An Unexpected Visitor

Chase yelled out when he grabbed her arm, and the last thing she saw was the empty crib in the room, before she was suddenly in a shack, and shoved roughly away from him. Katie was put in a crib already set up, and her wand flew across the room. Chase stared at him, as he paced. He had demanded she sit, but there was no way in hell. At least until he came at her angrily, his wand pointed at his head. She gave a small startled squeak and fell back into a chair, staring up at him.

Memories flooded into her brain, and she let out a yell, it was almost painful, and it took a few seconds before she was able to focus on what she was seeing. Death... after traumatic death. Chase gripped the arms of the chair, and sat shivering, pain flashing through her memories. His pain.. his pain he had felt at her betrayal.. she blamed herself for his pain, she knew he blamed her as well, and he was right to.

She hadn't even thought of him for so long, hadn't even thought that he was still alive, or active. And here he was... he had been killing so she would stay beautiful. When she had been hurt, he hurt more people, more and more people were killed, and hurt, and ruined. And it was all her fault. When the memories finally stopped, Chase was sobbing, her hands over her face, her whole body shaking. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry Thomas! Please... don't... I'm sorry." She sobbed, her eyes moving to his face, pleading with him for forgive her for her actions.

He watched her as his memories flooded her brain. It took awhile for her to come back, he knew it would. He had killed many people, without remorse, for years. All of them, for her, so that one day she may be his again. But he had come to terms with the fact that she would never be his, he was aware of that now, and now he would punish her. She would feel the pain he had felt, all of it. He would make sure of it.

When she came back she was sobbing in the chair. Thomas sat across from her, his eyes glued to her. She begged for forgiveness and he kept staring, not saying a word. "Your... your sorry?" He stood up quickly and his arms flew into the air. "Then all is forgiven! Oh my, how easy was that! All it took was a simple I am sorry!" He laughed again and began to pace again. Anger, it had consumed him. There was nothing he could do.

He ran to her, placing his face in front of hers, the rage easily visibly in his eyes. "Your apologies mean nothing to me! NOTHING!" He arched his hand back, he wanted to slap her, but he refrained. He dropped it slowly and backed away. "It is too late for apologies Chase, way to late. There is no coming back from what I have done." He turned to her and he pointed at his head.

"All of that, it is there. I can't just take it away. It is who I am! I am Thomas Tangleton! Murderer, psychopath, and after thought." He put emphasis on the words after thought. He wanted her to know the pain she left in him. "No, I do not want to forgive you nor do I even want you anymore. I spent years wanting you, needing you more than anything, and yet you kept living your life. Never once even thinking about what may or may not have happened to ol Thomas. If I died, you wouldn't have come to my funeral. And don't you dare...." He arched his hand again, threatening. "Don't you dare try and say you would have come to my funeral. I was nothing to you."

He dropped his arm again and he paced back to the crib, watching little Katie cry. He was becoming very annoying by her crying. He pulled out his wand and he aimed it at he baby "Silencio." And the crying stopped. He closed his eyes as the soothing silence washed over him. Only Chase's sobs could be heard.

Chase stared up at him when he flung his hands up in the air and said all was forgiven. She stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was being sarcastic. How could she do that? He had only been kind to her, that day on the lake... it had been wonderful, he had bought her a swim suit... two of them and they had been left behind in the closet of her old home. Forgotten in her closet, as forgotten as he had become. It was all her fault.. so many people had died because of her... and there was nothing she could do anymore.

Suddenly his face was inches from hers, and she yelled out, pushing herself farther into the chair, staring at him. His hand went back to slap her, but it slowly fell, and she sat there, gasping for air, tears staining her scarred cheeks. "Why didn't you talk to me Thomas? I would have spoken to you.. I swear." She whimpered, and looked over at Katie. She was crying... Chase's maternal instincts were to go over to her, comfort her baby. When his hand went up again, she winced back and looked up at him, watching as he went over to HER baby, and silenced her. "Thomas... I swear.. if I even knew you were around... I would have... I swear." Chase sobbed, standing up and going to him, her hand stretched out towards his back.

She kept going on and on about how she would have spoken to him. The truth was, she hadn't spoken to him and now they were in this situation. How could she think she was helping by sobbing and giving out false apologies. He did not want her forgiveness or her apologies, he wanted her to suffer. What was so hard to understand about that?

