Happy Together

Blood and Bones

“Reality is dark,” he replied simply. “But it’s also honest. You’ve thought about it, haven’t you? What you’d do if you had the chance to make him pay.”

Her chest tightened. She wanted to deny it, to tell him he was wrong, but she couldn’t. The truth was, she had thought about it—what it would feel like to confront DJ, to make him understand the damage he’d done.

“Sometimes, I think about it,” she admitted, her voice barely audible. “But it’s just a fantasy. I don’t want to carry that kind of weight.”

Lucius reached across the table, his hand hovering over hers. His touch was firm, steady, and oddly reassuring. “You’re stronger than you think,” he said, his voice softer now. “And you deserve justice. Don’t ever let anyone convince you otherwise.”

For a moment, they sat in silence, the weight of their conversation settling over them. Victoria looked down at their hands, feeling the duality of the man before her—Alistair’s gentleness hidden beneath Lucius’s darker edges.

“Do you think there’s a way to get justice without losing yourself in the process?” she asked finally, looking up at him.

Lucius’s smile returned, but this time it was softer, almost wistful. “I think that depends on the person. And how far they’re willing to go.”

The server interrupted them, clearing their plates and offering dessert menus. The momentary break in the conversation gave Victoria time to breathe, but the questions Lucius had posed lingered in her mind.

As the evening wound down and they prepared to leave, Victoria couldn’t help but feel like she was standing on the edge of something vast and uncertain. Lucius’s words had awakened something in her—a quiet storm of emotions she wasn’t sure she was ready to face. But as he held the door open for her and they stepped into the cool night air, she realized one thing: for better or worse, Lucius was forcing her to confront truths she’d long avoided.

The ride through the darkened streets was quiet at first, the hum of the car’s engine filling the space between them. Victoria watched the city lights blur past her window, her mind still turning over the conversation they’d had at dinner. She couldn’t shake the intensity in Lucius’s words, the conviction in his voice when he spoke of justice and pain.

"Where are we going?" she finally asked, breaking the silence.

Lucius, his hands steady on the wheel, glanced at her with a faint smile. "Somewhere I want to show you. It’s important."

The response wasn’t comforting, but it wasn’t alarming either. Victoria leaned back into her seat, her gaze flicking toward him. The sharp angles of his face were illuminated by the glow of the dashboard, and for a moment, she couldn’t tell if she was looking at Lucius or Alistair.

"That’s not vague at all," she said lightly, trying to inject some levity into the tension that lingered between them.

Lucius smirked but didn’t reply, his focus back on the road.

The further they drove, the more the cityscape gave way to open stretches of road flanked by dense trees. Victoria felt a knot form in her stomach, though she couldn’t pinpoint if it was unease or curiosity.

"I’ve been thinking about what you said," she ventured after a while.

Lucius’s grip on the wheel tightened slightly. "Which part?"

"About revenge," she replied. "About… taking justice into your own hands."

"And?"

She hesitated. "You make it sound so simple. Like it’s just… something you do. But it’s not. It changes you. Doesn’t it?"

Lucius exhaled sharply, his lips curving into a half-smile. "It does. But not in the way you think. It doesn’t destroy you—it refines you. It strips away the illusions and leaves only the truth."

Victoria frowned, her fingers brushing against the necklace she wore. "And what truth is that?"

"That the world isn’t fair," he said simply. "That no one is going to save you. If you want justice, you have to take it. Otherwise, you’re just another victim waiting to be hurt again."

She turned to him, searching his face. "And you don’t regret it? Any of it?"

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, he didn’t answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and measured. "Regret doesn’t fix anything. It’s a waste of time. You do what you have to do, and you live with it."

The weight of his words settled over her, and she turned her gaze back to the window. The trees were denser now, the road winding as they climbed higher.

"What about Alistair?" she asked suddenly.

Lucius’s expression darkened. "What about him?"

"He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who believes in all of this. Revenge, pain, justice on your terms. He’s… different."

Lucius chuckled, the sound low and almost bitter. "Alistair believes in things like fairness and forgiveness. That’s why I exist—because sometimes, fairness and forgiveness aren’t enough."

Victoria swallowed hard. "That’s a bleak way to look at the world."

"It’s realistic," Lucius countered.

They drove in silence for a while longer until the car slowed, pulling onto an unmarked dirt road. Victoria sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing as the headlights illuminated a tall steel gate that seemed to rise out of nowhere.

Lucius parked the car and stepped out, motioning for Victoria to follow. He walked to a control panel at the side of the gate, entered a keycode, and stood back as the gate groaned open.

Victoria felt her pulse quicken as she followed him past the gate, her heels crunching against the gravel. They continued walking until they reached a heavy steel door set into the rocky hillside. Lucius approached another keypad beside it, punching in another code with practiced ease.

The door released with a low hiss, swinging open to reveal a dimly lit corridor stretching into darkness.

"What is this?" Victoria asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Lucius turned to her, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "This is where I show you what real control looks like. You’ve been hurt, Victoria. You’ve been powerless. I’m going to show you what it feels like to take that power back."

Her pulse quickened, a mix of fear and intrigue coursing through her. "Lucius, I…"

He reached out, placing a firm yet oddly gentle hand on her shoulder. "Trust me," he said, his voice softer now. "This isn’t just about me. It’s about you. About what you’re capable of."

Victoria stared at him, her heart pounding. Part of her wanted to run, to get back in the car and leave. But another part of her—the part that had been haunted by DJ’s betrayal, by the helplessness she’d felt—needed to know what he meant.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Okay."

Lucius’s smile was small but genuine, and he stepped inside, holding the door open for her. Victoria hesitated for a moment before following him into the unknown, the heavy door closing behind them with an ominous finality.

Lights flickered on with a stuttered click then a hum. Pulling out a blindfold and carefully tying it around her head covering her eyes and took her hand leading her down the hallway. The narrow corridor led to yet another steel door secured by a keypad. He keyed in the code and as the door slid open a red light bathed them. The room was large and spacious lining the wall were knives ropes,and various implements of torture and pain. In the immediate corner to her right was a large wooden chest with Toys emblazoned on the front of it. Ahead near the back a large near transparent tarp a figure could be seen sitting in a chair. “Come," he said, leading her to the entrance to the area. In the corner to her left she saw a desk with a computer and camera and monitors lining the back wall with a few other towers and servers attached. He let her go first as she stepped around the tarp. In front of them tied to a chair her tormentor.