Everyone was inside the dude ranch cabins, celebrating Lou and Peter's wedding . Georgie had stepped outside a minute, wanting to catch some air, but her feet continued to carry her farther and farther away and she eventually found herself all the way back at the ranch. Georgie made her way into the barn to see Phoenix.

Thinking back to the dude ranch, watching her mother and father and together just made her stomach turn. She knew they would be ripped away from each other in just a few hours, and the thought just made her shudder and want to disappear. Today was supposed to be a good day, one filled with celebrations and happiness. It wasn't meant to be full of painful goodbyes.

They wouldn't even be in this mess if Jeff had just agreed to come the day before. At least then they would have had one night to spend together as a family. And for what had her mother postponed the ceremony? Jeff hadn't even arrived yet, and it had all been for nothing.

Georgie promised herself she was going to give her brother an earful once she got ahold of him.

On second thought, Georgie decided she couldn't wait and she grabbed her phone from her jacket pocket and dialled her brother again.

Just like all morning, the phone didn't even ring. It went straight to voicemail, and Georgie was beside herself with annoyance. "Oh, Jeff, would you just answer already…? Where the hell are you?" She whispered to herself, waiting for the answering machine to begin recording her message. Once it beeped, she began, "Hey, Jeff…where are you? Look, I'm getting kind of worried, and I was really hoping to see you before I left…would you just…? Would you please just call me back when you can?"

Georgie turned as she heard Jade step into the barn. Georgie turned the call off, and put her phone away. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just looking for you. I figured you would've come back here, so I just drove over. Hope that's okay." Jade smiled a little, walking over to Georgie.

Georgie nodded wordlessly.

Jade turned to look at her best friend, whose face was ashen, her eyes troubled. "You okay?"

"Jeff won't pick up his phone, and I'm just…"

"Look, he probably got stuck along the way. You know how the roads get around this time."

Georgie nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. I just…I'm worried I won't see him before I go, and…"

"And?"

Georgie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't even want to go. I still have half a mind to just go back in there and tell them no. I just hate that today's going to end with a goodbye. It was meant to be a good day."

"And it was." Jade said, smiling. "Kid, your parents got married today. How is that not just the best thing ever?"

Georgie laughed softly, looking up at her best friend. "You always know what to say."

Jade shrugged a shoulder, feeling pretty important right about then. After a couple of moments, she looked back at Georgie. "So, how come you didn't invite Adam today?" Jade asked slyly, knowing perfectly well why Adam wasn't here today.

"Oh, I don't know—it was just a close friends and family kind of thing."

Jade looked at her, not impressed. "But he is a close friend."

Georgie studied Jade a moment. "What—what are you—?"

"Look, I get it. You didn't want to invite him because it would have been hard to say goodbye to him, especially because you don't know how long it's going to be until you see each other again."

Georgie laughed. "How did you figure that one out?"

"I know from the way you look at him. You're crushing hard, aren't you?"

"Jade."

"What? I'm right, aren't I?"

Georgie scoffed. "It doesn't matter. Him and Olivia seem to be getting pretty close, so…"

"Oh, please. Adam likes you, I know it."

Georgie sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm not going to be seeing him for a long time."

The look on Jade's face was sullen. "I know, I'm not going to see you for a long time either. I guess I didn't want to come over today for the same reason."

Georgie's lips parted, she was surprised. "Oh, come on. You have so many other friends, I'm just…"

"You finish that sentence, and I kill you."

Georgie laughed, her eyes glistening. "Alright, I won't."

"Just come here." Jade said as she moved forward, hugging Georgie tight. "I'm gonna miss you, kid."

Georgie hugged back, bringing her arms up to hold Jade as tight as she could. "I'm going to miss you…"

"You're my best friend, you know that."

Georgie smiled to herself. "And you're mine."

After a while of holding onto each other, they moved away from each other.

Jade couldn't hold in what she had to say, she just wanted her friend to know. "I'm really going to miss you."

Georgie nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak. Her throat felt tight, her chest was aching. "Jade…" She barely got out.

