A/N: The final chapter! Thank you again to everyone who has enjoyed reading this, it was a lot of fun to write :)

Ask yourself - What would you do if you ever found yourself in Roxas' situation?

Chapter Ten.

Three Months Later.

Life was perfect. Roxas couldn't remember a time in his life where he'd been happier. He hummed along to some crappy song stuck in his head that he'd heard on the radio earlier that morning and stirred at the fettuccini cooking on the stove top.

He'd been living with Axel for a little over three months now and, not to be overly corny or anything – but it had been like wedded bliss. Loving a man like his best friend was so easy, so uncomplicated and electrifying. It had been three months of nights full of restful sleep, instead of endless phone calls and anxiety attacks. Zexion had been sentenced to just three years behind bars, but Roxas wasn't complaining. The harassment had stopped, and he felt safe and content in the knowledge that Zexion would never bother him again. Roxas now had Axel with him, keeping him confident and reassured that he would always be protected.

Roxas had gotten home before Axel, as per usual, and it was his turn to cook for the night. Axel had dragged himself in half an hour later and had immediately gone to sooth his weary muscles with a long, hot shower.

Roxas added the chopped mushrooms to the creamy pasta sauce he was making and turned his attentions to the lemon sitting on the bench waiting to be zested. He could hear the shower running down the hall, and couldn't help imagining that hot water sluicing erotically down Axel's naked body. He groaned with barely restrained want as he began searching the kitchen's cupboards, looking for a lemon zester. If he didn't have to watch the pasta sauce from burning, he'd be joining Axel in that shower in less than two seconds flat.

He fruitlessly rifled through Axel's kitchen drawers. Surely the man owned a lemon zester. No matter how obscure the cooking utensil was, it was just one of those things that you bought at least once for a fancy dish that you were trying your hand at, but then predictably never attempted making again. There had to be one somewhere.

He was searching through the fourth drawer down from the top when he shifted aside some bulky operating manuals for the microwave and dishwasher when his fingers uncovered an old, chunky phone.

Roxas pulled the phone out of the drawer, realising that it was Axel's work phone – an older model Samsung without a touch screen. Practically ancient, he mused, turning the phone over in his hands. He idly wondered why Axel was no longer using it. Wasn't it supposed to be for work?

He pressed the power on button and watched the screen light up. He'd turn it on and leave it on the kitchen bench. Maybe Axel had forgotten where he'd put it.

-0-

Axel groaned contentedly as he massaged soap into his aching shoulder blades. It'd been a long day at the office, dealing with grumpy ass clients, and he'd nearly crashed his car on the way home, desperately eager to just rest his weary eyes on his gorgeous, blond, bombshell of a boyfriend.

Axel idly thought Roxas looked good wearing a cooking apron – looked even better out of them as well of course, but there was just something so perfect about coming home and finding the love of his life looking happy and content, humming softly in his kitchen.

Our kitchen, he should really say, since as far as he was concerned, Roxas wouldn't be going anywhere, anytime soon.

He recalled the day he'd met Roxas with flawless accuracy. He'd been caught by the shorter man's eyes on first sight, the bluest blue he'd ever had the pleasure of falling into, and as soon as he'd shaken Roxas' hand it was like an electric current had flowed through his veins. A voice in the back of his head had all but screamed at him – "It's him! Don't lose him again!" He hadn't understood right away, but somehow his subconscious had just known that Roxas was his soul mate, and his life would never – could never be complete without him.

Axel had become completely infatuated. He'd broken up with Xion, his girlfriend of two years without a moment's thought and spent many restless nights, tossing and turning as his mind assaulted him with visions and dreams of Roxas, Roxas, Roxas. As their friendship had progressed and deepened, Axel had begun to notice that heated flicker deep within Roxas' sky-blue eyes. He knew Roxas had developed romantic feelings towards him, and was desperately overjoyed that his love could feel the same way, but he knew straight away that it wouldn't be enough.

He wanted Roxas to only look at him, need only him; never even contemplate being with anyone else, but him. Anything short of this was completely unacceptable.

He eventually devised a clever plan that would make Roxas come to him willingly, like a lamb to the slaughter. By the time Axel was done with him, Roxas would be completely and unquestionably his, and never, ever consider leaving him. Roxas would need Axel – he wouldn't be able to live without him, and that's exactly what Axel needed, too.

He thought back to one of his most favourite memories – standing over Roxas while he slept soundly, looking for all the world so vulnerable and unaware. When Roxas had woken up while Axel was still in his bedroom, hiding behind Roxas' open wardrobe door, he'd felt thrilled – dizzy with the thought of being caught and having to overpower him. He'd fantasized about covering Roxas' mouth with his own and swallowing his muted screams, and tasting his fear. He'd entertained the idea of tying Roxas' wrists and gagging him, before plunging deep between his legs, taking his pleasure by force. His obsession personified would be utterly helpless – writhing and moaning beneath him.

As much as he'd wanted to, and oh, God had he wanted to, Axel knew that it would have been fruitless in the long run. So he'd been patient and it had all paid off spectacularly.

So, threatening to kill Zexion's mother had been a bit over the top, but it had been a necessary evil. He'd also had to clean up his loose ends and risk being seen stealing Zexion's computer. He felt no remorse for putting the innocent man in prison. As far as he was concerned Zexion had finally gotten what he deserved.

Zexion had previously worked for Axel's father, and it was only after his father's company had gone bankrupt and folded, did they find out that someone had been stealing tens of thousands of dollars from them. Zexion had covered his tracks well, using overseas bank accounts, but Axel just knew he was the one behind it all. It was all but confirmed when Zexion started responding perfectly to the blackmail and began following Axel's instructions to a T. Now the man would be losing his mind in prison while his poor, old, sick mother died in a nursing home.

