Stephan didn't waste time. He packed his stuff and was on his way to the airport within the hour Maggie called. All he could think about was that she was alone in a place that reminded her of the pain she went through. Knowing her, she wouldn't reach out to her brother and her adoptive parents were out of the question. So she had no one. And to have called him, asking him to come meant that she was lonely. He didn't think about the repercussions, he had dropped everything, booked a flight and rushed home to pack.

At the airport he paced up and down waiting to board the plane. Half an hour felt like half a century. By the time they were allowed to start boarding, Stephan was more than ready to leave. He killed time by trying to come up with designs for the next season which was a total failure because he couldn't concentrate. His thoughts kept straying to Maggie and how she was. The last two months had been amazing. Even though she hadn't agreed to be his girlfriend officially, she had given him permission to court her.

It had been a joy to find out that it didn't take much to make her happy. Surprising her with flowers or chocolate always did the trick. She had given him a glimpse of the little girl inside her. For once she forgot about hurting others and concentrated on them. They went on a lot of dates too. Once she had forced him to take her on a picnic only to fall asleep the second they got there. Stephan even started believing that she was slowly getting over her past. If it weren't for this damned job, she wouldn't be forced to remember any of it.

He realized that he was worried about her going back to being bitter and angry. There was no telling what would happen. She could accidentally see someone from her past she didn't want to see and that could trigger the memories she was trying to bury. Who's to say she wouldn't start acting out again? And if she did, who would stop her before she went too far? That was the reason he hadn't hesitated to get on the plane. He was the only one she listened to. If he wasn't beside her and she did something stupid, he would never forgive himself. He had to get to her soon.

Hours later he stood in her room wondering where she had gone. When he'd arrived at the reception and asked for her, the woman there had told him to go right up to her room. Apparently she'd told them to let him up before she left. His imagination was running wild when he didn't find there, so he decided to take a shower first. Maybe when he was done she would  be back. She wasn't. Stephan was so worried that he couldn't seat still. He kept picturing her high somewhere in a room full of strangers. She had also left her phone behind so he didn't have a way to reach her. So desperate, he almost called her brother but thought better of it. Making someone else worried wouldn't help.

Everyone here thought Maggie was perfect. They didn't know what she did when she was angry. How she lost control whenever she got high. Back in the states,  he could be at ease because he knew she wouldn't leave her house. Here? Where would she even get those things? They wouldn't allow her to pass through the airport with drugs. Did that mean she was out looking for them?

"Calm down Stephan. Maybe she's just out with some old acquaintances" he told himself. It was his first time in this country and he already hated it. If he wanted to go look for Maggie where would he start? He'd just taken a cab from the airport and given the driver the name of the hotel.  If he took another cab, where would he say he wanted to go?

After six long hours that seemed like six centuries to him, she finally walked through the door giggling. Stephan jumped up from the bed where he had begun dozing off and rushed towards her. She was walking in talking to someone. When he saw who it was he froze mid step.

"Stephan, you're already here. I'm sorry. I forgot you were coming today" she said moving forward to hug him. He wrapped his arms around her but his eyes were on the man standing at the door.

"Forgot is an understatement. Where are you coming from at this time of the night?"

"Sorry. We went to the national park and spent most of the day there. Since it was late, we decided to have dinner and lost track of time" she said smiling. Making his insides twist with jealousy. Maggie was smiling. The last time he'd seen her do that was back at the farm house before she found out Mr. Miller was her father. That was almost three months ago.

But today she had spent all day with the man who hurt her and was smiling stupidly. As if that wasn't enough, she kept saying We like it was normal. We went out. We had dinner. We did this and that and..... Fuck! This wasn't good. He was okay with Maggie smiling as much as she could. What he wasn't okay with was the person who put that smile there. Pushing her behind him he approached Brian and stretched his hand.

"It's nice to see you again. Thank you for taking care of Maggie while I wasn't around but I'll take it from here"

The guy looked at his hand then turned to Maggie asking "Why is this man in your room?"

She shrugged "He's my boyfriend and I asked him to come over. I've been so busy that I haven't had time for him. I also wanted to show him around while I'm here"

Stephan could have kissed her right then. But since he didn't want Brian to come any further into the room, he told him "If you'll excuse us, we have some catching up to do" he hesitated a little, looking from him to Maggie but eventually left. It was clear that he was angry. Well, too bad for him. He might have spent the day with Maggie but that didn't mean she was going to get back together with him. Closing the door gently, he turned around and asked,

"Care to tell me what that was all about?"

---------------------

Maggie looked at Stephan. He was angry about something but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what that was. She'd had so much fun that it was possible her brain had stopped working for a while there. Brian hadn't disappointed when he'd promised to make her smile. Going back to the park had been as exhilarating as it was the first time. She was definitely an animal person. She loved them and they loved her back. Maybe Stephan would like to go there tomorrow? She could show him around since it was his first time here.

"Hey, would like to go to the park tomorrow? I promise you'll love it. You should see the giraffes up close and just how tall they are. Oh my God, and the...."

"Maggie!"

"What?"