Jade looked up to the sound of Georgie's voice. "I'm sorry, I know. There's no need to get heavy on you right now."

Georgie shook her head. "I'm going to miss you so much, too. Promise me we'll keep in touch by text, or—or FaceTime."

Jade smiled, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "You got it."

Georgie returned the warmth of Jade's smile. "Awesome."

Jade noticed a shift in Georgie's body language, a shift in her eyes. They didn't seem to be emitting the same light as they were just moments ago. "What is it?"

"Hmm?"

"What's the matter? What are you thinking?"

"It's nothing, I just…" Georgie breathed out heavily. "That guy…that—that monster—thinking about what he did to her that night, it makes me crazy. Makes me want to go find him and kill him myself."

Jade was a little rattled by the intensity in Georgie's voice, but she understood her anger. "I know, I get that."

"And now my mom is making me go to Vancouver. As if I even want to…I mean, how am I going to protect her when I'm in another city, another province!?"

Jade sighed. She didn't have an answer for this.

"I can't do this. I can't just leave her." Georgie was beginning to panic, about to back out of everything. She walked over to just outside of the barn.

"Georgie, no." Jade followed after her. "You promised Lou that you would go, and you yourself said…she won't be okay until she knows you're out of harm's way."

Georgie sighed heavily, frustrated. "I know I said that, but it's just stupid. What if he comes back, and he hurts her again? How did my dad agree to leave with us? He should've tried harder—he…why does he never try?"

"Okay, come on…you don't mean that."

Georgie inhaled sharply. Her head turned a little, her eye catching a glimpse of something in the distance. Georgie put a hand to Jade's arm, clutching it in fear. "Jade, do you see that?"

"What are you talking about…?" There was a hint of fear in Jade's voice.

Georgie stopped herself, realizing what Jade would do if she told her the truth. Georgie quickly stopped herself, changed her demeanour, plastering a smile to her face. "I think that's Jeff's truck. He finally made it…"

"God, you scared me." Jade exhaled heavily. "Okay, let's go see him."

Georgie continued to hold onto Jade's arm. "You go back to the cabins and wait for us, I want to help him put his bags inside the house first."

Jade groaned. "Aw, come on! I want to see him!"

Georgie's heart was racing, her legs feeling shaky. "You'll see him in a few minutes. Just go!" She feigned laughter as she pushed Jade toward the direction of her truck.

Once Jade had driven well away and out of sight, Georgie turned back to look at the truck. She could feel her heart racing rhythmically against her ribcage. She leaned against the barn door, inhaling deeply.

"What the hell do you want?" Georgie heard herself say, as if her voice were a separate entity from her.

He stepped into the barn, his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets. "Where's your mother?"

Georgie scoffed. "You really think I'm going to tell you?"

"You'll have no choice."

Georgie stared at the ground by his feet, the blood pounding in her ears. She felt nauseous as she shifted her weight, trying to stay calm.

While Georgie knew already how fast he could move, she didn't see coming what he did next.

Grabbing onto the young girl's arm, he slammed her into a stall door, a hand at her throat. "Tell me where she is."

Georgie's back had hit the stall door violently but she could barely react to the pain that flared through her body, she could barely feel it. She was numb, completely focused on the man who stood in front of her, if he was even worthy of being called as such. "No." She choked out.

"No?" He laughed, a bewildered and disheveled look in his eyes. "Wow, I really didn't think you'd still be playing smart with me. I could raise a hand toward your mother, and she'd give in right away. She was so weak."

Anger flourished through Georgie's body, her eyes darkening. She moved her hand up and tried to move him away from her. "She isn't weak!"

He jolted her, slamming her into the stall again. "What do you know?"

"I know my mother—" Georgie gasped out. "And I know that you're making up lies about her."

"You go to the hospital to see her that day?"

Georgie's head went up, and she stared at him a quick moment before answering yes.

"You notice her lip, the scratches on her neck? You get a good look at those?"

"You go to hell."

