spotting his glasses in front of you on the coffee table. He gave you an earful about how you had wasted both of your time but you couldn’t help but smile as he got worked up, maybe it was a little immature to take joy in his distress but you were bored.

The car ride was thankfully quieter. Your dad had managed to cool down by the time he was pulling into his private parking spot at the club and finally he noticed your outfit.

“Baby, don’t you think that dress is a little revealing?”

You laugh at his revelation. “A little too late now..” You say, hopping out of the car.

You had hoped he would have noticed before you left so maybe you could argue a little and he would uninvite you but making him suffer through all the stares was a good second.

“Here honey take my jacket.” He says draping his blazer over your shoulder, which you respond to by shrugging it off allowing it to fall to the ground with a thud. Your dad gives you a warning glance to which you reply with an equally challenging raised brow. “If you’re not careful you might never gain my trust back.” He adds, picking up his blazer dusting it off lightly as one of the door men opens the door for you with a welcome greeting.

You knew what that meant. No trust equals no car, no phone and no freedom.

“I’m 22 years old. That threat can only work for so long.”

“What? Do you have a job I don't know about? Somebody else who will put up with your behavior and fund your lifestyle..?” You stay silent. He was right you couldn’t take care of yourself and you didn’t have anyone else to but he could only keep you locked up for so long. “That’s what I thought.”

“I’m going to the bathroom.” You turn away from your dad not waiting for him to respond before you start to walk away and he doesn't try to stop you, he just calls after you.

“Hurry, we're already late.” Late for what you don’t know but whatever it was you were not eager to find out.

As you made your way through the halls you heard echoes of familiar voices and when you rounded the corner there they were the assholes that got you so loaded you ended up in rehab.

“Hey, Y/N. I heard you were home!” Topper calls drawing the whole group's attention to you.

“Hey asshole.” You stop just a few feet away from him.

“I’d say I was surprised to see they let you back in here but your dad owns the place.” He adds with his usual mocking tilt in his voice.

You scoff not having the energy or time for Toppers bitchy behavior. “Fuck you Thornton, get outta my way.” You say pushing through the group but just as you get past your first obstacle someone comes stumbling out of the door to your left bumping you.

“Whoa! ‘Scuse me.” Slurs an all too familiar voice. “Wait, Y/N? Shit you’re really back? Damn. You look good.”

You look up to find Rafe Cameron standing in front of you looking almost exactly how you left him, blown out pupils and all but his buzzcut had grown out significantly since you last saw him. You couldn’t look at him too long however because of the dusting of coke you notice sitting comfortably on one of his nostrils. The fucker was to eager to snort that he couldn’t even roll up a bill apparently.

“Choke on a dick Cameron.” You say trying to side step him but he matches your movement with his arms out and a smile plastered on his face. “You’re pissing me off. Move.”

Rafe was the first one to dip when you had your meltdown, he thought he would get in shit for giving you the drugs and Topper and Kelce followed suit. And now here they were as if they had done nothing.

“Aww, come on. Didn’t you miss your friends?” Rafe says, reaching a hand out to tilt your chin up to look at him. “What's wrong, princesse?” You roll your eyes, he knew you hated that nickname.

“Rafe, man. Just leave her alone.” Kelce, who had barely acknowledged you finally piped up, stepped next to you placing a hand on Rafe’s shoulder to push him away. “Seriously.” He doubled down, giving Rafe a slight shove.

Kelce ignores the death glare Rafe gives him and continues to push him out of your way. Once there's an opening big enough for you to get past you make sure to go for it, bumping Rafe’s shoulder as you pass by. When you finally disappear into the bathroom you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, why did it have to be those assholes you bumped into?

The hall was empty when you exited and when you finally made it to the dining room it sounded too quiet inside. You pushed the door open and you were met with a chorus of applause and a big sign that read Congratulations on getting clean!!!

Seriously? Congrats on getting clean?! That had your dad’s preformative ass written all over it.

All you could do was groan in annoyance and when you turned to exit your father caught your arm pulling you into the room. That bastard. You could have made a big deal out of it but opted for being a bitch the whole night knowing there was no way out of this.

