Prologue

Time had lost all meaning.

Days could have passed, weeks, months, maybe years, but he couldn't remember, he'd lost count of time so long ago that it no longer mattered to him.

He remembered a tree, a large oak tree, that stood towering over him and held in it's strong branches a club house where he would escape from time to time to enjoy the quietness that would surround him and the safety those strong branches offered him when he would climb up the thick wood he had nailed to it's tall frame and escape into the four wooden walls and rickety platform he had been so proud of when he had built it all on his own.

He could vaguely remember the smell of the roses that grew all around his home, the ones his mother worked so hard planting and carefully cared for everyday, nurturing them and loving them, encouraging each and everyone to grow, much in the way she had done with him.

They were happy together, just him and his mother, till HE came along. He knew the day his mother brought the man home to meet him that his happiness was over, things would change. He saw the evil behind the dark brown eyes, and when he smiled those same eyes would narrow with a warning directed only to him, telling him that time for him was ticking.

He remembered the day his mother married the man, making him his stepfather, and he remembered the day his stepfather began to beat him. At first it wasn't much, a few slaps here and there when he was angry, but those slaps turned to beatings, and those beating were happening everyday. He was 17 and he took it like a man, knowing that as long as those beatings were directed toward him, his mother would be safe, and as long as his mother was safe that was all that mattered.

The memory that haunted him the most, his last memory, was the night that everything took a turn for the worst, that night everything changed. He had stayed out late with some friends, too late, and he had missed his curfew by an hour and tried to sneak into the door without waking anyone. He had almost made it, was so close to reaching the top of the stairs, when the board creaked beneath his feet waking his stepfather, causing him to get out of bed in search of the source of the noise.

His stepfather was angry, more angry than he had ever seen him, and he remembered every blow that was given to him along with the blood that ran from the corner of his mouth and his nose, covering the front of his shirt. His mother tried to run to his rescue, begged his stepfather to let him be, but the angry man turned on his mother and the minute he heard the slap across her face he was filled with his own anger, and turned to grab the closest thing he could get his hands on.

To this day he couldn't remember what that object had been, but the years of beatings he had received from his stepfather swirled around in his mind and he returned each hit one right after the other, unleashing his anger, till the man laid at his feet, motionless, and covered in blood.

Something snapped in him that day, and he was never the same again, at least, that is what had been determined in the courts when they tried to sentence him with murder, and he was turned over to the mental ward being declared mentally unstable, and was locked away in a padded room for days the he couldn't even count, until the day a doctor came, swearing he was going to help him.

The room surrounding him was damp and cold and a single 40 watt light bulb swung from a long string coming from the ceiling creating just enough light to allow him to see his surroundings. A room that he had become so accustomed to, that no light at all was needed for him to be able to point out what was around him.

A cot sat against the back wall directly across from the door, covered with a thin blanket that barely kept him warm at night, and a metal toilet sat in the corner along the same wall as the door with a small sink just to the left of it from which was his only source of bathing and drinking.

This room was his home, had been his home for God knew how long, and it was this room where they tortured him and made him their guinea pig and performed every experiment possible on him.

The rattling of the padlock echoed through the room, indicating to him that they were there, that the time had come once again for the tortures to begin, and he climbed onto the bed pulling his knees up against him and wrapped his arms around them as his body rocked back and forth. This was the position he assumed whenever they entered, and this was the position he wished for whenever they left.

Chapter One

Emily sat in the hard wooden chair pulling her left leg up across her knee and pulled off her high heel shoe, rubbing at her tired, sore foot.  The night was just begining and already she felt too tired to continue.  The past few years had been a whirl wind for her and sometimes it was hard for her to believe everything that had occurred.

Growing up it had just been her and her father who had been an abusive alcoholic.  Her mother gave birth to her at 16 and shortly after Emily was born her mother ran away, leaving her with her father to raise on his own. He reminded her daily what a mistake she was and some days his verbal abuse was too much to take, however, she was able to handle the verbal better than the physical abuse that stared when she reached her teens.

School had been another problem for her, seeing that her father spent all his money on liquor, she didn't have much, and the other kids made fun of her with her worn out clothes and shoes that barely had soles left to the bottom of them.  She hated school, hated the kids for what they did to her, and most of the time she ended up hiding out behind her house instead of attending classes, that was, till she met him.

He was handsome, the star quarterback player on the football team, and he was in love with her.  She never could understand why, why he would love someone like her, but he did, and she loved him back unconditionally and never missed spending one day with him.  They were going to be together forever, until that dreadful night occurred, and she ran, just as he had instructed her to do, and never looked back.

She was only 16 when it happened and she was scared to death, but she took what few clothes she could manage to shove into a backpack and hit the streets hitchhiking till she ended up in Hollywood, home of the bright lights, big city, and millionaires.  To this day, not a day went by that she didn't think of him or wonder how he was doing, but she knew those were questions that would always go unanswered.  Too many things had occurred and she could never go back to find him.

She had spent a few years living on the streets under the bright lights of the city, and it was on those streets that she met a girl not much older than herself  named Nikki. Nikki had allowed her to move into her small one bedroom apartment with her and got her a job at Dazzled, a swanky little strip club she stripped  in, as a waitress.  Emilys uniform, of too short tight black shorts and hot pink mid drift tank top, didn't leave much to the imagination, but she was dressed and didn't have to perform as a stripper and that was all that mattered.

The money she made there was good, and the clientele, for the most part, was upper class, that much she couldn't complain about, but Emily wanted something better, and she was afraid her something better wasn't going to be found inside that club, but she continued on, every night, serving drinks to horny drunk men, and pocketed her tips, saving every penny she made.

"Get yourself together Emily.  You're working VIP lounge tonight and we've got some very special guest who rented out the room.  They have already begun to arrive."

She sighed, slipping her heel back onto her foot, and stood from the chair pulling at the bottom of her shirt as she looked up to the 6'2" tall, 350 pound black man who stood towering over her.  Marty could be intimidating at times, but underneath those tough scarry looks he was nothing but a big teddy bear and Emily knew she was lucky to have him as a boss.  He always kept his eye on "his girls" as he called them, and made sure that none of the clientele got too carried away with their groping.   She was sure that Marty would never let any harm come to any of them.

"So tell me Mart, who do I get to tease tonight?"

He laughed, slipping his arm around her shoulder, and led her down the smokey hallway to a large black door labeled VIP.  Marty was very careful about who he rented the room out to and knew that the men who were allowed behind those closed door tipped very well.

Emily had become his favorite the instant he hired her, and her shy, yet spunky personality along with her long brunette hair, small frame, and big blue eyes made her a favorite to the regulars as well.  Marty always let her work the VIP rooms knowing she could use the extra money and hoping secretly that she could get away from the club and make a better future for herself.

She was a bright girl, and with a GHD and a shove in the right direction she could really become something big.

"Some big time lawyers and their doctor friends, you might recognise them from the papers and tv when you see them.  They are celebrating some achievement in an experiment they were doing.  I got Bobby sitting in the back corner watching over you, but be careful, you know these men get carried away sometimes.  If you need me, just scream."

She nodded and took a deep breath looking up to him with a smile as he gave her a light squeeze and reached turning the door handle, shoving the door open for her.

"Remember, I'm just a scream away."

She laughed and stepped into the soft lit room, closing the door behind her.

*******

The room was quite large with plush purple velvet couches lining the walls and the plum carpeting and plum painted walls made the room seem darker than it actually was.  A private bar sat just to the left as you walked through the door and directly in the center of the room was a small platform with a pole running from floor to ceiling, allowing the guest their own private dancer should they request.

Ten men had already filled the room when she stepped inside and she looked to each one of them, recognising three of them instantly.

Lance Bass was a top lawyer and well known for winning top cases all around the world.  He mostly handled cases for the rich and famous, but he had been known on occasion to handle smaller cases of the common folk.  He was liked by all who knew him.  Christopher Kirkpatrick was another one she had seen on tv.  He was a doctor, internal doctor, but could handle anything from the common cold to plastic surgery, and had also been known for dipping his hand into experimental drugs with Joey Fatone, who also stood in that very room.  Joey was a scientist who had been recognised for discovering medicine that cured diseases that were otherwise known as incurable.

All three men were wealthy, very wealthy, and Emily could only hope that the tips she received tonight would help her checking account out a lot. The other men she didn't recognise, but assumed they were colleagues of the three men, for they looked to be well off as well, but she pushed her guessing aside and made her way through the small crowd with her fake smile plastered to her face and introduced herself to the men, fixing their drink orders when requested.

*********

Lance watched her from a distance and couldn't help but smile at the way she was able to work a room.  She was graceful when she moved, and the smile never left her face, not even when one of the men got brave enough to grope her in places they never should have been reaching for.

She had a light shyness about her, but she never failed to falter in a conversation when one was struck up with her.  He had been watching her for a few weeks now, and had called ahead requesting her as their waitress for the night.

He reached for the papers shoved deep inside his suit pocket and pulled them out, letting his eyes scan over the words one last time.  With one signature all his plans would fall into place and his troubles from the past five years would be over.  Convincing her wouldn't be tough....keeping her would.

Chapter Two

Emily fell back onto the worn out checkered couch, and smiled as she pulled the cash from the tiny apron she wore around her waist. The men had been quite generous with their tips, and if she was correct, without stopping to really count, she had made well over $2,000 dollars.

She was planning on asking Marty for the next night off to do some much needed grocery shopping, when a soft knock rapped on the dressing room door, pulling her from the mental list she was trying to make in her head.

"Come in."

She yelled, and shoved the money back into her apron pocket, looking up to Marty with a smile as he walked through the door, closing it behind him.

"Emily, hon, someone has asked to speak with you. I'll let him in if you want, but if you say no I'll send him on his way."

"Who in the world would want to see me?"

"Mr. Bass." Marty grinned, and leaned back against the counter behind folding his strong arms across his chest.

"He's quite smitten with you. I've know the man awhile now and he's a pretty good guy. He's 25, makes a hell of a lot of money, never has caused any trouble, at least, not around here. In my opinion, I say go for it."

She thought about it for a moment before sitting up straighter on the couch, adjusting her shorts and top, and making herself a little more presentable.

"Ok Mart, send him in, but don't you DARE go too far. I've had enough groping tonight."

He nodded, stepping away from the counter, and dropped one arm to his side as he reached for the door nob with the other, opening it slightly, before turning back to her.

"I'll send him in and stand right outside the door. Remember, scream if you need me."

She watched him walk from the room chuckling to herself and stopped to take a deep breath as Lance walked through the door with Marty close behind him.

"Emily, this is Mr. Lance Bass."

She held her hand out toward him, mumbling a soft hello, and smiled as he took her hand in his, leaning down to place a soft kiss on the back of it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Emily."

He released her hand moving to sit down next to her, as Marty left the room, closing the door behind him.

"What do I owe this pleasure Mr. Bass?"

"Call me Lance, please."

She smiled, feeling slightly awkward around him, and nodded her head as she looked him over. The black suit he wore looked to have been custom make, for it fit him perfectly in all the right places and looked to have been highly expensive as well. His blond hair was styled just right and his green eyes were the most unusual she had ever seen. He was handsome, that was for sure, and the reasons he wanted to see her certainly had her curious.

"Lance it is."

"You are a beautiful woman Emily, and quite intriguing. I found myself unable to take my eyes off of you."

Her face burned from the crimson blush she felt creep into her cheeks, and she turned her eyes downward, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. He was a very charming man, and it had been a long time since she had been around a man with such manners and charm.

"You are quite flattering Lance. I don't believe I've blushed like this in years."

He laughed, a soft warming chuckle, and waited for her to make eye contact with him before continuing.

"Someone with your charm and beauty shouldn't be stuck in a place like this. I have an offer I would like to make you."

Her brow creased in confusion, and she instantly became wary of the man who sat next to her.

"Look Mr. Bass...."

"Lance."

"Whatever.." She said rising to her feet and moving across the room to put a safe distance between the two of them. "I don't know what you may have in mind, but I am not a hooker, I am a 21 year old trying to make some money to be able to provide better for myself. , and just because I happen to work in a place like this, doesn't mean someone like you can......."

Lance stood from the couch holding his hands out in front of him in defence.

"Woooo...hold up. I meant in no way to offend you. Please just hear me out."

She folded her arms across her chest, eyeing him suspiciously, and nodded her head, deciding to give him at least two minutes to talk before she screamed for Marty. After all, Marty did seem to trust the man, and that was really saying something when it came from Marty.

"Fine, say what you need to say, but you have two minutes to explain yourself before I have a slew of very large men on your ass escorting you out."

She instantly took another step backwards as he stepped forward and he sighed, dropping his hands to his sides before begining.

"Ok, all I meant was that you are a very beautiful woman, and from what I've seen you've got a great personality. I know this is not what you want to do with your life and I would love to get the chance to know you better."

He paused for a moment turning to his left taking a few steps, and stopped, picking up a rose that laid on the makeup counter in front of him.

"My life is in the spotlight, so to speak. There are parties, dinners, balls, all sorts of functions where people are constantly watching me, waiting to see what I'll be attending and who will arrive on my arm. I could get a date anytime I wanted to, but my life is too busy for committed relationships and that is what women want. If they don't want a relationship, then they are with me merely for my money, and those are the ones who can't be trusted."

Emily watched as he laid the rose back to the counter and turned facing her once again, shoving his hands deep into his pockets.

"My offer to you Emily is this, I get you out of here, move you into my home and provide you with everything you need, let you get a taste of what the good life is about. All you have to do is appear at my side at all the functions looking beautiful as you are, nothing more, nothing less."

She stared at him for a moment before breaking into a laughter of disbelief and unfolded her arms pulling once again unconsciously at her short top.

"Let me get this straight. You want me to believe that you are going to take me away from here, give me a place to live with everything I need and the only thing you want from me is to attend some fancy parties and dinners with you? WHY would I do that MR. BASS? Why would I give up my safety to live with a man I know nothing about?"

"Because I'm offering one million for you to do it."

His voice was calm and he never batted an eyelash as he spoke, determined to show her that this was not a joke. She gripped the back of the barstool sitting next to her and held on tightly as she slowly moved to climb onto it sitting, suddenly feeling dizzy and light headed. Certainly the man in front of her could not be serious, though he never cracked a smile and his breathing and expression had remained calm, she still could not believe this man, this stranger, had offered her one millions dollars to take her away. Surely she had heard him wrong.

"What did you just say?"

She had spoken so low she wasn't sure she had said the words aloud or merely thought them until Lance shifted his feet and began to speak.

"Give me a year, and if you are unhappy with the arrangement or feel uncomfortable, we'll call the whole thing quits and you can leave with your million, BUT only after you have stayed a year. I'll give you three thousand right now if you'll just say yes."

She was speechless as she stood from the stool and began to pace the tiny room back and forth with thoughts spinning through her head. This was the opportunity she needed to get away from the club, and with the people she would meet, maybe there was a chance to get herself a better job and finally live in a life that she deserved, and with one million dollars........ She smiled at the endless thoughts of what she could do with the money and nodded to herself silently agreeing to his offer.

"Ok Mr. Bass." She stated, walking toward him and stopped to stand in front of him looking him in the eyes. "You have yourself a deal. One year, one million dollars, and we'll see what happens from there."

He smiled, releasing the breath he had been unconsciously holding and held his hand out once again, shaking hers as she offered it to him.

One year....that was all...she had spent the past five years living in hell and struggling to survive, and running from her past. How hard could one year possibly be?

Chapter Three

He tried to move from the bed, but couldn't. His legs felt weak, numb, as though they were not really his legs at all, and his head was spinning, causing him to be dizzy, almost to the point of nausea.