"Why didn't I talk to you?" He laughed louder than he had before. How could she not know? She could not possibly be that stupid. "I didn't talk to you because you were too busy being infatuated with other guys! It took me too long to realize it, but you are nothing more than a common slut!" The anger came again, it surged through him like never before. If he had something to throw he would have thrown it. Luckily the baby was not crying or he would have.

He calmed himself again and he laughed silently, staring at the floor. "The thing is Chase.... you weren't around. You were never around. I was constantly by myself, fending for myself." He stood silent for a moment and he looked into the crib at the baby who was crying, but could not be heard. "Look at you now. I killed for you, I would have died for you. I would have done anything, but you." He spun his wand around in his hand and looked terribly at her. "You do nothing but sit there and sob even as I have your baby. And where is the mighty Calvin at, hm? At your house crying because he knows he cannot do anything probably. I would be doing everything in my power to get to you! Everything don't you understand! No one would have ever touched you!"

"I haven't... I mean..." Chase stared at him, eyes wide. "Thomas! There were plenty of times I wasn't with guys!! I mean... I am not.." Chase stared at him in shock. That word... no.. no that word out of all others. She hated that word. She hated it because it was true, and she hated that it was. She hated him saying it, she hated hearing it said about her. It made tears fall down her cheeks, her eyes stared at him in shock and surprise. His wand was pointed at her, and she stared down it, staring at him, her eyes locked on him.

"What can I do Thomas? What will make this better? Do what you want with me please... It's my fault! I know it is... and If there were only some way to make it up to you! I don't care.. please.. just don't hurt my baby... don't hurt my family... torture me like Barker did... I don't care.. Thomas, if I had only known! I swear.." Chase's eyes flickered to her baby, her silent baby, and she took a small step forward, so that his wand was pressed against her chest, just below her throat.

"I know you wouldn't have hurt me... I know you wouldn't have let anything happen to me... I believe you Thomas." she whispered, her eyes staring up into his, her lips slightly parted, her mind going in slow motion. "I'm sorry... how... how can I repay you? I'll do anything please. Just don't.. don't hurt my family... don't take this out on them... they are all I have left.."

She kept going and going, he did not know how to get it through her head that he did not want to hurt her physically. He wanted to take everything away, for her to have to live helplessly and have no control over the things that happened, like he had to. She stepped closer and pressed herself against his wand. She was asking how she could repay him and what she could do. He rolled his eyes and he flicked his wand casually, sending her flying backwards. He was tired of dealing with her.

"Just shut up!" He screamed at her, the anger getting more and more out of control. "You can do nothing but watch Chase!" His head twitched and his eyes shut as the anger got to him. It was making his head spin almost and it was getting to the point of not being controlled. "You can watch, like I had to, as your life is slowly stripped from you!" He wove his wand in the air and Chase was lifted and seated in the chair. Ropes shot from his wand and wrapped around her, binding her in place.

He walked over to the crib and he pulled Katie up from the crib. He held her gently in is arms, swaying her back and forth and then he walked her over to Chase and held her in front of her. "Say goodbye to your daughter Chase, because these are the last few minutes you will see her alive." He smirked broadly and he held her in front of Chase, enjoying the pain he knew Chase was feeling. Now she knew his true motives.

"Say goodbye to everything you love. At least I am letting you say goodbye, I did not receive that luxury!"

Chase yelled out when she hit the wall hard and stared at him. He lifted her up in the air with his wand, and she was sat back down. But suddenly, ropes came out, and panic flung through her veins. "No.. no please! Let me go! please don't..." She whispered and then went completely silent when he held her baby, carefully, but what he said, didn't agree with what he was doing. "No... no.. Thomas please." She whispered, staring up at him. "I will do anything! Please don't hurt her!" Chase was sobbing now, panic building up in her throat.

Katie was held in front of her, and Chase stared at her, the girl was struggling slightly, recognizing that Chase was upset, and being upset as well. "Please... I swear, I will do anything... I will leave Calvin, I will.. I will do anything! Don't hurt her.." Chase felt panic clog her throat and she just stared at Katie, held in this man's arms. This man who was determined to tear her life apart for no reason. "Please... Thomas.. Please! Don't hurt her!" She sobbed, staring at him. "Do what you want to me! I'll do whatever you say! Just.. please!" She sobbed, leaning forward, trying to touch her baby one last time.

