Tag, You're It

three

"Well, Mommy's new friend is coming over for dinner again," Susan said, perfecting her hair in the mirror.
"Again? He just came over last night," Zack whined as he sat cross-legged on the living room rug, wheeling around his toy car.
"I like him," Grace whispered to her mother.
" Well, I do, too," Susan smiled, "And I want you both to be extra polite, because he's stopping by Malarkey's on his way home from work, and he's bringing us a really good meal. In fact, you two go wash your hands."

As Grace and Zack hurried off to make themselves presentable, the doorbell rang, startling Susan slightly. She took a final glance of herself in the mirror, tucked her hair behind her ears, and opened the door. Her new boyfriend, Teddy, was waiting; a bunch of flowers in hand and smiling sweetly.

"Evening, Mrs. Hollander. Don't you look lovely this evening."

"You know, math was never my best subject, either," Teddy had Grace sat on his knee, with her math homework open on the table in front of them, "But I got through it by learning some new tricks. You want to learn some tricks, Gracey?"
"Like what?" Grace asked eagerly.
"Like your nine-times tables!" Teddy began to slowly explain how Grace could use her fingers to calculate the nine-times table; holding her hands in his until she got the hang of it.
"Ready? Nine times one is..." Teddy asked, waiting to hear Grace's answer.
"Nine?" She seemed uncertain, but Teddy let her know how good she was doing.
"Nine times two is..."
"Eighteen..."
"Nine times three is..."
"Twenty-seven!" Grace was ecstatic at the new skill she had discovered. And hopped down from Teddy's knee.
"Exactly. You got it. Now keep on going," he said as he helped her down safely.
"Mommy, Mommy, did you see what Teddy taught me?"
"Yes. That's great, honey," Susan was busily trying to prepare drinks, "Go show your brother."

"Zack, look. Nine times one..."
"Thank you," Susan whispered in Teddy's ear, kissing him on the cheek and placing his drink down in front of him.
"Nine?" Zack said cautiously, so not to look a fool in front of everyone.
"Nine times two?" Grace said impatiently.
"Eighteen."
"Nine times three?" As Grace continued quizzing her brother, with Teddy keenly watching, Susan returned to the kitchen to collect her drink, when she eyed the television...
"Welcome back to America's most wanted..."
Teddy's - her Teddy's - face was accompanied by the description of a notorious serial child rapist and murderer.

A loud buzzer sounded as the door to a cage in the visitation room opened for Theodore Bagwell, led by two guards. He sat down with pain in his heart and hate in his eyes, the chains around his wrists and ankles clashing loudly.

"My therapist said... she said that I'm holding too much in..." Susan started, avoiding eye contact with Theodore; her voice was croaky as if she had been crying, "and that I need to confront you to let you know how betrayed I feel.
"I let you into my life, my home, my God, I let you near my children!" Susan's voice cracked as she choked on her tears.
"I never touched them," Theodore said firmly, without looking up from his shoes.
"You should have told me what you were..." Susan put her hand over her mouth in attempt to stop an outburst.
"You think that you're the only one who feels betrayed?" Theodore's voice cracked as well, "I loved you, Susan. Real love. For the first time in my life. And then to have you do me like that, to just throw me out to the dogs, just toss me out the back door..."
"You're a murderer, Teddy!" Susan interrupted, unable to contain her anger.
"That's enough!" Theodore slammed his fist down and they made agonising eye contact, "I have sinned in the past, but when I met you, that person, the one that did all those terrible things, he died. And I was reborn. By the grace of your love, I was a... a new man. A better man."
"No. That doesn't just erase the man who killed six students in Alabama!" Susan was afraid to break their gaze.
"I guess that's where you're right," Theodore's eyes suddenly turned dark, "because when you sent me here, to this place, with these people, it brought that old dirty bastard right back home. In fact, there was a candle in the window just waiting for me to walk up them front steps. You know, I'm gonna... I'm gonna get out of here someday. And when I do, don't think I won't remember what your front steps look like, Susan." Theodore glared at her hard, with a nauseating combination of love and hate.
Eyes wide and heart beating fast, Susan spat at Theodore before promptly leaving.

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A/N: This scene is obviously not entirely original content; the dialogue and the general plot is based off the show and I am not going to take credit for their talent at writing!
Also, I'm so glad you are enjoy the story so far! All my love!