Two of them had come to his room just a few hours before and injected him with two shots in the thick muscle of his thigh. The liquid burned as it coursed through his veins, and it didn't take long before the medication took affect, causing him to lose control of, not only his limbs, but his bladder as well. He had fallen to the floor, urinating all over himself, as one of them laughed, taunting him, as he tried to crawl away from them with fail. He couldn't move and he felt dirty. He wanted so badly to strip himself of the dirty, ragged sweat pants and boxers, and crawl into that small sink to soak himself, but the struggle to continue to stand exhausted him.

The room had become pitch black as he lost consciousness, but their voices still rang loud and clear through his ears as their conversations continued.

"Keep your eye on him and report any sever changes to me immediately. That son of a bitch won't die on me, not yet."

"Yes sir."

He could hear the thick door being closed, but this time no locks were heard bounding him to his room. Someone had stayed with him, he was pretty sure of it, but moments passed before the person let his presence be know, and he felt them lift him from the hard surface of the floor to the semi softness of his worn out mattress, covering him with a blanket.

He had fallen asleep, but couldn't remember when exactly. He had been restless, and his heart raced as though he had run a marathon and now as he awakened he felt exhausted, and still unable to move.

His eyes opened and it took him a moment to focus, spotting a man sitting across the room from him in a hard back chair, and he struggled with his tired mind, trying to remember who the man was. His face was new, but he vaguely remembered earlier his step-brother yelling at the man, reminding him he was just an assistant, but the strangers name was unknown to him.

It had become obvious to him not too long after he arrived at his prison, that his step-brother was the leader of the group that put him through so much torture. The man had been jealous of him from the moment their parents married, and why he had, still remained a mystery to him. His step-father had never showed him any sort of love, never spent any time with him, and it was him that had taken the abuse from sun up to sun down, so what there was to be jealous of mystified him, but still, his step-brother never hid his angered feelings toward him when he would come around.

The strange man, the assistant as he knew him, stood from the chair and cautiously moved across the room, stopping to stand at the end of the bed watching the young man as he tried to move his limbs. The assistant had been told by the others that the experiment had escaped from a mental ward, and was hunted until he was found and brought to where they had imprisoned him. The mans family released him to their group of doctors for experiments, or so he had been told, and he was clearly instructed not to develop any emotions toward the human.

Somehow he was having a hard time believing all that he had been told, but still, he slid his hand into his white coat pocket, gripping the tranquilizer gun for safety sake.

"Sir...how are you feeling? Is there something I can get for you?"

**

He watched the man standing nervously at the end of his bed, and wondered what they had done to convince the assistant to be part of their sick group. He wasn't like the others, his voice was tender, caring, showed concern, where the others laughed and made fun of him, wanting to hurt him more than they already had.

He laid silent and continued to stare at the man, no matter how much he felt he could trust the assistant he knew from experience that they were all the same and he too would end up like the other doctors, a cold heartless son of a bitch.

Another thing he had learned was that silence was better than the begging, pleading, and crying he had done at the begining when they brought him there. With silence they did what they came to do and would leave quicker, not wanting to have to deal with him too much.

The assistant walked back to the chair picking up a clipboard from the floor and held it in his hands, jotting notes quickly, while occasionally looking toward the man on the bed, cutting his eyes away to take more notes, and clicked his pen, holding it tightly in his hands, while clutching the clipboard to his chest.

"I'll be here with you tonight, but I've got work to do right now. Should you decide you need anything, just yell, or do what you can to make some noise. I'll be back to check on you."

The assistant left, closing the door tightly behind him, and slid one lock into place, securing it, before heading down the tiled hallway to the office.

He sat down in the oversized black leather office chair, and laid the clipboard on the desk in front of him, thumbing through the pages as his eyes scanned over the words that had been written.

Troubled, murderer, convicted, and dangerous appeared quite often in the pages, but no name had ever been mentioned on any page. He grabbed the file of the man he had just left down the hall from the desk, and opened it slowly, carefully reading over the first page that had been placed there.

The subject seems distressed, weeping constantly, but is alert and willing

to cooperate with the team. Shows no signs of regret for his

actions of the murder. Reports of abuse never filed.

He thumbed through more pages and stopped, coming to the next list of notes that had been taken.

Subject becoming hostile toward team, refusing to allow

injections. Restraints used, 5cc's of medication

injected into upper left bicep, no signs of side affects.

Second dosage injected, same location, 10cc's.....subject has calmed.

He read through the list of medications mixed, some local sedatives, and their dosage, and sighed, flipping through to the next page.

Subject continues to be distressed.

He closed the folder, rubbing the heel of his palms against his eyes, and blinked away the tiredness that was begining to take over him. He had been part of the team for three months now, but this was the first night he had actually been allowed around the patient, and he wasn't going to allow a little tiredness to ruin any trust they were giving him.

With a yawn, he closed the folder and tossed it to the side, grabbing his cup of coffee, bringing it to his lips, wincing in disgust as the now cold liquid slid down his throat. Standing from the chair he stepped into the small bathroom located in the office, and poured the liquid down the sink drain, heading to the coffee pot to pour himself a fresh cup. He had a lot of work ahead of him, something about the stranger intrigued him, and he wanted to learn all he could on his new subject that he possibly could.

@2004Lancesharmony

Chapter Four

The black hummer rode smoothly down the asphalt road, winding and turning through every bend, coming to a stop at the large black iron gates briefly as Lance punched a code into the small silver box, causing the gates to groan and squeak as they opened slowly, allowing them to continue forward toward a circular drive.

Lance had arrived early that morning, immediately handing over $3,000, which she gave to Nikki instructing her to deposit $1,000 into her account and keep $2,000 for herself to use part as a down payment on a better apartment and the rest for food and a nice outfit. Nikki hugged her, begging her to be careful, and to call her as often as she could to let her know she was okay.

Emily agreed, and climbed into the hummer waving to Nikki as they pulled away from the curb and toward her temporary home.

The drive had lasted for over an hour, but once they had left the bright lights and fast pace of the city, and headed toward the secluded country area, she relaxed back in her seat, enjoying the scenery of thick trees, rich green grass, and blue smog free skies.

Emily felt as though she was heading toward heaven and as they drove through those large gates and down another long road coming to a stop in front of a magnificent mansion, she knew that more than heaven awaited her inside.

The three story brick home was large....larger than she had ever seen before, and extended further than the eye could see, surrounded by a thick forest of trees, except for a small clearing leading to a large lake off to the right of the home.

A large fountain stood in the center of the drive and another stood amongst thick green shrubbery that led to the beautifully crafted red wooden entry door matching wonderfully with the well designed architecture of the house.

Lance cut the ignition, sliding from the leather seats of the hummer, and walked around the vehicle, opening the door for Emily, offering his hand to help her out.

"Right this way Emily Cooper, I'll show you around your new home."

Sliding her hand into his, she allowed him to lead her up the step and through the door to the circular foyer with four other doorways surrounding them. The stairway stood to the left of her with a circled balcony allowing a view down to the foyer below, where the white and black tiled floor glistened from the cascading light coming from a large extravagant chandelier hanging lowly from the ceiling above them. The stairwell banister was black wrought iron topped by a deep rich wood that accented beautifully against the creamed colored walls, and the carpeting on the stairs suited the decor just perfectly.

A short, dark haired mexican man seemed to appear from no where,a nd Lance greeted him, instructing him to remove Emily's bags from the hummer, and place them in the room she would be staying during her time there.

"Come along Emily, I'll show you around the house."

He led her through the first door to the right of them, into a large sitting room filled with expensive furniture and antiques from miles around.

"This is the sitting room where the parties are held. I don't come in here much, but you are welcome in here at any time."

He watched as she glanced around the room in awe and gently squeezed her elbow, giving her a warm smile as she glanced toward him.

"There is more to see. Once I have showed you the places you are allowed to go, you can come back on your own and fully inspect them."

She laughed lightly, bushing off his words, and followed him back into the foyer and across the hall to another door. Bookshelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling with a sliding ladder, allowing you to reach the top shelves that would other wise be unreachable. The same chandelier that hung in the foyer, hung from the ceiling there as well, and a tan leather couch sat in the center of the room on top of a black persian rug with matching tan recliners across from it.

A heavy oak coffee table sat between the furniture with a tea set for decoration and an oak end table sat between the chairs with a small tiffany lamp perched on top of it. The room was beautiful and she looked forward to spending time in there reading.

"This is the library and through this door is the theater. I have several movies for viewing, but if there is something I don't have that you would like to see you can let Maria know and she will get it for you."

They walked through a doorway to their left, surrounded by books, and into the dark theater where again she was completely amazed. A large screen hung from the wall in front of them and three black leather couches sat stair cased in a row, allowing a clear view for all who were seated. The walls were painted a dark red and thick black drapes hung from the windows keeping out any form of sunlight, throwing the room into darkness for viewing pleasure.

To the right of her two mid evil style lights hung on the wall allowing a small amount of light when needed and were controlled by a remote that Lance had pointed out to her, showing her it's functions for starting the movies. She was surprise for how large the house was, that only one entry and exit were in the rooms he had shown her so far, and was about to question him when he pulled her from the room and back into the foyer through the third door she had seen next to the sitting room they had viewed first, that led them down a long hallway with several doors lining both sides of the hall.

One door held behind it a sun room, another door, an inside pool, and another a formal dining room for dinner parties with a table seating thirty guest comfortably. The doorway at the end of the hall led to the kitchen where a full staff moved around busily cooking meals, and cleaning. She was surprised when everyone stopped their jobs and lined up, military style, greeting Lance the instant they saw him.

"Good afternoon everyone, this is Emily. She will be our guest for awhile. You will see to any need or want that she may have and please, do treat her with respect."

Emily nodded toward the group with a smile, but her brow furrowed as some stared at her in un-approval. She wasn't used to being catered to, and had no intentions of making the staff wait on her hand and foot, she only hoped that with time those with negative glances would come to like her and think of her as a friend.

"Ok Emily, lets go upstairs and I'll show you your room. You can meet everyone formally after you have settled in."

His hand slid into hers surprising her, and she followed him back down the hallway they had come, glancing over her shoulder with concern as the crew broke from the line, whispering amongst themselves as they immediately returned to work.

She couldn't help but wonder if she was the first that Lance had brought to his home to stay for a a long period of time, or if there had been others. With any luck she would make a friend on the staff and find out more about him and his life. Her mind had wandered and they had almost reached the top of the stairs when she remembered the fourth door in the foyer and tugged on his hand as she stopped.

"Lance, there was a room you forgot to show me."

He glanced over his shoulder tugging back at her to continue, and remained silent till they reached the landing at the top of the stairs.

"My room is at the end of the hall that way." He smiled, pointing to the left of him. "..and yours is at the end of the hall this way."

She released his hand glancing around to notice how the balcony circled around the banister over looking the foyer, but the rooms were hidden behind the view of the circled wall allowing privacy upon entering and exiting the rooms. She quickly fell into step behind him as he led her in the direction of her room, and glanced at the two closed doors at the end of her hallway as they passed.

"Those are just guest rooms. Not as large as the room you will be staying. I'm sure you will find your room to your liking."

He pushed on the double doors in front of them and stepped inside the room off to the side, allowing her to enter with a gasp as she looked around to the beauty that laid before her. The room was larger than the entire apartment she shared with Nikki, and everything she could ever dream of stood before her. A short hallway led you into the suit opening up into one large room painted a soft pink with a beige carpeting, and decorated very daintily.

A king size bed sat in the center of the wall in front of her and to the right was a large sitting area with a couch and chairs all set up nicely in front of large french doors leading out to a private balcony. She stepped further into the room spotting the plasma tv hanging on the wall across from her bed, and to the left of her bed, a walk in closet and in suite bathroom.

"Lance.....this is beautiful."

He smiled, walking past her and stepped into the closet, turning on the light, and motioned for her to join him.

"There are a few things in here I went ahead and had Maria pick up for you, but tomorrow we will have some clothes brought to you to try on and you can keep what will fit. I want you to look extremely nice when we are out and Marty gave me your size so I could get everything lined up. Hope you don't mind."

She shook her head, folding her arms across her chest, and walked around the closet looking over the few jeans and shirts, all of which were named brand, that he had placed there for her, while trying to hide the grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. The tour Lance had given her had been very nice, but she was ready to be left alone and release the excitement she had been trying so hard to contain.

"Your bathroom has been filled with tons of necessities, but again, if there is something you need just let Maria know and she will get it for you. You will get to meet her later."

She nodded once again, following behind him as he walked from the closet and stood next to the bed waiting patiently for him to leave.

"Lunch will be in an hour. I will send someone up to get you."

"Thank you Lance. Your home is more than I could ever dream of"

She fell back on the bed pulling a pillow over her face as Lance left, closing the door behind him, and squealed with excitement, quickly tossing the pillow across the room, standing, as she heard the door being reopened.

"I almost forgot...as I said, the parts of the house I showed you are yours to freely roam, as well as the grounds in the back of the house, but there are parts that are completely off limits. The door you questioned me about leads to a downstairs floor. There is nothing there but storage, but I prefer no one goes down there, it is unsafe. There is also a stairway down the hall next to my room, that leads to the upper floor and my office. I allow no one there as well. It's my private space and I wish to keep it that way. Other than that you are welcome everywhere, so enjoy."

He retreated once again closing the door behind him and she waited a moment before falling back to the bed kicking and squealing excitedly. This home was a dream come true and she wanted that dream to last as long as it could.

@2004Lancesharmony

Chapter Five

His shoes clicked against the tiled floor as he hurried down the hall, keys in hand, wanting to reach the sealed room as quickly as possible. The night he had spent alone with the experiment he had read through the files, unable to believe the torture they had been putting the poor man through.

How long the man had been locked away, he was uncertain of, for he had been unable to crack the codes that had been used for dates, and the experiment was the only name they referred the man by. What they were doing behind those closed doors was illegal, and he was going to have no part of it.

It had been a week since they last left him alone on the experiment, and he wasn't sure when he would get the opportunity alone with him again. One way or another he was going to get that man to talk, he only prayed he had enough time to save him.

The door had been bolted tightly by the five locks, and he fumbled nervously with his keys, dropping them twice, before finally managing to free every one of the bolts, and opened the door slowly, afraid of startling the man behind it.

There in the corner, sitting with his knees pulled to his chest, and his arms wrapped tightly around them, was a distraught looking man, and he closed his eyes sighing deeply before stepping into the room, closing the door behind him. The team had been in earlier, injecting the man with experimental drugs and it was up to him to watch over him and keep record of any changes that occurred with the man throughout the night. So far no changes had been noted by any team member, but he knew with the mixture of drugs that had been injected, his night was not going to be a quiet one, and he grabbed the wooden chair by the door dragging it to sit in front of the man, hoping to get some answers before the changes began.

"Hello sir. I am here to help you. Please tell me your name."

Blue eyes lifted, staring back at him, and he was taken aback by the emptiness and sadness that showed in them. Silence hung over them as the man continued to stare, and with a sigh, he tried once again to get through to him.

"My name is Joshua. I know the things they are doing to you and I want to help you, but you've got to talk to me......please."

In one sudden movement the man lunged forward, gripping a metal pole tightly in his hand that had been unseen, as Joshua jumped from his chair, quickly backing away, and dodging the pole as it was swung at him. He ducked, reaching his hand above his head, blindly searching for the pole being swung at him, and wrapped his hand around the cold metal frantically attempting to pull it free from the mans hands.

"Settle down. I'm here to help you. I'm not like them."

Angered cries flowed from the man as he pulled the metal free from Joshuas hand and chased him around the small room, swinging wildly over and over, determined to hit him. Josh grabbed the wooden chair, lifting it in front of him, blocking the man from reaching him, and used the legs of the chair to corner the man against the wall.

Startled, the man slowly released the grip the held on the metal pole and let it fall to the floor with a loud clanging as he stopped his struggling, feeling suddenly defeated once again.

