002.　Fate Has Other Plans

　
WARNING: SEXUAL ASSAULT

WHEN THE SCHOOL DAY HAD COME TO AN END AND ALL of her students had gone home with their parents or guardians, Sophie spent the rest of her afternoon cleaning up the classroom and getting everything ready for tomorrow. After that, she went home and snuggled up with Patsy on the sofa. Then, she got hungry after a while. But instead of making herself something to eat at home, Sophie decided to head down to the Moonglade Diner that was just down the road ⎯⎯ which was thankfully in walking distance so she could enjoy some fresh air ⎯⎯ for a burger and fries and maybe get some pie for dessert afterwards.

Sophie made sure that Patsy got her special home-made dinner blend before she grabbed her purse and walked out the door. Thankfully, it wasn't raining anymore, so she wouldn't have to use an umbrella. She could simply enjoy the fresh air as she walked down the sidewalk toward the diner, observing nature and all of its astounding beauty.

She arrived in a short few minutes, the bell above the front door of the Moonglade Diner chiming as she walked over the threshold. Sophie was immediately greeted with the signature sweet smile of one Mrs. Wendy Katz, who has been the proud owner of the establishment since the early sixties.

"Hello, Sophie," Mrs. Katz greeted sweetly from where she was standing behind the counter and refilling some salt and pepper shakers for the tables.

"Hey, Mrs. Katz, how are you this evening?" Sophie asked as she plopped down on a barstool, shedding off her coat and laying it on the counter along with her purse.

"I'm doing okay, thank you," Mrs. Katz replied, setting everything down and walking over to take care of her favourite regular customer. She pulled out a pad and pen from her apron, hands shaking ever-so slightly from having worked such a long day. "What can I get you, dear?"

"I'll have a burger and fries," Sophie replied, watching with a slight frown as the woman's hand shook as she wrote everything down. Recently, Mrs. Katz had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, so it was getting harder and harder for her to work at the diner lately. "And, uh, a coke, please."

"Coming right up," Mrs. Katz smiled toward Sophie as she wrote everything down. She then passed the order through the back window so that her eldest son, Arnie Katz, could get to work cooking everything.

She was served her beverage after a few moments and took a small sip. As she waited for her food to be done, Sophie looked around the diner, smiling fondly at all the photographs of the Katz family that were hung up on the walls. The photographs varied from decade to decade, and some were so old that Sophie could barely make out who was in the photograph, but each one was just as precious as the one next to it.

The photograph Sophie always admired the most while enjoying a meal at the Moonglade Diner was the one hanging up behind the counter near the coffee pot. It was of Wendy and her late husband, Derek Katz, taken on their wedding day in April of 1959. The vintage wedding gown from the fifties was so beautiful on Wendy and the couple looked so happy together. Sophie wished she could have met Mr. Katz, for Mrs. Katz has spoken so fondly of her husband over the years.

Sadly, Sophie never would, though. Derek Katz had died fighting in Vietnam many years ago, leaving his wife to not only conduct business all on her own, but to raise their three children while working as a single mother several states away from their families. Sophie knew that Wendy no doubt struggled to make ends meet back then, but all the woman's hard work clearly paid off. Because now, the Moonglade Diner was a chain and a successful family business, as their own children and grandchildren helped run the two diners they had in the city.

Last Sophie heard, the Katz family was even trying to open up another diner. Only this one would be located in Dallas, Texas, which is where Wendy first met Derek before they ultimately decided to move to Indiana together sometime before he enlisted in the Vietnam War alongside his younger brother, David Katz, who also died in battle. Sophie prayed that Mrs. Katz and her family would be able to open up their dream diner in Dallas, for they surely deserved it after all these years.

Sophie jumped in her seat when a plate was suddenly set down in front of her. Her eyes drifted from the photograph on the wall to the woman standing in front of her, and she let out a breathless laugh as Mrs. Katz apologized for giving her a scare.

"That's quite alright," Sophie replied, her heart calming. "I just got lost in my thoughts again. Thank you, Mrs. Katz."

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Katz replied. "Enjoy your meal, and should you need anything else, just holler."

Sophie looked down at her plate after Mrs. Katz left, and she hungrily dug into the hamburger as her stomach growled. The flavours instantly exploded on her taste buds and she closed her eyes in satisfaction, savoring every delicious bite that she took.

When she finished her dinner in comfortable silence, humming along to the music that the Katz family had playing over the speakers in the diner, Sophie flagged Mrs. Katz down and the woman stopped counting receipts and walked over.

