Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2017 15:45:15 +0000 (UTC) From: Andrew Bailey Subject: Aquata Cove - Chapter 98 Aquata Cove Chapter 98: Closures May Vary The audience murmurs in the Dream Waltz, before the lights dimmed down, and prompted them to start cheering as the red curtain illuminated. "This song goes out to a special someone..." Adam voices echoes from the speakers in a charming tone, "You know who you are~" The curtain rises, as a speeding, stepping-down beat played down. Adam sits on a throne with his head resting on his fist with his leg crossed over the other, his other arm on the throne as he holds a diamond cane. He wears black and white sequin clothes -- black on his left and white on his right on his upper body, and black on his right and white on his left side of his lower body. He wears a gold crown with white diamonds on it as well. There are four shirtless men with him up there, all of them wearing skin-tight white tank tops with playing card symbols the middle of each shirt -- a red heart, diamond, and a black spade and club. The men with the heart and diamond shirt are wearing red gloves and tight red pants, while the men with the spade and club shirt are wearing black gloves and tight black pants. The stage itself has white and blue spotlights around here and there, zooming around as speckled lights run around, the stage decorated with large chess pieces and other card-themed décor. "HOH!" "~You think you will but I guarantee, that you'll never find a boy like me~" Adam sings in quick precession, "~Who serves you, better puts you on a thrown, satisfies your every need~" "~I~" Adam propped his cane before he gets up and walks as the guys dance accordingly, "~Do as I like, say what I want, got all I need ~And I~" He gives a whimsical spin, tipping his crown forward a bit, "~Have my own crown, found it within, can't take it from me~" He wags his finger, as each man poses as he pass them by with a lyrical step on each one. "~Try as you may~ ... ~You can't bring me down~ ... ~I'm standing tall~ ... ~On solid ground~" The card men swerve and step about him, chorusing around Adam as he gracefully and slowly moves in the center "~Play me~ ... ~Fool me~ ... ~Kiss me~ ... ~Seduce me~" Adam gives a sultry grin and down cast of his eyes at the crowd, "You'll never have me, nuh-uh..." His voice echoes lowly in a seductive fashion, "The joke's on you," The men take a few very big playing cards -- each one an Ace of each symbol, and equipped onto their left arms like a large panel, and spins around Adam in a rotation, "~I'll never~never~never~never~never be your fool..." The men spin out and whip around with their large card-shields as Adam picked right back up, "~You think you will but I guarantee, that you'll never find a boy like me ~Who serves you better puts you on a throne, satisfies your every need~" "~Royal flush in my hand, joke's on you, all you got is a pair of twos~" Adam's hands flash a set of four playing cards on both hands, before they retreat back to his sleeves "~Traded your king in the making, so now all you do is lose~" "~You'll never know ~You'll never, no ~You'll never get me~" Adam hits his chest with the fake gem of the cane, as the men twirl with the huge playing cards around in a four-spaced rotating wall "~You'll never know ~You'll never, no ~You'll never get me~" The end of the cane hits the stage as the men align beside him, swerving progressively, "~Diamond digger, keep on diggin' greed will bring you down, deep in them mines~" Two of the men dip down below, and rise in a smooth move, "~To a place you won't be found~" Adam turns and walks slowly, the cane set onto his shoulder, "~Play me~ ... ~Fool me~ ... ~Kiss me~ ... ~Seduce me~" He says as he makes a seductive and rejecting gesture on each man. "~You'll never get the chance again ~The joke's on you~" The card men rise and move their big cards up, and spin-rotate in a circle again "~I'll never~never~never~never~never be your fool..." "~You think you will but I guarantee, that you'll never find a boy like me, who serves you, better puts you on a thrown, satisfies your every need ~You think you will but I guarantee, that you'll never find a boy like me, who serves you, better puts you on a thrown, satisfies your every need~" "~Royal flush in my hand, joke's on you, all you got is a pair of twos~" Adam's hands flash a set of four playing cards on both hands, before they retreat back to his sleeves "~Traded your king in the making, so now all you do is lose~" "~I, do as I like, say what I want, got all I need ~And I, have my own crown found it within~" Adam takes a second to take off his crown, flip it around, and places it back on his head, "~Can't take it from me~" The card men pose as Adam gives a dignified grab on the face, arm, or hip, and rejects each one by one in a regal way, "... ~Try as you may~ ... ~You can't bring me down~ ... ~I'm standing tall~ ... ~On solid ground~" "~You think you will but I guarantee, that you'll never find a boy like me, who serves you, better puts you on a thrown, satisfies your every need ~You think you will but I guarantee, that you'll never find a boy like me, who serves you, better puts you on a thrown, satisfies your every need~" "~Royal flush in my hand, joke's on you, all you got is a pair of twos ~Traded your king in the making, so now all you do is lose~" "~You'll never know ~You'll never, no ~You'll never get me ~You'll never know ~You'll never, no ~You'll never get me~" "~You think you will but I guarantee, that you'll never find a boy like me, who serves you, better puts you on a thrown, satisfies your every need ~You think you will but I guarantee, that you'll never find a boy like me, who serves you, better puts you on a thrown, satisfies your every need~" "~Royal flush in my hand, joke's on you, all you got is a pair of twos~" The music reaches an ending rhythm as Adam turns and walks back towards the throne while the men circle and show their cards about "~Traded your king in the making, so now all you do is lose~" The men run and flip and spin with each of his own respective Ace card as Adam goes, turning about to face the audience. "~You'll never know ~You'll never, no ~You'll never get me ~You'll never know ~You'll never, no ~You'll never get me ~You'll never know ~You'll never, no ~You'll never get me ~You'll never know ~You'll never, no ~You'll never get me~" The men pose wit the cards in a presenting fashion as Adam sits on the throne, his hands on the fake jewel and holding the cane up in front of him "~Haha... ~You'll never have me~" Adam lets the cane down, and resumes his first pose on the throne, with his cheek on his fist, and his leg, crossed, his face giving a very cold expression at Jessica all the way at the bar. "You're a joke." Adam finishes, before the curtain falls, and the audience cheers and whoops out loud in a booming ovation. ~~~ "Agh," Adam rolls his head as he gets up. He's all sweaty in this stuffy outfit. "Hey Adam." "Hm?" The man with the Ace of Clubs shirt smirks as he holds up a deck, "50-Card pick-up." With that, he bends the cards, and makes them flip and shuffle and fly all over the place, scattering to the floor. Adam looks down at the falling cards before him. "Well? Pick'em up." "Oh yeah?" Adam sneered as he holds his arms towards him, "Take this, filthy peasant." He moves his hands to hold his wrist. Something clicks and whizzes in the cuff of his sleeves, "Wait, gimme a second to..." He adjusts a few times, clicking the device inside his clothing. Something buzzes weakly before the cards in his sleeves dribbled out, attached together, "Ssshhit, hang on." The inside of his cuffs sparks and a puff of smoke comes out, "Ow! Shit shit shit!" He jerks his hands about as the metal bits bite at his hands before he quickly takes it off. "Hahahah, smooth, Adam. Reeaal smooth." ---Several Months Later--- "Uugghh, are we there yet??" Adam whined as he and Merrick go hiking through the thick woods. "Quit complaining, babe, this is good for you." Merrick says, "I'm doing fine, what are YOU bitching about?" "I'm freaking melting here!" Adam groans as he sweats profusely. "I can't stand being all sweaty." "Geez, your Mother was right, you DO whine a lot when you have to exercise. You used to come all this way just to see me when we were young." "That was then, this was now." He grumbles. As he goes, he can hear the sound of a calm waterfall. He follows Merrick to the clearing trees until they come to a black rock area. Adam's eyes brighten as he sees the beautiful cascade of water pouring from a cliff. He can feel the cool spray around his hot face as he also notes a subtle rainbow, "Wooow..." "When we were a lot younger..." Merrick says as he stands a one of the rocks, "This is where we always came to see each other. Inside that waterfall?" Merrick pointed, "There's this cave with glowing crystals growing inside it. We met for the first time inside that grotto." "Wow, really?" Adam says as he stands next to Merrick. The more he looks around, the more familiar this place looks. He grunts as his head feels funny. He hears distinct whispers and distant voices. He can see vague ghost-like glimpses running and flying across his vision, before a blink of the eye would make them disappear. "What IS this place?" "It's called Aquata Cove." Merrick answered, "This is where everything began between you and me. This is our one place where practically nobody else knows." Adam turns to Merrick, his eyes seeing a strange new kind of... Air on him. Now more than ever, he looks so damn