This Can't Be Love

Chapter 15: The Aaron Of His Ways

In a very dark room, Samantha's face is accented by low light that emits through the top of the wall. The sound of dragging chains tightens as Samantha tries to forcefully break free. Nathan is in the same situation as her but seems to be making no effort to move whatsoever. Aaron's shadowy presence walks closer to Samantha and she exclaims.

"Why, Aaron?!"

"Relax, Sam."

Nathan raises his head again and looks at Aaron.

"Just let her go, Aaron, please--"

"Keep... your mouth... shut... Mr. Lawrence."

Samantha is now whimpering and sobbing.

"What's going on, Aaron? Why are you doing this?"

"Well, Sam my love... I'm doing this to rescue you."

"How is chaining me up rescuing me? From what?!"

"From this man, Sam... You were in trouble... When I arrived at your mother's house, I saw him through the window. I knew you were in trouble from how you were pointing the hatchet at him, so I snuck in through the back door... I walked in and he saw me before you did... I didn't want you to see what I was going to do to him, and I knew that once you felt me walking up bhind you, you would swing the hatchet at me, so I prevented both of those things... He just stood there when I jumped out and put the chloroform towel in your face. I had very little time to react when he lunged at me as you fainted... I didn't mean to--"

Nathan interrupts.

"You didn't mean to swing the hatchet at my face?"

"Mr. Lawrence! Shut the hell up! I am having... a conversation... ok? ...with your daughter, here!"

Nathan lowers his head again and Samantha cowers to Aaron's shout. Aaron gets even closer to Samantha. He sniffs her hair and runs his fingers through it.

"Sam, don't be scared... Not of me, please... I'd never raise my voice at you. He interrupted me. You know I hate being interrupted, don't you?"

Samantha shakes her head and her lips tremble as she begins to softly cry to Aaron.

"But why did you bring me here, Aaron? Why tie me up?"

"I just wanted to make sure you got a chance to... do... what you always used to tell me that you wanted, while growing up... To say goodbye to your daddy."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is... This time there will be no ceremony, no coffin, no eulogy... Just your goodbye... Closure, Sam..."

"You're out of your mind, Aaron. What part of this makes sense to you?"

"Let me explain it better, my love... When I accidentally knocked him out with the butt of the hatchet, my first thought was to just kill him, while he was unconscious, but... then I thought 'No, this would make too big a mess on Beth's carpet' y'know? So I dragged him out to my trunk. I knew he'd wake up soon so I taped him up. I couldn't just leave you laying in the living room, that would be weird, wouldn't it? Yeah, so I took you to the backseat of my car as well, now... Understand this... You were ready to chop his head off , you looked so pretty with that axe in your hand... But you put you to sleep while in that defensive, survival instinct, state of mind; if you were to wake up in that mood, you would be fighting anyone in front of you, namely me, and we can't have that, so... The chains were a safety precaution."

"Precaution no longer needed, Aaron. You can take these shackles off me then."

"No. I don't think I can... See... This is the closest I've ever been to you. I've always wanted to tell you how I feel about you but you never havetime to really focus and pay attention... My feelings for you are so strong that there aren't enough hours in a day to completely express them, there aren't enough words... So I'll take this as a blessing in disguise... When I finally get you to fully pay attention to--"