Warning: Ace uses a derogatory/racist term in the flashback part of the chapter. But keeping to the time zone of the story it would have been a very common word used. if you have a problem with it please feel free to contact me.

Author's Note: Well, hello there, again. How's it going? Again I am very very sorry for taking this long. It's really unacceptable and a shitty thing for me to do, but I've just had so much going on, life is just not slowing down and work is a big pain! But anyway here I am. If anyone is still here reading this...you're awesome and you have the patience of a saint.

Thank you to Guest x 3, WithLoveForever, 00Manic00Mars00, blahblahblah x 2 & It'sMeDenise. You all are amazing and I can't begin to thank you enough!

Enjoy!

Rebecca watched her father pace up and down the living room, occasionally he would pause at the fireplace and take a breather. "So, how much money are you after?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Rebecca." He paused to light a cigarette. "I know fine rightly why you're here. Now, how much money are you looking for and why?"

She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes, so her eyes focused on the stain on the carpet. "Just over a thousand dollars. I'm in real trouble."

"Jesus Christ!" he swore, taking a deep draw from his cigarette. "You think I have that kind of money lying around?" His eyes darted to the doorway. "Debbie get the fuck outta here!"

"But, daddy?" Debbie wailed. Hiding behind the door, she peaked out and eyed Rebecca up and down. "That's my sister?"

"I said get the fuck out!"

Debbie rolled her eyes and stormed upstairs, huffing on her way up. Rebecca couldn't quite put her finger on who she reminded her of as she watched her disappear out of sight.

Her father sighed, "What kind of trouble are we talking about?"

A '64 Chevy Impala sped down the highway at top speed.

Jack Mudgett drank from a bottle of Jack Daniels. He whistled, "Wooo! Talk about hair of the fucking dog. Man, I've felt like a fat kid, sweating on a hot summers day, all day. This is going down a reaaal treat."

Ace's left hand held the steering wheel of the car, his right rested on his jeans. He warned, "If you get any on my fucking interior. I'll drown you in it."

"We're cool, man. I ain't never spilled a drink in my life." Jack smirked. "Apart from the time when this red headed chick got me to pour vodka all down her-"

"How much did you pay her?"

"Piss off," Jack grumbled. "I'm telling ya, Ace. Red headed broads are the craziest of 'em all. The shit she wanted me to do to her! My fucking balls were on ice all week!"

"The only time your balls get any action, is when you're washing 'em."

"Yeah? Well that all changes tonight, man." Jack grinned. "Broads in Durham sure know how to have a good time." He watched Ace pull up at a gas station. "You've got a full tank of gas. Why you pulling over?"

"Do you look like my mother, Mudge?"

"No!"

"Then what's with the fucking third degree?" Ace took the keys out of his car and casually jumped out.

Jack instantly followed, his scuffed brogues hitting the gravel. "Shit! I'm just buzzing to get to Durham, man!"

"Yeah, well, I'm outta smokes and I ain't paying Durham prices."

"Y'know, if ya want cigarettes I know a guy who can get ya a dozen cartons, real cheap too." The two walked in to the gas station.

"That shit's imported. You know what they put in that shit? It ain't tobacco."

"He gets 'em all the way from Canada."

"Do I look Canadian?" Ace spat. "I'm American all the way, asshole. I don't touch nothin' that don't come from home."

"Ah, sing me The Star-Spangled Banner," Jack chuckled, joining the line at the checkout. His eyes lingered to the front and he noticed a hot piece of ass getting served at the counter. "Who needs Durham, when you get fine cuts of meat served right up on a plate in front of ya!"

Ace smirked as he eyed up the chick's long legs and tight mini skirt. "Now, that's what I call a piece of steak!"

"This will destroy your mother, you know that? Don't you?" Frank said. He took a bottle of scotch out of the liquor cabinet and poured two glasses. After the story Rebecca had just told he was in need of a good hard drink. He shoved a glass in Rebecca's hands and she hastily accepted it. Sitting down on his armchair, he asked, "So, where's the boy?"

"He's at the motel," Rebecca replied and she took a sip of the drink. "Where's mom?"

"First things first. We wait for your brother," Frank sighed, "You tell him exactly what you told me. Then, you get your ass to that motel and pack your stuff, it's money you don't have. Then, we can talk about your mother."