"Just calm down or i'll have to sedate you." Josh breathed heavily, and lowered the chair waiting to see if the man would strike again. Once satisfied he had calmed, he sat the chair to the floor and backed away from the man, examining him from a distance.

"Now..." He said, still trying to catch his breath from the battle. "Again, I know what they are doing to you and I am here to help you, but I have a LOT of unanswered questions, and without those answers you are going to be stuck surrounded by these four walls with those doctors continuing to torture you and use you for their experiments. Are you going to trust me or not?"

The blue eyed man stared at him, letting the words sink in as he moved toward the bed, lowering himself to sit. He felt tired, yet at the same time a vast amount of energy surged through him, making him feel as though the room was closing in on him. The man called Joshua hadn't harmed him, though he had had every chance, he never hurt him in any way, and he had been kind, almost concerned when ever he entered the room.

Maybe he was telling the truth.....maybe Joshua was going to help him. It's not like he had much choice anyway, he was trapped, and the only thing he could do was answer Joshuas questions and pray no more harm would come to him.

@2004Lancesharmony

Chapter Six

The past two weeks in the mansion had been quite an experience for Emily. The day after her arrival truck after truck arrived delivering the most magnificent gowns and designer casual clothing she had ever seen, along with millions of dollars worth of diamond jewelry and an array of sexy lingerie to wear beneath her gowns as well as for sleeping.

Olivia, one of the servants, had spent the day along her side helping her to try on the clothes and organize them in her large closet according to style. She had never felt more like a princess then she had at that moment, and Lance had promised her that should she decide to leave at the end of the year, she could take all the clothing with her.

Except for meals at night, she hadn't seen much of Lance since her arrival and she had spent her days wandering through the home, looking over the exquisite decor and sitting in the library reading through some of the collection of books Lance kept there. The staff had been quite pleasant with her, catering to her needs and serving what ever she requested for breakfast and lunch wherever she cared to eat. Most of the time she ate her breakfast in the sunroom, enjoying the warmth of the bright sun as it filtered through the windows around her, giving her a feeling of peace, while her lunch meals were served on the veranda of the back grounds allowing her to enjoy the scenery of the flower gardens and forest that laid in behind them.

Dinners with Lance had been quiet most times, both of them concentrating on their meals, and what little conversation there was had been limited to her days and things she had done. She had questioned him in the begining about his job and how he had become such a popular lawyer at such a young age, but those questions had politely been pushed to the side, bringing up subjects of her life and how she had ended up in Florida. After the first week she had given up her questions and allowed him to take the conversation wherever he wished and concentrated on getting to know the staff better, still hoping to make a friend who could inform her on all she wanted to know.

She had finally had a chance to meet Maria and she was nothing of what Emily had imagined her to be. She was an older woman, somewhere in her mid 60's Emily would have guessed, mexican in decent, and very strict and straight forward. She led the well organized staff, and thought very highly of Lance. His wish was at her every command and she would stop at nothing to keep him happy. Emily had learned quickly to stay away from Maria as much as possible, for she certainly didn't look too fondly upon Emily and what little request she had made had seemed to be putting Maria through too much trouble, so Emily stuck to spending her time alone and asking Jose, the short dark haired mexican man she had met her day upon arrival, for anything she needed.

Jose was a quiet man but had taken a liking to Emily, checking on her constantly to see if there was anything she needed, and she had quickly come to think of him as a father figure. She enjoyed his company the few times they had been able to sit together during his free time to talk, but Maria had quickly ended those conversations whenever she caught them, sending him out to run errands for Lance and leaving her with a glare of evil.

Lance had a dinner gala later that night and Emily was looking forward to it, being it was her first time away from the house since she arrived two weeks before. Maria had chosen a long sleek black spaghetti strap gown that split up the side to her thigh and bore a low neck line revealing just enough cleavage to draw attention to her full breast. A diamond tear drop necklace with matching earrings had been chosen by Maria as well, but the diamond tennis bracelet and black heels that strapped around her ankle had been chosen by her, causing Maria to frown upon her for her choices. Why Maria despised her so was beyond her, but she could careless, given the princess lifestyle that had been handed to her.

After lunch Emily had wandered into the library, sitting down to read over a novel she had randomly pulled from it's shelf and kicked her shoes off, tucking her legs underneath her as she sat on the couch curling up to get comfortable to read. After a few pages she found her eyes becoming heavy with sleep and five hours later she jumped from the couch and her nap she had fallen so deeply into, to run up the stairs and prepare herself for the dinner. With a quick shower she applied her makeup, pulled her hair into a lose ponytail of curls, and slipped into her dress, shoes, and jewelry just in time to make it down the stairs to find Lance talking with Maria as he waited for her.

"You look quite stunning tonight Emily. Glad you could make it on time."

A sly grin creased the corners of his mouth and she felt her face flush as she casually looked down at the gold watch that circled her wrist. Lance had informed her the night before at dinner to be dressed and waiting for him at 6:00 sharp. Her watch indicated she was over 15 minutes late and she cringed, remembering him telling her that one thing that annoyed him the most was lateness.

"I do apologize Lance. I fell asleep in the library earlier and woke with only a short time to prepare. I promise you it won't happen again."

Before Lance could even respond to her Maria had cocked her brow, passing over to him a shawl she had picked out for Emily to drape around her shoulders, and began to circle her, inspecting the attire that she wore.

"Lets see that it doesn't. No one here keeps Mr. Bass waiting and that includes his guest as well."

With a soft chuckle, Lance extended his arm for her to take, and smiled at the shocked expression registered on her face.

"We will not be home till close to the break of dawn I imagine, so you and the staff may leave as soon as things are done. Take the night off early and enjoy."

With a nod, Maria smiled warmly at Lance and took the brief case from his hand clutching it in her own as Emily slid her arm through his.

"Have a wonderful night Mr. Bass. The staff will be here bright and early in the morning."

The way Maria could change so quickly not only surprised Emily, but angered her as well. She was sure that Maria would cause her some sort of trouble before the years end would arrive, but for now she brushed away any thoughts of the older woman, and clung to Lance's arm, excited about the night out she was about to have.

uu

Jazz music played softly against the murmuring of voices that filled the room with different conversations being held amongst the large group of people who were seated at the many tables lining the floor of the banquet room. The dinner was being held in a dining hall at one of the finest hotels in town and was nothing more than a group of friends gathering together to talk over business, politics, and money. Emily had stuck to Lance's side smiling when she needed to smile and laughing at just the right moments, turning all heads as she walked through the crowd serving her purpose. Lance was pleased at how she impressed everyone and remained at his side, letting him lead the show, never trying to out do any of them. She had met many people, but most of them were in the same career as Lance, while others were doctors or in the medical field in one way or another.

"You having a good time?"

She turned to the dark haired italian man who had been seated next to her and smiled warmly, nodding her head.

"Yes, I am. Everything is quite breathtaking and the meal is extraordinary."

The man smiled, surprised by her polite manners and use of words considering where she had come from. Lance had filled him in on his decision to invite the woman to live with him, so he wasn't surprised to see him stroll into the lobby with her on his arm, what he was surprised by was how beautiful she looked, and how well she was able to present herself.

"You'll get used to them after a few more. This dinner is being held by the Van Sickles. That's that couple over there."

He said, laying his arm across the back of her chair, leaning in closer to her while pointing to a man and woman who sat at a near by table.

"Each dinner is held by different couples and each couple tries to out do the other. It can get quite ridiculous sometimes, but each one is highly publicised, sometimes celebrities come, and the meals are free, most of the time, so you can't help but come and enjoy the show."

She laughed, picking up her glass of wine to take a sip and turned her head back toward him as he stuck his hand in front of her.

"I'm Dr. Joey Fatone by the way. We met once, but........"

She sat her glass to the table and placed her hand into his accepting his slight shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm......"

"Emily. Yes, I remember."

He released her hand, dropping his back to the table and kept his eyes on her as he lifted his own glass, raising it to his lips. She suddenly began to feel uneasy under his glare, and took a deep breath looking around the table to the group of five men sitting with them before returning her eyes to Joey.

"So.....Dr. Fatone, how do you know Lance?"

"I met Lance right after he moved here and we became good friends. He was studying law, following in his fathers footsteps, and I was studying medicine. Our careers took off and we sorda partnered our careers together. Worked out good. And by the way.....call me Joey."

"And Joey does his damnedest to be a ladies man, you'll have to watch out for him."

She glanced across the table to where the voice had come from recognising Chris from the night at Dazzled and laughed along with the rest of the table.

"I'll keep that in mind Mr. Kirkpatrick."

"Name is Dr. Kirkpatrick to you, and I want to know how Lance managed to get between your......"

"STOP bothering the lady Chris." Lance spoke, giving Chris his best warning glare before turning to Emily. "I do apologize for him. He has no manners to speak of, so how the man manages to keep patients is beyond me."

She smiled, ducking her head to stifle a yawn, as the men continued their playful banter between each other. The five course meal had lasted for hours, and the wine she had been sipping, along with the conversations between the six men she had been sitting with, were begining to take affect, causing her to become tired. Lance slid his hand into her lap, letting his fingers lace with hers, and leaned closer to her, brushing away a stray curl from her face with his free hand.

"Looks as if someone is growing tired with us fellas. Guess I better be getting her home."

Emily looked up to him fighting back another yawn as she quickly shook her head objecting.

"No, I'm fine, really, It's just the effect of the wine. I'm good though."

"No, It's 2:00 a.m., I guess we really should be going."

He released her hand, standing from the table, and pulled her chair out offering his arm as she stood.

"Goodnight gentleman, I shall see each of you later."

"It was nice to meet all of you. I'm sure I'll see you all again soon." Emily said, slipping her arm through Lances as the five gentlemen stood from their chairs nodding to her, each mumbling a goodnight as they exited the room.

The ride home was quiet.....too quiet, and Lances eyes never left the view in front of them as they sat in the back of the limo waiting to get home. She fidgeted in her seat, afraid he was angry with her over leaving the dinner,a nd watched him for a moment from the corner of her eye before clearing her throat and turning her upper body toward him.

"I do hope you are not angry with me of our departure from dinner. I did say that it was quite alright if we stayed......."

Her words were cut short as his eyes met hers with angry cold stare, and she shudder from the fear that suddenly ran deeply through her causing her to wonder what she had gotten herself into.

"We did not leave that diner because of you Emily......don't ever make the mistake of thinking that again. No one makes me do anything I don't want to. I make the decisions."

His eyes returned to stare straight ahead again, and she leaned back in the seat, staring out the window as the sound of her heart beating rang loudly in her ears. Never in her life had she felt the fear the man sitting next to her had caused, she only hoped that fear subsided, never to return again.

Chapter Seven

Josh slammed the clipboard down on the desk and ran his fingers through his hair with a frustrated sigh. The man was still refusing to talk and the hours were ticking by quickly. Pretty soon morning would come and the team would file in, sending him on his way to do God know what else to the man.

He tried not to be angry with him, tried to put himself into his shoes and understand how, after all he had been through, the thought of trusting anyone would be impossible, but he needed that mans trust to help him and he needed it now. He paced the office searching through his mind over how he could convince the man he was telling the truth, but only found himself more frustrated as nothing came to mind. He checked his watch, a quarter till three, and left the office walking down the hall, pushing open the door as he stepped into the lab, and flipped the light switch on looking around for anything that could help him.

Spotting a file placed neatly on the counter top next to a small black box he walked closer to it and opened the box pulling out a syringe full of liquid, examining it as he opened the file. Inside were notes of medications mixed that he assumed filled the syringe and pulled out the stool sitting down to read the handwriting at the bottom of the page.

Possible side affects: memory loss, nausea, vomiting, muscle spasms

loss of bowls, chest pains........

Josh stopped reading, unable to continue on, and stood from the stool, moving to the sink near by, injecting the fluid down the drain. He had to replace the mixture with something less harmful and he had to work quickly to get it done before the team arrived. He opened the cabinets searching through bottle after bottle reading the labels before finally finding the perfect combination to replace in the syringe so the liquid would look the same and any indication of swapping would go unnoticed.

Taking the two bottles he had chosen back to the counter, he combined the medication and filled the syringe, carefully wiping away his finger prints and replaced it back into the black box closing the folder and made sure everything was neatly in place before turning out the lights and leaving the room exactly as he had entered. The most the medication would do would be to make the man extremely sleepy, but Josh figured that would be exactly what he needed at this point, plenty of sleep.

Walking to the small lounge a few doors down, he retrieved his dinner from the fridge and made his way back down the hallway to the experiments room opening the door and stepping inside.

"I have some food. I know they don't really feed you in here, so I thought you might like to have it."

He placed the brown bag on the bed next to where the man sat, and stepped back positioning the chair against the wall, sitting down to watch the man in front of him. If he wasn't going to talk, then Josh would, hoping the man would give in and respond.

"It's a ham sandwich in case you want to know. Shaved ham, piled high with a slice of cheese on top and bottom and a little bit of mustard. There's also some chips, a snickers bar, and a coke to wash all of it down with."

The man remained immobile, keeping his eyes on him and Josh crossed his legs, folding his arms across his chest, and continued to talk.

"I found the injections you were scheduled to receive when the team arrives and I did a little altercations. You'll be extremely sleepy and maybe a little numb, but it's nothing compared to the way you would have felt after what they had planned to give you. Also......"

The man watched as Josh continued to babble but tuned him out as he slowly let his eyes travel to the bag that sat next to him. He was hungry, extremely hungry, and the worst that Josh could have done was to lace the food with some sort of medication, but the man seemed honest and more and more he was begining to gain his trust in him. His stomach let out a loud grumble and he reached for the bag, snatching it into his lap as though someone would take it away from him, and dumped the contents onto the bed next to him eyeing the food. He picked the sandwich up first, pulling it from the plastic it had been wrapped in, and took a bite, swirling it around in his mouth as he chewed, savoring the flavor before swallowing and closed his eyes to take another bite.

Josh had stopped talking the moment the man picked up the bag, and watched him eat as though it was his last meal and he was trying to remember ever moment of it, and let his hands fall to his lap as he began to relax. He seemed to have forgotten that Josh was in the room as he finished off the sandwich and grabbed the bag of chips and the candy bar opening both of them, undecided on which to eat first, and Josh sighed, letting his thoughts wander away to how he was going to get the poor soul out of there.

They would have to be careful, very careful, for if any member of the team caught on to what he was planning Josh knew without a doubt that he too would be sitting in the very spot the man before him was. He had discovered the team of men were very sneaky and very powerful and Josh could be wiped from the face of the earth with no signs of foul play whatsoever, and the head "Godfather" as Josh liked to refer to him as, already had taken a disliking to him and questioned his every move.

"Why do you want to help me?"

Josh quickly broke from his thoughts, unsure that he had really heard the man speak, and stared at him as the man opened the coke, waiting to see if he would speak again.

"You wanted me to talk, so answer my question....why do you want to help me?"

He raised the drink to his lips, taking a long slow gulp, as Josh stammered, almost falling from his chair as he straightened up, trying to form a sentence.

"I um....they um...."

The man lowered the can from his lips and cleared his throat pushing away the raspyness of his voice from having not used it in so long, and brought the can back to his lips taking another long drink as he finished it off.

"I um....I read your files and couldn't believe the things they were doing to you. It's inhuman. I got into the medical field to help people, not hurt them. What they are doing is illegal and if I can get you away from here safely then....."

"They're watching you know? Every move we make they see, they will catch you."

Josh shivered at the coldness of the mans voice and suddenly felt uneasy being alone with him and wishing he had brought his tranquilizer gun. Maybe those files were right, maybe this man, this experiment was mental, and maybe he had just put himself in more danger than he had realised. Glancing over his shoulder, he checked to see how close he was to the door, and shifted in his seat, preparing to run should the situation call for it.

"I've altered the video tapes of your room. They won't know or hear what I have discussed with you. If you would just give me some information then I can start planning..."