No car, No phone to call and Uber and no friends to give you a ride home or take you somewhere more enjoyable at the very least. 

Your dad looks at you with pure joy on his face as if he couldn’t be prouder of himself for arranging what felt like an ambush for you. “Look at all these people who came to welcome you back!”

“Dad- what the fuck is this?” You seethed pointing at the banner across the room.

“It's your welcome home party!” He grins.

“No, what is that?!” You push him to look at the banner. “Congratulations on getting clean? Real fucking nice!”

He shrugs looking at the colorful banner. “Everyone knows why you went away, it's a little late to be ashamed now.” It was like he was trying to rub salt into the gaping wound that was your pride.

“I’m not ashamed, I'm humiliated. What is your problem?” Your tone was as calm as you could manage but you could feel something less than pleasant simmering.

Someone interrupts tapping your shoulder as you’re about to rip into your dad and he steps aside leaving them to deal with you.

“Hey, Y/N.” Oh God Sarah Cameron.. “Welcome back!” She beamed, pulling you in for a hug and you did not reciprocating at all let your arms go limp at your sides.

“Shouldn’t you be running around with some Pogues?” You say as she pulls away from the hug.

Her smile drops slightly. “I wanted to show my support..” She sounds disappointed at your reaction.

“Little too late sunshine.” You and Sarah hadn’t been friends for years, eight to be exact. After she decided to drop you in high school because her new Preppy friends didn’t like you, jokes on them because she ditched them for her Pogues that summer and she has claimed to be one of them ever since, which made her presence here even more surprising.

You leave Sarah behind in search of a drink strong enough to help you get through the night without pulling your hair out. Maybe a martini or champagne could help?

Your search for alcohol was futile as it seemed your dad had manufactured an alcohol free zone in the dining hall. Perfect, if he thought you were crazy before with drugs in your system he’d hate to see you when you were completely sober.

Up until today you had been surviving on half a dozen bottles of liquor and some cigarettes you had stashed away under a loose floor board beneath your bed but you had to brave tonight semi sober all because you didn’t have a flask to bring with you.

You thought maybe you could slip out for a smoke but as you neared the door you were ambushed by a woman who you vaguely recall calling a Vile Cunt at Midsummer before being dragged away. Whatever she was saying was smug and went completely over your head and yet you pretended to listen as you watched your father make his rounds until finally he was distracted enough that the opportunity came for you to make a discreet exit.

You found a spot outside where no one would look for you and sparked a cigarette inhaling slowly trying to savor the feeling as the smoke contaminated your lungs. Barely a minute after you had made your escape just as you were beginning to unwind, someone rounded the corner and you instantly stiffened, holding the lit cigarette an inch from your lips. You only relax again when you see that it's just Rafe sporting a mischievous grin which instantly prompts you to take a deep inhale from your cigarette, choosing to ignore him.

Rafe leant on the wall next to you craning his head to the side to look at you up close. “Thought that was you sneaking away.” You raise a brow at him not wanting to entertain a conversation with him. “C’mon, you can’t actually be mad at me?”

“I am.” You take one last drag of your cigarette before dropping it and stomping it out ready to go back inside.

He reacts to your movements standing in front of you, crowding you against the wall, he drops a hand down to your exposed thigh and lets the other rest against the wall above your head. “C’mon..” He says, pressing his forehead to yours. “You didn’t rat me out so you can’t be that mad. How ‘bout we kiss and make up?”

You turn your head to look him dead in the eyes. “I’d rather fuck a chainsaw.”

“Brutal but fair.” He leans back giving you a little space but the hand on your thigh stays planted in place. “So was there some nutcase in there keeping you warm at night?”

“I went to rehab not the psych ward and if thats your way of asking if I fucked anyone while I was gone then no.”

“Six months and no action? That's why you’re wound up so tight..” He let his hand drag up your leg until it reached your ass under your dress.

“Honestly I can’t remember us ever hooking up sober so maybe getting clean fixed my libido. You should try it.” You smile, placing a hand on his chest to push him away.

“Couldn’t fix that bitchy attitude though?” He asks with his signature grin.

“Oh, they tried.” You sigh airily as if it was a distant dream.

He laughs. “‘Least you’re still funny.”