"Did you hear me? I asked what that was all about"

"What are you talking about? Why are you so mad?" she didn't get it. He'd just gotten here. Did he not like her room? They could always change it. But then again Stephan wasn't that vain. She couldn't see him complaining about a room. Was it possible that she was so happy and couldn't think straight?

"Did you already forget? Who he is?"

"No"

"Do you remember everything he did?"

"Yes"

"Then make me understand why you spent the whole day with him. This situation is too complex for my simple mind so if you would be so kind, explain to me why all of a sudden you two are friends"

"We aren't friends"

"There is that word again. We. Since when did you two start becoming we?"

"I don't understand why you're angry. Brian just took me to the park to relax so I wouldn't be stiff during the shoot. It was late so we decided to have dinner and didn't notice the time. That's it"

"Maggie I came here from the airport because I was eager to see you. I'm so tired and haven't eaten anything since I landed. That was more than six hours ago. Are you telling me that you spent the whole day and half of the night with your ex boyfriend, whom, until recently, you couldn't even talk about because of how hurt you were and that's it?"

She started to say no but realized he was right. Brian had barged into her room in the morning telling her they were going to work. Of course she had been pissed that he even had the key card to her room but then he had convinced her to go out. She hadn't even bothered to take her phone with her. He had made her forget about everything. Maggie had laughed at every stupid joke he made, teased him back whenever he teased her and forgot that she was angry at him. How did he do that?

It made sense now. Why Stephan was so angry. It wasn't because she hadn't been there to welcome him. It was because of whom she'd been with. How could she forget everything so easily? For fuck's sake she'd spent an entire day with him without realizing it. And in all that time, it was as if she had temporary amnesia. Not once did she remember the past. No, that was a lie. Brian had reminded her of the past. Not the one she held on to but the one she often forgot. The good memories.

Her first birthday with him when she'd asked him to teach her how to kiss. The places he'd taken her to and the embarrassing things she'd done without knowing. He had reminded her of how innocent she'd been and they had laughed over it. Like old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time. He had that kind of power over her. That realization had Maggie stumbling back until she fell on the bed. Wasn't she the one who'd told him that she wasn't the same naive girl? What a joke. If she wasn't the same girl then why would she fall under his spell again?

"I'm sorry Stephan. I let him get into my head but now that you're here I'm sure it won't happen again. I want you to snap me out of it. If you think or suspect that he's doing it again, I want you to shake me awake. Okay?"

"I'm jealous that with such little effort, he made you so happy Maggie"

"No, that's not..... Don't let him anywhere near me. Please" she said starting to get scared.

"Great. Now I'm being demoted to be your bodyguard. What do you take me for?"

"Stop it" she stood up "I'm asking for your help here. Can't you see?"

"Does he really affect you that much? So much so that you need me to snap you out of it? Maggie, is that the reason you asked me here?"

Since she didn't have any answers to those questions she said "I'll go down and get you something to eat. There has to be an open restaurant around here somewhere"

"There's nowhere to run. When you come back, I'll still be here waiting for answers" he said moving away from the door. Ignoring him, Maggie left.

It was true she'd called Stephan so he could help her because she didn't think she could handle Brian alone but she wasn't about to admit that. If she did she would be telling him just how much Brian affected her. Up until yesterday she'd thought she was over him or her anger towards him was too strong to let her feel anything else for him. Today she wasn't so sure. If he could make her forget about the past then he could do a lot more. Having leftover feelings for him was one thing. Falling in love with him all over again was something else. Something she wasn't going to let happen.

The pain he'd put her through with his doubts and accusations couldn't just be forgotten like that. No, she wasn't so weak. If she could concentrate on Stephan, she would be able to finish this job and go back home. Contrary to what Brian had said, her house back in the states felt more like home than anything in this country. It was her safe haven and the sooner she went back there, the sooner she would forget about all this nonsense.

Maggie exited the elevator too deep in thought, that when someone grabbed her hand she jumped. By the time she realized it was Brian, he had dragged her to an empty corridor and pressed her body against the wall.

"Fuck! What is wrong with you?"

"I want him gone" he hissed his face inches away from hers.

"Get off me Brian"

"I'm serious. I want that man out of your room and on a plane back to the states in the morning"

"In your dreams. I told you that he's my boyfriend. Besides you have no right to ask him to leave"

"I was the one who booked that room for you. I can have him thrown out"

"Then I'll go with him"

"Dammit Maggie, I can't leave knowing he's going to sleep in the same room with you"

"Not just room but bed too. Boyfriend, remember?" she spelled out just to make him understand who Stephan really was.

"No, no. I won't let him... "

"Who the hell do you think you are Brian? Just because we spent the day together doesn't mean I've forgotten everything you did. To me you're always going to be the asshole who broke my heart and whatever you do I won't forget that so get off me before I scream"

"Exactly" he slapped the wall beside her head "I was the one who broke your heart and I am the one who is going to fix it. It doesn't matter what you say, you belong to me Maggie. You're mine. Only mine"

**********************************************

Ahem, this........ Is going to be interesting.

The next chapter will be up later today. Stay tuned