"What are you going to do with me once you get me out?"

"Help you."

Josh watched as the mans eyes filled with unshed tears and felt the lump form in his throat at the whispered words that barely ghost across the room.

"That's what they said."

His heart felt heavy, and he stood from the chair, moving across the room slowly so as not to alarm him, and sat down on the edge of the bed shaking his head to the man watching him.

"I am not like them. I promise you I am going to do everything in my power to help you, but you have to be willing to help me."

The man stood from the bed, walking a small circle in front of Josh, rubbing at the hair on his chin, before looking back to him with a nod.

"Ok. I'll answer anything you want to know, just get me out of here."

Josh sighed an explosion of relief and laughed as he patted the bed next to him.

"Then have a seat, we've only got a few hours before they arrive."

@2004lancesharmony

Chapter Eight

Emily made her way down the stairs, relieved that Maria was nowhere in sight, and strolled down the hallway toward the sunroom, smiling to Jose as she passed him.

"Morning ma'am. Sleep well?"

"Yes I did Jose. Thank you very much."

She stepped into the sunroom, quickly turning back and sticking her head out the door yelling to Jose before he could get away.

"How was your granddaughters recital?"

She laughed at the way his eyes lit up and the excitement in his voice at the mere mention of her.

"Oh...she was wonderful Emily. She danced her little toes right off and her voice sounded like.....like an angel. Rosa and I couldn't be more proud of her. Thank you for asking."

She grinned to herself, watching as he walked from sight, and turned in the doorway stopping short as she spotted Lance sitting at the table watching her. Her eyes shifted toward the ground and she nervously cleared her throat, walking toward the table where she always sat for breakfast, and pulled out the chair sitting down and placing her napkin in her lap.

"Surprised to see you here on a saturday morning. I thought you would be out working or playing golf again."

His eyes never left her as she grabbed a muffin, placing it on her plate, and broke it open spreading butter across the inside of it making sure to avoid eye contact.

"You and Jose seem to have made good friends. I didn't realise he had so much time on his hands. I'll have to speak to Maria about............."

"You don't have to speak to Maria about anything." She said angrily, placing her knife on her plate, making eye contact with him.

"Jose is the only one in this place who speaks to me and keeps me from going insane while I'm locked inside this house. I've been here over two weeks Lance and you barely talk to me. I would greatly appreciate it if you would arrange one of your cars for me so I could get out of here today and go into town. I need to find some sanity."

He leaned back in his chair folding his arms across his chest, and arched his brow, watching as her hands flailed around as she spoke.

"You are not here to make friends and carry on conversations with my staff. You have a job here, just like the rest of them, and you are to leave my staff alone and let them do their jobs. You speak to no one unless you are requesting something from them, conversations are forbidden, is that understood?"

She leaned back in her seat, distancing herself from him as he leaned toward her, his nose mere inches from hers, and his tone laced with sarcasm and anger. Her heart raced from both fear and anger from this new side she was seeing of him, and she clenched her jaw, speaking in the calmest tone she could.

"You are paying me to be your date to your little rich functions, not to be some damn muse locked up inside your prison. NOW....you either arrange for me to be taken into town by someone or yourself, OR I will simply call a cab. You can not keep me locked up here."

She surprised him as well as herself with the way she had spoken to him, and folded her arms across her chest, staring at him as if in challenge. A sly grin spread across his face, and he brought his left foot up, resting his ankle on his knee, and propped his elbow on the table, bringing his coffee cup to his lips, giving it a gentle blow.

"Tell me something Emily, do you make it a habit of signing contracts without reading them, or was it just those dollar signs dancing around in your eyes that blinded you to the fine print?"

Her heart beat wildly, threatening to jump from her chest, and her eyes widened as her mind raced to think back to the papers she had signed. The morning that Lance had picked her up from her apartment he had given her the contracts, along with the money, and she signed both copies quickly without so much as glancing at the print. The large amount of money offered to her had indeed excited her so much that she would have signed a pact with the devil had he offered, and somehow Emily feared she just had.

"Contr.....contracts can be broken you know?" She stuttered, wanting to run away from him and find those papers as quickly as she could.

"Oh no Emily. See that is where you are wrong." He said, sitting his cup back to the table and leaning in closer to her with a satisfied grin, knowing he had her trapped.

"Not this contract my dear. You forget that I am a lawyer, and a damn good one at that, this is one contract that can not be broken, and should you try, you will pay dearly."

He stood from his chair tucking his crisp checkered shirt back into his well starched jeans from where it had loosened, and stepped closer to her, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"I've got some things to tend to today, but I'll be home later and we'll be having some guest for dinner. Get yourself ready and see to it that you get yourself down those stairs on time. Have a good day."

He walked from the room, leaving behind the soft echo of his chuckle, and Emily closed her eyes taking slow deep breaths to calm herself. She had to find those contracts and then get to Marty as quick as she could. If there was anyone who could help her right now it would be him, and she would have to do it quickly.

Jumping from her chair, she bolted from the room, almost knocking Jose down, and apologized, quickly making her way up the stairs to her room and into the closet searching for the suitcases she had brought with her. Most of her belongings had been left in her bags when she had unpacked, knowing she wouldn't need them with all the nice things Lance had provided her with. She had remembered clearly shoving those papers in the front zipper compartment of her suitcase, but now as she roamed the closet, pulling out items from the corners of the floor, those bags were nowhere to be found, and she felt the tears stinging her eyes as she moved back to the bedroom continuing her search.

Frustration and anger set in as her search came up empty handed, and she ran from the room grabbing Olivia by the shoulders, stopping her as she passed, and took a shaky breath as she tried to calm down.

"Olivia, my suitcases are missing, it is VERY urgent that I get some papers from them. Do you know where they are?"

The young girl winced as Emily squeezed her shoulders hard, and nodded, feeling frightened by the crazed girl before her.

"Ye.....yes ma'am, Maria took took them down to storage."

Emily smiled in relief, releasing the girl from her grip and moved to the top of the stairs, motioning for Olivia to follow.

"Come on then, you can show me where they are."

Olivia shook her head frantically, and took a step back gasping in horror as though Emily had just asked her to commit a murder.

"No ma'am. The only one allowed down there is Maria or Mr. Bass. None of us others dare go near the door. Mr. Bass has already warned us."

Feeling her frustration build again, Emily moved back closer to her, reaching out to grab her arm as she pleaded with the young girl to help her.

"Olivia please. I MUST have those papers. Lance will be angry with me if I don't get them, and like you, I don't want him angry with me. We'll be quick...I promise. Just please help me find those suitcases."

Olivia looked around as if pondering the thought for a moment, then quickly shook her head looking back to Emily once again.

"I can't ma'am, I just can't, but Maria will help you, just tell her what you told me and ......."

Emily released her arm, screaming in frustration as she moved back to the top of the stairs glancing over her shoulder to Olivia.

"Ahhhhhh......just FORGET it....and you better forget we even had this conversation....got it?"

Olivia nodded in fear and waited till Emily was out of site before continuing down the hall to Emilys room to clean.

********************************

The stairway was dark as she closed the door quietly behind her, but the light in the hall just below her cascaded just enough light for her to make it down the stairs safely. The

stairwell leading to the lower floor was just as beautiful as the one in the foyer and it surprised her, seeing that it led to nowhere but storage. Muffled voices could be heard as she reached the bottom, and she looked around for a place to escape should someone see her.

The hallway was long, leading in both directions, and she looked to the right of her seeing several doorways where sounds were coming from. To her left was nothing but one doorway and she took in a deep breath, holding it, as she tip toed in that direction, placing her hand on the door knob and her ear to the door listening carefully for any sounds from inside, once she felt it was safe, she turned the knob opening the door, and quickly stepped into the darkness closing the door behind her.

Her hand ran up and down the wall, finally landing on a switch, and she flipped it, blinking several times, adjusting to the light before inching herself forward, inspecting all that was around her. She was in an office, which was odd considering Lance had told her his office was located on the third floor, and she slid her finger along the mahogany desk checking for any signs of dust. Every piece of furniture had been carefully polished and the files laying on top of the desk indicated to her that the office was still used, and not something that was used in the past, long forgotten.

Making her way around the desk, she pulled out the large chair to have a seat, and stopped short, hearing voices just outside the door. Quickly she pushed the chair back to it's spot and as quietly as she could, made her way back to the light switch, shutting it off and plunging herself back into darkness. Her heart raced as she frantically tried to think of a place to hide, and pressed her ear to the door, hearing the foot steps echo as they became distant. Once silence had reached the air again she carefully opened the door looking around, and ran from the room, unintentionally slamming the door behind her, bolting to the top of the stairs where she once again listened for any sounds of life before entering back into the foyer.

Her eyes instantly locked with Olivia's as she turned from the door, and she raised a finger to her lips, giving her a warning of silence, as she continued through the foyer and back up the stairs to her room closing and locking the door behind her, and falling to her bed in exhaustion.

Things about the house no longer seemed right to her, and she vowed once company left and Maria was gone, she would go back down again to investigate. If there was supposed to be nothing down there but storage, then why was the office so finely polished, and why had voices echoed through the halls?  But most of all, she had to find those paper and get out of that house as soon as possible.

Chapter Nine

He woke suddenly, his screams echoing off the four walls around him, and the sheets below him clung to his body from the puddles of sweat protruding from his flesh.  He had woken from the nightmare that had haunted him for years, but this time it was different, this time it was worse.  

His mother laid huddled in the corner, her body bruised and battered from the beatings his stepfather had given her.  He inched closer, watching as the man turned to look at him and realised it wasn't his stepfather, but his stepbrother who stood over his mother, his hand raised, ready to strike her again.  His legs felt like bricks as he lifted them, attempting to move closer to his stepbrother to pull him away, when suddenly the woman he thought was his mother lifted her face to look at him and it was then he saw the face of his girlfriend staring back at him.  He lifted his leg, struggling to save her from the blow that was aimed at her, but he couldn't move.  He ran, yet remained in the same spot, and as his stepbrother brought his hand down striking the love of his life once again his screams echoed, waking him from his fitful sleep.

He sat up on the edge of the bed calming his heavy breathing and went to the sink turning the cold water on full blast sticking his hands underneath, and splashing what he had caught to his face.  The nightmares were certainly nothing new to him, he had had them quite often over the past five years, but this was the first time her face had ever appeared in them, and he hiccuped, feeling the tears roll down his cheeks as the images of her remained in his head.

His heart ached at how much he missed her, and he couldn't help but think of where they would be today had it not been for his stepfather.  He was sure they would be married and maybe have a family by now.  Maybe a little boy he could play sports with, or a little girl with their blue eyes and her mothers rosy cheeks.  Which ever it was he would have loved them dearly, never raising a hand to any of them, and both his past and her past would never hurt the love they shared.  He laid back on the bed closing his eyes and wondered where she was at that very moment....wondered if she was ok, and if he ever crossed her mind as much as she did his.  

The door to his room opened, and he kept his eyes closed hoping whomever it was would take him for sleeping and go away, leaving him in peace.  Josh had been right about the injections.  Not long after they had spoken, a few members of the team came to his room giving him the shot and watched him as though he were some kind of wild animal, whispering to one another, before finally leaving him.  It hadn't taken long to become sleepy, just as Josh had said, and he drifted into a deep sleep feeling relaxed for the first time until the nightmares began.

He had learned over the years how to keep his breathing slow and shallow and just as he was sure his visitor was about to leave he heard other footsteps and knew another person had joined them.

"Keep your eye on him as much as possible tonight.  I don't think the damn medication is working the way it should.  Other than sleeping, he has showed no signs of any side affects except for the screams we heard moments ago.  He does that sometimes though with certain medications."

"Yes doctor.  I'll note all activity."

"And stay in here as much as you can, just keep the tranquilizer gun with you.  Sometimes it's easier to see changes first hand than it is watching him from the tv screens."

"Yes sir.  I will do.  You have a good night."

The door closed and he waited a moment before opening one eye to see Josh staring down at him, and opened the other, sitting up on the bed, folding his hands in his lap.

"Hello."

Josh smiled, keeping his back to the camera, and brought his finger to his lips, silencing him as he spoke in a low voice.

"I'm going to check, make sure they are gone, and then i'll be back.  I don't want to take any chances of them still being around."

He nodded his head once, watching as Josh left the room, locking it behind him, and slid further down on the bed getting comfortable, waiting for Joshs return.

He had felt his lids becoming heavy again and was just drifting back to sleep when he heard the jitter of the locks on the door and pushed himself back into a sitting position as Josh walked back into the room, leaving the door open behind him, and pulling the chair closer to the bed sitting down.

"How do you feel today?"

He shrugged, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and licked his lips, feeling his mouth becoming dry.

"You were right...the shot made me extremely sleepy and I have cotton mouth."

Josh gave a small laugh pulling a can coke from the pocket of his white lab coat, and popped the top, handing it over to him.

"I thought about the cotton mouth this morning.  I forgot one of the medications I mixed in caused that.  At least you got some good rest."

He turned the coke up, taking a long drink, and pulled the can away from his mouth, smacking his lips, as he shook his head.

"I did, until the nightmares started, and I woke myself screaming."

Josh tilted his head as his brows creased, and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from his pocket witting something down.

"OK....I want to talk to you about that, but first I have a few surprises.  One is I brought dinner, so you'll get to have a good meal....get some energy."

He smiled as the mans blue eyes lit up, and reached into his pocket pulling out an object, passing it to him.

"That electric razor is for you to shave off that horrible facial hair and ratted up hair you have, then I am going to take you down to the office where you can shower and get a better shave with a real razor.  After that we'll come back here to eat and talk, we've got to get the ball rolling on some plans."

The man nodded, standing from the bed, and pulled the small garbage can closer to him as he turned on the razor, placing it to his cheek, shaving away the itchy nuisance that bothered him so much.  Once done, he did the same to h is head and handed the razor back to Josh running his hands along the stubble of his head.

"What are you going to tell them when they see me like this?"

"You don't worry about it....I'll come up with something."

He stood from the chair shoving his pen and paper back to his pocket, and motioned for the man to follow him.

"Come on.  I'll let you shower before the food gets cold."

Walking out of the room he had been closed up in for so long seemed strange to him, something about it seemed not to be right.  He wanted to turn back and run to the only home he had known for the past five years, where he didn't feel so open and vulnerable for someone to strike at him from any direction.  

Josh looked over his shoulder, seeing the fear in the mans eyes, and continued down the hallway into the office, stopping at the bathroom door.

"I brought you fresh clothes and the soap, razor, and shaving cream have been laid out for you, as well as a towel and washcloth.  Take all the time you need.  I'll just be in here working."

The man hesitated for a moment, and Josh patted him on the shoulder, pulling his hand away the instant the man jumped back from him, and gave him a sympathetic smile as he stepped from the doorway.

"It's ok.   They're not coming back tonight.  Now go shower, I'm getting hungry."

The man stepped into the bathroom closing the door behind him, and Josh sighed, moving to sit down at the desk.  Two more weeks was all he had left to put everything into action and get the man out safely, he only prayed that things worked out the way as planned.  If not, he hated to see what happened to the poor man at the end of those two weeks.

@2004lancesharmony

Chapter Ten

Emily slid the short black skirt up, pulling her thigh high hose into place, and brushed the skirt back down, checking herself in the mirror before going down to meet Lance.

Her white silk dress shirt was tucked neatly in her skirt, and a strand of pearls that hung around her neck matched the tiny pearl earring perfectly.

Her hair hung lose around her face tonight and she applied just enough makeup, highlighting the blue of her eyes, and her black heels accentuated her long slender legs enough to draw ones eye. She tested her smile in the mirror, and exited her room to the stairs ready to get the night over with.

Maria was at the bottom of the stairs, a stern look plastered on her face, waiting for Emily when she reached the bottom.

