Ae
I walk closer to these girls.
"You know, you could have just come to us and asked us for help. I mean Pete and I would have discussed it and come to a decision together. The worst you might have had to do was allow us to visit." I say this calmly but in reality I would have had a bit of a problem. I would not have minded to be honest but I always want to protect everything that is connected to Pete. I would have been uncomfortable if they were far away.
"We've already gotten the lecture on that thanks." Hana looks resigned. she's not faking it either even if she is a but forced. Why is she trying so hard?
"Good. Then lets cut to the chase. Where's Pete? I'm not doing anything until I see him and he better be in the same condition as when you took him."
"Who do you think is in control here?" Dani demanded. Her voice is weird. It's almost like she's not used to speaking.
"Me. Or did you honestly think I came alone? Don't make me laugh. It is only out of respect for your past that I am making the decisions I have so far. Pete, or this place goes to hell really quick." I pull my jacket aside and show them a device. It's just a recording device but they don't get a chance to look at it closely.
It's strange how the bonds of friendship work. The moment I flip my jacket closed, Sun's voice comes across on my walkie.
"Blue this is Sunshine. Do we make a move? They say stand down but I want to hear it from you."
"I'm ok. Stand down."
"Ok but I'm ready and waiting."
"I know. Just give us an hour."
"That's 60 entire fucking minutes."
"Just, please. 1 hour."
Sun got real quiet. "Fine but if I have to tell Pond something happened..."
I stare at these girls and come to a decision.
"They may be misguided and distrustful but they aren't stupid. Besides, if that doctor touches my Pete, they get the residual punishment."
That seemed to get their attention. The weird feeling in the room shifts and they just turn and walk out, giving orders. I follow them to this big open room with something like a huge doll house constructed in the middle. While they glance around, maybe checking for the doctor? I walk in.
The first think I see is actually not the man jerking off over Pete but the chain that is hanging from under the sheet that covers Pete. I see the man with his back to me after and I see that Pete is slightly uncovered and what he is going.
I'm moving fast. I guess he heard me because he begins turning, possibly some syringe in his hand. He's too slow thought. I hit him with everything I have been feeling for the last few days, all the frustration, the rage, the desperation and anxiety.
I feel a finger fracture, possibly break, but the sound coming from his face is much worse. His jaw goes askew and his eyes roll up as he crumbles.
"Fuck!" One of them whispers while the other goes over to Pete. I see her from the corner of my eye and my head whips over so fast, I hear my neck crack. I even feel a release and some of my tension eases away.
"Don't touch him." Comes out of my mouth before I manages to pull myself together. Hana grabs Dani and pulls her back before she makes a mistake. She seems to understand me really well. Better than the dead eyed Dani.
Running feet sound as I walk over to the bed. I need to lock down of I might make a mistake as well. I can't afford that at this point.
"What_?" It's Kara but I ignore her too. I ease over to Pete and lightly touch his cheek. He feels abnormally warm and I grimace. I ease the blanket off to see that he is still at lease almost fully clothed despite his shirt being off.
"What did you give him?"
"An aphrodisiac. I created it." Kara admits readily. I look over at her then back at Pete. I ease him up and lean him against me. I indicate the shirt and Kara hands it to me. Every touch on his bare skin makes him moan and makes me angrier.
"How long ago did you give it to him? How long will it take to ware off?"
"It was administered a couple of hours ago. It should have worn off by now."
"Who administered the dosage?"
"Ae?" Pete's voice is light and far away sounding. I run my hands through his hair and his eyes closes again.
"Well? Who administered the dosage?"
"The doctor."
"So you don't know that he administered the correct amount." They all shared a look. I grit my teeth and wrap the blanket more tightly around him. Suddenly he jolts and his eyes open wide. They look clear enough but I don't feel sure about this.
"Ae! It's_ Oh my God! Ae!" He launches himself at me and I hold him really tight. It's so god to feel him so close to me. I bury my face in his neck and inhale. That rose scent of his bursts into my nostrils and I want to cry, I am so relieved.
"Ae! Ae! I missed you! Ae!" He keeps chanting my name and I close my eyes and saver his voice. We rock like this for a short while before Pete says something scary.
