AN: just wanted to let you know I'm posting teasers & edits on tiktok @ normalsandwich69 

hope to see you there ily x

052. POOLSIDE // ALONE

Harry stood outside her bedroom door and listened to her cries.

He assumed making his presence known to her would only make the pain worse. And so, he slowly lowered himself to the ground and drew his knees into his chest - sitting just like he did for most hours of the day.

Every sob he heard her release sent a pain through his chest. He wanted to make it better - make the hurt disappear. But Harry knew he was the cause of it.

Only a slight amount of relief filled his body as the crying seemed to stop. Not a single sound was heard for over an hour. At least she's asleep now, he thought to himself.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Harry turned his head to the side and released a shaky breath. "Spare me the lecture tonight," he whispered, "Please."

"No lecture, I promise. I just have coffee." Dallas sat beside his friend and handed over a full mug of burning liquid. "You know you don't have to sit out here with your gun, right? We have a shit ton of bodies circling the property twenty-four-seven to keep her safe."

"I don't care."

"What if she comes out and sees you with that thing?"

Harry let out a heavy sigh and shrugged off the remark.

"Rough night?"

"Rory saw me through the window and ran inside crying."

"Damn," Dallas muttered. "That's tough."

Harry wrapped his hands around the scalding ceramic and slowly nodded, humming in agreement. "She can't be a part of this."

"Harry-"

"She can't, Dallas."

"We may not have a choice."

Raising the mug to his lips, Harry took a sip - burning his tongue with the scorching liquid. "I know," he admitted in defeat, resting his head against the wall. "I just hoped one of us would still be left with the power to decide for themselves. She doesn't deserve this life."

"I don't know," Dallas mumbled, shrugging his shoulders. "She seems like the perfect fit for it. You know, a bit..." he pointed his index finger at his temple, moving it in circular motions.

"Perfect better be the word you're looking for."

Dallas rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Rory's just like us."

"Don't say that."

"Oh, come on. You can't sit here and pretend like she wouldn't be fucking badass shooting-"

Harry looked to the side, narrowing his glance at Dallas. That one look was all Dallas needed to know that it was time to shut up. And not wanting the gun on the ground to be used against him, he slouched against the wall and yawned.

"Where's Colson?"

"Helping Kip. The kids managed to crack the first locket. But apparently, Rory's USB is giving him some trouble. Something to do with a mainframe... or a hard drive...." Dallas shrugged. "Either way, it should be done soon enough." There was a beat of silence before he asked, "What do you think is on those things?"

"I don't know. Someone wanting money? Or wanting me dead?"

"The second seems more likely."

Harry couldn't help but nod in agreement.

After all, it was more likely.

It had been that way for as long as he could remember.

The only difference now was that the one on the other side of the door, crying herself to sleep, had become a target for someone who wasn't him.

Harry waited outside her door until morning - specifically until Doctor Khan's shift had resumed - just like he did every day. Desperately he wanted to see her - he had already made that evidently clear during his spats with the Doctor. But since Harry couldn't (and knew he shouldn't), sitting outside her door was all he had. Even when she was in her extremely medicated state and unresponsive, he was there. That's all he had left to keep him sane.

"Good morning," Doctor Khan warmly greeted, adjusting the papers on her clipboard as she closed the bedroom door behind her.

"How is she?"

"In great spirits this morning, actually."

"What? Really?"

Doctor Khan nodded. "Yes. I was quite surprised too. Her mood has been... tentative, to say the least. So, I'm thrilled she woke up with a smile on her face."

"Right." Harry cleared his throat. "I want a status report this morning."

"Understood. But don't you think you should get some rest beforehand?"

"Don't need it."

"We all need our rest, Harry." She spoke in an annoyingly comforting tone, making the hair on the back of his neck stand. "Let's talk after. I have to prepare her breakfast-"

"No," he replied shortly. Since he couldn't place a hand on the person keeping the most important thing in his life alive and well, Harry stepped in front of her, blocking her escape. "Status. Now."