familiar... His eyes drift down to the elegantly designed white gold and platinum ring with small diamonds around it. "So... Lets go ahead and-" "Wait a minute, Merrick. I want to ask you something." "Ok...?" "That ring on your finger." Adam says. Merrick looks at it, and holds his hand up to adjust it in the sunlight. "You're always fiddling with it, ever since I met you at the psychiatric ward. It's like a habit with you." "Yes... It means a lot to me..." "... I gave it to you... Didn't I?" Adam asked him. Merrick takes a deep breath, and nodded, "I... I asked you to marry me... Didn't I?" "You did..." "And... What was your answer?" Merrick turns to look at Adam, "I said `yes'." "Merrick..." Adam shakes his head as he turns to face him, "Why did you lie to me?" "I didn't lie to you..." Merrick said. "Yes, you said someone else gave you that ring." "Not quite. I didn't lie to you, Adam. I just didn't tell you the truth." "... What's the difference?" Adam asked curiously. "If I were to say, `a bodybuilder with purple hair gave me this ring', that would be a lie. But I said, `the love of my life gave me this ring'. That was me not telling you the whole truth." "I see..." Adam nodded, "But why didn't you eventually tell me? Half the time, I felt guilty for liking you because it felt like I was replacing someone else." "What was I supposed to say? `Hey, you don't remember me, but we're getting married'." "But you also said the man you loved is long gone." "... Yes... He is..." "Merrick... Look." Adam scoffed in frustration, "I'm right here, and I gave you that ring. What more is there?" "Adam..." Merrick turns to face him in turn, "It's because you are no longer the man I fell in love with." He said sadly. "You're a different man... You lost all the years we had together. The man who got down on one knee for me is gone." "M-Merrick, don't talk like that! You're talking like I really died." "You're right... I'm sorry... It's just still so hard, you know?" His arm holds the other as he lowers his eyelids, "Just the whole thought of it just makes me sick... Eventually, I'll move on." Merrick gives him a wry smile, "We'll continue to make new memories, and we'll always be together. I just... I wish you can have the memories you used to have, and it makes me sad to think you can never get them back. It just doesn't seem fair that I have them and yours were stolen." "I understand... But it's gonna be ok." Adam says as he comes to him. "Yeah..." Merrick took a deep breath, "Hopefully, right?" "What do you mean?" "I brought you here for a reason." Merrick says as he then takes off his shirt, and lets it drop to the rock, "There's something I need you to discover again." "Oook?" Adam watches as Merrick strips, undoing his shorts and letting them fall, finding out that Merrick's going Commando, "W-Whoa, Merrick!" Adam blushes hard, "H-H-Here? W-What if someone sees us?" "Hahaha, I never cared about that." Merrick says as he takes one of his necklaces -- the one with the blue scale, and removed it. Now he's wearing an angelic filigree key with a cyan heart-shaped jewel. "S-So we uh... We just swim around naked around here then?" "Hahaha, among other things." He said with a wink. He moves his face up, and kisses Adam. "C'mon." With that, he steps up to the rock, and jumps right into the water. Adam's insides churn with anticipation and nerves as he hesitates doing what Merrick just did... Trembling, Adam peels of his shirt, and kicked off his shoes and socks. He pulls down his pants, and hesitated as he looks at his boxers. "... I'll keep this on." Adam decided. With a nod, he looks over the edge to look at Merrick... But he's not there. He can't see him. What, is he hiding? "Ok..." Adam takes a few steps and then runs over the rock. Mid-air, he falls right down into the subterranean basin. His whole body is enveloped in the cool water, as he swims down. He looks around, trying to find Merrick, his eyes seeing perfectly clear underwater. Hovering in the middle, he turns about on the spot. Where IS he? He just disappeared. "Eheh heh heh..." Comes an eerie, mystical chuckle. Adam turns and gasps as he sees something strange. ~~~ Yuri bites her lip as she opens up Kingdom Hearts 1.5 & 2.5, "Sorry, Adam." She says, "But I REALLY wanna get started on Kingdom Hearts 2." She puts the disk into the PS4, and logs in the disk. She sits on the couch with the controller in hand, before selecting New Game. Haley Joel Osment's voice soon starts talking as Sora, speaking as if he's drifting through sleep. ~~~ Looming gracefully at the other side of the basin, swims a shimmering blue and pearl-colored merman. His long tail glides up and down, adorned with frilly fins on either side, a wide, beautiful angel-like fin wavering down and up, with his arms move on either side of him. {A scattered dream that's like a far off memory...} Adam stares with his mouth open, his head feeling a keen, thorough sting inside as he watches the creature swim slowly and closer to him. His heart pounds as if time itself is pressing all over it, almost wanting it to slow to a stop. {A far off memory that's like a scattered dream...} His eyes go to a shiny trinket on the chest of the merman's chest -- an ornate platinum key. The fish is now swimming towards Adam. {I want to line the pieces up...} Merrick gently takes Adam's hand into his, seeing his stunned lover scared and motionless. He closes his eyes, and puts his forehead onto Adam's, while his other hand gently holds the back of Adam's head. {Yours, and mine.} ()()() "HHHhhhHHHhhhHHHhhhHHHhhh" Adam pants as he runs, stepping onto the path of the infinite cards -- ones with images, blank light, and facedown. All of them are arranged neatly behind and ahead of him, "Merrick! STOP! I'm almost there!! I'm coming!" Adam called out. Merrick is a lot closer, but he's still just walking away. The proposal image card he holds in his hand shakes, struggling itself before it flies out of his hand, "AH! Noh...!" He turns, seeing the card spin in the air and place itself in the past. He chooses to ignore it to continue further with his sprinting, seeing less and less cards placed in front of him. His heart leaps as Merrick is literally right in front of him as he keeps running, "Merrick! Wait for me! I'm here! I'm here!" Tears fly from Adam's eyes as he keeps running as he closes in on his soulmate. "What..." Merrick turns around, his body's grey scale melting away into color as Adam runs right into him. Adam sobs as he clings onto Merrick tightly, feeling the light flare all around them, ripping into them both as the road of cards race with raging radiance. "I'm here, Merrick! Don't you ever leave me behind!" Adam demanded as he tears constantly drain down his face, "EVER! I'm here, don't go, please!" Adam begs as they become lost into the screaming light, "I'm here, I'm always here, I will never go!" "You... You came back for me..." Merrick's spirit becomes numb with disbelief as the impossible is literally crying right on his shoulder. "You're... You're back..." "I ALWAYS come back for you! I will always come back for you! Don't you EVER let me do this again! I'll never let go of you!" "Adam... I'm sorry..." Merrick hugs him back, his eyes starting to drift with fluids of emotion, "I'm so sorry, Adam, I'm so sorry... I don't have any faith anymore." "Yes you do! I'm here, Merrick! I'm right here! I found you, and I will never leave again!" "You're here..." Merrick wept openly as he holds Adam's head and back very tightly, "It's really you. You're really here...!" ()()() Adam's entire brain feels a numb train crash into his skull! A hurricane's pressure and a stampede of images, his eyes widen as his mouth opens, his body shakes as his hands grasp onto the merman in front of him. "Adam! Adaaamm!" Merrick said in his mystical merman voice. Adam chokes as he squeezes Merrick's shoulder viciously. He gags in the water as he bows his head down, "No!" Merrick takes him, and swims quickly to the rocks. Breaking the surface, Merrick pushes Adam onto the rocks splashing with the water. "UHUH! UHGHGHGH!" Adam coughs out a gush of water, his body still feeling like a compacted earthquake as every inch of him trembles. "Merrriick! Merrick!" "Adam! What's going on?! What's happening?!" "Merrick! Merr- GHKHKHKH!" Adam hacks some more as the sudden stress scratches his throat. "Oh my God," Merrick quickly puts on his scale necklace, and reverts to human form. He climbs up next to Adam, who is still doubling over, "Adam! Tell me what's wrong!" "MeRrIcK!" Adam's voice is ravaged, his nostrils and throat still strained from the water intake and expulsion. "I came back! I came back for you!" He managed to say, still coughing horribly as he holds onto Merrick's shoulder with one hand, with the other holding onto the rock. "What..." Merrick's eyes widens as his soul turns inside-out. "You died in the oil! You were there! I took you to my house, and you're here!" Adam coughed, sobbing uncontrollably. "You said I came back for you!" "Adam, Adam-" "You broke me!" Adam shouted, unable to control his voice, "You broke my heart, and I came back! I couldn't leave you there! I'd never leave you there ever!" "Adam! Y-You remember?!" Merrick grips his arms, "You remember?! What else, what else??!" "They took you!" Adam sobbed, "They-They took you away, they burned and tortured you! They tore you apart, tha-that-that person, man, he ruined you! We ran, we-we-they came, they SHOT ME!!!" Adam cries thickly, "He mutilated you, and you brought us home!" "Oh my God, Adam...!" Merrick's face distorts