"At least you are on time this time. Mr. Bass is in the sitting room waiting for you. I suggest you get in there quickly before any guest arrive."

She passed the older woman, biting her tongue to avoid any confrontation, and entered the sitting room finding Lance relaxing in the winged back chair with a drink in his hand and jazz music playing softly in the background. It took him a moment to spot her, but as he did, he smiled and sat his drink on the small table next to him, and stood from his chair greeting her.

"You look wonderful as usual, and on time too. Very good."

She put on her best smile and walked toward him, offering her hand as he reached for it, bringing it to his lips, and placing a gentle kiss to it.

"So what type of party are we hosting tonight?"

She pulled her hand away from his, and turned her back to him, walking to gaze out the large picture window that viewed the lake beyond the house.

"I'm assuming nothing too fancy....just impressing some friends...hmm?"

Lance laughed, walking to the small bar, and grabbed a glass, pouring red wine into it.

"Don't get cocky with me Emily. I'm having a few friends for dinner, ones you have already met. I assume you will be on your best behavior."

She turned facing him as he stood next to her, and took the glass of wine as he offered it to her.

"Why certainly Mr. Bass, that's what you pay me for, isn't it?"

A smirk crossed his face and he turned away from her, walking toward the doorway as the chime of the doorbell echoed loudly through the house indicating that the first of the guest had arrived. She sipped her wine, turning her gaze back toward the window and sighed, hoping it would all be over soon, but the sound of Chris' voice caused her to groan inwardly, and she turned her drink up, finishing it off, knowing it was going to be a long night after all.

************

The grandfather clock that stood in the dinning room chimed, indicating that yet another hour had passed, and Emily glanced at the clock through her blurred vision, rolling her eyes, turning up her sixth glass of wine to finish it off. Most of the conversation held that night fell on deaf ears as her thoughts stayed on Lance and the contract he held over her.

She was dying to go back down those stairs and find out what secrets waited below her.

Lance was hiding something, and if she could find just one small thread of information, then maybe she would have something to hold over him and break free from his chains. She didn't mind living in his home, the house was beautiful, she was waited on hand and foot, and anything she wanted was given to her at the drop of the hat. For the most part Lance was good to her, but there was something about him she couldn't quite put her finger on, and she was certain that answer was in that contract. The thought of her not reading those papers caused the anger to stir in her once again, and she grabbed the bottle of wine, filling her glass once again to wash away that anger.

The dinner had not been so bad.....Chris had brought along a blond headed girl named Vicki whom Emily discovered had just met him a few nights before. She was nice, but her family had money...lots of it.....and she felt the need to remind everyone of that every half hour.

Joey had been there as well with a girl named Becky he had been dating off and on for awhile, but she remained quiet most of the night, batting her long eyelashes at him and hanging onto every word he spoke as her hands remained busy under the table.

Emily was sure their off again, on again relationship was based purely of sex, and she couldn't help but squirm in her seat as she watched the two of them discretely.

The reminder that she had not been with a man in such a long time caused her loins to ache, and the alcohol only seemed to heighten her sexual tension even more. The only man she had ever loved crossed her mind, and she closed her eyes smiling as the image of his face came to her. She longed to be held in his arms one more time, if just for a moment, and sighed with the pain of missing him.

Smooth wet lips caressed along her neck, and she tilted her head to the side, allowing him larger room to roam. Her hand tightened around the stem of her glass as his hand lifted her hair allowing his tongue to graze across the back of her neck, hitting the spot that excited her the most. She gasped, feeling herself become wet with need and desire, and his lips crashed against hers, kissing her with hunger, as he lifted her into his strong arms, carrying her to their bed of passion.

His hands worked quickly freeing her of her clothes as her fingers softly roamed his face, remembering every detail of his features. His strong jaw, soft lips, and long eyelashes were always so beautiful to her, and she clung to him, feeling his naked flesh against hers, wanting.......needing him inside her again.

The way they always made love drove her to multiple orgasms, and she had longed to have those breathless moments where ecstasy held her in it's grips, pushing her to the edge, then pulling her back again before finally releasing her into oblivion. Her chest rose rapidly, pushing against his strong pecks, and her hands grabbed at his hips refusing to let her dream slip away from her, not wanting to wake till her body trembled with exhaustion, and only then could satisfaction allow her to open her eyes and gaze upon his muscled body till slumber took over her again.

His hot breath tickled her neck as he buried his face there, occasionally reaching the tip of his tongue out to lick at the beads of sweat that had already began to form, letting her know it wasn't quite time yet. No, not yet, for he always pushed his upper torso away from her, supporting himself on his strong arms to watch as he entered her, to stare deep into her eyes, and allow her to see his beautiful crystal blue eyes turn from the color of a calm sea to a dark raging storm filled with desire.

She pushed her hips up, letting him know she was ready for the taking, waiting to feel the cool air hit her chest as the heat from his pushed away from her, but that moment didn't come, not like it should have, not like it used to be. As his deep slow groan vibrated against her, he entered her, without warning, with quick thrust that forced her eyes open, searching for those raging blue ones for answers to his new found desire.

The room was dark, strange to her, and his face was buried so deep within her neck, groaning as he kissed tenderly, then nipped at her flesh only to kiss away the pain again. Her body tensed, but as his movements slowed, and he shifted, spreading his legs to use his thighs to push against the back of hers, pushing her legs higher, his large mushroom tip tapped against her spot of ecstasy, and she closed her eyes, throwing her head back, digging her nails into his skin, and let the new sensations take over her as she saw the edge drawing closer.

Her back arched, and his thrust became deeper, quicker once again, and her muscles tightened, holding him in her grasp as she shattered against his throbbing member, riding on the wave of satisfaction. His lips met hers in a tender kiss before he rolled away, causing goose bumps to cover her body from the cool air hitting against her sweaty flesh, and exhaustion took over her, forcing her body to relax and give way to the sleep that was calling out to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She could hear the soft snores coming from the warm body next to hers, and she forced her eyes open, still feeling light headed from the liquor she had consumed just a few short hours before.

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand next to her, and raised her head looking around the room, fighting against the confusion that consumed her. There had been a dinner with Lances friends, she had drank too much, and she made love.......slowly the images came back to her, and she leaned over the man who laid on his side next to her to get a better view of his fact that was turned away from her. The face was not the image of the man she had seen behind her closed lids, not the man she wanted him so badly to be. It wasn't blue eyes that hid behind those fluttering closed lids, but ones of green that she just recently hated to see staring back at her.

She should have know that it wasn't real.....all those images, his hands roaming her body, his soft lips against hers, and his strong arms holding her, promising to never let her go. But as much as she wanted to deny it, deny that all those actions were nothing but a dream, all those feelings of ecstasy never occurred, she couldn't, and their naked bodies and the small ache she felt from having no sexual encounter for so long was proof that it had been real.....the man however was different. How Lance had managed to get her into bed with him was one factor she couldn't remember and quite honestly she didn't want to. All she wanted now was to get away from him while she had the chance.

Slowly she slid from under the covers and out of the bed, grabbing his shirt and her panties from the floor, quickly dressing, and sneaking from the room praying not to wake him as she snuck down the stairs. The house was quiet, and she glanced at the watch around her wrist checking the time once again to see if she had somehow misread the time before, but noticing it was just a little after midnight, just as Lances clock had indicated, and she chuckled to herself surprised that the dinner party had ended much sooner than she realized it had, and glanced around one last time before placing her hand on the knob to the basement.

The hallway below her was barely lit, not as bright as it had been early, and the quietness made the fine hairs on her neck tingle as they stood on end. Her bare feet carefully took one step at a time, stopping as she reached the bottom, and she looked both directions listening for any sounds to indicate she wasn't alone.

To her right the sound of papers rattled and she quickly moved from the bottom of the stairs to the office she had been inside before, closing and locking the door behind her. It wasn't until the loud beating of her heart began to soften in her ears that she realised she wasn't in the dark, but a brightly lit room. She remember turning the lights off in the office before she left earlier, and she glanced around the room trying to notice any changes from earlier.

The door to the right of her jiggled, and her heart quit beating all together as she looked around for something to protect herself with. A marble vase sitting on the bookshelf next to her caught her eye and she tip toed to the object, grabbing it tightly in her hands, raising it above her head as she positioned herself perfectly behind the door, ready to strike the person who came through it.

Her eyes never left the handle as it began to turn, and she held her breath trying to stop her arms from trembling from the weight of the vase, and waited for her moment to strike. As the door opened the man walked into the room quicker than she expected, and caught her off guard causing her to miss him as she swung the heavy vase and lost control, letting it tumble to the floor with a loud thud. Turning to run for the door she stumbled, giving him time to register what she was doing, and he grabbed her from behind, wrapping one strong arm around her waist, holding her tightly to his chest, as his other had clamped over her mouth muffling the scream that came from her.

She struggled, trying her best to get away from the man who had captured her, and began to wildly kick her feet as she felt them being lifted from the floor. Fear stabbed at her and she didn't fight the tears that began to stream down her cheeks, blurring her vision of everything around her. She didn't know what she had gotten herself into, but at this point she would do anything it took to get herself out.

@2004Lancesharmony Productions

Chapter Eleven

His heavy breathing pounded in her ear and she could feel the rapid beat of his heart against her back as he continued to clutch her to his chest, refusing to let go.

"I'm going to move my hand from your mouth, but if you scream, I promise I'll hurt you."

She nodded, just once, and took in a deep breath the moment his hand was free from her mouth. She thought about screaming, but somehow she knew the man behind her would be true to his word and hurt her the moment any sound slipped between her lips, and the chances of Lance hearing her and coming to her rescue were slim to none.

She remained silent, waiting for him to do something, anything, but her patience was running thin, and the way his arms wrapped around her waist, pinning her arms to her side in a tight grip, was causing her more pain than she could bare.

"What do you want with me?"

Her voice was nothing but a whisper laced with anger and tears, and she felt him relax, loosening his grip for a slight moment, before returning his strong hold on her again.

"I should be asking you the same lady. You tried to hit me, remember? Who the hell are you?"

She flinched at the anger in his voice and her breath hitched as the tears continued down her face, her fear refusing to let her be calm.

"You frightened me. No one is supposed to be down here and ......."

"Down here where?"

"Look, I only came down here to get some papers. If you'll just let me go I'll forget everything and Lance doesn't have to know about any of this."

She cried out as his grip became tighter, more forceful, and if possible, his breathing even angrier at the mention of Lances name. She prayed that if God would just get her out of there safely she would never again snoop around in places where she didn't belong. Whatever it was that Lance was doing or whatever it was he was involved with was certainly dangerous, and she didn't, in any way, want to be a part of it.

One arm moved from around her waist to her throat and she cried out in fear once again, almost choking, from the pressure he applied.

"Please....I'll do anything......just....just don't hurt me."

He loosened his grip, frightening even himself with his anger, and took a few deep breaths calming himself. There was something familiar about her voice, something that brought back old memories, and he struggled to think of where he could possibly remember this fragile, yet feisty female from.

"What do you have to do with Lance? What part do you play in this?"

She sniffed and tried to move her arm to wipe away her tears, but gave up, relaxing back against his chest. It was obvious he wasn't on Lances side, and maybe, if she could just stay calm and gain his trust, then she could make it out alive.

"I work for Lance."

The grip was back, and she quickly tried to explain herself before things could get worse.

".....BUT it's not what you think. I don't really know him....just met him. He promised to help me, promised me lots of money to help me get on my feet if I would only work for him for a year. So I agreed, but now I think I'm in danger and I only came down here to find some contracts I signed. I was told no one was allowed down here, so when I heard you, I.......you frightened me......I was just scarred."

The softness of her voice broke him, and he leaned in closer to her, closing his eyes, as he took in her familiar clean scent, and let the tight grip he held on her loosen up.

"Swear to me you're not part of his team and ........"

The handle of the door turned and rattled as an outside invader attempted to reach them and the two of them remained still and quiet locking their eyes on the door in front of them.

"Hey.....you ok in there?"

He realised she had locked the door behind her, and moved closer to the door, dragging her along with him, listening with anticipation for signs of who awaited them. She remained silent without being told, and somehow the arms around her that held her so captive with fear, began to feel like a comfort, a shield, protection from the unknown, as a distant voice cracked through the silence, startling the two of them. He waited, listening for the voice again, before he made any move. He needed to know, had to be sure who that voice belonged to before he opened the door, letting just anyone in.

"Hey, come on and open the door....I have a key....I...."

Hearing the familiar voice, he twisted the lock and turned the knob, allowing the man on the outside to slip in, closing and locking the door behind him. Emily looked up, meeting the eyes of the man who stood before her, and pressed back against her captor, wanting to shrink away from sight. She continued to watch as his eyes shifted from her to the man behind her, and fear struck her again, causing her to think of a quick escape. She stepped down hard on the foot next to hers and ran for the door as his arms released her, grabbing his foot in pain, giving her time to fumble with the lock and open the door. She stumbled from the room, her breath coming in gasp, and ran straight for the stairs, taking them three at a time, determined to get away.

She was almost there, three steps away from the door that suddenly seemed to tower over her, and she tripped, falling to her knees and hitting her chin on the step above her. Pain was not import and neither was the blood that began to trickle from the corner of mouth, what was important were the hands that grabbed her, pulling her back down the stairs as she kicked and screamed fighting to get away from the stranger. His hand clamped over her mouth and her tears blinded her vision once again as she was thrown to the room she had managed to escape, watching in horror as the door was closed and locked behind her once again.

@2004Lancesharmony Productions

Chapter Twelve

His hand was tangled in her hair, pressing her face against the carpeted floor, while his other hand held her wrist behind her, his knee pressed into her back, restraining her from moving.

"That was not a smart move. I have in my pocket a tranquilizer gun, and I don't want to have to use it, but I will if you force me too."

"Do you know her?"

Josh shook his head, silently answering the other mans question, and moved his knee from her back, standing from the floor, pulling her with him, keeping her wrist gripped tightly in his hands.

"I've never seen her. Don't know how the hell she got in here either."

Her breath hitched and she closed her eyes, turning her head away from the man she had broken free from as he stepped in front of her. She had gone too far, made a stupid mistake trying to get away, and she feared her punishment was yet to come.

"I'm sorry."

Her voice was weak, fragile, and Josh watched the shocked expression register across the mans face as he stood gazing down at her.

"How did.....how did you get here?"

His voice cracked and Josh was surprised to see a lone tear run down the mans cheek.

"I told you already. I was hired by Lance. Please...let me go."

He met Joshs eyes and nodded his head, gently grabbing Emily by her arms as Josh released her. His heart beat so rapid he could barely breath, and he bent at the knees, becoming level with her, and tilted his face getting a better view of her.

"Look at me."

It was a soft request, and slowly her eyes fluttered, opening fully to stare into the calm crystal blue orbs that stared back at her.

"It can't be."

Josh stepped around Emily to stand next to the man, and glanced between the two of them in confusion.

"Who is she? What's going on?"

"Emily?"

She stood, dazed, reaching her hand up, gently running her fingers across his fresh shaven face, a face she had only been allowed to see in her dreams the last few years.

"Justin?"

He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her, not knowing whether to cry with happiness, or cry because now she was trapped....trapped within Lances walls, and he feared for what Lance had already done to her.

Josh touched Justin on the shoulder getting his attention, and moved, sitting down in the chair, as the reunited couple moved apart.

"Look, I don't know what the hell is going on, but we've got to talk, and fast."

Justin nodded, and moved sitting down in the chair next to Josh, reaching up and lacing his fingers with Emilys, pulling her down into his lap as the two of them watched Josh, waiting patiently for him to begin.

"First, Justin, now that I know your name, I want you to begin. Tell me everything."

He slid his arms around Emilys waist, holding onto her tightly with the thrill of having her in his arms again after so long. Holding her made everything seem surreal to him at that moment, but looking at Josh brought back the painful memory of where he was, and how much danger they were really in.