"All finished?"

Sophie nodded as she used a napkin to clean some of the grease off her hands. "Yes, ma'am."

"Is there anything else I can get you?" Mrs. Katz asked as she took the empty plate and used a rag to clean up some of Sophie's area.

"You know what, I think I'm gonna get some pie tonight," Sophie said. "I haven't had one in a while and I'm long overdue for one of your famous pies."

"Well, alright," Mrs. Katz nodded with a smile as she took out her pen and pad again. "Our specials today on pie are cherry and apple. Which one would you prefer?"

Sophie tapped her chin, humming as she tried to decide which flavor she was in the mood for today. "Hmm, that's a hard one. Um, let's go with the cherry. I haven't had that one in a while."

"Excellent choice," Mrs. Katz flashed her a smile as she wrote that down. "And would you like a refill on your coke as well?"

"Sure, why not," Sophie shrugged.

"Wonderful. I'll be right back," Mrs. Katz said as she walked off with the empty plate and cup of coke.

Two minutes later, Mrs. Katz emerged from the kitchen and gave Sophie her refilled beverage and cherry pie. The Torres-Kepp woman thanked her with a polite smile as she picked up her fork and took a bite of the pie. She hummed in satisfaction, which brought a bright smile to Mrs. Katz's aged face.

"I swear, Mrs. Katz, you make the best pies in the entire city," Sophie said as she stuffed her face with another bite.

"Oh, why thank you, dear."

"You're very welcome."

Another twenty minutes later, Sophie finished eating the slice of cherry pie and drinking the rest of her soda. She paid for what she ordered and then headed for the bathroom to wash her hands. Once she was done, Sophie thanked Mrs. Katz for everything and wished her a pleasant evening before walking out the door.

It was dark outside as Sophie stepped out the door, the sun having set half an hour ago. She stood there for a moment, looking up at the moon and stars as they shined brightly overhead. She then hugged her jacket tighter around her body as a slight chill nipped at her exposed skin, and silently began her journey home.

It wasn't long before Sophie passed a small bar along the strip of road. There was a group of men standing outside, talking loudly and laughing and smoking cigarettes. Even as she passed them, she could smell the alcohol wafting off their bodies. Sophie grimaced at the smell and the cat-calls they gave her as she walked by them.

"Hey, where you going?" one them shouted.

Sophie closed her eyes and sighed as she waited to cross the street. She never turned to look at them, though, knowing that would only make them come over. And that was the last thing she wanted. They were drunk and she didn't want to be anywhere near them. She just wanted to go home, get a nice hot shower, and get some sleep.

As Sophie waited at the crosswalk, looking out at the semi-busy street, the group of drunk men continued to call out to her. The more she ignored them, though, the angrier they seemed to get. Her heart began to race and panic settled in her bones when she saw them start walking over towards her.

Thankfully, the crosswalk sign lit up, and she quickly made her way across the street before the group of men could reach her. But as she walked, Sophie could hear footsteps behind her and knew they were following her. She walked at a quicker pace, hoping they would take the hint and leave her alone, but they didn't.

Sophie reached the other side of the road and continued walking, practically jogging, down the sidewalk toward her home. But this only seemed to make the group of men even more angry, as they began running after her and shouting even more things. And, eventually, they had caught up to her.

One of the men grabbed her by the arm, stopping her from walking any further. He forced her to turn around and she winced at the strong grip he had on her arm. "Now, that wasn't very lady-like back there. We just wanted to have a nice chat."

"Look, I'm not interested, okay?" Sophie told him, her voice trembling as she stared back into his dark eyes. She tried to pull her arm away, but he only held on tighter, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"There's no manners in this one, is there?" one of the other men standing in the background said. He shook his head and threw his cigarette on the ground, stomping it out with his boot.

"Doesn't seem like it."

"L-Let me go," Sophie pleaded, trying to pull arm away again. But the man only held on even tighter, bringing tears to her eyes and emitting a pained cry from her lips.

"Perhaps, we should teach her some manners."

A shiver shot down her spine when Sophie heard those words. She glanced from the man holding her to his buddies standing behind him, and found them all staring at her body with dark, lustful eyes. Another whimper burst from her lips as she looked at them, for their intentions were quite clear.