"Where am I gonna stay? I can't sleep in the car...I can't even find it!"

"You can stay here. Take Debbie's room- she won't like it - but it'll do."

Rebecca downed the scotch, the thought of her staying here scared her to death. "I can't stay, Daddy. He'll find out I'm here."

"You cross that bridge when you come to it," Frank grunted and he downed his glass. "You should have never left in the first place."

"I don't need another lecture, all right?" She crossed her arms and, like she was still a teenager, she huffed.

The front door swung open and footsteps approached the living room. She couldn't bring herself to turn around and look at him, not after what had happened. Not after what he had done to the family. Not after what he had done to her mother.

"Well, how 'bout that? How's it going, little sis?"

Flashback - Christmas Eve 1956

It was the coldest December that Castle Rock had had in a long time. But he didn't care, in fact he liked the crispness of the cold air. He had been tinkering underneath the car all evening now, with the help of the street lights and a torch he could see just fine. His old man was nowhere to be seen - he had been AWOL since the start of dawn - but Ace liked it that way. Grease covered his hands as he attached the exhaust to the car, he smiled when it slotted in perfectly.

Footsteps approached the Merrill driveway and he looked in the direction of the sound, he was met with a pair of bare feet. He shuffled out from beneath the car.

"You look like shit!" he remarked and got up onto his feet. "What happened to your shoes?"

"What?" Rebecca asked, she instinctive looked to her feet. "I forgot."

"You forgot?" he scoffed, "Who forgets to put shoes on? Jesus, Rebecca, do you know what time it is?"

She shrugged and answered, "My dad was listening to the nine o'clock news when it happened-"

"When what happened?"

"It's nothing."

He knew she were lying, but he knew she'd tell him in her own time.

"Who's is that?" She looked at the car parked in the driveway.

Ace smirked, proudly. "Mine!"

"No, it isn't."

"Pop said if I can fix it up on my own - it's mine! Some asshole totaled it and wrote it off." He opened the car door. "Every part of this baby needed replaced, but after eight months, I think I finally got it working, wanna ride?"

"Okay," she said. She walked over and shimmied from the drivers seat to the passenger side. "It stinks!"

He chuckled getting into the car. He pulled out a cloth from his jacket and wiped his hands. "That's the smell of my blood, sweat and tears. Spent all my free time on this baby." He took the car key out of his pocket.

"Smells like someone died!"

"They did," Ace replied with a smirk. "The poor ol' fucker who owned the car, drove head-on into another Ford - just like Jimmy Dean!" Rebecca suddenly felt queasy. "He died on impact."

"You think it's haunted?"

"Ain't no such things as ghost, ya wimp!" He paused, looking down at the key, before slotting it in the ignition. "Let's see if this beauty works." He turned the key and the engine rumbled. He laughed in triumph and slammed a fist on the dashboard. "Once I fit in a radio and give it a good few licks of paint. She's gonna be good as new."

"Why's it a girl? Seems more like Satan to me."

"All guys cars are chicks. Now, where do you wanna go?" He pushed down on the gas and the car drove out of the driveway.

She shrugged. "Anywhere but here!"

"What did your old man do this time, huh?" He turned a corner onto Bell St. "Got kicked out of Irby's for fightin' again?"

"Frankie got arrested for raping a girl."

Ace's mouth formed an O.

"The cops came and arrested him out on our front yard. He swears he never did it. Everyone in our neighborhood saw. Come tomorrow morning the whole town's gonna know."

"So?" He said. Rebecca glared at him. "Do you really expect me to believe that you give a shit about what anyone else thinks?"

"No."

He nodded. "Good. Keep it that way."

"But, you know what my Ma was like when daddy got busted for selling dodgy goods. And when Chris stole that milk money. She hates it when they talk."

"So what? Half this fucking town is corrupt, anyway."

"Yeah, then how come they don't get looked down on?"

"One word..." Ace took his hand off the gear stick and his fingers began to play the worlds tiniest violin. "Money! If you got money, nobody treats you like shit. You never hear anybody pissing on Pop's name, do ya? Even though he's shacked up with a Negro. But if that were his brother - my old man - they'd all have a field day." His eyes kept on the road ahead. "This baby's gonna need a faster engine."

"Seems just fine to me."

