She woke up tied to a chair with a killer headache, no memory of what happened, no memory of who she was. That to her was scarier than anything she could have dreamed up.
She made a quick inventory of her injuries, noticing a soreness in both shoulders and various scrapes and cuts, some of which seemed like they were quite deep, potentially needing stitches.
She knew she had not long woken but could feel herself slipping back into a blackness she welcomed with open arms.
The next time she woke she was not alone, a man she vaguely recognised sat opposite her. She hated the memory that was so close yet so far.
"Well sweetheart, I bet you are wondering what you are doing here?" the still unknown man asked.
Discovering she was thirsty she answered with a croaky voice "I'm sorry I don't know what you are talking about."
The man smiled, not a nice look and said "Well well, looks like my guy hit you a little hard, I have to apologise for that. I'll leave you to think and hope that your memory returns." he then got up and left, leaving a bottle of water for her.
Once again she was left alone, left with her thoughts. She hadn't realised that he had done her a second kindness, her wrists were no longer bound but her legs were.
Inch by precious inch she pulled the chair towards the table where he had left the water and once she had reached it cracked the seal and guzzled it so quickly she didn't have time to breath.
She took several deep breaths praying that the water would stay down, feeling relief when it did.
She noticed that her wounds had been tended to and prayed it wasn't the same man who visited her. She couldn't remember who he was, just that he unsettled her, like he was dangerous.
She lost track of how long she had been held in the rotten room but noted that each day the same man returned with a small sandwich and some water. She knew she was craving coffee but had no clue if she really liked it, only assuming she did with the intensity of the craving that only got worse when she got a whiff of it.
After what she assumed was a few days the same man, who still hadn't said anything more to her brought her some clean clothes. She didn't want to be but she was grateful, she hated to smell of her own sweat and dirt. She desperately wanted a shower but clean clothes would do for now.
Making sure she was alone she got changed, that was when she noticed the tattoo, placed on her right side down her ribs. The tattoo triggered a memory, of who she is, seeing the crow mid-flight, the rose held in it's mouth, the initials attached to the ribbon.
CT
Those initials brought more memories to her, an older man with a salt and pepper beard and scars across his cheeks. For some reason she had felt the ghost of lips on her cheeks and a broad Scottish voice whispering sweet nonsense into her ear.
Deciding she was going to remain strong knowing without knowing why that he was out there, he was looking for her.
She slipped into a restless sleep, dreaming of the Scotsman she hoped was going to be her salvation, her rescuer.
When she woke again the same man was in what she was quickly naming her room. He immediately noticed a difference in her, he knew she had her memories back and with those memories the fire he was hoping she would show.
"How are you feeling sweetheart?" he asked in that horribly fake sweet voice she had come to expect from him when he did speak.
"Fuck you asshole" She said spitting at him.
Not impressed with what she did he stood over her and raised his hand, fully intending to punish her for her attitude when he had been kinder than he usually would be with her.
"Do your worst Ernie, yeah that's right, I know who you are, I know who I am, and best of all I know who is coming for me." she said openly smirking.
It was then he saw the family resemblance and decided to get her to prove just how much she remembered.
"I am Missy Rose Teller and you just made the biggest mistake of your life Mr Darby."
He didn't realise her little speech had covered the sound of the door opening and he froze when he heard a gun cock behind his head.
"Ye heard tha lass, ye jus' made tha biggest mistake o' your life" said the Scottish voice she yearned to hear just before the sound of a gunshot reached her ears and her captor fall in a heap.
"I go' ye back Missy girl, I'll ne'er leave ya on ye own again" he whispered into her ear before capturing her lips with his own.
