Marge's Courage

"Look, lady, I'm just lookin' for my wife, just look at `er picture and tell me if you've seen `er."

The man shoves his phone into the owner's face. Marge, it says on her apron, is shaking her head no. Troy moves a little closer to see that the picture is of Olivia from last night.

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen this woman and the only guest I have is this nice young man and his wife. Everyone else canceled at the last minute. I had already started the food and everything, so it's a good thing they came in so it didn't all go to waste."

She is mumbling and carrying on, so the man just rolls his eyes and walks out. He bursted out laughing and gives Marge a hug.

"Remind me never to annoy you, Marge. By the way, have you seen my wife this morning?"

"Oh yes, she is in Olivia's room. They had breakfast this morning and luckily went to her room just in time. I might be old, but I'm not stupid. That man is bad news."

After getting Olivia's room number, Troy heads back upstairs to find Amber so he can explain why it's a bad idea not to keep him informed of her whereabouts. Any number of things could have happened, and he would have been snoring away while it did.

She answers the door with little Alex bouncing on her hip, and at that moment, his future flashes before his eyes. The sight before him was incredible. Amber was laughing and smiling with Alex, her face glowing and happy. Trot looked behind them to see a smiling Olivia shift her eyes away from him. That son of a bitch downstairs sure did a number on this woman.

Hopefully, the little bit of help they gave her today will be enough to keep her resolved and moving forward.

"Baby, can we talk out here in the hall?" He nods his head in Olivia's direction and raised his eyebrows at Amber, letting her know that I know Olivia would not be comfortable with me in her room. She sets Alex down and he runs to his mom right before Amber steps out and shuts the door.

"Hi, I'm sorry I didn't wake you when I left, but you have been driving so much and looked exhausted. I figured if you hadn't woken up with all the noise I made this morning, that you really needed to sleep."

She needs to know how dangerous their situation is, but Troy does not want to come off as an overprotective asshole, even though he is.

"Amber, I went downstairs to look for you when I woke up alone; I was worried that something bad had happened. I ran into Olivia's boyfriend or husband, whatever he is, and he was pissed. He is showing people pictures of Olivia, hoping someone will say they recognize her and know where she is. Lucky for her, Marge is a fierce woman and knew he was bad news. She told him that she hadn't seen her and then started rambling nonsense until he left. I don't think he will come back here. However, she still needs to be careful. We both know he is an abusive asshole that will only hurt her if he finds her, but he might be willing to hurt anyone who is with her, as well. I hate to imagine what he would have done if he had found you both in the dining room. You wouldn't have let him take her and Alex, and he may have hurt you if you would have tried to stop him. I don't want you to feel like I am smothering you or that you don't have the freedom to make your own choices, but our situation is a little unpredictable."

Her eyes start to water, and she looks so worried, but he's sure that she's worried for Olivia and Alex, not herself.

"Baby, we have to be careful. Like Olivia, we need to lay low and not draw attention to ourselves. I have paid for Olivia and Alex to stay here for two weeks. When she is ready to check out; Marge is to give her an envelope that has five thousand dollars in it. I have also left her my phone number so she can call us anytime for help. Once we know that Jake has Tori, we can work on bringing down that organization for good, but for my peace of mind I need to be with you at all times."

Tears are running down her face, and he felt bad for scaring her, but her safety is his top priority. She steps closer so she can wrap her arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry," she whispers."

An apology seems inadequate, but that is all she could say. Running was not her life before monsters, the real kind anyway. She is not used to pretending, She is not who she was . Troy has had to make adjustments in his life to fit her in it, and she owes him nothing less. She knows he is worried for her and about her, so starting now she will try to lessen that burden for him. He has put his life on hold, but she had put him and herself in danger by not thinking. It would kill her if anything happened to him because of her, so starting from that day, she will do whatever he tells her to do.

Troy has gone out of his way to help Olivia even though they just met her last night. Who does that? Who gives a complete stranger five thousand dollars? I can't wait to tell her what he has done for her and Alex.

"I promise to be more careful and I know we have to leave soon, but can we tell Olivia before we go?"

"You can tell her, and I will wait in the hall. She doesn't seem very comfortable around me yet."

He kisses her head and whispers, "I love you, and I'm sorry I scared you, but I would break if anything happened to you."