with emotion. "Jamal, he-he, he was on meth, I- He needed a new home, he come to us, Yuri- Yuri almost fell into a cliff when I-I-I, ggGGHhhHHHMerriIIICCKK!" Adam clenches his eyes as he hyperventilates, his fingers digging into the merman's shoulders. "A-A-Oww, Adam! That hurts!" "GGRRHHH my heeeaad! GGHHH!" Adam groans roughly as he breathes become loud and ravaged. "Adam, j-just calm down, please, it's ok!" Merrick tells him, "It's ok, it's ok, it's ok." He says to him. Adam takes harsh, deep, stabbing breaths for several seconds, crying uncontrollably as his head unravels gradually within his skull, "You walked... You walked..." "W-What?" "You walked for me..." Adam sobs, "You walked to me, on your own legs, you walked..." He gasps and sobs as he cringes with huge emotions, "You walked for the first time, `nd it was for me... You gave up your whole life because of me... You chose me, and it killed you so much..." "Adam... My Adam..." Merrick huffs as he cries harshly before he puts his face into Adam's shoulder, "Adam... You're my Adam... My Adahahahmm." ~~~ Drips of water echo in the glowing carven, with the fresh water heated with cyan and white shining crystals embedded into the rock of the walls and under the surface. Adam traces his hand onto a faded carving on the wall, where he once drew a Lochness Monster for a question he had for Merrick so long ago. His head is still pounding, as if he is carrying out the last few symptoms of a hangover. "We haven't even been here for over half a decade..." Adam says as he presses his hand onto the solid rock. "I don't remember it being so small in here..." Merrick says behind him. Adam kneels down as Merrick moves beside him rubbing his shoulders. "I can see everything again..." Adam mumbles, "We spent so much time in here... Heh, heheh, I remember we kissed for the very first time in here... When you said it would keep me from drowning when it seemed like we were trapped in here..." "Heh... Remember when... We actually slept in here? You brought in a couple of sleeping bags and we kept a plastic vacuum-sealed container in here." "Hahaha, yeah, my back was killing me the next day. Hah, didn't we also try to make some seashell trinkets here?" "YOU tried. I was making one after the other, and you took half of forever to put together just one." "Well excuse me, I didn't grow up with craft-savvy people." "Hey, in the sea, you need to be resourceful." Merrick nudged him with a smile. "God, this place... All those years feel like they happened just last week..." "Mnn..." "... Ok, can we head home? My ass is getting real sore from sitting around on the rocks, and I'm starting to chaff. How did we even fuck here? Did we even have lube back then?" "Just... A couple more minutes in here..." "Heh, ok." Adam says as he leans back. Merrick comes in, and softly kisses his lip a few times before he cuddles in, ducking his head in, and holding him close. Adam hugs back, before he can hear weak gasping and shuddering, "B-Babe, babe, what's the matter?" "You're back..." Merrick sobbed, holding onto him tighter, "You're really here... You're my Adam... You came back... I thought I would never see you again." "Ohhhh baby..." Adam rubs that smooth back lovingly, "Was I really gone for that long?" "Few months... But it felt more like years..." "Awww... I'm so sorry, Merrick..." He strokes Merrick's back, and then sees the beautiful black pearl ring on his then at Merrick, "Wait, so, did you like, propose to me?" "Not really, at least not the way you did." He said as he shakes his head, wiping his eyes as he gathered himself, "I was going to, but you were put into that coma..." "Oh... I remember, that night, you told me you were taking Arnaav back to the sea, and you had some business to deal with. What were you doing?" Merrick takes Adam's hand, pushing his thumb onto the ring, "I asked my Mother to make this for you..." "Oh -- Wow, did she really??" Adam takes it off and looks at it, "So is this made out of real pearl?" "Yeah. She used her power to reform a couple of black pearls, and I used a white one for the middle. I even got a stick as thick as your finger for the right size." "And... You said she made it, and she said she gives me her blessing..." Adam continued with a bemused smile, "Did your Mom really say that?" "Yes, before I left." Merrick nodded, "I told you, when the two of you met, she took an immediate liking to you... Even though she threatened your life prior before actually talking with you, heh heh." "... Hey wait, yeah, she DID talk to me! More than once! Shouldn't she be exiled too??" "Heh, loophole." Merrick grinned, "She was in human form at the time, but that doesn't necessarily excuse breaking a Sacred Law, it'd still be debatable. Still, she never told anyone, and the crime happened on the land, so the Disciples and Ningyo of Atlantis wouldn't even know of it unless she did it constantly." "And she can live with that kind of tricky conduct?" "My Mother hates lying, but she knows the difference between right and rules. She trusted you with me after I was healed from the Blood of the Earth, didn't she?" "Heh... I wish she can be apart of our lives, she sounds wonderful." "Yeah... Me too..." "So... How about it?" "Huh?" "Do you still want to marry me?" Adam asked with a smile. Merrick wipes his cheek before taking the black pearl ring. He holds Adam's left hand, and slips it again down his finger. "I do." ~~~ Adam and Merrick walk along the pier next to the beach, holding hands as they go, "Are you still having headaches?" "Yeah. I think it's because of everything that's coming back. It's like my whole life is trying to squeeze through one door." "Heheheh, I think I can help with that." Merrick grins as he moves their arms about playfully, "I'll make the blood rush out of your head, and then into your head." "Pfff, heheheh. That was terrible." Adam scoffed, "And besides I told you, Captain doesn't want us fooling around on the docks. He practically owns the whole place." "Only during work, right? There's no reason why we can't find some little corner and blow your wad." "Heh, I think I'd rather go home with our toys. Or... We COULD go to that one place we've talked about -- that gay spa. What was it called again?" "Girasol Springs?" Merrick smirked, "That's like a zero-attire spa. You realize that everyone there isn't going to have any sort of clothing on, right?" "After everything that went by, I think I can do with a few days of naked vacation. Just some time to get loose like that, you know?" "Mmmff, I love that idea." Merrick bites his lip, "Wanna see if Jamal and Nick wanna come with?" "Naw, that'd be really weird." Adam smiled, "I want it to be just the two of us." "Sounds awesome-" Adam's side bumps into somebody, "Oof, sorry ab-" He gasps as he sees the person right next to him, "You!" "A-Adam!" Jessica gasps as she looks at him, and then at his hand, holding Merrick's hand interlaced, "No..." She whimpered. "And what the hell are you doing here?" Merrick asked rather aggressively. Adam looks at her, blinking as his mouth slowly opens. "You... You evil..." Jessica fumed as her eyes rim with furious tears. "You've pushed Adam towards damnation in the past, and you have the nerve to start all over again??" "You and your dark fantasies?" Merrick asked with his arms crossed, "It's astounding how you delusional zealots are so glued to your hypocritical mythology." "You blasphemous jerk!" Jessica loses it at the drop of a hat, coming to him and pointing her finger at Merrick. "Why couldn't you just leave him alo-" "Fuck off, Foster!!" Adam yelled suddenly as he shoves her back. "A-Ahh!" She staggers, looking at him with shock, "Adam..." "You. You tried to fuck me." Adam says angrily as he points at her. "W-What?" She says fearfully. "What?" Merrick turns to him with stunned eyes. "You tried to fuck me." Adam repeated, "You tried to fuck me, and you completely screwed me up, you know that?!" "T-That is not true!" She protested, terror filling into her, "I only had your best interests at heart." "You're a freaking rapist, you blind-sighted cunt!" Adam shouted, "You molested me!!" "What...?" Merrick asked, his blood racing like rapids in his body, feeling the monster inside him start to wake. His inhuman sapphires turn to the quivering woman, "What did you do..." His fingers feel as though they are turning into blades of solid ice. "You grabbed me, you made me take my clothes off!" Adam ranted. "A-Adam, please, let me explain-" "Wait..." Adam stopped her. Something is suddenly pulling inside his memory, "Wait, wait wait wait wait wait," He said, "I remember, at the Waltz, you came to me-" Adam looks at her with widened eyes, "You fucking bitch..." Jessica hyperventilates as Adam looks at her with disbelief and shock, "You tried to rape me TWICE." "N-No, Adam, it wasn't rape! It couldn't be rape! I was trying to save you!" "You tried to fucking drug and rape me, you horrible CREEP!" ---Several Months Ago--- Adam takes as seat in front of the vanity, wearing a comfortable lion shirt and the black and white sequin pants from his performance. With his arms crossed, he glares at Jessica as she sits opposite him. "Have you got the hint yet?" "Adam... I have to say, I am very hurt." She tells him, "You denounced me in front of everyone... Why would you do such an awful thing?" "Because evidently, the words `back off, I'm not into you', seems to escape you. You don't listen, you don't even-" "No, YOU will not listen." Jessica cuts him off, "I love you, Adam." Adam scoffs in frustration as he falls his head back, "I