Happy New Year

---------------

Setting: New York, New York; December 31, 1999

Notes: Ack. Okay, I was really proud of this when I first wrote it... in SEVENTH grade. .< But, everytime I look at it I cringe, and find something wrong with it.

I had Andel (David Boreanaz) in mind while creating the main character, but he's nothing like him, pesonality-wise.

---------------

"Releasing this convict is a very consequential experiment, Mr. Patterson," warned the judge, "even if he is on his medication, it's an iffy situation."

"I know, your Honor, but this could be very beneficial if it proves successful." explained the psychiatrist.

"You mentioned that he would not be staying in jail, or the...hospital. Where will he be staying then? Under what observation?" questioned Judge Morris.

"There is an apartment..."

"An apartment?"

"There are security cameras with guards watching them in a room close to his. He doesn't know about them."

"Will that be enough? Is he free to roam the city?"

"There is a chip implanted in his spine. If he leaves the city, or gets too excited, a sharp electric current shocks his nervous system. It leaves him stunned, and in pain, but as soon as he goes back in city limits, or lowers his excitement level, the shock stops. He is aware of this chip and knows his boundaries."

"Still." argued the judge, "I've seen pictures, this is a big boy. Very muscular, very tall, he could hurt someone."

"I assure you, your honor, every precaution has been taken."

"Very well. I shall grant you a month, thirty days, to prove yourself ... and this experiment." Judge Morris decided, " but if it fails, so will you. Here are the papers you will need."

"Thank you, your Honor." praised Mr. Patterson.

"Oh, Mr. Patterson?"

"Yes..."

"Consider this your favour."

The psychiatrist gave half a smile and left the room.

***

It was around seven o'clock and getting dark. The crisp winter air felt refreshing in his lungs. The Christmas hustle was over, but New York was still alive with excited hearts, half-prepared for the New Millennium.

The institution's most interesting patient...yet today he was going to be set free, in a sense. You see, this is the patient the judge and the psychiatrist were contemplating earlier.

Thomas did not struggle because, as far as he knew, he was going to a 'home', and to college. He is just not that kind of person, you know? Thomas is a big boy, six foot two inches big, a very muscular build big. He is also a generally nice guy but having a passive aggressive personality makes him a person that you just don't want to be mixed up with. Thomas is also kind of handsome looking, with blue eyes and brown hair. He is a smooth talker and flirts with all the nurses. He would be in college, and doing great, if he didn't have a 'problem', because he is twenty-four and loves to learn. Thomas especially likes hands on work, from fixing an engine, to even sewing!

The men in white coats had a tight hold of Thomas Anderson as they led him to the taxi that would drive him away from the institution. Thomas plopped down on the middle seat of the taxi as the two men put Thomas' bags in the trunk. The men then entered the taxi on either side of Thomas. One of the men in white coats told the driver what apartment building to take them to.

The driver was a Hindu with a strong Indian accent. He looked in his late forties. His skin was tanned to a dark brown, although it was winter. He had a mustache and graying black hair with thick eyebrows.

They pulled up to the apartment building and one of the men stepped out to get Thomas' bags. The other paid the driver took Thomas out of the taxi and into the building.

They got in the elevator and went up to the thirteenth floor. Walking down the hall, Thomas noticed a girl coming out of one of the rooms with some other girl. Thomas stopped dead in his tracks, just staring at her.

The man stopped walking in front of another door further down the hall and put his hands in his pockets, fiddling for the keys to Thomas' room.

Thomas slid down the hall closer to the girls. Overhearing their conversation, he found out that one of the girl's names was Bethany. She was the one he wanted so badly.

Thomas saw Bethany and immediately fell in love. His heart stopped and his mind went blank. He found himself and realized he was staring at her, his mouth open. Knowing that he had to own this angel, he planned to kidnap her. He would follow her into the night. Overhearing her conversation, he would steal, no, take what was his at the New Year's party in Times Square at eleven o'clock.

"Come on, Thomas," one of the men said, the other had just arrived with his bags. He opened the door and gave Thomas a tour of the apartment. Thomas found it strange that this stranger knew his new home, but he just shrugged it off.

Thomas waited until the men left, and he bolted out the door. The girls were turning the corner to the elevator. Thomas checked to make sure his wallet was in his leather coat pocket. It was, and he was off.

Instead of taking the elevator as he suspected, the girls took the stairs. Thomas didn't want Bethany to know he was going to follow her, so he decided to take the elevator.

Outside, Bethany and her friend were waving down a taxi. Thomas walked up to the curb a few feet away from the girls and started waving for a taxi himself. After about five minutes, a cab pulled up next to Thomas. 'Damn!' he thought, 'Damn, Damn, Damn! But I can fix this situation.'

"Hey," Thomas called to the girls while opening the taxi door, "where are you headed?"

"Are you talking to us?" Bethany looked puzzled.

