Confounding Feelings, Part 8.

Lana Winters had spent the better half of the past couple of hours lost in her current piece that she was writing. 20 or so pages had been fully typed out, and she was now reading over her work. It was an article written from her point of view about the horrors of Briarcliff Manor. As she proofread the piece, she caught herself smiling at her own writing. The journalist was reading a particular part where she was detailing how she met her lover, Dr. Oliver Thredson. Her heart sped up at her own vivid description of their meeting. It was quite romantic in nature, Lana realized as she read along. It was strange to think that at the time of their meeting that she didn't have any romantic interest in him. Of course she found him to be attractive. Despite her strong sexual preference for the female gender, she had always found him to be handsome.

However, the way it was written made their relationship seem romantic from the start. Lana had depicted Oliver as a knight in shining armor, someone who swooped in and attempted to help her heal. Someone who literally took her out of hell and brought her somewhere safe. Only, that wasn't the whole truth. Oliver had obviously killed Wendy and intended to keep Lana hostage at first. It's not like she could mention any of that mess, not if she wanted Oliver to stay out of prison. Or even worse, he could wind up in Briarcliff. Ms. Winters shook her head as she peeked over at the alarm clock on Oliver's bedside. It was 11:30!

Nervousness churned through her stomach as she bit her lip. Oliver was always punctual, and he had told her they would meet for lunch at 11:00. Why hadn't he sought her out? Lana stood and made her way slowly and cautiously out into the kitchen. When she didn't see any sign of the doctor, Lana reached for a knife from the knife block. The brunette held it defensively in front of herself as she rounded the corner and entered the living room. The breath she had been holding left her in a sharp gasp as she spotted her partner asleep on the couch.

She should have been reassured by the sight, but instead Lana clenched the blade tighter. It was even more out of character for Oliver to be taking a nap. Had someone broken in and poisoned him? Perhaps Sister Jude had connections and she paid someone to harm Dr. Thredson? The writer shuffled slowly over to Oliver's side and fell to her knees beside him. She reached her free hand out and pressed two fingers to the pulse point on his neck. He was still alive! "Oliver! Wake up!" Lana beckoned, her two fingers fell away from his neck and moved to insistently shake his shoulder. When he didn't stir, Lana's heart stopped.

"Do you really think I'd let that man threaten me and get away with it?" A familiar voice spoke from behind the couple on the couch. The journalist stood swiftly and turned around to see Sister Jude standing there, seemingly unarmed. Lana brandished the chef's knife she was holding and her brown eyes widened. Jude's eyes were a cold ice blue as they met Lana's. The nun scoffed, her eyes shifted down to the knife briefly. "You want to kill me? Ms. Winters, I'm here to save you." Her small, veiny hands were held in front of her robes in submission.

Lana's eyes narrowed as she laughed, shaking her head at the outrageous statement. "Save me from what? I am perfectly fine here, thank you." Ms. Winters said dryly, her voice surprisingly even despite the adrenaline coursing through her body. The writer didn't dare move from her place in front of Oliver. She'd be damned if she let anything happen to him.

Sister Jude began moving slowly towards Lana, her hands still held in front of her chest. "That man..." Jude nodded to the doctor's unconscious form and the journalist briefly glanced behind herself to see his handsome face. When Lana turned back, the blonde nun was only a foot away from her. She pointed the knife towards her opponent's throat and stood her ground. Despite the obvious threat, Sister Jude continued speaking calmly. "He is incredibly dangerous. I would dare say that he is mentally unstable. To stay with him is suicide, Lana."

"You have some nerve!" Lana shouted as she gathered the courage to take a step forward and press her knife against Sister Jude's throat. She noticed the rip in her religious garb and surmised that was the same area Oliver had pressed his scalpel to. The younger woman noticed the brief flash of fear in Jude's eyes. "Showing up here, knocking Oliver out, and then pretending that you're doing all this for my well being! You're not doing any of this for me, you're doing this because you're pissed off that somebody got the better of you!" Lana caught Sister Jude by the back of her neck and began digging the blade deeper into the nun's cut flesh.