mean it! You are the world to me! What you do with... With HIM, is NOT righteous. It is sinful, and you are too precious to me to just throw your life away." "Jessica." Adam huffs as he leans back forward, "I have been more than reasonable and courteous to you. I have told you politely that I do not want to date you, that I don't believe what you believe, and I am already in love with someone, and it's not you." "But that isn't right." Jessica whimpers as she shakes her head. "I have asked you nicely to stop coming to me, stop giving me flowers, stop asking me out. But you have ignored me, you have mocked me and my boyfriend, undermined my relationship with him, you've even started to trespass in this building because of me." "Because you are worth it." Jessica tells him, "I have to do everything I can for you. Why can't you see that??" "I can ask the same of you." Adam tells her, "You and I? We're never going to happen, and even if we could, even if I was straight, you're not even my type." "Ahh!" Jessica covers her mouth. "I have been beyond patient with you, Jessica. But enough is enough." Adam takes his backpack, and digs in it before he pulls out a beige folder. "This is going to stop right now." "What is that?" Adam opens the folder, and presented an official document, "I called up my lawyer and asked her to write this up with me." Jessica cries as she covers her mouth. RESTRAINING ORDER "I really didn't want to have to come to this, Jessica." Adam tells her coldly, "The last thing I ever want to do is to hurt anyone in anyway, even if that person is my worst enemy, I'll always give them a chance. But I'm not going to let you insult me and Merrick anymore. You are no longer allowed to be within 1 mile of me." "Adam, please, no, don't do this!" "You're not giving me a choice." He tells her, "I'm signing it tomorrow, it's going to be filed and approved. It's over, Jessica." He closes the folder, and opens his backpack, "Now, I want you to leave. Right n-" Suddenly, Jessica snatches the folder. "Ah- Hey!" Adam looks up, and sees it already tearing it in half, "What do you think you're doing?!" "I can't let it end like this, Adam!" Jessica cries, "You mean too much to me for you to do this to yourself!" "You really think ripping it is going to make a difference? My lawyer can just as easily print out another copy." "Adam, I am begging you..." Jessica sobs, "Please, think about this, just for a moment, please... I don't want to lose you forever... I can't live without your voice in my life." Adam glares at her with his burning brown eyes, "Please..." "Jessica." Adam stands up, "Get out. Now. I don't ever want to see your face again." "Hhh... Adam, I love you. I didn't want it to come to this either..." Jessica digs in her purse for a second, "But you need to allow this chance to happen." "I mean it, just get out!" Adam raises his voice, "I've had enough, I want you gone-" Suddenly, a blinding white light shines directly into Adam's eyes "AHHH! What the hell?!" "You need to see the light, Adam!" "Ahh! Fucking bitch!" Adam clenches his eyes, finding his eyes reeling with randomized flashes and glows all over. Then, something sharp stabs into his left shoulder, "OWW! The FUCK?!" Without sight, Adam waves his right arm out with all his might, and feels Jessica fall from it. "O-Oww!" "Ssshhiit!" Adam still can't see, but something like a huge stinger is stuck in his shoulder, growing numb, "What the fuck are you doing?!" Adam asks as his sight fades in and out from the light-shock. "Just trust me, my love!" Jessica says as Adam hears a rattling, "Please, allow me this chance!" "Get the fuck out! Get out!" Adam kicks as hard as he could, still unable to see, before he feels Jessica's hands pull at his mouth. He gasps and coughs as he feels a bunch of small, powder-ish pills fall into his mouth. "I know it's difficult, I've come prepared!" Jessica says, completely hysterical as she tries to force the Viagra pills into Adam's mouth, "Please, just give me a chance!" "Ghh! Fggkkllgghh!" Throws her off, and spits everything out, his mouth full of powdery bitterness. His eyes slowly recover as she tries to open the pill bottle again, "You crazy fucking idiot! Just leave!" "I won't give up!" Jessica says, "I NEED YOU!" "Just STOP!" Adam gets up, but falls almost immediately after, "Ffffuck, what did you do to me???" Adam's sense of balance is completely upside down, he can't stand up, his legs feel weird, "What are you doing?? Stooop!" The room is spinning, and he can feel Jessica try and take him again. "Please, just let me save you!" Jessica accidentally rips the front of Adam's costume pants. "Get off of me!!" Adam struggles as he tries to kick her away. Jessica pulls the zipper apart on Adam's pants, her breathing so audible as her insanity grips her completely. The minute of commotion soon takes a quick and volatile change. "EAAHHH!" Jessica screams as she feels her hair pulled violently, yanking her forcefully off of Adam. A flurry of dark blonde hair flies around and a black finger nailed polished fist punches Jessica in the stomach "GUH-huuh!" Jessica is forced her back, and then a very hard SLAP lands across Jessica's face. Jessica is knocked sideways onto the cushioned bench and the floor, she scrambles up, and sees another woman standing between her and Adam. Chloe leers at Jessica with wide, wild eyes, her mouth in a very solid frown as she looks at Jessica. "Get the fuck out of here right now." She said in a very deep, shaken voice. Jessica rushes forward, but Chloe charges right back and grabs her by the shoulders, "LeAVe hiM alONE!" She demanded in a screech. Chloe punches Jessica right in the face, making a small splash of blood splatter from a cut Jessica's teeth made to her lip. Chloe's lower jaw locks as she grabs onto Jessica's blouse, and punches her again on the other side of her head! "AH! NGGH! GGHH!" Jessica irks in pain as she's punched again and again. She grabs Chloe's hair and slaps her face hard. "Stupid BITCH!!" Chloe yelled as she pushes Jessica out the door, and then shoots a harsh kick at her. Jessica falls over, whining and sobbing as she tries to get up, before Chloe pins her to the floor, and starts a set of 5 punches in a row. "HHH! HHH! HHH! HHH!" Chloe's entire humanity dissolves as she beats down on Jessica. "WHOA WHOA WHOA, CHLOE, STOP!" A tall and large bouncer rushes in, and pulls Chloe off of Jessica. "What's going on?! What happened!" "Get her FUCKING bimbo ass out of here, Steve!" Chloe shouted, her face red with rage, "She was climbing all over Adam!" "Alright, hold on, lets calm down-" "No! I want her out! NOW! She was going to rape him!" She yelled, resembling more like a wild animal. "No! I wasn't raping him! I was saving him from hell!" Jessica argued. "Alright, come with me, Miss. This way." Steve says as he takes Jessica. "NOOO! Let me go! I have to save him! Please!" "Ma'am, this way, now." "You'll pay for this! You will pay!" "Yeah, you know what? You're BANNED!" Chloe screamed, "If you EVER show up again, you're DEAD!! YOU HEAR ME?! I will KILL you!!" She shouted after them. She turned, and sees Adam groaning and writhing on all fours, "Ah Christ." She huffs as she walks back in there. "Agghh." Adam shudders as he struggles to get up. "Ok, lets get you back up." Chloe says as she pulls him, "Come on glitter-puss, get up. Stop whining." Adam grunts as he's put onto the cushioned bench besides the rack of costumes, "Whoa, what the fuck?" She notes the red smudge on Adam's left shoulder, with a syringe sticking in it, "Jesus Christ, what in the hell did she stick in you?" She says as she takes the needle. She hisses as she pulls it out, making Adam whine as he sits there, "Sssshhhhit, I know gay guys like getting penetrated, but this is a total wreck." "Shut up, Chloe..." "It's half-full though. What did she get you with??" She throws the syringe into the trash bin, and picks up Jessica's purse. She empties it out, and sees a glass bottle with clear fluid in it, "... Ah, I can't make out the words." She returns to Adam, and pulls one of his eyelids open to look at his pupils, "... Eh, you're gonna be fine." "Hhh... Hhh... Hhh..." Little do they know, Adam's antibodies are quickly eating away at the harmful vaccine -- much like Merrick's immunity to outside chemicals, his body is using the water in his blood to breakdown the drug that was injected into him. Adam opens and closes his left hand a few times, regaining the feeling. "Agghh... Fffuck..." "Oh, quit bitching. I've got hurt more trying to work the oven." "Fine, alright, just give me a minute..." "Ugh, you're fine, Fag-Bag." Chloe rolls her eyes, "Just get cleaned up and get ready for the next act." "Just, leave me alone, Chloe." Adam tells her, almost wanting to cry, but knows he's only going to get ridiculed for it. "Awww... Pain in the ass finally getting you down?" Chloe taunted with her arms crossed, "You want me to get you a dick to suck on to feel better?" "Whatever! Ok?! Just fuck off already!" Adam shouted, "Just leave me alone, alright?! I'm not in the mood to play around! Just go on and tell everyone I fucking walked off or something!" He bows his head down as he leans his arms on his knees, waiting for his bitchy coworker to leave. Then, he hears a plastic crinkling sound. He turns curiously, and sees Chloe pulling out a rainbow colored penis lollipop out of its wrapper. Adam gives her an estranged look as she brandishes it a little, "This was supposed to be your wedding gift -- You and Merrick were supposed to share. Hah, I mean, Rajani had