Not wanting to erupt a commotion that could startle the girl, Doctor Khan begrudgingly said, "Fine. But I'm making her food while we do it," and led the way to the kitchen with Harry following closely behind.

Doctor Khan never wanted to discuss anything with him - especially anything that had to do with Rory. Therefore, until he knew what the woman had on her mind, he wouldn't be able to let it go. Or rest.

"Good morning, boys," Doctor Khan greeted.

"Mornin'!" Dallas managed through a mouthful of cereal.

Colson rolled his eyes in disgust. "God, you're a pig."

"What?" Using the back of his hand to wipe his mouth, Dallas pointed his spoon forward and said, "Some chewed food scaring you, big boy?"

"I can't wait till we get out of this fucking house," Colson muttered.

"You and me both, sister! I'm tired of your clean freak lifestyle."

"Basic manners is not being a freak."

Harry looked over his shoulder. "Would you two knock it off?"

"What's got your panties in a twist this morning?"

Not wanting the boiling anger to get the best of him (for once), Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath before responding, "Rory woke up in a good mood."

Dallas raised a brow. "She... did?"

"She did."

"That's... good."

"Wow, you boys sure know how to celebrate good news." Doctor Khan pulled out her ingredients from the cupboard. "You should be happy that Rory has finally woken up with a smile, excited to start the day!"

"Don't mind our confusion," Colson said, flipping the page of his three-week-old newspaper. "Rory is not always such a pleasure to be around in the morning."

Harry wanted to be furious over the remark - but he couldn't deny it was a good cover. One that Doctor Khan appeared to fall for.

Turning his attention back to the woman, he said, "Status."

"There is not much to discuss, Harry. She is doing well. Her wound is healing, her mood is improving, and she is talking much more frequently than she was twenty-four hours ago."

"And?"

"And, that's it."

"That's it?" he repeated, annoyance bubbling in his tone. "Nothing else?"

Doctor Khan filled a pot with water. "If you are trying to get me to lead you to something, you might as well come out and say it."

Harry fell silent. He attempted to gain Dallas' attention for help, but the boy was too busy flicking cereal at Colson to notice. Letting out a huff of frustration, he replied with a bitter, "never mind," and turned to exit the kitchen.

"She asked what happened to her."

"And?"

"And I told her what we agreed on." Doctor Khan strummed her fingers against the countertop. "I don't know how long she will buy it."

Harry turned his head. "How much has she been asking about it?"

"Just once." She paused, pouring the mixture of dried oats into the pot. "And I caught her looking at the mark on her neck."

"Did she ask about it?"

"No. But she heard you yelling."

Dallas stopped flicking his cereal at Colson. "What?"

"Rory asked me if she was alive last night. When I told her she was and asked why she would say such a thing, she said it was because she heard you screaming." Doctor Khan stirred the oatmeal around in the pot. Her eyes flickered to the brooding man. "She heard you yelling that she was dead."

Colson straightened his posture, crossing his arms over his chest. "And you said?"

"That you weren't. And it must have been you boys keeping the television volume up too high."

"Good." Colson picked a piece of cereal off his pant leg. "Did she believe you?"

Doctor Khan hesitantly nodded, letting her attention fall back to Harry. "You need to be more careful. She is a smart girl. I don't doubt that soon enough, her questions will only continue to grow, and I won't be able to stop them."

"Well, as long as you keep your mouth shut, everything will be fucking fine." Feeling the tension pulse in his forehead, Harry pressed his lips together. "Do these tidbits of information not count as status worthy?"

"I omit personal conversations from our discussions, Harry. Her privacy is important." The woman's eyes drifted up from the pot. "I only told you because you seemed like you were about to go off and smash your fist into the wall over not knowing. And I think it's best to avoid that happening... again."

Harry opened his mouth to fight something back but was interrupted by Kip storming into the kitchen. The kid greeted the Doctor quickly before opening the fridge and began rummaging around for his energy drink.

With the can of chemicals in hand, he turned to exit just as swiftly as he entered but stopped dead in his tracks. Harry was about to ask if his brain had malfunctioned from the endless hours he spent staring at the computer. However, he understood once he caught sight of what Kip was staring at.