Laughter erupted from his mouth, his hand going to rub the side of his face. He was trying to keep his calm. "Kid, you watch your mouth. Because what I did to her that night...I'll do way worse this time around. You hear me?"

"You're not going to touch her again." She wanted to sound more firm and definite, but the quiver in her voice just made her sound like a scared little girl.

"You've never stopped me before, how are you going to now?"

Georgie's breathing came out ragged as she said, "I'll kill you if I have to, you freak."

His eyes went dark and a maddening fury made its way onto his face. He walked over, grabbing Georgie's arm and twisting it behind her back so much so that it made her cry out. "You're just like your mother, aren't you? Always running your mouth. You know what happened to her the first time she spoke back to me?"

He began to laugh, revealing his teeth. He looked so daunting up close, his red-veined eyes scaring the life out of Georgie.

"What did you do to her?" Georgie's voice quivered, a whimper escaping her lips.

His maniacal laughter sent shivers up Georgie's spine. "You don't want to go there." He said menacingly as he threw Georgie back against the wall, pinning her there, a hand holding her collar.

"You know what, forget it. I want to talk about something more recent. It's weird…" He began, eyeing Georgie. "I told her just a few days ago to wait for me, that I'd call her…but what does she do—she goes and gets married. I wonder if she forgot what we talked about, or if she was trying to get back at me. I'm sure she's angry with me, I mean, we weren't on the best of terms."

Georgie stared at him, wondering what the hell was wrong with him, wondering if he was serious or just mocking her. She just couldn't tell, and was too afraid to ask.

"Or maybe that's just the way she is, jumping from one man to another."

Georgie's head turned sharply toward him. "Don't you dare talk about her like that. You keep your damn mouth shut." Anger surged through Georgie, and she didn't care what words spewed from her mouth—she didn't care what he did to retaliate—she wasn't going to listen to him talk about Lou like this.

"What did I say that was so wrong?"

"Stop blaming her for your actions. Don't you dare pretend to know who she is, because you don't!" Georgie spat out.

He clicked his tongue. "No, but I think I do…but nevermind, we don't need to argue about something that's just so painfully obvious."

Georgie scowled, her eyes getting angry. If Georgie hadn't been scared out of her wits at that very moment, she would have wanted to land a fist smack dab in between his eyes. She shuddered with dread, wishing he would just leave her the hell alone.

"So, where is she?"

"I'm not going to just lead you to her."

"Do you know how she got that scar on her shoulder?"

What was he talking about? What scar? "What the hell are you talking about?"

He ignored her question, leaning forward a little. "You want to know how I gave it to her?"

A shudder ran through Georgie's skull and she suddenly felt light-headed. "No. Don't tell me."

He moved away, loosening his hold on her.

Georgie's hand went to her neck. She rubbed it, as if trying to wash off the mark he left on her with his fingers.

"You know what a box cutter is? Had a couple lying around the apartment, so I just—"

"STOP!" Georgie yelled out suddenly, reaching behind her to place a hand to the stall door. "Just stop, please." Georgie's head was spinning, her mind racing.

Part of Georgie had wanted to know exactly what had happened to her mother, all that he had done to her because Lou had never given her the proper details, and not knowing made her feel out of control. But the more she thought about about it, and the more she saw what a monster he was, she knew Lou had kept things from her for good reason.

He reached into his pocket, and brought out the box cutter. "You know, telling me where she is…that's probably your best option at this point."

Georgie swallowed, watching as the blade emerged from the casing. Her lips parted and she spoke breathlessly. "I'm not telling you."

He raised his eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Georgie didn't budge. The young girl stood her ground.

"Just tell me where to find her, and I'll leave you alone."

"I won't! I'm not telling you—"

Before Georgie could finish, he tore away her shirt so that her shoulder was bare and he dug the blade in hard and fast.

As the blade cut into Georgie's skin, a shrill, piercing cry tore from her throat like shards of glass. Despite the pain she was in, Georgie couldn't do anything. Her body was paralyzed, she was unable to move, fearing he'd do worse to her if she tried to get away. So she let him hurt her, she silently endured what he was doing to her.