"Ae. I need you to fuck me. It's burning. All the places you touch are burning. I don't know if this is a dream but I can't take it. Please." Him suddenly saying this jolts me. I blink and let this terrible feeling filter through me. I can't let it control me. I have things to do. I have plans.
"Ok baby. I have to make sure we're safe." I lock eyes on these girls and they shiver. My stare is flat and cold and I don't try to make it any better. I ease Pete down and he whimpers, trying not to let go. I chuck my jacket off and give him my shirt, the one with my scent all over it. I know he feels comfortable in my cloths so I hope my scent can calm him down a little.
I hustle out in my undershirt and lock eyes with Kara. She whimpers and I frown. She ducks behind Dani. Is she for real?
"What did you put in the aphrodisiac? Any drugs, any famous plants I need to know about?"
"Just ecstasy. That's the only drug in the mixture." She whispers and I growl.
"How will that react with a sedative because there is no way I am making love to Pete in this place!"
"I don't think it's good to mix drugs. Dani can knock him out again if you want to go that route." She says passively.
"Then do it. If you hurt him I will fuck you both up so badly, you will wish you were dead yourself." I am also noticing something about this situation. There is a large part of me that is wondering what the hell is happening here. Why are they so mild mannered now? They must be waiting for reinforcements.
"Once that's done we can talk about your options." That startles them. What, did they think they were in control of this situation? "What are you waiting for? Hurry!"
They both hurry. We wait and once they come out again, Kara red faced, I address them by taking out my walkie and contacting Sun.
"Sun, how are we dealing with the reinforcements?" Sun knows me so he doesn't hesitate or sound confused.
"We lored them in then surrounded them. We have most of them apprehended. There's still a couple of fighters left and some shootout seems to be happening in the distance but otherwise, I think we got this. I'm closer to you than I am to the firefight so I can only relay but anyway, Flyboy has things under control."
"Ae. How is Pete?" This is Thalia's voice. I'm glad she's with Sun.
"Knocked out. They gave him a libido booster."
"I see. You have just over 30 minutes of your hour before we destroy this joint. Make wise decisions."
"I will."
I look at the ladies who's faces have fallen into grim lines. I don't know if what their saying is true but I'm inclined to believe it.
"You do know that more than half of the men that went to Japan are already back here and are most likely outside or on their way here. Pond and Mitchell and a few men are the only ones still in Japan carrying out this charade. They might even be back by now. I haven't checked.
"You are surrounded. There is not much of a chance that you will get out of this and escape to your fantasy home." They all share a look. I can feel their frustration and I would like to say I don't care but I do a little. A part of me, the part that respects strong women like my Mae and Mom, feels like these women were stomped on and used and warped to get to this point. Because of this they only know how to warp in turn.
So I offer the very little olive branches I have. "We picked up Felix. He confessed. He's also still within the statue of limitations. He will go to jail."
"His family will get him out," Hana says through gritted teeth. She's not wrong. They have in the past, every time. But not this time.
"They wouldn't, not with my people breathing down on them. Not with the pressure that is on your family to admit what they knew, what they did. A lot of people are going to face justice, not just you. There is someone who wants to ask you a question."
I contact Tin. "Kino please."
"Hold." We wait for a few seconds before another man comes on.
"Ae. I assume they are with you?"
"Yes."
"Ladies. Good evening. Hana. I understand your fear of Felix coming out of prison due to a reduced sentence. I can make this not happen. Would you like me to deal with this for you?"
His question is heavy. Even I know what this means but I say nothing. While he may have loved Namia, he didn't have to do the things he did to Hana. He could have simply washed his hands of her and moved on. She may have been part of the betrayal but she was a child just like him. This told me the real Namia wasn't safe either. He always had the potential. He just needed a trigger.
"You_ Please don't make any empty promises." Dani gripped Hana and held her close as her eyes turned red but not a single tear fell. I respected her more for it.
"I never make empty promises."
"Then please, do what you said. He has done too much damage." Her voice trembles but thats all she lets get through.
"Ae. Remember you only have 35 minutes." Tin reminds me. I sigh and put away my walkie.