"It's not fast enough. I need somethin' that's gonna win all the races."

She rolled her eyes. "You got a spare smoke? I could really do with one."

He pulled out his pack from his sleeve and slipped a cigarette out. "It's my last one."

"We can share?"

He flicked his lighter open and lit it. He scoffed, "You chicks are all the same."

"C'mon, John-"

"That ain't my name."

She sighed, "C'mon, Ace!"

"Fine! Don't say I never gave you nothing." He took one last drag and then shoved it at her. "You get any of that lip-shit on it. Your ass is walking all the way home."

"It's called lipstick!"

"Yeah, well, that shit never comes off."

She looked at her feet, ignoring the jealousy burning inside of her at the fact that some other girl had left her lipstick mark on Ace.

The two sat in silence as Ace drove, he soon pulled over onto gravel.

Rebecca crossed her arms. "You drove us to lovers creek? I've heard all about it from Tess. She told me Vince borrowed his folks' car to take-"

"Quit ya moaning. I don't always come up here to get laid." Ace put the car in park.

"Good, 'cause you ain't my type."

"Neither are you."

She flipped him the bird. "So, what do you come up here for?"

"Shooting bottles. Fightin'. That kind of shit." He leaned back in the leather seat. "On a night like this, this place is dead. Ain't nobody gonna come up here."

"There might be carolers about."

"What?"

"It's Christmas Eve."

"Bunch of bullshit is what it is."

"You're such a Scrooge."

"And you're the ghost of Christmas past? Save me the fucking lecture. I'm surprised you read the book," Ace said.

She giggled, "Nah, reading was more your thing...I saw the movie."

He ran a hand through his hair, looking in the wing mirror. "So, do you think he did it?"

"Huh?"

"Frankie. Do you think he raped the chick?"

She instantly tensed up. "I dunno."

"Even if he didn't he'll still go down for it."

"Gee, thanks." She tapped her bare feet on the floor of the car. "Can I tell you something? But you gotta promise to keep it to yourself."

"What is it?"

"You gotta promise, John! Or my daddy will kill me."

"Alright, fine. I promise. What is it?" Now wasn't the time to argue about his name.

"I did something real bad..."

Rebecca sat with her father, Adam and her two brothers, Frankie and Sheldon, at the dinner table. She sat, impatiently, watching as her father tucked into his second huge portion of meat and potatoes as the rest of her family fought for scraps to call their own supper. Nothing had changed, it was common knowledge that Frank Snr looked after his own stomach.

She watched as the clock on the wall turned to six.

"So," her father spoke, cutting the meat ferociously with his knife. He looked at Rebecca from across the table. "Who's the father?" He glanced at Adam, who was playing with the peas on his plate.

Frankie chuckled. "Can't you see it, Pa? The kid's got 'Merrill' written all over him. Right down to the trademark ears."

"Looks more feral to me," Sheldon said and he eyed Adam up and down.

Rebecca shot up from her seat, ready to beat the living daylights out of her younger brother.

"Ha! Feral Merrill. I like that. Nice one, Shelly."

"Yous better watch your mouths. Unless you want this fork shoved up both your asses."

"Shit, she came back without her sense of humor," Sheldon said. Her younger brother no longer the boy she remembered.

"And you grew up to be a real asshole."

"Rebecca, calm the fuck down and sit!" Her father warned and he grabbed the bottle of beer and washed his supper down. "Sheldon, take the kid up to your room. It's time me and his mother had a talk."

Sheldon scoffed, "I'm not a babysitter."

"Just do as I fucking say or you'll be seeing stars for a week."

Sheldon's chair squeaked against the tiled floor and he mumbled under his breath and he grabbed Adam's arm and dragged him out of the kitchen.

Her father waited until they were out of sight. "How much money you got left?" He said, pushing his empty dinner plate forward.

"I got about fifty dollars to my name."

"Shit," Frankie whistled and then scoffed, "That ain't gonna get you far."

"Well, that's why I ain't going anywhere yet, smart-ass."

"Not what I meant, you bitch."

Her father slammed his fist on the table. "You two bickering ain't gonna solve this."

"Remind me again, why are we helping this whore?" Frankie rubbed the scar that ran from his temple to his cheek - a goodbye present from a fellow inmate. He lit a cigarette and inhaled. "Anyone who gets knocked up by a Merrill don't need our help."