On the day the bank took their house as collateral, Axel's mother had come home to find his father hanging from the metal beams in the garage. So now, Zexion's mother would die in despair as well, just like Axel's father had.

Axel massaged the shampoo out of his hair and grinned wickedly. He almost couldn't wait for Zexion to get out of prison. He had to pay the man back tenfold for leaving those purple, finger-shaped bruises around Roxas' perfect, slender neck. That had not been a part of the plan at all.

Axel watched the last of the soap suds slide down the drain beneath his feet and let out a long, contented sigh. He'd just gotten hungry. He couldn't wait to taste what Roxas had made for him.

-0-

Roxas tried to will his hands to stop shaking.

Within seconds of the old Samsung powering on, the inbox had been flooded with messages.

None of them were addressed to Axel.

Roxas' eyes flew over so many words, his mind trying to process the simple sentences displayed before him, such as 'Zexion where are you?' or, 'Hey Zexy! You coming out tonight?' and even a few 'I'm begging you, please give my phone back'. None of it was making sense, but then at the same time it was. His heart already knew it, too. It was beating so hard it was hurting him; his entire body had broken out in a cold sweat. This couldn't be happening.

"No…." He whispered, his thumb shakily bringing up the mobile's call history and scrolling down, down, down, and he was still unbelievingly surprised to find all the numbers dialled were his. His desk phone at work, his landline at home, and the most frequently, his mobile.

"No…!" Roxas groaned, louder this time, little snippets of conversations and incidences in the past few months springing unbidden to his mind.

"Zexion Turner has been caught on several surveillance cameras utilizing various public telephones around the city." Officer Lexaeus was saying, Zexion's fevered words racing through Roxas' mind straight after – "I didn't have a choice, alright? Someone has been blackmailing me since the beginning of May!"

It was like all the missing pieces were falling into place.

Zexion's terrified expression as he begged someone over the phone. "Please – not my mother…" His mother hadn't taken a turn for the worse like Roxas had originally thought – the man was being threatened. "Please – I can't –!" – and given further instructions – all orchestrated by someone behind the scenes. The promotion story was a complete lie – everything fabricated.

"I've already told you what you wanted to hear, isn't it enough?" Zexion's agitation and weariness at the endless questions that he had no hope in answering without exposing his lies. He hadn't known how he'd gotten into Roxas' place, because he'd never even been there in the first place. Roxas only realised now that Zexion's responses had sounded so awkward – robotic sounding and rehearsed.

And Zexion's Samsung C52-12…

"That phone was stolen from me nearly five months ago now. That's why I purchased a new one."

Roxas was holding it in his hands.

Down the hallway from the kitchen, Roxas just made out the sounds of the running shower coming to a stop. He felt like someone had shoved hot needles underneath his skin, his lungs pulling in sharp, short breaths.

His shaking fingers flew over the buttons of Zexion's mobile as he quickly deleted every message that had been received since he'd turned the device back on. He fumbled with the power button making sure it was turned off before hastily shoving it back into the drawer he'd found it.

Detective Saix' intense stare bored into him. "…the hallmarks of someone who has possessive and manipulative tendencies. You would have been unknowingly manipulated for months with the assailant keeping close to you..."

Roxas choked back a sob as he pictured Axel's worried expression all those months ago. He'd been so warm and sincere. "It's going to be okay, Roxas, I promise," his tormentor had breathed. "I'll always be here to protect you."

There had never been any forced entry into Roxas' house because Axel had had a house key. He'd changed his locks after the first incident, but he'd given Axel a new set.

Everything Axel ever said to him now held new meaning. "The only way to understand a crazy person is to be one yourself."

Roxas stumbled his way over to the fridge, wreathing the door open and snatching out the bottle of white wine he'd bought to have with the pasta. He frantically poured himself a glass and threw it back, downing it in seconds. Some of the cool, pale liquid dribbled down his chin. He set down the glass and immediately poured himself another.

"You drive me a little bit crazy," Axel had whispered sensuously against his lips, and how true Roxas now knew those words to be. The man he'd trusted, the man he loved with all his heart – his best friend and his perfect lover – was a monster.

Roxas kept very still as Axel came up behind him and slid his large hands around his waist. His stalker pulled him in closer against his chest. Roxas could feel Axel's body heat seeping through the thin cotton of his work shirt.

"Hey, are you starting without me?" Axel teased. His hands roamed over Roxas' chest slowly as he placed a chaste kiss behind his ear.

Roxas remained silent and methodically finished his third glass of wine. The bottle was near empty. He forced himself to relax further into Axel's embrace and set the wine glass down carefully on the kitchen bench. For a brief, insane moment he wondered if his pasta sauce was burning.

"You okay, Rox?" Axel murmured, giving him a light squeeze.

Roxas laughed softly and slowly turned in Axel's arms. He didn't answer right away, but gazed up into his lover's piercing emerald eyes. He searched their depths, looking for answers he'd never know.

"This person never intended to kill you, or run you out of your job. They wanted to ensnare you in a beautifully constructed cage."

He buried his face in Axel's chest, breathing in deep. Axel smelled like red amber and spice. So familiar and comforting.

He loved this man.

Roxas could already feel the alcohol thrumming along his veins as he slowly looked back up into Axel's questioning eyes.

"Yeah…I'm good," he replied, one of his hands sliding into Axel's vibrant, red hair and pulling him down for a kiss.

Roxas closed his eyes, as Axel deepened the kiss a moment later, his large hands sliding possessively up and down Roxas' spine, and over the planes of his back.

Everything was going to be alright.

Roxas knew Axel would never hurt him...

…Right?