The older woman reared back, outright panic written all over her face as she attempted to get free. Not quite comfortable with murder, Lana devised a plan. Using her dominant strength, she pushed the blonde woman back. Jude stumbled backwards, tripping over the coffee table and fell with a painful thud to the wood floor. "You're just like him!" Sister Jude yelped. She pointed an accusatory and shaking finger in Lana's direction. The journalist simply laughed, and began stalking towards the proclaimed 'Woman of God'.

"Maybe I am. Perhaps that will serve to remind you never to bother us again." As Lana neared Sister Jude's crumpled form, the fallen woman crawled backwards until she hit a wall. The brunette knelt before her and glared, her knife raised threateningly. "What did you do to him?" Lana's voice was icy as she spoke, her face only centimeters away from the nun's.

Now gasping for breath, the Christian whimpered her response. "I-it was just chloroform. I-I wasn't going to hurt him." Regaining her composure, Lana grasped Sister Jude by the collar and lifted her back to her feet. Her knife lowered as she sighed in relief. "Give me one good reason not to call the police right now." Ms. Winters demanded. She dropped the knife to the floor and held tightly with both hands onto Sister Jude's religious habit.

"You'll call the police? You're a runaway, Miss. Lana Banana." The nun laughed, her tone holier-than-thou. Now angered, Lana released the fabric and clenched her hands around Sister Jude's throat. She exerted enough pressure to feel something crack under her fingers. Tears began spilling from Jude's blue eyes as her weak fingers clenched desperately at Lana's strong ones. Pure rage clouded the writer's thoughts as she kept a tight grip on her victim's throat. A weak gasp left Sister Jude as oxygen deprivation eventually made her pass out. Lana allowed her body to fall to the floor and ran back over to her lover's side.

Oliver Thredson was still noticeably still. It was clear that he was still breathing, but his chest wasn't rising as much as it should be. That meant his breathing was shallow. Panic overtook Lana's being as she tried to figure out what to do. Sister Jude was unconscious on the living room floor, and she was a runaway herself! There was no way she could call for an ambulance. There was only one thing she could think to do. The smaller woman braced herself and began lifting Oliver's much larger form as best she could. The journalist knew she had to get him into the shower if she was going to wake him up in time.

Lana hooked her forearms under his armpits and used all her strength to drag him into the bathroom. She turned the water on as cold as it would go and managed to lift his heavy body into the tub. With both of themselves still fully clothed, she tipped his head into the spray of the shower head. "Come on, Oliver! Wake up!" Lana shouted encouragingly as she patted his face. The brunette had to admit that she was discouraged when the psychiatrist didn't wake right away. Tears began to gather in her brown eyes as she beat her tiny fists against his chest. "Oliver... Please..." A sob escaped her, her voice was a distraught whimper as she spoke.

The young woman broke down crying. She tucked her head into his neck, the icy spray of the water not bothering her in the least. After a minute of heavy sobbing, Oliver jolted upright with a gasp, his dark eyes wide and frantic. His body was shivering as he blinked. Lana pulled Oliver into a tight embrace, still shaking as she cried. "Lana! What happened? What's wrong?" Oliver nearly whispered, his voice broken from misuse. The doctor took in their surroundings and instantly knew something was wrong.

Lana's breath caught in her throat as she continued sobbing. Somehow, she managed to speak shakily. "Sister Jude is here. She knocked you out. She claimed she was here to save me." Oliver's eyes darkened noticeably upon hearing this and his body jerked to stand up immediately. Lana kept a tight hold on him, but his strength was too much for her. She was pulled to her feet right along with him. "She's unconscious, Oliver! She isn't a threat anymore!" Lana kept her arms wrapped tightly around her lover, refusing to let him go. If he got free, there was no telling what he would do.

"Did she hurt you?" Oliver asked, his voice slightly unhinged with rage. His fists were clenching as he awaited Lana's response. The writer simply shook her head, her eyes wide as they regarded his. "She still has to pay." The psychiatrist grunted. Oliver wriggled out of his partner's arms and made his way into the living room with heavy feet. Lana was close behind him, one of her hands was resting between his shoulder blades. As he entered the room, he spotted his prey. Sister Jude was collapsed on the floor. Clearly Lana had managed to knock the nun out cold. It was such an odd thing to feel pride over, but Oliver felt it nonetheless. He looked over his shoulder at the reporter and smirked down at her. "You did this, Lana?"