He held her down to the ground, squeezing down on her bloodied shoulder and making her cry out. "Why the hell are you being so protective? I just want to talk to her."

Georgie wept not for herself, but for her mother who had gone through the exact same torment, who had been at this monster's mercy over and over again for the past few months. She hated to think of everything Lou had gone through, and she knew…she knew it was ten times worse than this, and she also knew that she couldn't let him hurt her again.

So he could keep on asking for a location on Lou, but she wouldn't give in. She couldn't.

"Are you listening?" He demanded, pulling Georgie up and moving her to sit with her back against the wooden stall.

Georgie felt weak, her entire body shaking, and she was writhing in pain. Her head felt heavy and she could barely make out the figure in front of her, let alone hear what he was screaming at her.

To most, the sight of Georgie would have awaken a sense of sympathy, or maybe pity. Most people would have looked at her bloodied shoulder, her tear stained face, and the fear in her eyes, and their hearts would have shattered. But the creature in front of her had no heart, and he continued on.

"If you don't tell me where she is, I will do worse than this—" he gestured to her shoulder.

Georgie looked down at her shoulder and the sight made her head spin more than it already was. Her voice came out weak and quiet. "Do your worst. Do whatever you want, I'm not giving in."

"Why are you being so protective of her? What I want from Lou is not your business."

"She's my mother, it is my business." Georgie breathed out, closing her eyes momentarily.

He chuckled wryly. "You're kidding, right? From what I understand, you were some runaway that came begging at her doorstep just a few years ago."

Georgie's heart ripped in two. Is that really what the world thought of her? Is that what her mother thought of her? "I'm not just some…runaway—she's…she's my mom. She loves me."

"No such thing, kid. I had a mother—a real one, too—and she never loved me. Lou didn't birth you, you're not even hers, so what makes you think that woman cares even an ounce for you? Whatever she feels for you, it isn't love. Pity, maybe, but not love."

Georgie scoffed, looking down and away, trying to keep her tears at bay. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to know that you owe her nothing, because you are nothing to her. Just tell me where she is, and I'll be on my way."

His words stabbed Georgie in the heart, and she stared at him a minute, her eyes welling up. She inhaled, holding her breath. "I'm not telling you where she is," she breathed out, blinking away the tears only for them to roll down her face.

His jaw clenched up, the muscles in his face went tight. "You won't tell me?"

Georgie shook her head wordlessly. She thought for sure he was going to slap her across her face and she flinched when he moved away from her and raised his hand…but he was holding it up, wanting something from her.

"Dial your mother, then hand over the phone."

Georgie's heart dropped down into her stomach. "What? No, no…" Georgie backed up, waving a hand in the air. "No, please…" Georgie worried that if he got her mother on the line, she would direct him to the dude ranch just to get him away from her daughter.

"Just hurry and give me your phone." He demanded.

As he stood, his jacket flapped to the side and Georgie saw his gun shoved into his pocket. She swallowed hard, standing up as well, though her legs shook so much she was sure she'd fall right back down. "Look, just leave her alone, take me. Do to me whatever the hell you want to, just leave her alone."

"What good will that do?"

Georgie swallowed. "Look, I just…I know that you want to punish her for what she did to you. I know you want her to suffer, to destroy her. But if you really want to accomplish any of that, killing her isn't the way to go about it. She dies, and then what? That's no punishment! She'll be unable to feel anything!"

"So what the hell do you suggest I do?"

Georgie swallowed. "You really want to destroy her, you destroy me. That'll ruin her, and she'll hate herself for the rest of her life."

He laughed, mocking her. "You really think she's going to sit around for the rest of her life, mourning for you? You're nothing to her, she'll get over it and move on in an instant! A woman like her is incapable of loving, what makes you think that her heart will break if you were to die? Your sacrifice will mean nothing to her, because you're nothing to her."

Georgie looked at him. "Just because your mother was…somehow incapable of loving you, that doesn't mean that mine is the same. She really loves me, and I know you know that. You wouldn't have put a gun to my head that day if you didn't believe that she loved me."