"I'm sorry Kara. There really is nothing I can do for you at this point other than this." I hand her a card. "The people here can help you way better than the place you go to and they are even more confidential than the people you choose. I got this place from a really great "head doc" as he calls himself. His husband works there. If you really want to get help then you know what to do. There are several of these places in several countries including 5 states in the US, several countries in Europe, Australia and here in Asia. Whatever you choose to do, I will fight to make sure this is an option for you."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because perpetrators make victims but victims don't have to make more victims. There were many opportunities to help you and no one did. I may hate the fuck out of you right now for what you did to us but I'm not going to ignore the help I see you need just because of that. I'm a human too. When I need help, I hope that someone will offer it to me. How can I expect someone to do that if I don't do the same?"
I was in the darkest place and my friends and family didn't give up on me either. They saw where I needed help and they did everything they could to guide me back to my own two feet. They gave me hope and strength and led me forward when I stumbled. I can't ignore that and ignore these people in front of me. I don't have it in me.
"You really are surrounded. I'm not lying or exaggerating. There are a lot of us in this building as we speak. I'm even risking Pete's life as it it. You have two choices. You can run and take your chances or you can stay and I make a call and someone picks you up. You have 5 pf Pete's precious minutes to decide."
The hurdle up and come back to me in 2. Hana speaks up as the other two walk away. "Dani and Kara will go. I'll stay?"
"Ok." I contact Sun, then Tin, Then Derek. He rushes in and goes directly to Pete. Hana gets the key and releases him. I move to Pete and pick him up. Now I understand why Kara's face was red. Pete had been using my shirt to help himself. I'm not embarrassed by this. When he was gone I would sneak out some of his left over cloths and do the same. It's natural.
Derek hooks Pete up to an IV after I fix his cloths. I angle his body so I can carry him and Derek handles the rest as we walk out. Sun and Thalia is waiting for us as we walk out.
"How's the hand?"
"It's fine. Did they get out?"
"I don't know but whatever happens we have about 3 months before we know. What are you going to do?"
"Pete and I will have figured it out by then."
"Ok. Their reinforcements have been suppressed. I'm surprised they told you."
"No. I guessed. They were behaving too well. I guess I learned something from you after all." She smiles. She had once told me then the bad guy is being too co-operative, he's got a new trick up his sleeve. "How's Cassie?"
"Much better. I think I might ask her out. I guess I learned something from you too."
I laugh. From the beginning, I know there was at least some feeling on Thalia's side.
The two lead us out to a door I didn't know about and into a waiting jeep. We take a very careful route to a nearby private hospital before being flown over that night to Bangkok. P'Pha and his people receive us privately and Pete is carefully set up in a private room. The media still manages to get wind of this but Beam controls everything his station lets out. Since he's a credible source, everyone else just sounds like wild rumors.
Later that morning, news comes to us that Dani has been apprehended. I sigh. This doesn't surprise me. Without Hana, she is a bit lost. She doesn't seem to have a lot of control. I am sure Hana must be devastated. The chance of a wife and child she may possibly be able to come out to is now down the drain.
I have no illusions about what these woman intended. I am simply waiting to see if their plans will come to fruition.
"I don't support killing them." Pete says out of the blue after the news hits. This is the longest he has been awake since yesterday. "The possible babies I mean."
"I know. We didn't really have plans for them. We can look for good homes. P'Kit has a younger brother in law. He's looking to adopt lately. I'm sure he would understand if we ask for visits."
"And what if I want to keep them?" Pete looks at me uncertain and I smile to reassure him. I don't know what it means to have an insincere smile. I don't smile often enough to develop one.
"Then I can always work on the house sooner than we planned. If we get the 2 we can raise them as twins. Other parents have done it so we should be fine and goodness knows we have lots of friends and family who will help us." For some reason my answer makes Pete burst into tears. I can only smile a little more. It's an expected Pete response.
P'Keng comes by and chats with me later that day.
"Your very calm right now Ae." He seems a little surprised but then again I forget we haven't known each other that long. He is just really comfortable to be around.
"Well there's nothing for me to do except live and wait. I was a few hours too late and I can't do anything about that." Does this drive me up the wall? You better believe it does! Still, I would rather do things this way and be sure than take risks that could have caused more heartbreak for everyone. A dead Pete can never come back to me. That's all I have to say.
"Do you know, I never wanted kids either. My husband though, he loves the little tykes. Besides sex, it's the only time I see him willingly get ruffled. We adopted a girl. She is absolutely the sweetest and cutest most beautiful 6 year old in the world. They can change you the little things, so prepare yourself for that."