"There was an accident.....I don't even know how long ago. My stepfather....he was cruel, beat me, and it got out of control."

He was quiet for a moment, thinking back to that night, wishing things had happened differently and wishing more than anything that he could turn back the hands of time and change the horror that one night had led him into.

"I was late coming home one night, and he came after me. My mother tried to defend me, but he turned on her and....."

His voice cracked again, and he closed his eyes, fighting back the painful images as Emily turned, wrapping her arms around his neck, whispering softly into his ear.

"Justin, you don't have to...."

"YES I DO!"

His eyes sprung open and his voice was so fierce that it startled her and caused her to shrink away from him, afraid of the anger he held inside him.

"I've had nightmare after nightmare, and I can't take it anymore. And now...now they're changing...now they're involving you."

"What types of nightmares?" Josh asked, moving to the edge of his seat.

"My stepfather beating my mother. Each time they get worse, but the lat one was....it was Lance, not my stepfather....and in my mothers place was Emily."

Josh watched as confusion set in on Emilys face, and stood from his chair, folding his arms across his chest, bringing his hand up to rub at his chin.

"How do the two of you know each other?"

Justin smiled up at Emily, touching her cheek softly, trailing the tips of his fingers across her cheek and along her jaw, running a finger across her bottom lip as he reached it.

"Emily is the love of my life. She's what kept me going, helped me keep my sanity being locked up in here. We met in high school and I fell in love with her the minute I saw her. The night my stepfather died was the last night I saw her, but I always held on to those memories of us together and how wonderful she always made me feel."

"Tell me about that night Justin....tell me what took place."

Josh began to pace a small path back and forth in front of the couple keeping his eye on Justin as he sighed, and shifted in his seat, causing Emily to move from his lap to the chair that Josh had vacated.

"Um...I was with Emily, we had gone to a party after one of my games and I lost track of time. I tried to sneak in, but he caught me, and was going to beat me again. My mother tried to stop him, but he turned on her..."

He closed his eyes, rubbing his hands up and down the soft material of his sweatpants, breathing harder as the images vividly flashed through his mind.

"I lost it...grabbed......I killed him...I killed him. I wasn't going to let him hurt her. They took me to jail and I went to court where they declared me mentally unstable and sent me to a mental ward. I wasn't there long, a few days maybe, and they came and took me away promising to help me."

He opened his eyes meeting Joshs as he stopped his pacing to stand in front of him, and slowly shook his head.

"They lied."

Josh lowered himself, squatting in front of him, and placed his hands on top Justins, stopping his motions as they became rougher.

"Who took you Justin."

"They did......the doctors.....here."

"What have they done to you?"

Emily covered her mouth with her hand, tears sliding down her cheeks, as Justins own tears sprang into his eyes.

"They....I was connected to wires....shocked, over and over repeatedly. There were lots of needles....the medicine burned...made me sick. I had to lie in my own filth, and ......."

Emily jumped from her chair, her tears coming quicker, and she gasped, shaking her head furiously.

"No...stop it....I don't want to hear any more."

Justin stood, knocking Josh backwards, and grabbed her, pulling her tight against his chest, stroking her hair in comfort.

"It's ok baby....I'm ok."

Josh stood, glancing down to his watch, and grabbed the two of them by their arms, pulling them from the room as he unlocked the door, and drug them down the hallway to Justins room.

"We're running out of time. Emily, how long has it been since that night?"

"Five years."

She stood frozen in the doorway, looking around the room that held Justin prisoner, and shuddered at the coldness that surrounded them as Justin sat down on the bed, disbelief registering on his face, and ran his hand across his shaven head sighing.

"Five years? Oh God."

The room feel silent as a loud bang echoed down the hallway, and Josh grabbed Emily by the arm, pushing her from the room. He had to hide her, and fast. It was bad enough he was going to have to get Justin out of there sooner than expected, but now she had been added to the equation, making their escape tougher.

"I'll be back Justin. Just hang tight."

He closed the door, pushing the locks into place, and opened the door across the hall, shoving Emily into the darkness.

"Hide, and don't come out till you hear my voice."

She nodded, confused at to what was going on, and watched as the door closed in her face, turning then to look for a place to hide.

Josh casually strolled the hallway, stopping at the bottom of the stairs, glancing up for any sign that someone was coming down. Once he was certain the coast was clear he turned back in the direction he had come, stopping in his tracks as the door at the end of the hall opened.

"Doctor, what brings you back here so late?"

The man continued walking down the hall toward him, pulling his keys from his pocket, and stopped in front of Justins door, sticking his key into the first lock.

"I left my cell phone in the lab. I stopped back by to pick it up and I thought I would check on the patient while I was here."

"NO.....HE'S FINE!"

Slowly the doctor pulled his key free from the lock and turned to Josh, a smirk growing large across his face, as he noticed the jumpiness in Joshs voice. The team had brought to his attention that on the nights Josh was left with the experiment alone,

very few notes were taken and the videos seemed to have been tampered with. They didn't like leaving Josh there alone...didn't trust him, and he had simply passed it off as Josh being new, but decided tonight to surprise him and check on things himself. Judging by Joshs reactions he knew the team was right, Josh was up to something and he was about to take matters into his own hands.

Chapter Thirteen

Justin slid the metal pole under the covers next to him and clutched his hand around it tightly, faking sleep, as he listened to the voices outside his door. He knew they had been watching, and knew it wouldn't be long before they would became too suspicious of Josh and dismiss him from the team. Problem was, Josh had way too much information on what was going on, and letting him go freely would not be an option, they had caught on a lot quicker than Justin had imagined.

The sounds of keys connecting with another lock echoed around him, and he took a deep breath, praying that there was only one person with Josh. More than one would slow him down and he need to get Emily and get her out of there as quickly as he could.

**

The closet Emily discovered was small, but her tiny frame fit perfectly, allowing her to close the door and hide behind the row of lab coats that hung neatly on their hangers with out anyone noticing her on a quick glance.

She had spotted a cell phone lying on the counter, and grabbed it, clutching it tightly in her hand, until she was hidden from sight, and allowed her eyes to adjust to the pitch blackness, before hitting the first number, thanking God as it lit up allowing her to see clearly. Her fingers shook, and her mind wouldn't think clearly as she tried to remember the number to reach the only person she knew to help her.

"Come on Emily. Think....think. 273,,,,no.....723..."

Tears streamed down her face in frustration, and she took a deep breath, randomly hitting a button once again to make it light up.

"723-5192. Please...please pick up the phone....please."

The only sound she could hear was the ringing of the phone she had dialed, and she pressed her other ear to the door listening for Josh to return. She had heard voices as she had scampered through the room looking for a place to hide, but those voices had fallen silent, and she feared that Lance had discovered her missing and was searching for her.

"Yo, Dazzled, how can I help you?"

A cry of relief filled the small space as she released the breath she had been holding, and shrunk back against the wall, crouching to the floor, keeping her voice low as she spoke.

"I need to talk to Marty. It's an emergency."

"You'll have to speak up darling...I can barely hear you."

She waited a moment, making sure she was still alone, and raised her voice slightly, hoping the person on the other end could hear her over the loud music.

"PLEASE get Marty. It's an emergency."

"Marty? Hold on, I'll find him."

It couldn't have been more than a minute before the familiar voice sounded over the line, and she couldn't help but laugh through her fear, hoping Marty could find her as she heard his voice on the line.

"Marty speaking."

"Marty It's Emily..."

"Emily, baby, how is it going? We thought you'd forgotten............"

"Shut up and listen to me."

His brow arched at the sternness of her voice, and he ducked away into his office where the quietness would allow him to hear her better.

"You've got to find out where Lance Bass lives and get the police out here. I'm in danger, and there isn't much time."

The fear in her voice caused his own fear to rise, and he sat down behind his desk, searching for the business card he knew Lance had given to him.

"Emily, where are you?"

"At Lances house, I don't know exactly where it is, but you've got to get help. Lance...he's dangerous....he......"

The line went dead, leaving nothing but silence in his ear, and Marty stood from his chair screaming Emilys name over and over as his fingers frantically hit the buttons on the phone, hoping to bring back her voice. He threw the phone down, tossing papers from his desk continuing his search, but gave in, grabbing his jacket and cell phone running out the door. He had led Emily into the hands of a bastard, and he wouldn't give up till he found her and put Lance in his grave.

**

Justins breathing was calm and even as the footsteps grew closer, and he listened, knowing that eyes were gazing upon him, watching every breath he took. Silence hung think over him, but the voice that broke through it shattered down his spine, causing his anger and adrenaline to stir deep inside him. He hated that voice....hated the cruel laughter that rang in his ears when the man mocked him, made fun of him, and tortured him for what he now knew had been five years.....five long years.....and tonight he would see that that voice was silenced forever.

"What the hell have you done to him?"

Josh was trained for situations like this, had been drilled for them over and over, but despite trying to stay calm, his voice still cracked as he spoke, coming up with the best lie he could on the spot.

"You.....the injections made him sick the minute you left. I made him clean the mess up in here, and then took him down to the office where I made him clean himself up. He stunk something horrible."

The man was in his face quicker than he could blink an eye, and his breath was tainted with a hint of alcohol that Josh knew would count toward his advantage should things get out of hand.

"You have lost your mind. NEVER should you have allowed that maniac out of this room for one second. You are going to pay for this Chasez...pay for this like you can't imagine."

He saw the movement in the distant, saw the pole being raised into the air, but he couldn't stop him, he couldn't begin to control the years of pent up anger he knew was buried deep inside Justin that he had craved so badly to release. The pole came down, striking the doctor on the top of his head, and blood squirted, splattering Joshs white coat and skin, stunning him to the point he was unable to move, as the pole came down again with yet another blow.

The doctor stumbled, reached his arms out toward Josh, and he took a step backwards, watching as the man fell to his knees, his eyes widening with fear, then crumbled to the floor, lying in his own pool of blood. His eyes shifted to Justin, pole raised above his head once again, ready to strike if the man laying on the floor, if he so much as flinched, at any given moment.

Josh lowered himself to the floor, his fingers pressing against the mans neck, feeling for any signs of life, and looked up to Justin with a nod of his head.

"Help me get him to the bed. We'll tie him up."

He stood from the floor, attempting to lift the dead weight of the man, and looked back to Justin, still frozen in his state, when no help came.

"He's still alive Justin....HELP ME."

The pole fell to the floor with a loud clanging, and Justin ran to Joshs side, helping him lift the chubby man to the bed, and stretched him out, watching as Josh reached underneath his white coat to his back pocket where he pulled out a set of handcuffs, clipping one of the mans wrist and weaving the metal through the poles of the bed, clipping it to his other wrist, and checked to make sure the man was secure.

"You had handcuffs?"

Josh nodded, checking the unconscious mans pulse once more, and turned form the bed motioning for Justin to follow.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here."

Justin looked once more to the man laying cuffed to the bed, and quickly stepped in behind Josh, following him across the hall to the dark room where Josh hit the light switch, flooding the room with the bright fluorescent light, and looked around the room before calling out to Emily.

"Emily...where are you?"

She huddled against the wall, dropping the dead cell phone to the floor, and whimpered as the door knob rattled, shivering her with fear.

"Please go away."

The words were whispered, barely audible to even her, and the fact that she was nearly naked hit her as the door flew open and the cold air danced across her skin.

"Emily, it's safe to come out. Where are you?"

She peered through the long white lab coats, recognising Josh as he stood outside the door and spotted Justin close behind him. Jumping from the closet and shoving past the dark haired man, she threw herself into Justins arms clinging to him as tightly as she could.

"Get me out of here...please."

His arms tightened around her, squeezing her to his chest, as he looked to Josh, determined to save her.

"You wanted to help me, then lets go."

Josh nodded, moving to the door, and checked the hallway before stepping back across the hall to Justins room.

"I'll need his keys to turn off the security pass."

Justin shook his head frantically and pulled at Joshs arm trying to pull him from the room.

"No...we go NOW!"

Josh jerked his arm free, moving closer to the Doctor, and reached inside his pocket, searching for the keys he knew was placed there.

"If I don't get those keys then the minute we step through the door an alarm will set off, warning everyone that something has gone wrong. They'll be here before we could get away."

"Who? Who will be here?" Justin asked, trying to stop Emily before she could step around him.

"Oh God...Chris."

Both men turned their heads watching Emily as she stepped closer to the bed, raising her trembling fingers to her lips, covering her mouth.

"You know him?"

She jumped as Justins hand landed on her shoulder, and nodded her head, backing up against his chest.

"He's.....he's a friend of Lances. He was here for dinner tonight. What....what happened?"

Josh wrapped his fingers around the keys, pulling them from Chris' pocket, and backed away from the bed giving both of them a light shove.

"He's part of the team Emily. He's the head Doctor."

"But...I don't understand. Why...why would...."

Justin laced his fingers with hers and pulled on her hand, leading her out the door.

"Come on, can we please go?"

Josh followed behind, pushing his way to the front of them, and led them down the long hallway to the door, stoping to open a panel on left wall, and searched through the ring of keys, inserting the one he needed into a lock, and shut off the alarm system pulling the key free.

"The jeep outside is mine. Go directly to it, but keep low. I promise you someone is watching."

The three of them slipped through the door and up a flight of stairs leading them above ground to the wide open, and crouched low, running toward the black jeep. Josh opened the door, jumping behind the wheel, and slid his key into the ignition giving Justin and Emily time to climb inside before turning the key, cursing as the engine refused to start. His heart began to race and he beat the palm of his hand against the steering wheel turning the key once again.

"What the hell?"

He jumped from the jeep, running around to the front of it popping the hood, and slammed it closed, jumping back inside, looking around in the darkness that laid beyond them to the woods.

"What's wrong with it Josh?"

He turned his head slowly, looking at Justin with a sigh, and reached into his pocket fumbling for Chris' keys.

"Someone has cut my battery cables."

Emily leaned forward, sticking her head between the two men in the front seat, looked between the two of them with pure panic in her eyes. They were never going to get away, no one was going to find them, and her breathing became heavier, close to the point of hyperventilating.

"Do you know where we are? Do you realise how far into no where we are? There is nothing around us.....do you hear me.....NOTHING!"

Justin glanced up at the large mansion that loomed over them and looked out to the woods opening his door.

"What the hell is this place?"

Josh reached for the speaker of his CB radio, bringing it to his mouth, and hit the button several times praying it would work.

"Fuck."

He threw it to the floor looking to the keys in his hand and turned slightly in his seat hiding his nervousness from the two of them.

"Chris' car is by the garage. Get to it as quick as you can."

Justin slid from the vehicle, cringing as the loud beep of the remote unlocking the door echoed in the night, and helped Emily out, pulling her along behind him as he ran. She cried out in pain, stumping her bare toe on a rock, and stumbled, falling to the ground on her knees.

"Going somewhere?"

She screamed, feeling the arms wrap around her waist, and pulling her, scraping her heels along the concrete as she was being drug. Justin spun around, his eyes meeting Lances, and ran toward the blond headed man, attempting to pull Emily free from his arms.

"Let her go you son of a bitch."

Using one arm, Lance clutched Emily to his chest and reached into his pocket, pulling out a gun, pointing it to Justins face.

"Well, well, well.....what are you going to do now Justin?"

Justin stepped back looking between him and Emily and raised his hand stopping Josh as he ran up next to him.

"Your problem is with me Lance....not Emily. Let her go."

He threw his head back, his shrill laughter echoing through the night, and righted his head staring coldly back at Justin.

"You see, that is where you are wrong. You and Emily both are my problem. I know your little secret, know what really happened that night, and the two of you are going to pay."

He swung his gun, pointing the barrel toward Josh and grinned, pulling Emily back against him as she attempted to get away.