to beg me to spend at least $5 on you, buuut," Adam can't help but scoff in his tears, "You need something to take the edge off." "GhhHhHhHh." Adam sniffed and scoffed at her, "I hate you, you freakin dyke." "Tsch," Chloe smirks as she glances at the turning penis-pop, "I hate you too, you little shit." Adam takes the pop reluctantly as she sits next to him, "Thaaaat's it, get it all down." She says as she pushes his hand slowly to make the cock candy go down into his mouth, almost making him gag a little. "~Hush little gay boy, don't say a word~" She sings, making Adam snicker, "~Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird ~And if that bird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring~ And if that diamond ring's made of glass... Um... ~Mama's gonna kick that jeweler's ass~" Adam snickers as he pulls the multicolored dick out of his mouth, "Chloe, those aren't the words." "~Hush little gay boy, let Mama sing ~You really don't know a goddamn thing~" She hymns through gritted teeth as she forced that candy penis back into his mouth. Adam laughs and sniffles as he takes it back in. ---Now--- "N-No, Adam, I swear!" Jessica stammers in terror as she backed away, "I swear, it wasn't supposed to happen like that!" "Yeah, you were supposed to drug me and then have your way with me, right?!" "No! You were supposed to save yourself from your sinful lifestyle!" She almost shouted, "But against everything, you refuse to see that what you do is completely wrong! God has punished you for your path, and you still refuse to even-" In a flash, Merrick is suddenly right in front of her. Jessica gasps as Merrick glares right up at her, before his arm cranks around him. His arm then whips out, and strikes her head! In one move, he knocks her right on her back onto the sand. She coughs and writhes as she tries to move away, before Merrick's foot stomps down on her arm! "AH-HHAAHH!" "Merrick, wait, stop! Stop for a moment!" Adam calls out as Merrick grabs the scruff of her blouse. He pulls it up, seething with rage. "Tell me what you did to him!" He demanded, "Tell me right now!" Then, a rush of harsh hot sand hits into Merrick's eyes! "AHH! Ssshit!" He scrambles with his eyes blinded with the sand, before he felt Jessica kick him in the chest, "Kkhhh!" "HhhHHhhH!" Jessica pushes him off before she thrashes around, and sprints away. "JESSICA!" Adam yells as he goes to Merrick, "Babe, are you ok??" "This is nothing." Merrick quickly rubs his eyes to clear out the sand, glaring at her back with red and moist eyes, "She's not getting away!" "Merrick, wait a minute!" Before Adam could get anywhere, Merrick races forth, "Dammit!" "HHHhhhHHHhhHHHhhhH!" Jessica pants hysterically as she runs as fast as she can, hearing the blonde male coming after her. She stumbles forward but keeps running to try and escape this violent man! "Dammiiiit!" Merrick seethed as he runs as fast as he can. This woman is fast, she's losing him. He pushes his legs harder as he dashes at her, his eyes locked onto her, before they catch a very vague detail under the docks. Far off, as Jessica is almost at the damp shadows of the docks, Merrick can make out the tail of a white serpent. "BELINDA!!" He roars, "STOP HER!!" He sees the tail retract behind the rocks. "HHHhhHHHHhhhHHH!" Jessica breathes uncontrollably as she goes, horrified out of her mind, "Someone, HELP ME!" She calls out, "I'm being attacked! Help!!" She runs around a huge wood post, "I NEED-" All of a suddenly, she feels somebody yank her arm to the side, "AKK!" She's whipped around, and shoved into a nearby rock. Her breath highlights her voice as she looks at a tanned woman with pink hair and a loose-fitting blouse. "Who are you?! What is going on??" She asked out loud. "Let me go! He's going to kill me!!" Jessica cries out. Merrick pants as he catches up, stepping up beside Belinda as Jessica is restrained. "There you are!" Merrick growls. He takes a few steps as his throat begins to rattle threateningly. "Everyone stop!!" Adam shouts out as he stomps exasperatedly besides Merrick. He pants as he tugs Merrick back before he can hurt her more, "I remember everything now, Jessica!" "Adam, please, don't let yourself do this!" Jessica begs. Belinda hardens her grip on her as she looks at this mad woman's face. Her aura is flaring inside-out. Is her mind even intact? "How are you even still here?! With what you did to me, you should be put in jail!" "Because God wants us to be together! And He knows I can't be with you if I were to be locked away." "Ugghhh! Can I kill her now?!" Merrick asked, "I'm sick of listening to her nonsense! And I can't just walk away about finding out what she did!" "Merrick, just calm down for a moment!" Adam turns to him, gripping his shoulder, "Look, I remember what she's done, and I can just call the police. It's fine, Merrick." "Adam..." Belinda says as her eyes widen. "No it's not! I don't want to give the humans a chance to let her walk free like they almost did with your attackers!" "What?" "Adam." Belinda speaks up. "Hold a minute, Belinda. Merrick, what are you talking about?" "The police caught two of the men who assaulted you, and a judge almost let them go! I don't EVER want the possibility of that happening again!" "Look, just tell me later, Merrick! This isn't how I want this to end." "Adam!" Belinda persisted, not taking her eyes off of Jessica. "I don't care, Adam! If what you say is true, there's no way I'm going to-" "Adam!!!" "What??" "What??" They said simultaneously. "It was her..." Belinda reports as her purple eyes spiral inside of Jessica's mind, "Adam, it was her all along! She made them do that to you!" "Wait, what are you saying??" Adam walks around. He sees Belinda's eyes pulsing with a low light as she keeps her eyes on Jessica. Those eyes... "Stop! You don't know what you're saying!" Jessica struggles, "Let me go! NOW!" "No..." Merrick immediately realizes what Belinda is doing with her eyes. "She held the paint! She wanted you to be hers by force, she made those men hurt you!" Belinda shakes as her grasp falters as she shuffles through the insanity inside of Jessica's aura, "She was there! She covered her face while she painted your clothing!" Merrick's entire being becomes numb as he hears those words. "She's lying!" Jessica cried, "I didn't do anything, I sweeaarrrrrr!" "Are you fucking serious??" Adam asked Belinda as he holds her arm. "I can see. I can see everything in her eyes. The guilt, the desire, the rejection, the drive, she was determined -- she IS determined! She wants you completely. She wants you to be hers!" "STTOOOP!!" Jessica shrieks, "Pleeaase stop, stooop!" "Jessica..." Adam mutters in disbelief. Jessica sniffs and sobs as Belinda keeps her pinned, "Jessica, is this true?? How... Why would you do that?" "Hhnnhh... It was for your own good..." Jessica wept, "You wouldn't listen to me... You won't let me save you... If you keep doing this, Adam, you're going to be put in hell... I don't want you to go to hell..." "So you tried to kill me?!" "No! No, I never wanted you dead!" Jessica cries, "I love you, I only wanted you to see what being a homosexual is going to do to you... I never meant for you to get so hurt..." "BULLSHIT!!" Adam shouted, "You poisoned me! They were breaking me over and over!" "It wasn't supposed to be like this!" Jessica cried, "My uncle had to undergo his trial the same as you did..." Adam gasped silently as he looks at her delusional smile, "It worked for him... It worked for him, it can work for you too!" "You're fucking sick..." Adam's voice shook as he took a step back, "Oh my God, I can't even... Fuck." Adam looks at her with terrified disbelief. "Adam, please... Please, I-" "Ah-!" Belinda jumps and staggers back, almost tripping as something akin to the core of a glacier rushes on her arm, looking to see Merrick's aura has become a tempest of intangible ice shards so turbulent, just him barely touching her almost gives her frost bite! Merrick grabs Jessica's neck as his voice rattles with sheer, unadulterated hatred. "GLK!" Jessica gags as his hand grips her neck harshly. "Merrick, Merrick NO!" Adam gasped. He takes a step, but Belinda coils her arms around his torso, "Belinda, let go!" "Don't go to him!" Belinda said as she pulls Adam back, "He can't see anything but her! He's going to..." "You... You..." Merrick grips her neck and her arm harshly, squeezing them as he slowly crushes her voice box. "Ellkkk!" Jessica's face darkens as he chokes her. "Just like last time... When he was near death, and you threw me to the floor when I could not even stand..." His eyes lose all light as darkness of rage and bloodthrist purge his very being. Jessica's mind goes numb with horror as those eyes pierce at her, as if to threaten to crush her out of existence if he looks at her for much longer. "Words cannot even begin to describe just how much you disgust me." Merrick whirled around, and threw her to the sand! Jessica coughs in pain as she tries to get up, her teeth crunching on a few grains of sand as she tries to escape. The back of her shirt was seized, and she found herself flying back onto the rock! "GAH-aahhhh!" She howls in pain as she takes several deep breaths, unable to breathe for several seconds. Jessica stands up, throwing a weak slap towards Merrick. He merely grabs her wrist, and SLAMS he fist into her forearm! "AAEEHH!" He grips her shirt and her hair as he pierces into her eyes, "In your world... Men are prohibited from harming women, right?? RIGHT?!" He jerks her harshly, making Jessica gasp and whimper, "Well in