"I have a niece and she sure rocked my world when she came."
"Ah, yes so ignore my last advice."
"Not true. A niece isn't the same as your own kid. She has her own parents to go back to. This one could be staying with us all day long. I can't even walk around naked anymore if we keep them." A sound comes from the bed and I look over. Pete is awake and staring at me, appalled.
"What?"
"Aeeee! Oh my goodness!" I can't help but burst out laughing. Pete makes a face and I smile cheekily at him. "Just wait till we can go home. We can work on making it triplets instead of twins."
Pete frowns for a second as he processes before his face turns bright red and a pillow comes flying my way. I love this side of Pete the best!
"Hentai! Ae is a hentai!" Sorry! We have been watching way too much anime lately!
Thalia comes over that evening, helping Cassie to slowly enter. Pete is awake and sitting up. When the two see each other, they smile.
"We really need to stop meeting in places like this," Cassie says softly and Pete can only chuckle. The two of them chat while Thalia and I watch.
"How much longer are you here for?"
"We should be out tomorrow after more tests but we are also working on squashing the rumors about Pete's possible abduction, we get to stay here for about three more days. Besides, P'Pha wants to be sure that Pete builds back up his strength. He was also a bit dehydrated and lost some weight very quickly."
"I know you always worry about that."
"Yeah. I get scared when I have to handle him as rough as he likes. Besides his softer parts really turn me on."
"Ae! I can hear you!" I love that pink colour on his face.
"I know. I spoke very loudly." The door opens and Mom is back. She takes one look at Pete and turns to me.
"Ae is harassing my baby as always." I give her a wink.
"You know how it is Mom. He's just so cute. I can't help myself." She chuckles. Pete sighs and reaches for a hug. He was out like a light when she came by this morning. I'm surprised Mae is not with her as well this time too.
"Did I hear something about Ae harassing my Pete." Oh. Spoke too soon.
They surround Cassie and Pete, fussing over them and just generally being motherly. I turn to Thalia who has a soft smile on her face.
"So I take it she said yes?"
"Actually she said no. I don't know why but she seems to think she's not good enough for me. I finally talked her into going on 5 dates with me to start."
"Yeah? Make them simple ones. Not big restaurants or anything high profile at first."
"I'm more of a Mom and Pop style pub gal anyway. What's wrong with dinner and a movie?"
"That's the best kind of date. Sharing the popcorn, holding hands, snuggling up in the cold theater, all that good ish."
"That's what I'm saying." We crack up.
"What are you two talking about?" Cassie asked us suddenly. I t;['[urn and grin.
"The top ten best things about dinner and a movie."
"Huh. I suppose you know too then." She looked a little pained.
"Yes. Listen to me Cass. No one understands better than I do the way someones social class can affect your feelings for them but don't let that stop you if you feel happy. Besides I think Montree will understand you better than you think and Midas himself is getting old. There's a lot of wisdom that comes with that level of age."
"Just don't let him hear you saying that 'O' word." We turn to see a huge vase of roses entering the room. I remember Dr. Rend so the person behind the vase must be Montree. After putting down the flowers he chuckles.
"So we meet again like this. I'm happy you got back safely and sorry for the trouble."
"Oh no. Thalia and her team did a fabulous job. I sort of railroaded them into short changing me that day. I felt it was justified."
"It was. Ae's life was in danger that day just as much as yours was. It's strange isn't it. Since one of our clients actually took us to court for not following his instructions even though it saved his bloody life, we have since had to change the way we do things."
"Really!!" Pete and I say at the same time. That's asinine!
"Yep. That was 4 years ago. The court is still trying to decide this one. I mean we did ignore him despite him being the client. But at the same time, we also saved his useless life. Not that I'm judging you Pete."
"No I know. Besides, I was told they were ready and willing to storm the fortress and damn the consequences. So many people would have been hurt."
"I heard. We investigated the places she kept people and ammunition on standby. She really would have needed an inside man to execute her plan effectively. Everything stacked up against us that day."
"Brother takes everything personally. Not to mention the stupid case called yesterday. I guess they adjured it again?"
He made finger guns. "You got it."
Rend and Montree stayed for as long as Mae and Mom did. Once Pete drifted off, everyone drifted out. I stayed by his side this time and waited for more news. Another day passed and still nothing. I guess Kara did make it out after all.