"I had everything planned, been waiting so long for this day, but Josh here has put a little damper on my plans."

Josh took a step back, and shifted his eyes all around him looking for something, anything, to strike at Lance with. His eyes landed on a brick just to the right of his foot, and he looked back to Lance, attempting to distract him.

"Hey, I work for you, remember? You don't really think I was going to let the two of them get away do you?"

Lance laughed, shaking his head, and moved the barrel of the gun, running it gently along Emilys temple while maneuvering his arm around her neck.

"She's quite pretty don't ya think? I always thought she was, ever since the day I met her."

Emily tensed under his grip, and met Justins eyes, her breath hitching as the tears ran down her cheeks.

"I couldn't imagine what the hell she was doing with a loser like you Justin. Didn't know what she saw in you."

He leaned down, forcing her face toward him, and pressed his lips hard against hers, forcing her to kiss him. Justin took a step toward them, but stopped as the gun turned his direction, pointing directly to his chest.

"She's fucking good in bed don't ya think Justin?"

He squeezed her chin in his hand roughly and leaned his temple against hers, his eyes full of hatred as he turned them back to Justin.

"Those legs wrapped around you, her body beneath yours quivering, begging you to fuck her more. She was so damn good."

His anger boiled inside him, and his hands balled into fist, his nails digging into the palms of his hands drawing blood to the surface.

"I think i'll fuck her again before......."

Justin swung, hitting Lance upside his head stunning him enough to pull Emily from his arms, and knocked the gun from his hand sending it flying across the ground. Lance placed his hand against the side of his head, and looked up in time to see the fist flying toward him, punching him in the nose, and sending him to his knees.

He could taste the coppery taste of the blood as it trickled down his lips, to his chin, hitting the black pavement below him, and his eyes filled with tears of pain, blinding him to what was happening around him.

Josh took the opportunity to lunge forward, and grabbed the forgotten gun in his hands, pointing the loaded weapon at Lance, motioning with his head toward the road.

"Go. Just run. I'll take care of him."

Emily grabbed Justin by the hand running up the driveway alongside him and glanced back over her shoulder as Josh stood over Lance, his foot shoved into his chest, speaking words to him that she struggled to hear.

She was confused. Confused as to why Lance had held Justin prisoner in his home for five years, confused as to how Lance knew him in the first place, and how Chris played a part in this whole scheme. But she was more confused as to how Lance had known her and known about the secret that only the two of them had known for years.

She was tired, needed answers, and her bare feet hurt as they pounded against the pavement, carrying her closer and closer to freedom. But she wasn't about to give up, not now, she had found Justin and that in it's self was enough to keep her going and block out any pain she was feeling.

The road laid just ahead of them. Just a few more steps and they would be there, and hopefully someone would stop for them, help them from their nightmare, but as the headlights appeared at the top of the drive in front them her heart sank, and she stopped, caught in the headlights, feeling defeated once again.

@2004Lancesharmony Productions

Chapter Fourteen

"You won't get away with this Joshua. You know that, don't you? You haven't won this game yet."

His smirk was that of satisfied evil, and Josh shuddered, knowing the man was more crazy than he had ever labeled Justin to be.

"Your game has been over for awhile now Mr. Bass. We just needed the last bit of evidence to take you down, and you were stupid enough to lead us right to it."

Moving his foot, he rolled Lance to his stomach and pulled both hands behind his back, laying the gun down for a brief moment to pull the belt around his waist loose, intending to use it to tie Lances hands together, but in that one brief moment the tables turned, and Lance had Josh on the ground with the gun pointed down to him.

"Ready for the fast round of the game Joshua? You see, we could do this one of two ways. One, I pull all the bullets from here, except one, and fire three shots. If the bullet is not one of those three rounds then you can kiss your ass lucky and walk. A Russian Roulette you could say. Or two, I let you up, give you a five minute head start, and you head any direction you want to go. After five minutes I come after you, but....Oh no....don't make any sounds, cause Lance will have his gun ready to shoot. That one I like to call the hunt. It's much more fun to me."

He broke into laughter, one so evil that only one who was insane could use, and lowered the gun, stepping away from Josh, waiting for him to move.

"Come on boy. Not as brave as you were earlier? Cat got your tongue or something?"

Josh slowly stood from the ground, backing away from the crazed man, looking to his right as the bright headlights coming up the driveway shown like a spotlight on the two of them, drawing Lances attention as well. He looked around, casing the area for which way to run, and took off in full force toward the woods.

Lance turned his head, watching him as he ran, and laughed, waving his gun high into the air, firing off one shot.

"GOOD CHOICE MAN, GOOD CHOICE. Run, run, as fast as you can, if I can't catch you, my bullet can."

Josh could still hear the shrill laughter as he pushed his way through the thick trees, getting as deep into the woods as he possibly could, hoping to get out alive.

*****

Her feet were bleeding from the gashes she had received running through the debris floor of the woods, and her chest hurt from the gasping of breath she had tried so desperately to catch.

Justin was faster than she was, a lot faster, and she had tried her best to keep up with him and hold him in her sight so as not to get lost. She didn't know how far from the house they were, or for how long they had actually been running, but it seemed as though hours had passed, and she didn't think she could go much further.

They had run straight for the woods the minute the car had stopped and Joey stepped out of it, yelling at the two of them, and neither one of them looked back or paid any attention to where they were going. Justin had taken the lead, making sure to dodge fallen trees, snakes, and low hanging branches, to avoid Emily getting any more hurt than she already was.

The rage that Lance had stirred inside him with his words had kept him going, kept him running further and further, blowing off the steam he needed to release, but as that energy began to fade, and he himself began to grow tired, he remembered poor Emily behind him, and knew she must be exhausted.

The danger of them stopping to rest was far too great, but he had too, he needed to catch his breath and get a better view of what was around, but he needed to find the safest place possible that he could first.

He pushed the low hanging branches out of his way, spotting a crumbling shack not too far in the distance, and stepped to the side, holding back the limbs to let Emily walk through safely. Pain and fear were etched into her face, and he looked around, making sure no one was in sight, before turning his back to her, crouching down on the ground.

"Hop on my back. I'm going to carry you."

She shook her head, taking a moment to catch her breath and rest her tired aching legs.

"I'm ok. Give me a minute and we can keep going."

"No. Hop on. There's a shack up ahead. We're going there to hide out for just a minute. Now come on. There is no time to argue."

She hesitated, begining to protest again, but quickly wrapped her arms around his neck as a rustling noise sounded in the distant, and wrapped her legs around his waist when he stood, hanging on to him for dear life.

The weak structure that looked to have once been a small cabin, creaked beneath his feet as Justin stepped inside, crouching down again to let Emily slip from his back to the floor. Trees grew through the busted windows and dirt and debris covered the splitting wooden floor, where gaps made it easy for small critters to crawl through, but there was a wall that surrounded them, and a roof over their heads, and that was all that mattered to him at the moment.

An old torn and battered couch sat along a wall underneath branches that had grown through the broken picture window, and Justin moved it to the center of the floor motioning for Emily to sit down.

"Prop your feet up, I'm going to check around, see what I can find."

She moved carefully to the couch, finding a spot where the rusted springs had yet to bust through, and sat down sideways, pulling her feet up to stretch them out in front of her. Her feet were dirty, clumps of dirt sticking to them where the blood from her wounds had dried, and she sighed wiggling the stiffness from her toes, relieved to be able to prop them up for awhile to ease the pain.

The night seemed so unreal to her, like she was in a dream, a nightmare, and she wanted to wake up in the arms of Justin where everything was safe and ok, and fear no longer existed. She wanted to find her way from those woods and go home, forgetting any of this ever happened. But the night wasn't over yet, and though Josh had Lance at gun point she feared that safety would never come to them.

Justin sat down on the edge of the couch next to her, pulling his shirt over his head, and her feet into his lap, using the shirt to gently wipe away the dirt to inspect her wounds. She watched him in silence, still not believing he was really real, and closed her eyes letting his tender hands care for her.

"I thought it was you.....tonight....making love to me. Your face was all I saw. I......"

He remained silent, his eyes focusing on his task, as Lances words echoed through his head, blocking out her voice.

"She's fucking good in bed don't ya think Justin? Those legs wrapped around you, her body beneath yours quivering, begging you to fuck her more. She was so damn good."

His anger began to stir again, causing his energy to flow strong through him.

"....contract.........party......drank too much......"

Now and then her words broke through his thoughts, but the visions of Lance touching her made his stomach churn and he felt himself wanting to heave as the words continued to play over and over. He was a monster. Always had been, and Justin had always tried to get along with him, but over time he grew to hate the blond headed man, and now he despised him, hated him more than he had ever hated anyone in his whole life. Hated him more than he even hated his stepfather.

She had stopped talking, when, he didn't know, but she was watching him and she reached down placing her hands on top of his, squeezing gently.

"Justin, that hurts."

His tender touch had turned to rough hands during his thoughts, and he stilled them, sliding them from under hers, looking up to meet her eyes.

"I'm.....I'm sorry."

She stared, watching as his intense gaze held her, and they began to inch closer to one another, their lips just a breath apart, waiting to take the kiss they had so longed to all these years. The door opened, and their breathing halted, their bodies tensed, and their eyes turned to see who had caught them.....who had managed to find them hiding.

**

Joey moved through the woods following Lances lead, and held his shot gun close to him, waiting to shoot at any sound he heard moving in the forest.

"Lets split up. You go that way." Lance said, pointing to his left. "..and I'll go this direction."

Joey nodded, turning to follow his orders and felt the hand land hard on his shoulder stopping him.

"Remember, shoot them, any of them, but don't shoot to kill. That's a privilege I have been waiting for for a long time."

Joey nodded, a smile creasing his face, and headed toward his destination after Lance had walked away leaving him standing alone.

A cool breeze whisked across his face and he smiled, leaning back against a tree, taking in the woodsy smell that surrounded him in the night. He loved this game, the thrill of the hunt, watching his victims scurry through the woods destined to find their way to freedom. But freedom never came to them, he had always found them, always stayed close behind them, watching them with excitement, waiting for the right moment to poise his gun and shoot.

The feel of power excited him more than anything in life, and having those crazed worthless people laying at his feet like helpless animals made him feel that power. Their eyes looking up at him, pleading for him to end their misery, and the feel of the gun as it jumped in his hand, sending off that final blow, ending the waisted breath of those worthless humans, those creatures, made his blood flow sweetly through his veins.

But this was the hunt he had longed for, this was the kill he was determined to have, and his heart beat faster knowing that that kill laid just ahead of him right where he knew they would be.

@2004Lancesharmony Productions

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Josh gasped, falling to his knees, and felt relived to find Justin and Emily sitting before him.

"What are you doing here?"

Justin yelled, rising to his feet and moving quickly around Josh to close the door left open behind him.

"Where the fuck is Lance?"

"He.....I don't know." Josh breathed, crawling on his hands and knees across the floor to the couch where Emily sat resting.

"He got me down before I knew what happened and had the gun turned on me. That man is crazier than I expected him to be. What the hell is wrong with him?"

He moved up to the couch, sitting down next to Emily, and leaned his head back against the rotting material, catching his breath. Silence hung over them, none of them speaking, or knowing what really to say to the other till Emily could stand the quiet of the night no longer.

"We can't stay here. If Lance is in those woods he won't give up till he finds us."

Justin nodded, peering through the window, and walked back toward Emily, stopping in front of her.

"Get on my back. I'll carry you as much as I can till we have to run again."

"We need something to protect ourselves. Lance has that gun and he's ready to use it. Sick psycho wants to play games."

Josh declared, rising to his feet as Justins angry glared turned on him.

"Game? What type of game?"

"Elmer Fude, if you ask me. A hunting game. We run, he hunts us through the woods like prey and shoots at us the minute he spots us....any of us. I tell you that man is crazy, and if we go out there empty handed then we're at his mercy the minute he finds us."

"WHAT JOSH? What do you suppose we're supposed to arm ourselves with?" Justin yelled, pacing the floor in anger and frustration. "We're in the God for saken woods and there is nothing around to help us....NOTHING."

Josh looked around the crumbling building and walked to what once was the kitchen, pulling open the two drawers that still remained in tact looking through them. Bugs and spider webs filled the drawers along with some rusted spoons and metal lids, but nothing that could be used as protection surfaced. Slamming the drawers, he began to search through his lab coat, pulling out his tranquilizer gun and walked to Justin handing it to him, continuing his search.

"I forgot I had that. OH...here."

He pulled out an object from his pocket, flicking it in his hand, and held up the pocket knife for the two of them to see. It wasn't very big, but it would serve it's purpose should Lance, or anyone for that matter attack any of them.

"You take the gun." Justin said, shoving the object toward Josh and pulled the knife from his hand clicking it closed. "Emily can take the knife."

He opened her hands, placing the object in her palm, and closed her fingers around it squeezing gently as he looked into her eyes.

"You know how to open one of those don't you?"

She nodded, placing her feet to the floor, and stood, holding her breath to block away some of the pain that shot through her feet.

"Get on my back. We'll walk around the back of the cabin and head through the woods that way. I figure if we keep walking straight we're bound to end up near something."

Josh nodded, helping Emily as she resumed her position on Justins back once again, and followed closely behind the two of them with the tranquilizer gun tightly in his hand.

**

He waited from behind the tree as they stepped from the cabin and raised his shotgun, getting his target in sight, placing his finger on the trigger. The fire was shot, and Lance smiled, watching as Josh fell to his knees screaming in pain.

Justin frantically looked around, letting Emily slide from his back, and kneeled down next to Josh, placing his hand on the wounded mans shoulder.

"Run, both of you, just run. I'll be fine."

Justin shook his head, wrapping his arm around Joshs waist, and lifted him from the ground, forcing Joshs arm around his shoulder.

"I'm not leaving you here. Where did he get you?"

"My....my leg." He gasped, and held onto Justin, trying to support his own weight as they began to move again.

"Emily, you go on. Run as fast as you possibly can and don't look back. Josh and I will be behind you. If Lance should catch up to you, you scream, as loud as you can, and fight him for all it's worth. You have the knife, use it."

Tears streamed down her face, and she shook her head, afraid of the thought of leaving Justin behind again.

"No...NO! I won't leave you. Not again....not this time."

"Emily, you have to. you can do this. Just go."

Her crying turned into hysteria, and Justin reached up a shaky hand trailing his fingers along her cheek.

"Baby go. I promise I'll be behind you. We'll be better off separating and confusing him. Trust me."

She wiped at her eyes looking into the distance where they were headed, and looked back to him slowly nodding her head. He gave her a gentle smile, encouraging her on, and yelled for her once she had ran a short distance away from them. She stopped at the sound of his voice, turning to look back at him through her blurred eyes, breaking into tears again as his words echoed through the trees reaching her.

"I love you."

She took a deep breath, gaining courage from his words, and whispered "I love you too" before turning back and running as fast as she could.

**

He cursed softly as he gained on the two men moving through the trees, scanning the area around him for Emily. She had to be near by, couldn't have gone far, there was no way Justin would let her out of his sight knowing he was lurking in those woods.

He had lost sight of them for only a moment when they disappeared behind the shack, but he found them again rather quickly, and he refused to believe she could have gotten away that easily.

The two men were moving at a steady pace, not too fast, yet not too slow. WIth Emily he would be able to get Justin right back into his hands, and with the trail of blood Josh was leaving behind it would be impossible to lose them again. Josh and Justin were now the least of his worries, Emily was his bait and all he needed now was to find her and get her on his hook.

Moving quietly he snuck through the trees around the two men, gaining distance on them, keeping his eyes and ears open until the distinct sound of heavy breathing caught his ears, and with a smile he quickened his pace getting as far in front of her as he could.