He stared back at Georgie, his soulless eyes unblinking. "People heal from the greatest of tragedies. What makes you think your death will leave her so broken she'll never be able to put the pieces together?"

"I just know. The guilt, the shame…she won't heal from it. You need to trust me on this." Georgie met his intense gaze, refusing to look away, refusing to back down.

"Fine, dial her number."

"But—"

"I want her to hear everything. I want her to listen to you fall."

Georgie swallowed. "No—no, don't."

"She's already in for a lifetime of heartbreak. What difference does it make if it begins now or in a couple of hours when they find your body?"

His words hit Georgie in the heart, her heart shattering like glass. The tears that formed in her eyes fell onto her face as she looked down, digging in her pocket for her phone.

As she dialled Lou's number, she felt an overwhelming sense of thankfulness for this monster that stood in front of her. Because though he was taking everything from her, he was sparing her mother and that meant more to her than he was even capable of understanding.

As the phone rang, Georgie exhaled heavily, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat.

Lou answered quickly. "Hello?"

Georgie closed her eyes. "Mom?

"Sweetheart, where are you? Hurry back, we're about to take a family photo."

Georgie laughed sadly. "You're going to have to take this one without me."

"Honey, what is it…? You're mad at me, aren't you?"

"No, Mom…I'm not mad. I could never be mad at you." She trailed off, looking up at him. "Could I ask you a weird question? What would you do if…if something were to happen to me?"

There was a momentary pause. "What kind of a question is that?"

"Would you—would you be okay if I died? Would you be able to heal? To move on?" Georgie kept on asking ruthlessly, mercilessly. Even though she couldn't see Lou, she knew exactly what she was putting her mom through. She knew Lou couldn't bear listening to this sort of thing, that her heart was breaking into a million pieces. "Mom, what would you do if I stopped breathing, if my heart were to stop beating?" Georgie demanded, ridding her voice of any vulnerability.

"Honey, stop it. I'm begging you, I can't listen to this. I would—I would die if something were to happen to you."

Lou's words felt like a gut punch. "No, Mom, that's just it…I need you to stay alive. I need you to live, to breathe, for your heart to keep on beating. For me." Georgie's voice broke, a sob escaping her lips.

"Baby, what's going on with you? Where are you?" The fear was evidently creeping into Lou's voice.

"It doesn't matter. Just listen to me." Georgie inhaled deeply, trying to rid herself of the aching pain in her chest. "Just listen—just listen to my voice…" She gasped out.

"Honey, where are you?"

"Mom, I love you. I love you, you know that…right? Promise me that you will stay alive."

"Honey? Tell me where you are." Lou's voice sounded like her lungs were suddenly screaming for air to breathe, like she was being deprived of oxygen.

Georgie stifled a sob, a hand going to her mouth. She gasped soundlessly, her frame quivering and her hands shaking. "Promise me you'll stay alive, okay? You need to promise." Georgie spoke one last time into the phone. "I love you."

Georgie quickly tore the phone away from her ear and shoved it in his direction. She couldn't bear listening to Lou's voice as she realized what sort of danger her daughter was in. She couldn't even begin to scratch the surface of what was running through Lou's mind right now.

Georgie's head was spinning, the blood was pounding in her ears, not allowing her to make out what was going on at the other end of the line, but she knew that Lou was hysterical. She had to be, she was talking to him. Georgie closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. I'm sorry, Mom. I love you. So much.

Georgie looked up, and she saw him speaking into the phone. Eventually, when he finished talking, Georgie watched as he moved the phone away from his ear. He didn't bother hanging up before tossing the phone to the ground beneath Georgie's feet.

A/N: Hiya, I apologize. I know, I'm awful at updating, but I do have my reasons xD I've been working on another fic, aaaand I keep going back and forth with this one and that new one, trying to get down as many ideas as I can, so I hope you guys can forgive me for being so slow at this. Hopefully this was worth the (long) wait. Pleez lemme know what you thought, reviews are much appreciated! :)