At around 4 in the afternoon, two days after Montree's visit, P'Keng came to see me and Pete decided he was going for a walk. He was starting to get a little cabin fever. My stitches had also come out today and I had run some motion tests. I couldn't lift my hand all the way up but my range of motion was still impressive. More time and tests were needed I was told.
"I actually invited a friend of mine to meet you. He's making his way over. I'm going to go check for him outside."
While P'Keng was gone, the door opened and a really cool looking guy stuck his head in.
"Are you Ae? I'm looking for Keng."
"Yes I'm Ae. He went out to wait for his friend. You must have missed each other." He walks in fully and my breath catches. I'm star struck.
"Actually he told me you were a big fan of Film but that guy is filming in Taiwan right now so he asked me to give you this. Personal delivery." I nod like a fool and took the bag before I catch myself.
"Sorry and thank you. I don't usually get like this. Only I always see you singing your heart out on TV so I often forget that your a real person."
P'Noh laughs just as the door opens and this really great looking guy walks in with P'Keng. I know who he his right away too. He is P'Phun. Pete walks in looking awestruck behind him and my instincts kick in right way. I snag Pete to my side and Phun gets the brunt of my flinty eyed stare. P'Keng starts laughing while P'Noh covers his mouth.
"I told you Phun. The two of you would understand each other clearly. Come on Pete, Noh and I need your help. We need to buy a gift for a friend and this hospital has a really awesome maternity store."
"Sure." Pete smiles at me and kisses me softly before walking out. I turn to Phun.
"I think my P'Noh is the best, most beautiful person in the world." He teases.
"Good for you. But I disagree." We share a cool stare before we both crack up. I don't know why but I don't feel that uneasy once Pete has left the room.
"So what are you feeling right now? Things must be very uncertain for you. We've been following the news since my dad knows Pete's dad very well. Came back and told us some insider stuff. Don't worry thought. We aren't big talkers. It's just that we had a similar situation not too long ago."
Phun and I had a long talk and he gave me an interested perspective. After they left, Pete and I had a long talk too. A talk I didn't know we needed to have. After that, we had a talk with P'Pha and decided to be discharged. There was just one person we needed to visit before we went home.
To say that Dali was happy to see us would be stretching it. She looked like she wanted to rip my hand off completely and beat me with it. But surprisingly, she also had a smug feeling to her. I watched her closely as she and Pete had a come to Jesus that was roughly 4 years too late.
"I think I get it now." I interrupted them after Dali said her memories with Pete would always be a vital part of her life. She was taking this farewell to easily.
"Kara came to see you didn't she?" The stunned look on her face said it all. I nodded.
"So did you do it too? Did you use Pete's sperm as well? Goodness knows they had so much time to gather lots of it and store it appropriately. Kara also seems to have some knowledge of science. She admitted to creating that booster."
Pete is staring at me open mouthed before he slowly turns to Dali. "What did you do?"
"I don't know what you mean."
The slap startles even me but not as much as it shakes Dali to the core.
"This is an innocent life you are playing with! This is a connection to me you took without my permission and I will not allow it!"
To say I am stunned is an understatement. I have never seen Pete this enraged. This is the last thing he expected for some reason. I to had not anticipated this or I would have done something sooner.
Oh.
"She traded the sperm for an escape plan." I say this slowly and watch the gasp form out of Dali's mouth. "She has been hiding here all along. You got what you wanted and so did she. When did she leave?"
"Yesterday. She's in the US."
"I see. You know we're going to have to call the police and deal with this matter as well right?"
"Your can't do that! You can't do anything!"
I look at her in the eyes and watch her swallow in sudden fear. She breaks out in a sweat and I add on the pressure.
"I'll kill myself. I'll kill my_"
"Your an idiot." I say flatly. "Your just a stupid girl who loved a boy that couldn't love you back. Get over it. Instead of spreading your suffering, why didn't you just seek your own happiness? How happy do you think having his baby would really make you feel?"
I pause as I realize these are the words I wanted to ask the other three the most.
"Your not doing anything but creating more pain and spreading it to everyone your connected to. Selfish, stupid bitches." I wish the other three were here now. I wish I could see their faces and curse at them. In the end I get up and make a phone call.
Once again our life has changed.