MY world, everyone pays their toll DESPITE their gender. Let me show you YOUR penalty!" Jessica screams before Merrick then seizes her mouth, and jams his knuckles into her side, hearing something crack within. "Merrick, stop!!" Adam orders. Merrick doesn't hear him as he continues to viciously break down Jessica. He gasps as he watches his lover force Jessica onto the sand, and hammers his knuckles down onto her knee, "MERRICK!" "I will put you into your hell." Merrick seethed as Jessica squirms against his grip, "Moment by moment, you will live out everything you have done to him." His voice is so dark and savage. Jessica cries into his hand as she tries to push it off of her, too petrified to really put any sort of strength into anything. Merrick whips his arm up, and SLAPS her face to the side. He gets up, forcing her on her feet, winds his arm back again, and slams his fast into her again, making her toss back by sheer force. In a whip of a movement, Merrick lashes around, and strikes her with lightning-fast precision. He swipes a kick to her leg, and chops his arm right into her shoulder, and makes her crash into the sand. Jessica sobs and pants hysterically as she tries to run away, before slipping falling down pitifully again. "AH-haaah!" Her leg nearly cripples her as she stumbles forward, before she feels Merrick's hands grab her. She feels herself forced into a large dock beam, scraping her face with the barnacles and black bivalves stuck onto the dock. "MERRICK, stop it! NOW!" Adam shouted, "Belinda, pl-" Before he can finish his sentence, Belinda is already racing to them. Adam shakes as he stands, hardly able to breathe while watching. He sees glimpses of Merrick's face... That feral, anger-filled face... "Fffuck... Merrick..." His heart feels a chilled burn as he sees all that untamed fury consume him. "HHH-EENNHH!" Merrick picks up Jessica, and throws her again to one of the beams. Jessica flops onto the sand and surf, blood seeping from rips of her clothing. She cries loudly as every inch of her body stings and aches dramatically along with harsh scrapes all over her exposed skin and face. This man is possessed! He's really going to kill her! "Merrick! Stop, stop, stop!" Belinda steps in front of him, staring up into his darkened eyes, "That's... That's enough..." She feels a wave of intense fear as he looks at her with those inhuman eyes... Eyes that hold no soul that can see only prey and agony. His cold, sheer wrath feels like a frigid bonfire that will freeze away all feeling if touched. "She has paid her punishment." "You're going to defend her??" Merrick's voice shakes as his aura flares with blackened rage, "Stay out of this, Latolcus!!!" "Merrick, please! I don't want to do this..." Her hand whitens as her fingers begin to sharpen and glimmer darkly. Belinda knows those eyes all too well -- she once wore them when her false mother... That Noita, when she confessed she lied to Belinda her entire life. This is the abyssal gaze of a starving killer. "You have done enough!" "Never. It will NEVER be enough! She's not getting away with what she did! And nobody is going to stop me from giving what she deserves!" Merrick takes her shoulder, and throws her to the side. Belinda hisses as she tumbles at least 5 feet away from him by sheer force, but rolls with the momentum. She whips around, and glides right back up to him. Merrick is interrupted in his next attack as Belinda's white-scaled arms grab him. "STOP! I can't let you do this! Don't do what I did!!" "Fucking blood thief! For the last time, we are NOTHING alike!!!" Merrick seethed as her ring and index fingers turn into a pair of organic syringes. "Forgive me," She stabs into his arm in an attempt to stun further movement. "GHHH! Get out of my WAY, LATOLCUS!!!" Merrick grabs her wrist, nearly crushing it and turns a half-circle as he harshly throws her into one of the beams. The poison injected into his arm doesn't even distract him for a second. "AHH!" Belinda grunts as the impact stuns her body, shaking as she pants, "Merrick... Don't do this..." Merrick strides in the water towards Jessica, who is trying to crawl weakly away from him, sobbing in pain and terror as she can hear him coming. She gasps as his fingers dig into her hair, before her face is forced into the sea! She thrashes and struggles as she accidently swallows a splash of ocean down her throat. "You proclaim your GOD to be someone who preaches about love, peace, and tolerance!" He yanks her back, making her gasp and choke for air from the water, "TELL ME! Just what is so righteous about beating a man to the point of death and destroying his memories?! And then abusing his body for your own selfish and filthy delusions?! Does your JESUS say you have the right to break people like that?! DOES HE?!" He forces her head back into the water, making Jessica suffocate in the shore again. "You claim righteousness... But your soul is blacker than the crushing depths of the sea..." Merrick's hand then goes up and takes his scale necklace, "And I will take you-" Then, he feels someone pull him up. Jessica breaks from the shore, gagging and vomiting the salt water she held in her stomach. "RGGH!" Merrick struggles as he is forced back away from Jessica, growling savagely as he tries to throw off whoever is pulling him, "Let GO! Take your hands off! I'm not letting her leave!!" "Merrick, stop! STOP!" "FFFFUCK! Let me go!!" He's knocked backward, staggering before someone steps around him, seizing his arms. "STOP IT!" Adam shouted at him. Merrick seethes as he grits his teeth at him, his muscles tensing as he looks into Adam's face, "We don't DO this! This ISN'T what I want! I NEVER want you to do this!!" "She killed you..." Merrick growled, "She had you sickened and bashed. She killed you so she could steal you." "I don't care, Merrick!" Adam tells him, "She doesn't matter! I am never going with her! But I'm not going home with you if this is what you're going to be! If THIS is what you're going to do!" Merrick growled as his vision starts to change. The searing wrath slowly leaves his range of sight as Adam stands before him, gripping his shoulders, "I have to finish her..." Merrick's throat suddenly feels partially solid as he feels his chest shudder, "She doesn't deserve to leave... Don't let me walk away from this." His fists shake as Adam holds him there. "Please, no." Adam calmly begs, "I don't want you to kill her... This isn't the guy I love, you're killing HIM, and it's making me sick..." He tells him with injured passion, "You promised me you'd never do this again." Merrick's face softens as his anger turns to anguish. Merrick starts to sniff while his chin starts to tense on and off. "Don't do this just when I got you back. I don't want to be with a murderer... I want to be with you." "She took you, Adam... She took you away from me..." Merrick's voice shakes as his arms hang on either side, "She made you disappear." Merrick's eyes rim with tears, "I was never going to see you again. You died, and I didn't protect you. I wasn't there, and I lost everything." His voice cracks as a drop falls from his eye. "I know, Merrick. I know..." Adam eases up his grip, "It's over, ok? It's over. This needs to stop." Merrick sniffles as he bows his head. Adam pulls him in as Merrick tries to keep himself from sobbing. "It's going to be ok..." Belinda gets up, hardly feeling any of the pain aside from the initial impact from Merrick's ejection. "Belinda, I'm sorry..." Merrick tries to say as he cries, trying to turn, but confined to Adam's arms, "I'm sorry, Belinda... I'm sorry..." "I am not hurt." Belinda panted, "I understand... I'm fine. I am sorry for..." She sighs as she reverts her arm into human flesh. "You've hurt me harder on accident." Adam looks over at Jessica. She is on the shore, just out of the water, wheezing in pain as blood trails from her cuts in her clothes as the water washes up onto her, before draining back. He exhales deeply as he glares at her. "I'm sorry, Adam. I'm sorry..." Merrick whines as his hand tightly grips Adam's shirt. Adam holds Merrick tighter, having seen something that was never supposed to come out again. "I'm doing it again... I'm sorry..." ~~~ "Look, that's beside the point!" Adam says as he talks at Chloe, while she, him, Rajani, and Merrick talk in their apartment, "Why didn't you say something?! Jessica could've been put away along time ago!" "I didn't want to, ok?" Chloe answers with a shurg, "I gave Jamal the Viagra pills, I told him what happened, and I left it at that. If he didn't say anything, then go bitch at him." "You realize that Jessica almost had her way with Adam, right?? After he woke from his coma!" Merrick asked, "You were an eye-witness to what she did at the Waltz, and you did nothing! I just, I don't get you." He leers at her, "Why WOULDN'T you want to report her??" "Because I didn't. Simple as that." Chloe says before she turns and walks off. "C-Chloe," Rajani gets up, "Look, everyone, I think it wise if we did just put it to rest." "No, I want to know." Adam tells her, "Jessica screwed with my head for 3 weeks, you know that?!" "Well in all fairness, Adam, you're not that hard to begin with." "Cut the jokes, Chloe, I want to know, why didn't you-" "You know goddamn well why." Chloe says in a low, lethal voice as she suddenly turns and gets right in his face, "And if I have to bring it up again with you, I'm going to fucking break you." "Chloe..." Rajani says as she comes to her, looking at her with estranged eyes, "Is this have anything to do with-" "Stop. Just