"What's your problem? You hardly knew the Merrills." Rebecca glared. Frankie was still as mean and vicious as she had remembered.

Her father opened up a beer. "'Cause she's your sister."

"So? Didn't stop her ditching town did it."

Rebecca laughed, in disbelief. "And what about you, huh? All those years you were in the slammer." She glared at him from across the table.

"Yeah, but you chose to ditch us," Frankie said. He turned to his father. "She's just like the so-called lawyer."

"Back off, Frankie. Before I-"

"Before you what? Stab me in the back?"

"How is going to a bar gonna help my situation, huh, Frankie? I ain't pissing my money down the drain on booze," Rebecca scorned, her hair blowing in her face as the two of them sped down the highway in his jet black Chevy Camaro. "What's this place called again?"

"The Snakehouse. And we ain't going there to drink," Frankie spat, pushing his foot down hard on the accelerator. "If you wanna make a good buck the place is the hottest joint around."

"It's in Durham! The place is a shit-hole."

"Yeah, well it got me earning good dough. How'd you think I got this baby?" He smirked, admiring his own car.

"You mean you didn't steal it?" She put her hand on her chest, mocking shock.

"Save your attitude for the bar," he instructed. "And roll your skirt up."

"What?"

"Just do it."

She scoffed, "I ain't going in there looking like a ten cent hooker."

"You wanna make some money or not?" he asked. "Then do as I say."

Rebecca looked out of the window and sighed - the night couldn't get any worse. "What are you doing?" She frowned, watching as he pulled into a gas station.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm out of gas," Frankie jeered, stopping the car. He rolled down his window and told the serviceman to, "Fill 'er up."

Rebecca sighed and stepped out of the car. "I need to get breakfast for the mornin'." She stated, slamming the car door behind her.

"Since you owe me one, Sis. Get me a six-pack," Frankie hollered, leaning back in his seat.

She headed straight to the fresh goods and grabbed a loaf of bread - that wasn't so fresh anymore - and a dozen eggs. She walked around the store, taking her time, the longer she made Frankie wait the better.

She placed the bread, eggs, milk and a candy bar on the counter, along with three dollars and waited for the server to ring the items in the cash register and place them in a paper bag. She crossed her arms, impatiently, and clutched her jacket. "Where's my change, asshole? I can do math."

The guy scoffed, "Let's see: Sixty cents for the eggs. Forty for the bread. Sixty for the milk and fifty for the Hershey's bar."

"Yeah, that's two-ten! I gave you three dollars."

"Not to mention the six-pack of beer you got hidden in your jacket." His eyebrows raised and he looked at her crossed arms. "So, I suggest you shut up before I call the cops."

Rebecca straitened her posture. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Just get outta here."

"Oh, I will." She grabbed the paper bag, filled with groceries, with her right hand, her left still clutching her jacket.

She heard a voice behind her speak, "Who needs Durham, when you get fine cuts of meat served right up on a plate in front of ya!" Whoever that jerk was she was gonna give him a piece of her mind.

Her anger worsened when another voice remarked, "Now, that's what I call a piece of steak!"

She growled, turning around, ready to unleash hell, "Look here-"

And that's when her eyes met his, she didn't even notice Jack Mudgett standing beside him.

Her heart stopped. Her left arm released hold of her jacket and the six-pack of beer fell to the ground, hitting the floor, the cans exploded on impact and beer sprayed across the room and everyone around it.

"Shit!"

Dun dun duh!

Oh boy! Who'd have thought it? Huh? Such rotten luck for Rebecca. A case of being in the same place at the wrong time.

What's Ace going to do? Why does Rebecca need money? What's gonna happen in Durham? And will Rebecca ever find her car?

P.s. Funny fact. Just when I had finished typing the part where Rebecca drops the beer, my daughter knocks over her cup of milk and it goesssss everywhere! I must be psychic, or extremely unlucky...let's go with the latter.

Loved it? Loathed it?...Review it?

P.S.S. Guess who's got tickets to see Kiefer playing his music in London this June? Yep you guessed it. It's gonna be big time, baby. I might just turn my fruit of the looms into a fudge factory. No, Katy, don't do it. You gotta be smelling good for the Kiefster...Eh? What? Okay this is where I shut up!