"I-I don't want any trouble⎯⎯"

The man holding her inched closer to her face. She tried moving away, but he gripped her jaw tightly, forcing their eyes to meet. "Then perhaps you shouldn't have ignored us." He released her jaw and began caressing her cheek, thumb brushing her trembling lips, causing her to whimper again. "She is a pretty one, isn't she, boys?"

"Very pretty," slurred one of the men.

Her entire body was trembling at this point, and before she could even get another plea out, the man was tugging her into a dark alley between two buildings. Sophie tried to scream for help, but he quickly covered her mouth and roughly shoved her up against the side of a building. She fell silent the moment the back of her head collided with the bricks.

Black spots danced in her vision and their voices were muffled. For a moment, Sophie thought she was going to pass out from the pain in her head, but then everything cleared up and she watched as they grabbed her fallen purse, rummaging through it for money or anything that might look expensive in their eyes.

"Take whatever you want," Sophie cried. "Just please let me go. I-I won't tell anyone, I swear."

"Well, look who suddenly learned some manners," the man grinned. She grimaced at the sight of his stained teeth and smell of whiskey on his breath. "You're right, though, you won't be telling anyone."

Sophie gulped as he pulled out a switchblade from his jeans. He ran the tip against the side of her face and then down the nape of her neck, stopping at her locket and using the knife to pull it out from beneath her blouse. He ripped it from her neck and handed it off to one of his buddies.

"In fact," the man continued, licking his lips as he looked down the front of her blouse at her breasts. He inched closer to her face, and Sophie trembled and cried as his warm breath fanned over her neck. "You won't be leaving this alley after I'm done with you."

Knowing what they intended to do with her, Sophie did the only thing she could think of at that moment and brought her knee up with all the strength that she could muster. It collided with his genitals, causing the man to stumble away while groaning in pain. This gave her enough time to slip away. But she didn't get very far, as one of the other men quickly grabbed her by the back of the waist and shoved their hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming again.

"That wasn't very nice," he seethed, dragging her back into the shadows of the alley where nobody could see them.

The man shoved her up against the wall and then the one that she had kneed in the genitals stalked over towards them, rage twisting his features. His dark eyes shined with a dangerous glint as he pulled his fist back and brought it down across the side of her face, causing Sophie to fall to the ground.

More tears slipped down her face as Sophie laid there on the ground, holding her throbbing cheek. She curled up into a ball, hoping that would be enough to shield her body from another attack. But it didn't, as one of their boots came barreling towards her and collided with her stomach. There was a sickening crack that echoed in the alley, and Sophie knew that he had just broken her ribs.

She coughed and gasped for air, crying out from the pain. Sophie rolled over onto her back, hands folded over her stomach in agony, and that is when he got down on his knees to straddle her waist. He grabbed her wrists, pinning them down against the damp concrete, and then left his hands wander.

Sophie was sobbing from the fear and pain, and she kicked and thrashed around, no matter how badly moving hurt her ribs. The woman did everything she could to try getting him off her body, but he was stronger than she was. There was nothing she could do to stop him and his friends. And, in that moment, Sophie knew that the man was right. She wasn't going to be leaving this alley. She was going to die here after they were done having their way with her.

But, fate had other plans.

Outside the alley, a man named Diego Hargreeves was walking down the sidewalk, confidently twirling one of his many knives around. He had just got done preventing some thieves from robbing a gas station and was now on his way back to his parked car so that he could go home for the night. But as he neared a certain dark alley along the way, he could suddenly hear muffled cries and laughter coming from within that made him stop dead in his tracks.

Diego quietly entered the shadowed alley and what he saw made his
knuckles turn white.

There were two men holding a woman down against the damp concrete. One of them were pinning her legs down so she couldn't get away while the other was straddling her waist and touching her feverishly, as well as shoving a rough hand against her mouth so her sobs and screams were muffled. And there were two other men standing off to the side, laughing and drinking from flasks as they watched.

He narrowed his eyes and jumped into action.

Diego threw one of his knives, taking out one of the men who were laughing and getting even more drunk. The man collapsed on the ground not far from the woman, and the other three men stopped what they were doing and looked down at the knife that was sticking out of their friend with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"What the fuc⎯⎯"

Before the man with the flash could get the rest of the word out, Diego charged down the alley and rammed his body into the man's. They fell to the ground, and Diego began sending unsuspecting punches into his face, which startled the other men and caused them to get up from the ground.

The two men scrambled to their feet and, for a moment, Sophie thought that they were going to run away out of fear now that the mysterious masked figure was here. But they didn't. Instead, one of the men roughly grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet. Sophie whimpered, but did as the man wanted and weakly got up from the ground.