stop." Chloe glares at her Indian girlfriend, "I want everyone to drop it. Now." She looks at the two men, "I want you two to get out of my house. Now." "... Oh Chloe, are you serious??" Adam tells her, "THAT'S why you didn't say anything?! You couldn't even-" "No, I can't, alright?! Just fucking get out!" She suddenly says as she forcefully moves Adam back, "Just forget about it right now." "No! I want to know." Merrick throws her hand off, "I want to know why you just let her get away." "Merrick, just stop, please," Rajani insists carefully, "It is better if you-" "NO! I want to know why Chloe let Adam get raped after he got into a coma-" Chloe strides over to him, and cranks her arm back. Merrick swiftly catches her fist, grasping it tight. He looks at her as her face gives a very primal glare as she yanks arm back, and tries to hit him again. "Chloe no!" Rajani says as he pulls her back, with Chloe not even talking anymore as stray tears start to roll down her face, still struggling to get some kind of strike on Merrick. "Stop! Stop, stop stop! We're going, ok?" Adam says as he blocks her arm and shoves it back, "Merrick, we're going," He takes Merrick's arm and moves him back. "No we're not, I'm-" "I said we're leaving!" Adam suddenly raises his voice, shocking Merrick for a second. "Don't argue with me, just leave it." A bit shaken, Merrick lets Adam take him out the door. Adam huffs as he and Merrick get into Yuri's car, and drive off, "Merrick you REALLY need to stop pushing people like that." "What the hell was that about??" Merrick asked, "One second I'm trying to get answers out of her, and the next she's trying to stomp me out!" "Chloe doesn't ask twice. Trust me, I know." He turns out of the complex's parking and out into the street. "But what was she so mad about?? What happened to make her want to hide what happened to YOU to anyone??" "I can't say." "... Wait, you know it, don't you?" "Yes, but I can't tell you, I promised." "Oh my God," Merrick rolls his eyes as he attempts to yank the wheel to turn. "STOP! Alright, alright, alright." Adam pulls into a nearby Dairy Queen, and parks it, "Ok, look, I promised Chloe I'd never tell anyone, ok? So I expect you to do the same, Merrick." "Alright, fine. Now tell me what her problem is." "Hhh... When Chloe was a girl -- like, I think 8 or 10 -- her parents got divorced, and she lived with her Mom, and she got married to some guy..." Adam sighs as he looks aside, "A while after... The guy started molesting her." "... What?" "Her stepdad used to... Violate her at night. More than once, she actually thought she was pregnant, and started taking birth control pills -- THAT young. That's not supposed to happen... And the guy was Catholic. When he found out that she was taking those pills, he started hitting her on the ass..." "That's... Horrible." Merrick shook his head, "Why didn't she tell her Mother??" "He threatened that he'd kill her Mom if she said anything." Adam answered, "This... This went on for almost 2 years." "Wha- 2 years???" "Yeah... And when she came out as a lesbian, that only made things worse..." Adam bows his head, "That sick fucker thought it was very kinky to fuck a lesbian." "Oh my God..." All of Merrick's anger dissolves as he covers his mouth. "It only ended when her Dad walked in while the guy had her naked. From what I've been told, he just lost it and killed the man outright. They just bashed each other, and he got him with a kitchen knife." Adam feels uneasy as he tells Merrick this, "It all happened in front of her... And of course, her Dad was put in jail for murder." "Fucking human laws..." "It was only for 6 months due to the circumstances. Heh, oddly enough, Chloe's parents got back together after it happened -- she visited him in prison everyday." "Still... That was in the past. She should have come forward about Jessica." "It's not that simple." He shook his head, "Chloe's been scarred for life because of it. She was so scared for a very long time, and any action to try and make it stop was punished. I can't tell you how many therapists and counselors have tried to get through to her to make her better, but nothing helped. She got kicked out of school because she's still pissed off out of her mind because of it." "Damn it..." "And she's even told me that she feels incredibly stupid for what went down. She thinks she should've been smart enough to get help instead of letting herself get violated like that for so long. And whenever someone talks about rape in front of her long enough, she just loses it for God knows how long. She just goes through these phases where she just wants to break everything around her." "If I'd known..." Merrick puts his fingers into his hair, "Fuck, the way I talked to her just now." "You know she's tried to break up with Rajani because of this?" Adam tells him, "Several times." "What? Why?" "Because Chloe gets very destructive when she gets into these moods. She's damaged, and she knows it. She's... Even struck Rajani on occasion." "She actually hurts her?? Like, violently?" "Yeah..." Adam sighed, "Chloe kept telling her to fuck off. That she was only going to hurt her if she stays. But no matter how much Chloe yells, or how bad it gets, Rajani refuses to leave. She just... Loves her that much." "I can imagine..." Merrick says lowly, "Though actually, I will say Rajani did mention a long time ago that she's kind of a masochist when it comes to bed." "Wait, what?" "Yeah. You wouldn't know it from looking at her, but she's into some hardcore stuff. So if Chloe does hit her when she can't control herself, it probably doesn't do much. If that's true, then I guess the two of them are just fine for one another." "Heh, yeah..." "So that's what she meant..." "Hm?" "Just something that she said when you were in a coma, and I was in a bad place." "What was that?" "... It's not important. Lets just head home." "Ok, babe." Adam starts the car again, and starts to drive off, while Merrick looks out the window. `I get it.' Chloe's snide voice echoes, `I honestly, really get it. Someone took away the one thing you cared more about anything in this god-forsaken planet, and you just want the rest of the world to fuckin pay. And you think you have the right to smash anything you want, yell at everyone who looks at you, and just kill the ones who fucked you over. I. Get. It.' `So what's YOUR solution?' `Solution?' `How do you cope with making the rest of the world pay for such a selfish attitude that we both have?' `Good question. Why the hell do you think I act like such a cunt? Because no one ever, really, truly knows just how much you've been butchered on the inside. And really, heh, what business is it of theirs? They're just the idiots pretending to give a shit about some whiny little bitch who hates the world.' `That's enough...' `Seriously. What gives them the right to feel sorry for you when you're doing a fantastic job doing it yourself?' `I said shut up!' "So that's what she was talking about..." Merrick mumbled quietly. ---The Next Day--- "Recurring harassment. Sexual harassment. Sexual assault. Destruction of a court-ordered document." Judge Jacquelyn reads from the list of charges. Jessica sits on the right side of the courthouse, beside her own lawyer, who looks rather stressed as he rubs his temples, "Premeditated assault and battery, leading to willful life endangerment. Trespassing. Interference of psychological and medical treatment. Attempted rape. And finally, violation of a restraining order." "Wait, restraining order?" Adam asked Erin, fully dressed in formal attire, as is everyone else in the courtroom, "When did that happen? She ripped mine in half." "Your friend, Yuri, called me and asked me to arrange for another copy," Erin explained quietly, "After Miss Foster tore up the one you had. Miss Umiyama asked your parents to sign it on your behalf, and it was filed and officiated 3 weeks ago." "Oh." Adam nodded. Merrick gently rubs his hand as he sits next to him. Adam smiles as he rubs back. "Well honey, you are in a whole mess of trouble." Jacquelyn says as she looks up. "Your Honor," Jessica's lawyer says as he stands up, "My client was only trying to help Mr Bryant put his life together, who has endangered himself on several counts." "I know you're not serious." Jacquelyn responds with a raised brow, "According to this, her behavior has been going on for months, why is she still walkin' around?" "No one has reported such incident before Mr Bryant found himself in his... Unfortunate condition." "Well, it's reported now." Jacquelyn nods as she closes the folder. "There is still the matter of the violent assault on my client." He continued, "My client states that this Mr Piscien viciously attacked her under the Fish House docks." "Your Honor, I would like to answer to that." Erin says as she stood up, "Mr Piscien claims his actions where based on self-defense when Miss Foster started to exhibit her unstable and unconscionable behavior towards Mr Bryant." "Your client's... Person," The male lawyer leers at Erin, Adam, and Merrick, "Injured my client and nearly drowned her. The court would hardly classify that as self-defense." "Your client hindered the mental recovery of MY client, and has gotten away with more than-" BAM BAM BAM BAM "Order, order people!" Jacquelyn raises her voice while slamming her small hammer. Both lawyers quiet down for the moment, "In light of Miss Foster's actions in the past, this court sees that she has greatly provoked a number of people from her clinically obsessive devotion to Mr Bryant, who has chosen to give