Hey guys! To anyone who was waiting for this thank you for being patient❤! I appreciate you all reading my work, I hope you guys stick around for whats next
⛈✷// hurt/comfort & depictions of violence
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We were driving again, this time I was with Walt. Mathias was behind us. We were headed into town, Walt had a few more questions to ask me, he didn't look too happy. The drive was silent, the hum of the SUV and the passing tree consuming my attention.
When we reached town Walt helped me out of his SUV and we went into the station. As we reached the top of the stairs Walt had Mathias and I wait in his office while he talked to Ruby about something.
I sat on the same couch, fiddling with my hands, "You wouldn't happen to know what this is about?"
Walt walked through the door before he could give me an answer, "I have to ask you a question before we do anything else."
"And that is?"
He pulled out a picture from a folder I didn't notice, "Do you recognize this boy?"
My eyes widened, he looked so peaceful and pale. Strewn about on a dirty mattress on the basement floor; the birthmark that caressed his top eyelid, causing me to picture him as a baby.
I could feel a burning sensation building in my throat, stinging in my eyes; my voice was refusing to work. I took the picture from his hand and with my thumb stroked the outline of the boy's face; like I could reach out and touch him. I stared at the picture for a few minutes, tears in my eyes, "... where... where did you find this?"
"So you know who this is?"
I rolled my eyes and wiped the tears away, the frustration building beneath everything else, "Yes. Where- where did you find this?"
"How did you know him?"
It was a competition, a battle of wills and Walt won. I was never one for fighting; I wasn't about to start now...
"He- His name is Lucero, he's my son," I fought the sob that choked in my throat, "Now tell me, where- did you find this? What does this mean?"
"The picture was found pinned to a tree near the clearing we found you in. There were little trinkets sounding the tree." Walt seemed conflicted like he didn't know whether to pity or accuse me.
"Can I see it?" I don't wanna know, but I do.
"Everything was collected, We can bring them in and let you look through them." Walt clarified.
All I could imagine was the pendants I had given them. I had given my children pendants after they were born; similar in shape and design but a different gem. I sat silent and shaken hoping they weren't among the things they collected.
Seeing him, looking peacefully asleep, knowing that when I had left him he was terrified. Was this my fault?
"This is all my fault." I whispered, my mind spinning about at all the danger now present.
"I don't think so, but it's up to you to tell yourself that." Mathias paused for a moment before he spoke again, picking his words carefully," Now could you tell us when was the last time you saw your son."
"The night I left... I remember there was a lot of yelling and then I told them to hide... He looked so terrified. And I just left them." I was crying all over again, with slow tears and soft sobs.
"Would he have gone after you if you didn't come home?"
"No. He wouldn't have left his sister..."
"You know what this tells us right?" Mathias spoke up, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"That I'm a shitty mother?"
"No, he's scared. He knows you're alive and he thinks you remember where to find him."
"But I don't! I can't even remember his name!"
"We don't need that. We have you and you have what he left behind." After Mathias rested his hand on my knee, giving me a gentle smile. Walt walked back into the room with a box in hand.
"I'm lost." I looked at him and at Walt, trying to catch on.
"Vaeha, you can do so much more than you think." Mathias positioned the box in front of me, "These should help you clear up your memory a bit."
"It wouldn't be such a bad idea."
"Mathias are you sure you want to possibly traumatize Nevaeh by having her go through all this?"
"Perdóname. I get why you wouldn't want me to lose it again but I can do this. I should do this."
Walt and Mathias shared a look before Walt relented and I was let into the box. There were individual bags for each item they collected. I shuffled through each bag, waiting for something to catch my eye.
As I dug through the bags, some of them were filled with small toys and articles of clothing covered in dirt. When I got near the bottom of the box I found a bag with its contents harder than the rest. I pulled it from the box and the glint of the metal reflected from the sunlight.
Within the evidence bag was a silver chain, at its length was a geometrically tear-shaped onyx gem. At the back of it were the letters 'LB'. The silver engravement at the back of the pendant brought me images of my daughter's face.
"Vaeha?"
"This-This is the pendant I gave my daughter. Luz has a matching one." I scrambled through the box immediately finding a little flopsy stuffed frog that had splotches of mud smeared on it.
There were photos, some torn, others with water stains and whatnot. They were photos of both Drina and Luz as babies, then them as they grew. As I continued through the box there was another bag, this one held a faded penguin patch. They weren't just trinkets.
"These were small gifts I had given to the children. He never liked the small things, the happiness they held."
I clutched the stuffed frog in my hands with the pendant, my eyes becoming watery once again, "Can-can I hold on to these?"
Walt shared a look with Mathias before he let loose a sigh, "Once they've gone through processing you can hold on to them till you get reunited with your kids."
