This Can't Be Love

Chapter 16: Three's A Crowd

"I haven't had a good night's sleep in twenty years, y'know..."

The wet darkened room provides a slight echo to Nathan's voice.

"I roam from place to place and sleep where the night takes me. I thought about going to homeless shelters or some sort of refuge, but if anyone by any chance recognized my face they would make a big deal of it. I'd be on the NEWS and all the money coming to you Beth would be brought to question. Faking your death so your family gets the insurance money isn't exactly just frowned upon... You have any idea how much worse things would get...?"

"Worse? Ugh! You seriously should just stop talking right now. I don't want to hear your voice."

Samantha stares at the ground in an angry trance. Her hair has fallen victim to the room's moisture, and her make up has worn off nearly completely.

"You want to chit chat and pretend this isn't a nightmare, then you deserve to be here. I don't."

"Sammy, please understand me. I just want to see you succeed in life, and I want to make sure nothing bad happens to you. I would have simply watched over you in secrecy but when I heard you talking to Bethany outside of the precinct, it dawned on me... I felt you were right; your friend Mike, then the detective, then Aaron... I was worried, and wanted to make sure I protected you from whatever was happenig around you. I knew I couldn't protect you if I kept hiding, so I decided to show myself; to come home to you, and to make sure you knew that I would dedicate myself to your protection..."

"Some protection, sure, way to go Nathan. If you hadn't shown up, I wouldn't even be in this situation. Face it, "dad," you made things worse. You should have stayed dead."

The loud cranking sound of the steel door resonates through the room and Samantha looks to the entrance. Aaron steps in while dragging something big behind him. He forcefully rolls what he is dragging in an attempted toss into the room.

"Is this what you wanted?"

Aaron's question, although directed at Nathan, meets dead air and gets no response. What he just tossed into the room is the unconscious body of Clifford Dane.

"Well? Tell me, Mr. Lawrence. Is this, or is this not, what you wanted? You wanted me to question Cliff's friendship with Samantha, well guess what? I did."

Nathan looks at Cliff's unconscious face and shakes his head in regret. Samantha is looking as well, in an open-mouth state of shock. She looks up at Aaron.

"What's wrong with you, Aaron?! Why do this to Cliff? What could he have possibly done to you?!"

"Nothing Sammy, he just didn't want to answer my question..."

Aaron walks over to Cliff and grabs his arm. He reaches up and takes a shackled chain, which he proceeds to clamp around Cliff's limp wrist. Nathan is speechless as he watches Aaron repeat the same process with Cliff's other arm while continuing his response to Samantha.

"I simply asked him if he liked you as more than just a friend... He kept stalling... avoiding my question... All he said was "I wouldn't mind" over and over, and... I find that offensive... I mean I just wanted to see if your dad was right about him being sweet on you... but Cliff wouldn't even say a word. How can someone know you and simply say "I wouldn't mind"? Sammy, you're wonderful. You're amazing! That's how I knew he was lying... No one in their right mind would ever meet someone like you and simply say 'I wouldn't mind'..."

"Aaron, please. This has gotten out of control. You need help! How many more people are you gonna lock in here before you realize this isn't the way?"

Aaron has finished securing the shackles around Cliff's wrists and ankles. Cliff is breathing but not moving. He seems to have been heavily drugged. Aaron stands and looks at Samantha while dusting off his hands.