Lana worried her lower lip between her teeth and nodded shyly. "I couldn't let her hurt you... I couldn't let her take me away..." Oliver sighed and turned to pull the brunette into his arms. He stroked her hair and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. Nobody had ever done anything as outstanding as this for him. Nobody had ever cared enough to protect him. Lana wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her ear to his chest. "Please don't kill her, Oliver." She whispered, her head pulled back from his chest to peek imploringly up at him.

Oliver shook his head, his lips pulling into a thin line. "It goes against my better judgement not to do so. This woman will never stop... Unless I scare her adequately." Dr. Thredson pulled away from Lana once again and made his way over to Jude's crumpled form. He lifted her effortlessly into his arms and turned to enter the basement. Lana Winters stood rooted to the spot, watching with worried eyes as Oliver disappeared down the stairs. She debated with whether or not she even wanted to follow him, but she knew she had to. She had to keep Oliver from killing again.

When she reached the bottom of the staircase, she stopped. Oliver had seemingly tossed Sister Jude carelessly on the concrete floor and was now rifling through the drawers on his desk in the corner. The doctor glanced over at Lana and waved her to come further into the basement. When the brunette didn't move, Thredson sighed heavily. "You can trust me, Lana. I'm not going to kill her. That's not what I do anymore." The writer carefully made her way towards him and watched as he picked out a scalpel. Lana's heartbeat was vibrating in her ears as she wrung her hands nervously.

"If you're not going to kill her... What are you going to do?" Ms. Winters asked quietly, her gaze resting on the fine blade of the utensil. Oliver bent down on his knees before the nun. He turned her over onto her stomach and undid a few buttons on the back of her habit. He exposed the fine skin of her back and began carving letters into her skin. Lana watched in horrified fascination as he carved the words 'Always Watching' into her back. The doctor pulled back a bit and admired his work before buttoning Jude's dress back up.

"We're simply leaving a message. Now, I'm going to go drop her somewhere inconspicuous, and when she comes to, she'll find her way to wherever she wants to go." Oliver said as he placed the scalpel into his jacket pocket. Lana released the breath she was holding as her partner lifted Sister Jude back up, tossing her like a bag of potatoes over his shoulder. His eyes met her's apologetically. He knew he had scared her, even though he hadn't killed the religious figurehead. "Please wait for me, Lana. Please don't let this scare you off..." Oliver mumbled quietly. Before he could make his way up the stairs, Lana's hand shot out and caught his wrist.

"I'm not scared, Oliver. And I'm not going anywhere." Lana said truthfully. She was scared, up until he had simply left a cryptic message in Sister Jude's skin. She was actually quite proud that he'd fought his demons and let her live, even after such a steep transgression. "Can I please come with you? I don't want to be alone..."

Oliver looked reproachful at first, but once he saw the fear shining in her eyes, he knew he couldn't say no. "Let's go. Quickly, before she wakes up." The doctor pressed his free hand on Lana's lower back as he ushered her up the stairs and out of the house. He grabbed his car keys off the kitchen counter and handed them to the journalist. "There's an abandoned building not far from Briarcliff. We'll drop her there." Oliver informed his partner as he dumped Jude's body in the back seat. He climbed into the passenger seat and buckled himself in as Lana started the car.

The two sped off towards the freeway. The car ride was spent in silence, though the pair often looked nervously in the back seat to see if the nun was regaining consciousness. Lana was watching Oliver out of the corner of her eye. He seemed tense and ready for anything. His hand hovered over the jacket pocket in which he had placed the scalpel. Ms. Winters turned her eyes back to the road. They were just now passing Briarcliff. The writer stiffened at the sight of the building, a whole bunch of unpleasant memories assaulting her mind.

Once they passed the building, Oliver finally spoke up. "Pull in over here." The doctor commanded, pointing to the left side of the road. Lana did as she was told. The parking lot they pulled into wasn't paved at all. Lana looked out the car window to see what looked like an abandoned hospital. She briefly wondered how Oliver knew about this place. She parked on the dirt road and herself and Dr. Thredson exited the vehicle. He wasted no time in dragging Sister Jude out of the back seat. He threw her over his shoulder once more and made his way towards the empty building. Lana trailed behind a bit. She was scared of being caught. She'd never done anything like this before.