I lightly placed the bags back in the box and let Walt take them away. He left Mathias and me in the office. My heart ached in my chest and my head pounded. Thinking of the danger my kids were in, ever more present now with a few of their things in my hands.
"Vaeha, everything will be ok. We'll get to them before it's too late." Mathias gingerly placed his hand on my shoulder pulling my attention away from the floor.
I gave the best smile I could muster, knowing he meant his words. Mathias held my face in one hand and leaned forward, kissing my forehead gently, "We will."
I hugged him tightly as a weak sob left my throat. His arms wrapped around my shoulders, mine draped around his waist. He pulled away and I looked up at him, my tears ready to fall. I looked into his eyes and leaned into him before anything else. My lips were on his, and his were on mine. The kiss itself didn't last long, but when I pulled away I felt like I wasn't breathing.
"What-"
"Thank you, for being there- here for me. It's always you."
The doorknob jiggled and Walt walked in, I jumped away from Mathias, hoping he hadn't seen anything.
"I just need a few details. Your children are how old?"
"5, their birthday... just passed recently..."
"Alright I'll give these details and the description of the pendant to Ruby as well as my deputies. There has to be an engraver or jeweler out there that remembers it."
Walt exited out of the room, and I looked at Mathias, he still looked a little shocked by my sudden action. We stood in silence before Walt entered in again and he asked me to go over that night's events once more.
"I was running, I had been for a while. My lungs hurt and my legs ached. All I saw around me was darkness, trees. and then sunlight."
"Okay, Nevaeh think back, what brought you outside? You said you spent your life inside, how did you get out?" Walt's voice was but a whisper.
"I ... He was drunk... I hid the children and I was gonna try and calm him down. Ever since my father died, it wasn't the same. He would get drunk, angry, violent. I walked up the stairs and he had stormed out."
"What'd you do next? Did you talk to your kids or did you leave?"
"I-I headed back down and told them I was gonna try and get us out. I went to the door and I felt his hand on my arm. He grabbed me so hard I screamed. I turned around and he slammed me against the wall. He beat the crap outta me and when he let me go I just fell to the floor. I thought I was gonna die there. I didn't want us to die there, so I stood up and I hit him with an empty bottle. When he fell I thought I had may be knocked him unconscious. I took off running, I could hear him coming after me shortly after, that's when everything goes black." I wiped a stray tear from my face and looked at Mathias and Walt.
"Not many houses on the res' have basements." Mathias nodded with a smirk.
"What?"
"The way you described the house, sounds like a basement."
"In the morning, we'll stop by check on you and run by what we know." Walt said as I stood to leave with Mathias.
"Yes please, I would like that."
The ride back was rather silent but I could feel Mathias glancing at me every now and then. Like he wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it. I knew that feeling.
"Do you wanna talk about what happened back there?"
Crickets...
Alrighty, there goes that. I turned my attention out the window as we neared Henry's. When Mathias pulled up I opened the door and practically threw myself out before he was fully stopped.
He followed suit, "Nevaeh, wait," he reached for my hand and spun me around, colliding his lips with mine. This kiss was deeper, more passionate than the one in Walt's office. When we broke for air he looked me in the eye, I'd never seen them look so soft. His hand held my cheek, "Your eyes are a beautiful green."
"That's not what I meant to say," He chuckled, "I wanted to do that again, but I didn't want to rush you."
"Mathias, I haven't even known another's affection, but that of my children. It's not rushing, I just want to make sure ... My children are okay. If we get them back, if nothing bad happens; we can come back to this."
"When we get them back. We're not stopping till you 3 are reunited and whoever had you is held responsible."
I hugged him again whispering a thank you into his chest, "I should head inside, let you get going."
Mathias placed a gentle kiss on my forehead and inside I went. I need to talk to Henry. Being, well, recently out of captivity, I didn't have anyone to talk to other than the guy who was practically telling me 'why not' yesterday. I splashed a bit of water on my face and then headed down towards the bar. Technically it's still inside.
As I walked through the doors the sound of people flooded my ears. Maybe he's busy... I can just take a peek. I pushed the old western-style doors open slowly and checked the room. There weren't too many people. I checked for Henry and then made my way to the bar, sitting on the far side near his office door.
When he saw me he didn't look too unhappy, "Vaeha, I thought you were supposed to stay upstairs."
"Mmm, no. They just said inside." I smiled, "Besides, I don't have... friends and you're the best thing I got."
He served a customer before calling over an employee and leaning over to hear me better, "Pardon me, but I'm a bit confused."
I could feel the blush on my face already, "Well, getting out of captivity when you're 29, doesn't make you prime social company. I don't have friends and considering the nature of our conversation yesterday... I thought I could talk to you."