her many chances and warnings for her to stop. If the multiple accounts are correct, her crimes have gone unpunished under the law for far too long, and such results are what caused Mr Piscien's hostility towards-" "I object, your Honor!" Jessica's lawyer said out loud, "Mr Piscien has knowingly crippled my client ruthlessly from the slightest-" "Overruled." BAM Jacquelyn cut him off with a slam of her grovel, "The overwhelming amount of evidence has spoken for itself. Your client will be fined $500, and will carry out a prison sentence of 20 years. Further, she will also be required to be assigned a psychologist to ease her mental state through counseling sessions. Case dismissed." Jacquelyn slams her grovel again, and the attendees of the court get up from their seats. The bailiff escorts a very miserable Jessica out of the courthouse, sobbing as she goes. "That went well." Adam says as he stands up. "Few more wins like this, and I'll get that promotion." Erin says as she packs her papers. "Awww, you won't me my lawyer anymore?" "Hahaha, Adam. I'll ALWAYS be your..." She fumbles for a word, "That... Person who knows law stuff... For you. And stuff." She nods for a hesitant moment. "Hah, ok. And stuff. Read you loud and clear." Adam pats her shoulder as he turns to Merrick. "Oh shut up, I skipped getting coffee and breakfast to get here on time." Erin defended. "You owe me a raspberry danish." "Hahahaha" Adam laughs, "Right, I'll take you to someplace nice. The vending machine is just around the corner, right?" "Oh no, you're going all out at the Sugar Shore." Erin tugged his ear while snickering at him. "Can I change now? I hate wearing these clothes." Merrick irks as he tugs at his shirt collar. "But, baaabe. You look freaking handsome in a suit." ~~~ "Once again, I owe you big time." Merrick says as he talks with Jacquelyn. "Look, Adam's lawyer was able to talk yo way out of getting arrested for beaten up that lady, but I still have to put you on a one-year probation -- the violation of which will result in a determined sentence. So don't do it again. "I understand, I just couldn't help myself after I found out what..." "Listen boy. If I went around, beatin on everyone's ass fo-" "Jackie!" Adam says as he holds his arms open and up, "It's been ages." "Ahhhh, how you doin, boy??" She greets as she hugs Adam, "Good to see ya, hun." "When did YOU become a judge, and... When did you start smoking?" He asked as he noticed the wisping cigarette. "Round the same time few months back. How is Jamal, is he doin good?" "You could ask him yourself, you're his counselor." "Eh, I... I can't, really." She shook her head, "He ain't that keen on me." "Oh yeah, and you're his relative too, aren't you?" Merrick asked, "What were you called again... You are his mother's sister, right?" "Oh, you're Jamal's aunt?" Adam asked with surprise, "I never knew that." "Yeah, that's me..." Jacquelyn nodded as she sighs. "Oh, then... Wait a minute, if you're his aunt, then why didn't he move in with you when he came to Hawaii?" Adam asked, "Not that I don't love having him, but wouldn't he be put with his next of kin?" "It's... It's complicated, aight?" "How complicated? Do you hate him?" Merrick asked innocently. "Naw, I don't... Well, I do, kinda... I don't HATE him, I... Damn, I told you, it's complicated." "Alright, I understand." Adam nodded. "Well I don't, what's the problem?" Merrick asked. "Hhh... You know his story, right? He was caught makin crystal meth, and even did it once, and that's how he got in trouble. He said his brother told him it was just weird candy they needed to sell so they can see they Mama in rehab. They Daddy was always workin his ass off, and when Jamal was caught, his brother took off with all the money he made -- to this day, we don't know where he is." "When his Dad found out, he just disowned Jamal, and put him into foster care. It was a rough year for him. Eventually, he moved over here, and that's when we met. He figured out right away that we were related. Said I look just like his Mama." "So why didn't you let him live with you?" "Cause... I ain't really a kid person. And I couldn't help him get resources if I acted like his aunt instead." "Right." Adam nodded, "What's the REAL reason?" "Boy, you talkin bout?" "Come on..." "Hhhhhhh... Cause every time I see him, I just git so damn mad." "Mad? Why? What did he do to you?" "It's not what he did... It's what he looked like..." "Huh?" "He looks a lot like his Mama... And he sounds just like his Daddy." "... Looks like his mother?" Merrick asked with an estranged look while Adam scoffed, "THIS tall," He holds his hand up to gesture, "Built like a wall, no hair... And he looks like his mother?" "Hahaha, naw, I mean like around the eyes, the lips, face, really... And his voice is almost exactly like his Dad." "So what's the problem." "Boy... His Daddy was abusive and ignorant." She shook her head, "He hit mah sister, and she would make all kinds of excuses fo him... He drove her to that damn stuff, and to rehab... And she'd never listen to me when I begged her to come home, leave that sorry ass and take the kids wit her. She stopped talkin to me cause I hated her man..." "And Jamal?" "Hhh... Every time I talk and see that boy, all I can think about is all the bad times I had to go through with my sister and her husband." She shook her head, "They just went lost." "But what does that have to do with Jamal?" Merrick asked a little defensively, "He never did any of that, did he?" "No, he didn't. That's the messed up part..." Jacquelyn turns to him, "He's a good guy, anyone can see that. But I can't stop thinking about the bad stuff when he comes round..." She sighs as she flicks off her used cigarette, "If he stayed wit me, we'd be at each other's throats every damn day." "So that's why?" They all turn, and see Jamal standing there, giving them all a stone cold look. "Yall talkin bout me behind mah back like this?" "Wha -- Jamal, when did you get here?" Merrick asked, "And what do you mean?" "So that's why you didn't want me?" Jamal frowns as he walks on over to them, directing his gaze right at his aunt, who is at least a couple of feet shorter than him, "I'm just the bad shit of my folks, right?" "Jamal, that's not what I said-" "Fuck it ain't." Jamal interrupted, "You fuckin judged me, Jacquelyn, and I needed you." "Ghh," Jacquelyn scoffed, "Child, you never needed me. You WANTED me cause you felt like no one was on your side, and I was the only family you got. But boy." She puts her hand on his firm shoulder, "If you lived wit me, you woulda spent yo days hatin the world and asking me why it was like that." "Is that supposed to get you off?" Jamal asked as he pushed her hand from his shoulder, his voice thick as his eyes looked a little more moist, "Ah know the fuckin people woulda just put me on some other counselor if they knew we were family, but-" "Hey-ey-ey, but nuthin." Jacquelyn scolded, "I got you the best resources I could get. I kept the other suits off yo back, and I got them to loosen your probation. You got a good place to live wit two people who loved you, DESPITE that you was a total ass when you got there. I fought for you, I made sure you were employed, fed, and clothed. You were the one who stopped talkin to me cause I gave you a bad attitude, and I'll buy that. I was a mediocre relative." She continued, "But you didn't need no aunt. You needed someone to help you, and that's what I did." "So... Wash yo hands, and be done, right? You done your part, and now you're done?" "If that's how you want to see it, go right ahead." Jacquelyn nods, "But as I said. I was a very bad aunt. But I was a damn fine counselor." She checks her watch before she sighs again, "And now I gotta get to another trial. Look after yourselves." "Yeah..." Jamal stubbornly responded. He turns around as she walks away, "You still coming to the wedding?" She turns around and shrugs. "Would you want me there?" "Ain't about me. It's THEIR hitch." Jamal gestures a nod to Merrick and Adam. "Are you comin or what? "Maybe." With that, she walks away. ~~~ "Agghh," Merrick says as he finally takes off the polyester shirt, "I don't know how you humans stand wearing these things. It feels so cramped to wear them." "Awww, baaabe." Adam says as he prowls onto the bed, still in his formal clothing, "You look so freakin hot in them." "Hah, I'll admit they have some kind of appeal." Merrick says as he takes Adam's pink tie, pulling it like a leash, "But I'm not putting on a suit just to fuck you." "Heh, right." Adam flops down on the other side of the bed, and kicks off his shoes, soon stripping off his clothes too. "Haahh... Damn..." Adam huffed as he lets his torso airs out. Merrick smirks as he turns onto his side, putting a hand onto Adam's belly. "I still don't see those abs, babe." He says as he rubs the fuzzy surface area of Adam's stomach. "I'm not faaaaat." Adam whines as stretches. He can hear Yuri playing Kingdom Hearts 2 in the living room; he needs to go join her before he misses out... Maybe just a couple more minutes. After removing his restrictive pants, he spends a few moments cuddling the Merrick, after turning the fan off to cool his sweaty body. Merrick's smile fades a little as he strokes Adam's side. "So you remember everything now, right?" Merrick asked lightly, "You're... You're back?" His voice shook a little as emotion pushed into his chest again. Adam smiles as his inner geek gets the better again, keeping in mind of the ending to Kingdom Hearts 2. He puts his hand gently onto Merrick's cheek. "I'm home."