"Ro!" Kip exclaimed, hurrying towards her with his arms spread open. "Wait. Can I hug you?"

Rory smiled and nodded, responding with the faintest whisper, "Yes."

It would have been impossible to hear her if the room hadn't been so quiet. But everyone stood, watching her closely, studying her expression as she welcomed Kip into a hug.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good," she affirmed. "Better."

"Thank god! I was worried I-" he fell silent, feeling the pressing stares from everyone else in the room. "I was just worried we wouldn't get to play Zombie Slayers again!"

Rory pulled back from Kip's grasp. "Maybe... later?"

"Yeah! Totally! I gotta go finish a...." Kip hesitated, "Computer thing! But I'll hopefully be done soon. Okay?"

Rory nodded. "Okay."

Doctor Khan joined Rory's side, leading her into the kitchen. "I'm proud of you," the Doctor said to her quietly. "You're making such great strides this morning. Hungry?"

"Yes."

"Good. Why don't you get started on this." She handed Rory a cup of yogurt. "I'll go check on the laundry. Be back in a few minutes. Okay?"

Rory nodded. "Okay," she replied sweetly.

Harry's brows knit together, watching as she leaned her backside against the counter with a small yogurt container in hand. His eyes were fixated on hers. Rory stared right back at him, her gaze never leaving his as she raised the spoon to her mouth.

"Good morning," she said to him with a smile before she indulged in the first spoonful of her breakfast.

From the moment Rory entered, that smile remained painted on her lips.

Harry noticed something about her smile.

It didn't have the same effect on him that it usually did.

It wasn't real. It was forced.

Rory could trick everyone in the room.

But not him.

Harry couldn't be tricked by her fake smile. But that didn't make seeing it any easier. Or seeing how she acted, just as Doctor Khan had described, any less confusing.

It wasn't just her demeanour but also her clothing that surprised him. He knew that white cotton shirt she had on with the familiar tear by the collar and those grey sweatpants. They were his.

Rory was wearing his clothing.

His jaw clenched. "Sleep well?"

"Very," she said, collecting more yogurt onto her spoon. "Best sleep I've had in a while."

"Is that so?"

She nodded. "The sheets are lovely. Will you tell him I said thank you for providing such lovely accommodations?"

Narrowing his glance at her, Harry asked, "And who would I be thanking on your behalf?"

"Mr. Romano." Spotting three identical shocked expressions painted across the faces of the men in front of her, Rory's eyes widened with delight. "He has such a lovely home, doesn't he?"

Doctor Khan shortly made her return and busied herself by the stove while Harry continued his unannounced stare-off with Rory. She was up to something - that was obvious. But what it was, he didn't know. And he hated not knowing.

Especially when it had to do with her.

The one he was supposed to kill but couldn't.

The one he wanted to protect like no one else before.

The one he made cry just by meeting her glance in the window and waited outside her bedroom door while she sobbed herself to sleep.

The one standing in front of him, pretending like none of that happened.

"Where would you like to eat breakfast, sweetheart?"

Rory's gaze moved to the window. "Outside?" she asked, her voice returning to its soft-spoken tone.

The Doctor quickly shuffled Rory out of the kitchen and off to the outdoors. And Harry couldn't help but stand by the window and watch them.

"Shit, it's going to be fun having her back around!" Dallas chimed in from his seat. "It was getting dull around here, don't you think?"

Harry didn't acknowledge the comment. However, he had to agree.

Things were getting dull.

Which only meant one thing.

Trouble.

XX

Rory had spent the day playing everything and everyone perfectly - just as she had planned.

A fake smile always got her where she needed. It was her best-kept secret.

In fact, she thought her effortless smile was doing so well that she assumed her exit date was sooner than anticipated.

That was her first mistake - thinking that leaving was ever a possibility.

The realization hit her after making a passing comment to Doctor Khan about missing her friends. A look flashed across the woman's eyes - so fast, she would have missed it if it weren't for her keen instinct to watch for those sorts of things. Doctor Khan's bottom lip quivered as she tried to pull a smile, her eyes lowered slightly, avoiding Rory's glance. It was a look that said, I don't know if you'll ever see them again.