He got pleasure out of watching her beg him to stop. There was no changing his mind though, and she had wasted her chance to say goodbye to her child. He shook his head, ignoring everything the was saying. He placed Katie back in the crib and then he scooted the crib as close as he could to Chase so that she could see into it. He stared at he child for a minute, wondering if he could actually do what he had been planning to do.

He shook his head and he pointed his wand at the child. "You had your chance to say goodbye." He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the hate pulse through him. Killing was not an easy task on anyone, especially when it came to children. One had to really mean it, and Thomas really meant it. He wanted the child dead, it was the only lesson he could teach. "This is the only way Chase. It is the only way you will ever see things from my point of view. To understand what I went through."

He took one last breath, making sure he meant what was about to happen. His eyes snapped open and he looked at the child. It was crying, but its sobs were unheard because of his spell. He looked at Chase and then back to the child. "Avada Kedavra!" was all he said before a green light shot from his wand and hit the child. Instantly, the child stopped moving and Thomas knew she was dead. He closed his eyes, feeling a weird sensation wash over him. He collected himself and then he sat down in the extra chair, staring across the room at Chase.

Chase stared in shock, as he placed Katie back in the crib, silent, she was struggling, but there wasn't anything to do. "Thomas.. please." She whispered, staring at him, and his wand was pointed at her baby. "No... no! NO!" Chase screamed as a burst of green light flew from his wand, and hit her baby. "NO! KATIE!" Chase sobbed, struggling in her chair. "YOU MONSTER!" Chase was sobbing, and struggling, unable to move. "KATIE! NO!" Chase screamed as loud as she could, hoping to at least hurt his ears.

"KATIE! My baby!" Chase sobbed and finally went limp, sobbing uncontrollably, a part of her felt dead, absolutely dead. He had taken her one source of happiness away from her. When she had been taken by Barker, the only that had kept her going was Katie, because Katie was supposed to be her constant in life. Her joy, her beauty, and he took her away. Chase sobbed, sobbed harder then she could remember sobbing in her entire life, completely limp in her bonds that kept her in the chair. She had failed her child... she had failed her, her baby was dead.

Dead...

The words resonated in her head, and Chase knew at that moment, she wanted nothing more then for Thomas to turn his wand on her and kill her as well. Chase sobbed, and sobbed, for what felt like hours, until she was dry heaving with the convulsions. Her tears had long since stopped, her mind was reeling, her eyes focused on the baby who could have been asleep in the crib. "My baby.." She whispered, dry sobs still shaking her body.

At the moment Chase and Katie had needed him most, Calvin had frozen. He had faced criminals, an infuriated Minister, three students who had been hell bent on murdering the man whom they had believed to be him, and matrimony. But as Chase pleaded for the stranger that had invaded their home to leave her child be, Calvin had found himself incapable of movement. He was well aware of his weakness; his inability to react correctly when he was thrown into a hazardous situation. He was not completely oblivious to his cowardly nature. But even he had believed himself to be more than a witness to the murder of an infant. Calvin Ransom had not expected so little from himself.

Fingertips trembling, he watched as the baby monitor slipped from his grasp and clattered against the floor below. The child had emitted one last cry before the thunderous crack of an Unforgivable Curse was fired. And it was that single expression of confusion, terror, and innocence that would remain. The sound would echo in Calvin’s very core, forever reminding him of the part that he had played in Katie’s untimely death.

“No.” The energy that had previously fueled Calvin’s body had left him. No longer did the Cheering Charm that his peers had cast upon him during his years at Hogwarts hold him in its relentless grip. And in its place, a hole had been carved; one which had already begun to fill itself with the grief that had overcome him. “Katie,” he spoke her name aloud in the form of a whisper, as though he believed it unholy to call after her as her spirit drifted out of reach. “I am so sorry, Katie.”

Sorrow drove Calvin forward in a way that fear had not. With each dragging step that he took towards that room, he apologized once more to the child that had been silenced that evening. Salty tears tumbled from his sticky lashes as he promised never to forget of her, until Calvin had been blinded by his regret entirely. Nothing could be seen past the droplets that lined the rims of his eyes, and yet, he pushed his way past the bedroom door that had once separated Chase, Katie, and The Reaper from view. Despite the fact that he could not watch his own fingers curl around his wand, Calvin drew it from his pocket and held it at arm’s length.

“Y-you killed h-her…? Sh-she was o-only a baby…” he whispered unsteadily.