Henry walked from the counter and stood at the opening, "Did something happen?"
I turned to look at him the words just coming out, "I kissed Mathias, and then he kissed me again, just now. I don't mean to get anyone in trouble cuz I know he's helping with my case, but... ugh." I dropped my head into my hands.
All I heard was Henry chuckle, "So an 'I told you so' would be a bad idea'."
"Henry, that's not funny," I groaned, lifting my head from my hands, and as I did I caught sight of his face; my body froze as chills ran down my spine, "Henry."
"No, Vaeha, I was just joking."
"Henry, I know that man." I grabbed his arm, a look of panic clear as day on my face. I pivoted my body away from the door and looked at the floor. I hope he didn't see me. "It's him. That's him."
"Go into my office and lock the door behind you, I'm gonna call Walt." And just like that, Henry's tone had changed. The look in his eye was different.
I nodded and walked as calmly as I could, the few steps it was, to his office. I locked the door behind me and stared at the door. What do I do? What am I doing? He has your children and you're in here hiding!? I paced back and forth in Henry's office. The noise of the bar getting under my skin.
After about 10 minutes of pacing, I slammed my back against the far wall, behind Henry's desk; I slid down the wall and just sat there. I waited to hear Henry or someone knock on the door. After another 10 minutes passed I was just about ready to climb out the window when there was a knock on the door and I slowly stood to open it.
I opened the door and Henry stood there, the customers inside weren't as noisy as before, and he was gone. Henry must've seen me glance around the bar, he placed a hand on my shoulder and guided me out, "Walt has him outside."
As we neared the exit I felt myself growing more anxious and more enraged. My own thoughts beating against my head again, "Are you taking me upstairs?"
"Yes."
Good.
When the doors opened and I saw Walt standing there, talking to him. My anxiety lost out to my rage. I ran at him, no longer scared of what he could do to me but angry about what he could do to my kids. I shoved his chest hard, slapped him, beat against him; all the while screaming.
"¡Dios te maldita! ¿Que le hicimos?"
Goddamn you! What'd we do to you?
I felt arms wrap around my waist and pull me away from him. I caught his face, the smug look made me feel so much angrier, "Vaeha that's enough."
"No, he has my babies! He did this to us!" Mathias pulled me over to his SUV and held me.
"Vaeha, you have to calm down."
"But he did this... he knows where they are. He knows..."
"You're certain."
I nodded. He stuck me in the passenger seat of his SUV and then went to talk to Walt. Henry stood by the bar entrance watching everything, he joined their talk and nodded. He ran upstairs to the apartment and came back with a bag. Mathias brought the bag over and got in the SUV.
"We all agreed that it'd be better not to take any chances since he walked into the Red Pony and you were staying above it. We're gonna move you."
"So I'm not staying with Henry?"
As we started to leave Walt took off with him in his Bronco. After a while, the darkness of the trees and the blending background had me a little lost, " Where are we going?"
"We're heading into town, gonna place you in a hotel for the night."
"Is- Is that safe? I mean-"
"Don't worry, there's a hotel right in the main part of town near the station."
I nodded and just waited for us to get there. I didn't want to stay in another place, even for a night. But if Mathias and Walt felt it best was for me, then I'd do it. I couldn't really object after losing it back there.
When we reached the hotel Mathias helped me out of his SUV and grabbed my bag. Seeing the town at night alit by street lamps, a few open-late stores, and the occasional passerby, it all made me feel uneasy.
As Mathias checked me into a room for the night I stayed a bit behind him. The man at the desk handed Mathias a set of room keys and told him which room we were in. While walking up the steps all I could think about was sitting in the room by myself, awake all night. After the night clerk left us with the room I looked at the bed, the bathroom, and the kitchenette. Cute.
I made it to the window and checked behind the curtain, out the window, through to the town center. The door needed the hotel key, had a deadbolt and it had an inner chain latch. I could move the loveseat over in the corner, look through the window, and have a clear sight of the door.
"Vaeha, you ok?"
"Uhh, yeah. Just-"
"You gonna have a hard time sleeping tonight?"
"No-no I should be fine."
He leaves a soft sigh and steps a bit closer, "Vaeha I can stay if you don't want to be alone."
"What no. You have better things to do, other things. I'll be fine."
He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead once more and before he left he handed me his number, to use "incase company sounds nice". After he left I waited a minute, for his footsteps to recede and then I locked the deadbolt as well as the chain latch. I watched through the window, across the door, and saw Mathias leave.
I was doing some searching and I wanted to know what the hell Mathias' last name was and then figured well thats the name on his badge/plate thing and it turns out that a writer for the show gave him the name 'Mathias Clark' and im just satisfied to know his full name cuz I've been wondering this whole time.