The black haired man sensed her trepidation and looked over his shoulder at her. "You can stay in the car if you'd like. I'll only be a minute." Oliver offered softly. Lana stopped in her tracks and shook her head. "No. I'm coming with you." 'I can't let anything happen to you.' She thought to herself. Thredson smiled a bit at her and nodded. The two continued into the dark building. It was made even darker by the lack of sunlight. The couple entered what looked to be an old reception area. There was dust and cobwebs everywhere. The floors were covered in dirt. Oliver tossed Sister Jude unceremoniously to the floor and turned to look at his lover. Her arms were folded across her chest, her expression nervous and unsure. She looked even smaller in this position.

The psychiatrist crossed the room to brush his hands consolingly against her arms. "It's okay, Lana. This will all go away soon, I promise." Oliver's voice was soft as he spoke, his eyes conveying pity. He still blamed himself for everything that had just transpired. If he hadn't have sent her out that night, none of this would be happening.

"Maybe we should kill her..." The reporter spoke up quietly. Her eyes remained glued to Sister Jude's figure as she said this. Oliver's eyes widened. He was shaking his head and began to speak until Lana cut him off. "I'm serious. This will all look very suspicious if somebody finds her."

Dr. Thredson continued shaking his head, his hands grasped Lana's shoulders firmly. The contact brought her eyes back to his. "And it will seem just as suspicious if we kill her. They will be looking for a body. And if they can't find one, they will send the police to ask questions. I'm sure you don't want to deal with that. Keep in mind that she knocked me out against my will. She won't be able to say anything to the police unless she's willing to go to jail herself." Oliver explained. He didn't wait for a response and wrapped an arm around Lana and began pulling her out of the building with him. The writer went without complaints, however she took one last look at Sister Jude from over her shoulder before the large double doors closed for good.

The orphaned doctor ushered Lana into the passenger seat and took the keys from her. He started the car and headed in the direction of their house. On the ride home, he broke the uncomfortable silence. "I just want you to know that if anything does happen that could implicate us, I will take the fall." Ms. Winters said nothing, but a look of concern shadowed her features. Oliver smiled slightly as he noticed her grave expression. "I highly doubt that anything will come about, but if it does, I want you to live your life fully and happily."

Despite the fact that she now couldn't imagine her life without him in it, Lana was touched by his words. No one had ever offered such a selfless thing to her. Not even Wendy had said such words. In fact, Wendy had chosen her job over saving her own lover from the hell of being in an insane asylum. Lana reached across the car to grasp Oliver's free hand. Their eyes met and the doctor squeezed her hand in reassurance as he saw the tears beginning to well up again. "Thank you. I... I don't know how I'll ever repay your kindness, Oliver." Lana confessed breathlessly.

The handsome man shook his head and tried his best to keep his eyes glued to the road. "You don't owe me anything, Lana." As the car pulled into the driveway, Oliver turned the car off. Neither of them moved to exit the vehicle immediately. They were so engrossed in each other. The psychiatrist turned fully in his seat to face his lover. The two embraced and shared small kisses. They whispered affectionate things to one another. Lana was the first to pull away with a small smile tugging at her lips. "So, what should we do now?"

Oliver laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. It's going to be hard to top everything else that has happened today." The reporter laughed as well. One thing was for sure, she sure was hungry. She didn't even have to mention it, for her stomach grumbled loudly enough for her partner to hear. The doctor smirked, just now remembering their plans to have lunch earlier. "That's right! We were supposed to have lunch! What do you say we go fix something up?" Lana nodded as a blush heated her pale cheeks.

The pair exited the vehicle and made their way into their home, hand in hand. The couple was so blissfully unaware of their surroundings that they failed to notice the silhouette of Sister Mary Eunice hiding behind a tree in their front yard. The possessed nun watched as the two entered their home with watchful eyes. As the front door closed, she cackled to herself. "I certainly like a challenge. That boy could prove useful to us... And now with Sister Jude out of my way, there's nobody to stop me." Without another word, Mary Eunice silently made her way to her car she had parked up the street. The engine roared to life as she started it and she wasted no time speeding off to the abandoned hospital that Lana Winters and Oliver Thredson had just returned from. With a derisive smirk, she knew she had a job to finish. Sister Jude had to perish.

[TBC]