Both of the men that had previously been pinning her against the ground suddenly pulled out guns from the back of their jeans, making her even more scared than before. And while one of the men aimed their gun at the masked figure, who had successfully knocked their friend unconscious with his punches, the other pointed the barrel of his gun against Sophie's temple.

Sophie cried and trembled against the man that was holding her, not just from the fear coursing through her body, but from the cold as well, for her blouse had been ripped open at some point during her struggle, exposing her torso to the cool night air.

With the man now unconscious, Diego got up from the ground, his knuckles red from the amount of punches he had delivered. He looked at the two other men left and discovered they had gotten up from the ground and now held both himself and the innocent woman at gunpoint.

"I don't know who the fuck you are, but you are fucking with the wrong people," the man said as he glared daggers at the masked figure standing before them. "A life for a life, right? That's how the saying goes. You killed two of my men, so I'm gonna kill you, and then I'm gonna kill the girl."

Before the man could pull the trigger, Diego hurled one of his knives directly at the man's chest where his heart was. The man gasped and lowered his arm, however the gun still went off, only the bullet never hit its intended target. Diego Hargreeves remained unscathed and the man fell to the ground, blood oozing from his chest.

Before the other man holding Sophie could even react, Diego threw another knife. He used his powers to change the trajectory of the weapon, causing it to impale the man in the hand and make him drop the gun, which thankfully never went off as it clattered to the ground. The man released Sophie in the process, and she fell to the ground as he hissed in pain and held his hand.

The man ripped the knife out of his hand with a pained groan and looked fearfully at the masked figure. And just when he started backing away to escape the same fate as his buddies, Diego threw another knife in his direction. It struck the man in the back, right at the base of the spinal cord, and he fell to the ground. Dead. Just like the rest of them.

With all the men taken care of, Diego hurriedly made his way over to the brunette woman. He noticed that she hadn't moved ever since the man threw her to the ground moments ago, and he feared that she had been badly hurt when that happened. Diego bent down beside her and carefully rolled her onto her back, his eyes widening as he looked down at her body.

The gun that had gone off, the bullet that never hit him, had struck the woman in the abdomen. Blood was pouring from the wound, and her eyes were growing heavier and heavier by the second. Diego quickly reached out to cover the wound with his gloved hands, shaking his head out of fear that she would die because of him.

"Oh, God," he whispered. "Just hold, okay? Keep your eyes open and on me, I'm gonna get you some help."

Sophie could barely hear what the masked figure was saying to her as he used one of his knives to cut her coat and tie it around her abdomen. She didn't understand why he was doing that, though, for she didn't feel any pain at all. Everything was just numb.

Her eyes were becoming heavier and heavier by the second, and even though the masked man gently slapped her cheeks to keep her awake, it didn't work. She was weak and tired, and so she closed her eyes, allowing the darkness to consume her completely.

Diego watched as she closed her eyes, and he began to panic. He leaned down, putting his ear up against her mouth and listening carefully. He sighed in relief when he could hear her breathing. She was still alive, but she wouldn't be for long if she kept losing blood the way that she was.

He needed to hurry.

Diego quickly retrieved all of his knives, securing them to his vest, and then he moved to gather all of the woman's belongings that were scattered across the ground before proceeding to lift her into his arms and run towards his car, which was thankfully close by. He carefully laid her across the backseat and then sped down the road, praying that he could get her to the hospital in time before she would succumb to her wounds and die.

Before she would die because of him.

a/n: so, yay, our babies have finally met! it might not have happened during the most pleasant of circumstances, but thankfully diego showed up in time and stopped those men before they could do anything further to sophie. next chapter will feature diego at the hospital with sophie, because he is very worried about her condition and fears that he got an innocent person killed!

in case you didn't pick up on it, the katz family featured in this chapter are in fact related to dave katz, klaus' lover from the show. i decided to give dave some more family members to deepen that plot. derek is dave's older brother and wendy is dave's sister-in-law, so all of her children and grandchildren that help run the moonglade diner are also related to dave. and this isn't the last you will see of wendy or the katz family, as i intend to have sophie and even klaus interact with them pretty frequently throughout this book!

also, i just wanna give a quick shout-out to Oneirataxia_girl, who requested to be tagged when i posted the next chapter! thank you so much for supporting this story and i hope you continue enjoying sophie and her journey with diego and the others!