Blood Runs Thicker than Water (The Shape of Water Fanfic)

House

    I sat up abruptly, groaning as my muscles screamed at me with the lack of movement. The first thing I notice are soft sheets. I smiled, collapsing back into the bed I was laying in. It was all just a crazy dream. I was back in my apartment, untouched by anyone, and certainly not hunted down by Rick.

I roll over to a more comfortable position, still drugged with sleep. I grab a handful of blanket and pull it up to my face to further diverge in comfiness. A strong smell abruptly hits my nose. Cologne.

My eyes snap wide open, and I practically shoot upwards, completely ignoring my muscles. This wasn't my twin bed with a down comforter I got from Goodwill. This was a queen sized bed with a plush mattress, satin sheets, and fluffy blankets. In alarm I observe my room. It's sparsely furnished, with a dresser against the wall in front of me with a door to its left. The walls were a weird beige color, offsetting the deep blood red of the blankets I was currently snuggling in.

I rip the covers off and jump to the hardwood floor. I was still in my normal clothing, so I had reason to believe I wasn't...undressed at any time. I shuddered at the mere thought.

I practically charge through the door to the bedroom, into a hallway. I walk down the hallway, ignoring the rooms, and see a staircase, which I clamber down. It ends in a grand living room, with plush couches and a roaring fireplace. But what I notice first are the large front doors. I run over to them as fast as I can, only to find that they're locked from the inside. So I had reason to believe that this entire place was locked down.

"Darn it!" I yelled to no one.

Now that I had a moment to realize I had been kidnapped, my thoughts immediately went to Alpheus. Alarm shot through me like a red hot knife. My last memory was of being knocked out, and of gunshots. Surely he was ok?

He had to be.

"Alpheus!" I call into the house. I run to every room that I can. I find the laundry room, the bathroom, and a bunch of other rooms, but none hold Alpheus. Until I at last swing open a door, and am welcomed by a descending set of stairs.

I basically bound down them, and I see a glowing blue tank in the middle of the basement. I gasp in relief when I see a figure swimming about in it, but that relief diminishes quite fast when I see a figure sitting in a chair, watching it.

"Who are you?" I ask, lacing my words with as much aggression as my initial fear allows.

The man got up from his chair, turned around to face me. In the glowing blue light of the tank, I can clearly see his facial features.

He had grown a beard, and of course by this time his face had weathered into a man, but I could never forget him. It was Rick.

I swallow hard. "I should've known. Why act like a psycho and kidnap me? I mean really, you've done some things that are slightly crazy, yes, but this seems out of your zone. You know I can call the police on you?"

"Good luck finding a phone." His voice pierced the air like a knife, but was smooth as honey. "You'll find all the doors are locked too."

"So I'm your prisoner now," I exclaim, huffing. "What do you want with me? To study me? I'm sorry, but you've already seen all there is to see of me that's 'inhuman'. I'm afraid you won't find much else. So you've seen what there is to see. Time to let me go, maybe?"

He chuckled, looking down and smiling. Yep, same old infuriating Rick. Do all men have to be so annoying? "I see you haven't changed much at all," he remarked. He runs a hand through his caramel brown hair. "No, it's not that I necessarily want you to be my prisoner, Storm, but I'm afraid you wouldn't exactly comply with what I want. In one week, Professor Frazier, a world renowned marine biologist, will be arriving to be examining you. I'm sure you've heard of him. Perhaps even admire him."