**

She stopped for a moment, knowing she shouldn't, but needed to catch her breath if she was going to make it any further. Her mouth had grown dry from the liquor she had consumed hours before, and her head pounded with intense pain with every step she took, but she wasn't about to give up. Not this time. Justin had saved her all those years ago and endured five years of hell she never thought was possible. It was time for her to repay him and give him the life back that he had been denied, and this time she would see to it that it was done right.

Gaining a small bit of energy back, she pushed forward, continuing her way through the woods, stepping over a fallen tree, and paused for a moment, straining to make out the sound she had heard.

Ahead of her was a large hill and she moved a few steps, stopping at the base of it to listen once again. Her mind buzzed at the discovery and for a moment she thought she was going crazy, but as the roaring sound grew closer she began to laugh from pure exhaustion, and struggled to climb the hill to the road she now knew was there.

Her happiness ended as something caught her foot, and her nails dug into the earth, clawing to pull free from whatever had her, but it was persistent, holding her and pulling her down into its grips of death. She grew weak in her struggle, crying as her body refused to fight with the strength her mind wanted it to, and lost the battle, falling helplessly into his arms, begging for mercy.

"Please Lance, Please let me go. Why are you doing this to me?"

He struggled from the ground where he had fallen trying to keep his hold on her, and got to his feet, hugging his arm around her neck, pulling her up against him, squeezing her to his chest.

"Feisty little bitch aren't you? That why Justin kept you around all that time, huh?"

His breath felt dirty against her as he leaned down brushing his lips against her ear, and ran his hand down her side, trailing it back up under his white dress shirt she still wore.

"Maybe I should fuck you one more time to see exactly how feisty you really are."

She fingered the knife in the palm of her hand, flicking it open as subtly as she could, and in one swift movement, slashed the blade across his bicep digging it into his flesh, and feeling the warm liquid as it ran down covering her hand.

"FUCKING BITCH!!"

He released her, grabbing at the wound on his arm, and tripped over his shot gun laying at his feet, falling to the ground before he could catch himself. His hands reached out, grabbing her ankles, pulling her hard to the ground before she could get away, and her scream filled the silence as she struggled once again to get away from him.

His hold on her was firm, fingers bruising the flesh where he gripped as hard as he could, and in one jerk she was at his mercy again as he placed one knee on either side of her, straddling her, and knocked the knife from her hand, slapping her hard across the face.

DIrt mixed with her tears, leaving black streaks down her cheeks, and she stared up at him, her chest rising and falling violently with her heavy breathing as he grabbed her arms, pinning them above her head.

"You whore."

She turned her head, whimpering, as his spit splattered across her face and another scream rang out as his knee slid up kicking her in the ribs and his fist slammed into her jaw silencing her.

"This will be less painful if you'll just cooperate with me Emily darling."

She stilled her struggles beneath him, and closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of their breathing, waiting to see where his fist would strike next.

**

Justin leaned Josh against the tree and waited till the man secure his weight before releasing him.

"Give me your shirt."

Josh struggled free from his lab coat letting it fall to the ground, and pulled the white t-shirt over his head passing it to Justin, wrapping his hands around his wounds, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

Justin pulled at the shirt till it finally gave way, ripping to shreds, and placed a piece of the material around Joshs leg, tying it off tightly.

"Don't move. I'll be right back to get you. Anyone comes around use the tranquilizer gun on them and yell for me. I'll just be up ahead."

Josh nodded, gritting his teeth as he slid to the ground, and looked back up to the man he had worked so hard to set free.

"Be careful."

Justin turned listening to the sounds in the distance, and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly.

"Do you believe in God?"

Slowly Josh nodded, looking the same direction as Justin as another scream erupted around them and averted his eyes back to the man breathing heavier with fear.

"Then pray for me Josh......if you believe in God above just pray for me."

Josh waited as the man walked away, leaving him alone by the tree and closed his eyes praying that help would arrive soon.

@2004Lancesharmony productions

Chapter Sixteen

She felt his grip loosen, felt the weight of his body on her disappear, and she opened her eyes, watching him as he stood pulling the belt from around his waist. The fear of being raped gripped her and she pushed her feet against the ground moving away from him, and felt the palm of his hand against her cheek as she opened her mouth to scream.

"You don't give up do you bitch?"

Her crying became stronger as he pulled her to her feet and jerked her hands behind her back wrapping the leather belt around her wrist, pulling tightly to secure her bond, and pressed himself behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I told you before that you wouldn't get away from me so easily. That wasn't very nice of you, running off during the night the way you did to snoop around in places you don't belong. You could get hurt not listening to what I tell you, and we wouldn't want you to get hurt, would we Justin?"

She gasped as Justin stepped from the trees into their sight and stopped a few feet in front of them, his eyes falling on her, inspecting the angry red welts across her face, and the swollen jaw from where Lance had punched her.

"Let her go and fight me like a man the way you should have years ago."

Lance laughed, shaking his head, and raised the shotgun higher as Justin began to inch his way toward them.

"What I should have done was revealed your little secret a long time ago and put your precious girlfriend here in jail, but I've had much more fun through the years torturing you, waiting for this moment when it would all come together. See I knew Emily had come to California and I watched her, waiting for the perfect moment to get my hands on her. With a little persuasion she fell right into my lap though, she's pretty easy, but then you knew that didn't you Justin? Is that what attracted you to her? The fact that she was a whore just like your mother?"

"Shut the fuck up!"

"NO...you shut the fuck up. Our family was happy, then your whore of a mother came along brain washing my father and tore us apart. My mother cried herself to sleep every night and I vowed then that you and your mother would pay for what you had done."

Justin took another step forward, eyeing Lance carefully, testing to see how far he could go.

"Your father beat me and tried to beat my mother. It was him who did the brain washing, making my mother believe he was a good man and would take care of us when he was nothing but crazy like you...."

"SHUT UP! Just shut. Up."

Justin could tell the man was begining to get nervous, on the verge of breaking, and he inched forward again as Lance shifted from foot to foot and beads of sweat began to form across his forehead.

"We did nothing to you Lance. I tried to be friends with you, tried to make you a part of our family as messed up as it was, but you always hate me......"

"Because you stole him away. Took away what belonged to me. You killed him....YOU. You and your whoring girlfriend killed him. You deserve to die, Just the way you made him."

"Then kill me Lance. Kill me, but leave Emily alone."

He tossed Emily to the ground, his hands shaking as he held the gun at Justin moving closer to him.

"She killed him, finished the job you were too chicken shit to do. She was there that night and she's the one who stabbed him, finished him off. I saw the whole thing Justin. You let her go, told her to run. She deserves to be punished."

He turned to Emily, aiming the gun at her as she struggled to free her hands, and placed his finger on the trigger slowly begining to pull. Justin moved forward knocking him to the ground, struggling to get the gun free as Emily pushed her feet against the ground once again, pushing herself away from them, and twisted her wrist in the leather trying to get them loose. A shot rang out, and she stilled her movements as the struggle ended and both men laid on the ground, tangled against each other, neither one moving.

She screamed out Justins name as hands took her in its grasp and pulled her to her feet, urging her away from the scene. She didn't know who had her, didn't care at the moment, she just wanted to run to Justin and wrap herself around him, making everything ok. Everything was moving in slow motion, people seemed to come from nowhere, and the voices around her seemed muffled, not clear.

She fell to her knees screaming Justins name over and over and suddenly her hands were freed and arms circles her, pulling her to her feet and against a warm body, helping her up the hill to the road.

Dozens of flashing blue lights blinded her as she toped the hill, and she blinked, looking around to police cars that were as far as the eye could see. She was led to an ambulance and placed inside where two paramedics began checking her over and asking questions her mind couldn't quite register, didn't care to comprehend. All she knew was that Justin was gone and tears filled her tired eyes as she slumped on the stretcher and her body grew numb to the pain.

"Emily.....Emily....come on, talk to me."

Josh squatted in front of her, feeling the pain shoot through his calf, trying to break through her daze, and looked up to the paramedic shaking his head.

"She's in shock. Go ahead and get her out of her. I'll meet up with you at the hospital."

The paramedic nodded, slamming the doors as Josh stepped out them and the roar of the siren filled her ears as the ambulance jumped into gear, carrying her down the road to the closest hospital possible.

"Detective Chasez, we have Joey in custody, we're taking him in."

Josh took a deep breath turning to the officer and gave him a week smile, thanking him.

"Paramedics are waiting to take you to the hospital too. You need to go. We'll handle the rest here."

Josh patted the young man on the shoulder, accepting the help from the paramedic into the ambulance, and stared out the window as the vehicle pulled away, thankful that the long night had come to an end.

@2004Lancesharmony Productions

Chapter Seventeen

Emily hugged the box tightly against her to avoid dropping it as she walked through the door, stopping in the driveway to look back at the mansion that loomed over her.

After a long year and a half of court case after court case her nightmares were finally coming to an end and the house that held so much horror for her was being boarded up, hopefully to never be reopened again.

She had been surprised to discover that Josh was a detective on the L.A. police force and had been watching Lance and his so called team of doctors for some time. Marty had gone straight to the police after receiving the phone call from Emily that night and told them about Lance and what Emily had relayed to him and the police force was out there instantly to make the arrest they had long been hoping for.

The group had been embezzling money from the families of their so called patients while torturing the poor souls and releasing them in the woods to play their sick hunting game just as they had done with her, Josh, and Justin. When the news broke out, the families of the victims had been horrified to learn what had been going on, and that their loved ones were no longer living as each of them had been led to believe.

Chris and Joey had been sentenced for murder and received life with out parole, while Lance was found mentally insane and sent to a mental institution, locked away to never be released. They had each been sued by the families for the full amount they had paid for their loved ones care plus pain and suffering costing the team over $10 million total while the house was ceased for investigation and turned over to the government once the trials had come to an end.

Emily had spent a few days in the hospital with cracked ribs and lots of bruises, and once released she had no difficulty finding Justins mother and getting her on the next flight to L.A where they had both taken part in the suing of the team and had each received a nice sum of money. Lynn had been unaware of Justins whereabouts, had been told he'd died in a freak accident at the mental institution the courts had sentenced him to and his body had been buried in the private cemetery belonging to the institution who's families could not afford a proper burial. Lynn had grieved for her son, but had found some comfort knowing he was in a place of peace and away from the horrors his life had handed him.

Receiving the phone call from Emily had been a shock to her, and she was willing to do anything she could to make sure Lance paid for everything he had put her son through. The money they received would help them start the life they all deserved, but both Lynn and Emily received their satisfaction in knowing that Lance was being locked away, and would suffer just the way he had forced Justin to.

Life had been hard for Emily and the past year was the worst of all, but with all that behind her now, she was ready to move forward and never again look back to the painful misery she had endured for so long.

Turning toward the gentle hand that landed on her shoulder she smiled at the large teddy bear of a man that stood beside her and released the box as his hands reached out taking the heavy object from her.

"Give me that box girl. You have no business carrying something that heavy."

She chuckled and folded her arms across her stomach giving a long sigh as his strong arm draped across her shoulder pulling her against him.

"It's over Marty.....It's fianlly over."

He nodded, giving her a light squeeze as Josh walked toward them, his slight limp from the shooting still apparent, and stopped in front of the two of them.

"Lynn is in the car. She's ready to go I think."

She moved from Martys arm and wrapped her own arms around Josh giving him a tight hug as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"You will come to visit, won't you?"

His arms carefully tightened around her, making sure not to squeeze her too hard, and pressed his lips to her forehead letting them linger a moment, as he left a soft kiss before pulling away.

"You better believe I will."

She leaned back, looking up into his blue eyes, and pushed away the tears that threatened to fall before they could be seen.

Their friendship had grown over the year and half spent in those courtrooms and she couldn't deny the fact that she was going to miss him dearly. He was the one who had been suspicious of Lance, and was determined he was not going to leave that house till Lance and his partners were locked away for good and had helped to give Justin his peace back he so deserved and for that she would always be greatful to him for.

"You all be careful on your trip and call me as soon as you get there. I want to know you made it safely."

She nodded, kissing him on the cheek, and gave him one last hug before stepping away and looking back to Marty as he placed the box in the back of the jeep and closed the hatch clapping his hands together.

"That the last of what belongs to you?"

She smiled, staring at the large man who had become like a father to her when she ended up in California, and lunged forward, wrapping her arms around him the best she could, finally letting her tears fall freely.

"Thank you for taking such good care of me. I love you, and I'm going to miss you so much."

He quickly wiped away the tear that fell from his eye and pushed her away from him tenderly, swatting his hand in the air playfully.

"Goodbyes are not forever Emily. You're finally getting that something better you always hoped for. Now go on.....get out of here before I decide to not let you go."

She laughed through her tears and placed her fingers to her lips, kissing them lightly, and pulling them away giving them a gentle blow, sending him a kiss and turning away to the wheelchair that sat off in the distance.

Her mind wandered back to the night of the shooting and Josh coming to her hospital room telling her the news she had so dreaded to hear. During the struggle Justin had been shot in the back and should he live he would never walk again. The catch was, though Justin was hanging on, things didn't look so promising.

She had prayed that night...harder than she had ever prayed before, begging God to let him live, and if he would only give her one moment to see him, to touch him, and to hear his laughter that always filled her heart so full of joy, then he could take her instead, and erase any memory he had of her so he wouldn't be left with the pain. She had suffered enough living five years without him and the though of her having to spend a life time without him by her side was more pain than her heart could stand to bare.

The sound of her name being called drug her from her daze and she looked into the blue eyes glistening with tears and stepped toward him, bending slightly at the knees.

"Yeah honey, what is it?"

"I want to say goodbye."

She stood straight and stepped to the side as Marty offered his assistance, and smiled with pride as he stood from the chair taking slow baby steps toward Josh. The two men stood face to face, both unashamed of the tears that flooded their cheeks, and met in a hug, embracing one another in a long silence.

"You saved me and risked your own life for the one who keeps my heart beating and makes my world worth living. I will never forget what you have done. You will always be a part of us."

Josh pulled away, wiping the back of his hands across his eyes, and sniffed, nodding at the man who stood before him.

"You're a brave man Justin, enduring so much of what you did all those years, you fought to survive when the doctors said there was no hope, and you walked again when they told you there was no chance that you ever would. You saved my my life too and you put your trust in me and refused to leave me in those woods alone to die. I'm proud to call you my best friend."

They hugged again, pulling away at the sound of Emilys breath as it hitched and pulled her toward them embracing in a final hug and another round of goodbyes before separating once again.

"I'm coming to see you as soon as the baby is born." Josh said, placing his hand on Emilys rounded belly while Justin wrapped his arm around her shoulder helping to support himself just a little.

"Three more moths, right?"

Justins smile beamed with pride and his head nodded like a child full of excitement.

"Yes....just three more months. We were going to name him after you, but after that huge mistake you made at our wedding, well.....we regret to tell you we have changed our mind."

Emily laughed, playfully slapping her hand on Justins back and rolled her eyes looking back to Josh.

"Don't listen to him, it's not your fault you bumped into the candle and set the minister on fire. Who would have known."

Josh ducked his face feeling the blush creep into his cheeks and looked back up as the laughter faded giving a slight nod to his two best friends.

"Sun is starting to fade. You have a long drive, better get going."

He helped lead Justin to the vehicle and helped Emily climb into the front seat of the jeep, closing the door for both of them, and reaching his hands through the windows taking a hand of each one of them squeezing them lightly with a warm smile.

"Love you both."

"We love you."

Justin waved as the jeep pulled from the driveway down the long winding road and leaned back in his seat taking a deep breath as a smiled snaked across his face. He had finally found happiness, was reunited with his mother, married the love of his life, and in three months his son would be born. Lance was living in an institution tied, tortured, and medicated just the way that he deserved to be and as far as Justin was concerned life for him couldn't get much better. He had his freedom, and never again would he ever have to worry about his past coming back to haunt him.

THE END

@2004Lancesharmony Productions