Rory pretended not to notice. She didn't want the thoughts of never seeing her friends again to haunt her mind. But they did.

And yet, she couldn't let it show.

Showing that she was anything but happy ruined her plan.

All day she had to pretend that she wanted to be anything but by herself. At this moment, being alone frightened her. She worried it may give her mind time to explore her dark thoughts more and bubble up emotions she did not know how to control at this particular moment. The last thing she wanted was to look anything other than happy - no one could see her break.

No one could see her being weak.

Or worse, broken.

And so, she spent the entire day surrounded by others when all she wanted was to crawl under the covers of her comfortable bed and never resurface. By the end of the day, her cheeks were aching from all the smiling she had to do.

She ate dinner with Kip - well, she sat near him on the couch. While she sat on one side with her bowl of soup, Kip sat on the other with his headphones and eyes glued to a laptop. Rory pretended the show was far more interesting than it was, but deep down, she felt an unsettling realization appear.

Even being around Kip was starting to feel the same as the others.

It was quarter to eight when she finally had a reasonable excuse to leave the couch and the boy focused on his computer screen. It was time for her final check-up of the night.

Sitting on her bed, Rory was surprised to see Doctor Khan's outfit upon entering her room. "You look beautiful."

The woman blushed, smoothing the material of her black dress with her hands. "Is it too much?"

"Not at all," she replied, eyes scanning over the black mid-length cocktail dress. "Big night?"

"Just dinner."

Rory nodded, sinking her teeth into the side of her cheek. "Could you braid my hair before you go?"

"Of course!" Doctor Khan waited until she was settled in front of the vanity before she picked up the hairbrush and ran it through the girl's hair. "Did you take your medicine?"

"Yes."

"Good girl. Are you going to be alright tonight?"

Rory nodded.

"You promise me?"

She nodded once again.

"Good girl." Doctor Khan gently squeezed Rory's shoulder. "I overheard the boys mentioning they're watching a movie tonight. You could join them if you need some company."

The forced smile effortlessly made an appearance. "That sounds nice," she lied. "I'll think about it."

With the hair tie secured in place, Doctor Khan walked to the door. "The night nurse will be here soon if you need anything," Doctor Khan said, standing in the doorway. "Don't hesitate to ask her for anything."

Rory forced a smile. "Okay. I will call if I need her," is what she said for the Doctor's peace of mind.

Rory doubted she would. The older grumpy woman was nothing like Doctor Khan's sweet, peaceful nature. She never needed anything at night. And even if she did, the night nurse was the last person she would consider going to. Rory would instead ask Harry for help than her.

Making her way to the french doors, Rory stepped outside and looked over to the side. "Hi Tony," she greeted the guard.

"Miss Rory," he replied.

Hearing the sounds of a car, her head turned to the driveway, noticing a large SUV with blacked-out windows roll to a stop. The driver's side door opened, and a guy (who looked eerily like Tony) stepped out of the vehicle. He made his way to the back door and opened it.

Rory took a half step forward, attempting to gain a better look at the man who exited the car. Thankfully the spot she stood under still protected her from being seen; her frame was covered by the shadows of the night.

The man was nicely dressed - a well-tailored three-piece suit was easy for her to spot, and the watch on his wrist, reflecting with the house lights, was easily worth a few thousand dollars. But it wasn't his put-together appearance that caught her eye.

It was the bouquet of flowers he held. The way a man, who gave the impression that he dominated whatever room he walked into, was nervous - rocking back and forth on the balls of his dress shoes. Rory giggled as he hurried to the car's side mirror and checked his appearance.

Moving back into position, he took a deep breath. But it appeared all the air was knocked right out of him when Doctor Khan stepped outside.

"They're beautiful," she overheard her Doctor say, holding her gift. "You really shouldn't have."

"It's the least I could do after all your hard work."

"Where are we going?"

Unable to hear his response, Rory attempted to inch herself closer but missed every word he said. However, that only mattered momentarily, as what she heard the Doctor say was far more interesting.