“Another thing electro shock therapy couldn’t fix.” You dead pan.

Rafe’s eyes instantly widened in concern. “Shit, seriously?” He places a hand on your cheek as if to comfort you.

You smile. “No, I wasn’t that far gone.” Not that it was even legal anymore either.

“Good. I don’t want anyone messing with your head but me.” He leans in closer almost protectively.

You think about pushing him away and going back inside but then the thought of all those people waiting to leer at you and the image of that ugly banner come to mind. All of a sudden Rafe doesn’t seem too bad. “That's real cute.” You tilt your head, giving him a coy smile. “Wanna get me a drink?”

Rafe leans back with a smile. “Follow me.” And so you did.

Rafe led you to his car that was parked on the far side of the parking lot surrounded by other familiar cars of people whose names you could apparently only remember when you were high. He opens the passenger door for you to enter, closing it behind you.

 When the driver's side door opens you ask. “You’re not taking me anywhere right?”

“Nah.” He says once he’s situated in his seat. “Just gotta get to my stash.” He adds opening the glove box pulling out a prerolled blunt.

“I asked for a drink..” You look at the blunt hesitantly.

“What?” Rafe asks as if he’s not handing you drugs when you’re six months sober. “..Being stoned is not the same as being high.”

You bite the inside of your cheek thinking it over, he was kinda right weed wasn’t even addictive (not true). “Sure, just roll down the windows.”

“There’s my girl!” He smiles, passing you the blunt and his lighter as he works on rolling the windows down.

“So what did they do to you?” Rafe asks, passing you the blunt.

“The first two weeks I was locked up in my room purging all the drugs from my system, throwing up, fevers, and all that stuff, it felt like I was being tortured.” You take a deep inhale of the blunt and blow it out slowly. “They even had to restrain me, which was fun.. Then they started me on group therapy. I had to listen to a bunch of sob stories. It was exhausting.” You pause for a moment trying to remember something else. “They gave me a buddy; some crazy chick from New Orleans with a sex addiction, she wouldn’t shut up, like ever.”

“Ay, did you get a number?” Your head flops to the side so you can glare at him. “Kidding. Jeez, you’re jealous.” He laughs.

You roll your eyes, which you had begun to realise was a habit when talking to Rafe. “Even she has standards.” You say passing him the blunt.

“..And you don’t?”

“I didn’t.” You say, correcting him. “The old sad version of me, like needed validation."

Rafe dramatically throws his head back with a groan. “For real?”

You giggle at his reaction and nod. “Seriously, I’m not gonna have sex with you.”

“You didn’t miss me at all, huh?” He turns back to you with a pout.

“Dude I can't even remember the last time we hooked up.” Not that it mattered to you but it was a good sign that whatever you and Rafe had was not sustainable if you wanted to stay sober.

“Yeah.. me either. Jus’ know you were good enough to go back for seconds and thirds and- Ow.” You had to swat his arm to make him stop otherwise he would keep going until you both lost your minds.

“I don’t know what to miss, the last year- two years really have just been a haze. Like what the fuck did I do? All of a sudden everyone on the island either hates me or is afraid of me.” You sigh, letting your eyes drift up to the rearview mirror watching as a couple enters the club. “So.. have you been sleeping your way around Kildare?”

“Just been fucking this one girl.”

His words had you frowning and your eyes drift over to him. “Just one girl? For six months? Are you like seeing her?” It wasn’t like rafe to stick to one girl, other than you but before you he would have a different girl in his bed every night.

“Nah, dropped her ass.”

“Why?” Was it because of you? Not that you wanted him but apparently you still needed his validation and it just made sense.

“She was catching feelings.” He says simply.

“And you don’t do feelings?” Classic.

“She thought she could change me.” Also classic noncommittal Rafe.

“How dare she!?” The sarcasm was clear in your tone but Rafe still nodded in agreement.

“I made it clear she was never gonna be anything serious for me.”

“No one can tie you down, huh?”

“You could..”

Your face twists into something between confusing and revulsion. “..Funny.” You say dryly.

“I’m not trying to be funny.” Rafes says looking right at you but you refuse to look his way afraid that you might turn and see that he was mocking you.

The conversation lulled after that. You didn’t know how to react to Rafe’s words, all you knew was that after everything he’d done over the years you could never take his infatuation with you seriously.

He wasn’t loyal not that you could ever get to a point where your relationship was more than sex before he fucked it up, he could be so mean sometimes. It made you sick thinking about some of the things he had done.

“You’re seriously staying clean?” Rafe asked out of the blue after nearly 10 minutes of silence.

You can feel his eyes on you but you don’t look. It didn’t make sense for Rafe to have a problem with your sobriety but you knew he didn’t care about making sense.

“Yes.. Is that a problem?” It almost feels like you’re admitting defeat but if you wanted to live past twenty five this was the right move.

“Nah, good for you.” He didn’t even try to sound believable.

“My dad would send me back to rehab or disinherit me otherwise. Money's all I’ve got going for me right now so I kinda have to.”

“I’d take care of you.” Rafe said in a soft tome as he passed you the blunt again.

“I sort of wanna stay sober..” You turned to look at him again and his eyes held yours in an intense gaze, one that felt loaded and made his words feel so much more sincere. “And you can’t even take care of yourself.” Your words were harsh but true.

“You’re such a cunt you know that?”

“I know..” You sigh.

“..You should go. Your dads gonna be looking for you.” You nod, sitting up in your seat and already pushing the car door open.

You close the door and step up into the open window. “Thanks for the drugs.” You bend down to say through the open window, giving Rafe the perfect view of your cleavage before hoping down.

“Good luck on your recovery!” He yelled as you walked away.

You douse yourself in perfume as you walk back to the building only to bump into Sarah Cameron at the door.

“Oh, hey. Your dads been looking for you.” She says.

You didn’t stop as you responded. “Thank God you found me. I was almost half way to the Cut.” Your sarcasm was blatant. “Kidding we both know that's your turf.” You throw a smirk over your shoulder.

Sarah quickens her pace only to stop directly in front of you abruptly. “I get it, I was a bitch in high school but I’m trying to make amends. Isn’t that what you should be doing too?”

“Okay first of all I didn’t do a twelve step program and what did I do to you to make amends for?” You raise your brows in question waiting for her to answer.

Sarah sakes her head. “I didn’t say that but I’ve seen the people you were hanging out with.. You need better friends.”

“Like you?” You scoff. “I’ll take my chance with your brother and ex.”

“You know they still do all that stuff, it's not good for you to be around them.”

“And your little Pogue buddies and I will be besties and run around the island barefoot?”

“God, you sound like them.. Sorry I don’t exploit my privilege anymore.”

“If you really cared about them you would use your privilege to help them but instead you run around bare foot playing Pogue for your own entertainment. But you're not a Pogue, you still have a trust fund waiting for you whenever you decide you're bored with them like you were with me.”

“Y/N, where have you been?!” Your dads voice booms down the corridor.

“Just catching up with an old friend.” You say, smiling at Sarah as you pass her by. “See ya around Sar.”

“Thats good to hear but follow me.” You didn’t know what you were following him into but you went along with it feeling too smug and stoned to care. “I would like to raise a toast.” The chatter in the room fades almost instantly and everyone turns to look at you Including your father who is holding a glass of what looks like coke up although it faintly smells of rum. “Y/N, I can not express how happy and proud I am to have you home and better.” You found that funny considering you had no choice in leaving in the first place. “And I am proud to say you are five and a half months sober.” He turns to the audience. “Let’s raise a glass to my brave daughter!”

Once the applause dies down you turn to your father. “How about you get me an uber?”

“Y/N, dinner is about to start and you still haven’t thanked everyone for coming..” His tone is almost scolding.

“I didn’t ask them to come.” You snap back.

“They came for you.” He says almost too calmly.

You laugh. “They came to see if I could be fixed.”

“A couple hours and you can go.” He offers.

You check your watch then respond. “Fourty five minutes.”

“You say that like you have somewhere to go..” Your dad lets out an exhausted sigh then nods. “As soon as dinner is over but you stay by my side and greet everybody.” Until after dinner turned into two and a half of talking to people you didn’t know but after a lot of persistent nagging on your part you finally managed to make an escape, hopping in an uber home.