"I told you nothing fancy, Stefano!"

Stefano.

Rory turned her head. "Is that Mr. Romano?"

Tony didn't respond. He didn't even spare a glance in her direction over the question, one she knew he had heard. Every night they went through this song and dance. Rory would ask him things - even something as bland as how he was doing. But after the brief greeting, the man always fell silent.

Another reminder that Rory was alone.

Utterly alone.

After a day full of fake smiles and forcing herself to be around people she didn't trust, it was enough to send the poor, fragile Bambi spiralling.

Taking her first steps onto the grass, she could hear Tony begin to follow. She tried to shake off the sounds of his footsteps. It increasingly got under her skin, like an itch that never went away, no matter how much she scratched.

Rory went to the left side whenever she came outside, straight for her favourite bench. But something pulled her in the opposite direction, past the kitchen window where she spotted Harry the other night.

Her action must have caught Tony by surprise because no longer did only one guard follow closely behind. Now there were two, nipping at her heels.

They weren't following her because they cared.

They were following her because it was their job.

They were paid to watch her, to follow her around and ensure she didn't make a break for it. It wasn't done out of kindness or a desire to protect her. It was done to keep her trapped.

She was trapped.

Trapped in a house that sat on land which seemed to be never-ending. Rory wouldn't know. She always went to the same spot to observe the view.

Rory always went to the same spot - except for tonight.

It took her a moment to realize what she was looking at. She took a half step forward, closer to the sight dug into the ground.

A pool.

"Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry," she chanted to herself in a whisper. Her nails dug into the palm of her hands, forcing away the tear that begged to slip.

It would be quite lovely to take a swim, the voice in her head taunted.

Rory was supposed to hate the water. And yet, there the innocent Bambi was, leaning forward to try and get a better glimpse of it. The temptation was far too great for her to ignore.

Clear your mind... Try it, Ro. You know you want to.

"I do," she whispered.

Take a step closer...

She listened without hesitation.

That's good... doesn't it look nice?

"Yes."

You're such a good girl when you listen. You like being a good girl, right?

"Yes."

Come closer to the edge...

She stepped forward.

Closer...

Another step.

Be a good girl for me, Ro. Come right to the edge.

Rory sucked in a sharp breath as her toes stopped right at the edge of the pool. One more step, and she would fall in. She would be in the water... she could go under if she wanted... find peace under there... clear her mind... forever.

You'll never be free here... This is your way out, the voice continued. I'm helping you.

"You're helping me."

You don't want to stay here... especially when you know, deep down, you'll never be her.

"Who?"

Juliet. You will never be her. Everything he's told you has been a lie. You'll never be permanent. You'll never be anything more than a distraction to him. You'll always be the girl he keeps hidden away.

Rory sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, nails digging into the palm of her hands.

He will never trust you. He will never tell you the truth. He will always keep his life hidden from you.

Her nails punctured her skin, drawing blood.

Look at your arm... Look at what he let happen to you, Rory. And he can't even tell you! Do you think Juliet would be kept in the dark? She wouldn't have even gotten hurt in the first place.

"I know."

So... be free, Rory. Don't you want to be free?

"I..."

Say it, Rory. Say... I want to be free.

"I w-want..." She sucked in a sharp breath. "I-I want... to be free."

Good girl. Now... escape the pain he's causing you... and come for a swim.

She wanted to swim. She wanted to go under and never come back up. She wanted to know what it would be like to lose consciousness below the surface.

A hand was on her shoulder, pushing her body forward.

Rory could see her reflection in the water. How deep was the pool? Would she dive in and swim along the bottom? Or would it be too shallow, causing her to hit her head against the cement and crack it open?

"Do it," a voice whispered - one that wasn't in her head.

A gasp escaped the girl, spotting another figure in the water's reflection.

Someone she had never met before. Someone she had only seen in pictures. Someone Rory knew she could never be.

"Juliet?"

"Hi, Rory," the blonde-haired angel spoke with an equally angelic voice, "I was wondering when we'd finally get to meet, little Ro."

... juliet? u mean harry's dead ex-girlfriend? :O