"The Salon Maxx, why do you care?" Bethany's friend remarked hastily.

"No way! That's where I'm headed," Thomas half-lied. He would be following them there anyway; "You wanna split this taxi?"

"Terry! See, I told you not everyone in New York is that bad." Bethany gave her friend a little slap for being so grouchy.

"Ah, yeah, sure." Terry said to Thomas grabbing Bethany's hand.

Terry got in on the far left; Bethany was in the middle. Thomas didn't know if he should sit in the front or in the back, but settled next to Bethany because the driver had papers all over the front seat.

"Where to?" asked the driver.

"Salon Maxx." answered Bethany and Thomas in unison. They looked at each other with small smiles, then looked away.

They pulled up to the salon and Thomas insisted to pay, but the girls paid their share. Bethany and Terry entered the salon and waved at some of the ladies working there. 'They must come here often.' Thomas thought as he, too, entered the salon.

"What'll it be?" one of the ladies asked while chewing gum.

"Oh, the latest style. Short and spiky, I think." suggested Thomas.

"Okay, do you want a shampoo and shave as well?"

"Yeah, sure."

Thomas was in the 'hospital' for half of his life so he had hair to his shoulders and a beard, about an inch long.

After his hair was cut and his beard was shaved, he actually looked like he was twenty-four. He was approachable now, and he actually looked like a college student.

"You like?" asked the hairdresser with a smile.

"Definitely." praised Thomas, gently touching his gelled hair.

They walked to the register and Thomas paid the lady, with a wink and a smile.

"So do you know when those two girls will be done?" asked Thomas.

"Oh, um, hold on. Gloria! Gloria, when are you going to be done with Bethany there? 'Kay. Hour an' fifteen minutes." answered the lady popping her gum.

"My goodness. What are they doing, getting full body makeovers?" said Thomas, to no one in particular.

The lady smiled and turned to the day planner.

Thomas got a taxi back to his apartment. He figured an hour was enough time to go home and change.

Thomas also thought he should get a car, but that would be later. First, he needed Bethany, then a car to show her off in. He changed into black pants and a stylish red shirt with blue, white, and black stripes across the chest.

He finished with twenty minutes to spare. He checked his hair; beautiful, put his keys in his pocket, put on the same leather coat and headed out the door.

Once again, Thomas was in a taxi headed to the Salon Maxx. He instructed the driver to stay because he would be back in five minutes.

Thomas walked into the salon and Bethany was standing there in a black dress that reached her ankles, it shimmered and wrapped around her back. 'It looks great on her.' thought Thomas. She was about five foot seven and had a medium build and the dress looked like it was made for her. 'She kind of looks like a cat,' Thomas imagined 'in all black with bright green eyes.'

Her friend Terry had a red dress that went to her knees. She had reddish orange hair and blue eyes.

Terry was about five foot six and slimmer than Bethany.

"That guy in the door is staring at you." Terry whispered to Bethany.

"Oh, be quiet," Bethany said looking up at Thomas, "He does look a little familiar, though."

"Maybe he's stalking you." Terry teased.

"Oh shut-up."

"Fine, fine. Whatever." Terry said calmly, still smiling about her joke. The girls paid the lady at the cash register. Thomas moved out of the way as Bethany and Terry left the salon.

"Oh look, there is a taxi waiting right here," the girls climbed in, "to Times Square." they called.

Thomas turned around and realized they took his cab, although that was better because he could follow them.

The two cabs pulled up a block away from Times Square. The crowd was large, full of Y2K late night partiers. It was eleven o'clock, the air was cold and it felt like winter, yet no snow could be seen.

Driving up to Times Square was like driving up to a huge light bulb, with all of the flashing lights, colorful billboards and lit up windows. Thomas felt as though he was a giant black moth attracted to this huge mass of color and light. It was mesmerizing, but he had to stay focused. Bethany was the light of his life, not this city or this event. It was just an opportunity, his opportunity.

"Are ya just gonna stand there, or are ya gonna pay me?" the taxi driver's harsh words broke Thomas out of his thoughts and into reality. Thomas paid the impatient driver and followed Bethany and Terry toward the crowd. Flags, lights and cameras could be seen on every other person. Music was playing from booming speakers set up on the stage in the middle of the crowd in Times Square.

Terry raised Bethany's arm and started dancing. "We're here to have fun, girl, come on!" Terry shouted, "Woo-hoo!" pulling Bethany through the crowd, towards the stage. Thomas followed close behind, but not too close.

After about half an hour of dancing, Terry was pulled on stage, by a cute guy, to dance with the performers.

"Have fun without me!" Terry called to Bethany, half sarcastically and half as an order.

Thomas thought this would be prime flirting time with Bethany. He checked his breath; yes he remembered to brush his teeth. He wiped his hands, now sweaty with anxiety, in his shirt. How would he approach her, what would he say? He had been planning this for hours and now that the time was here, he froze. 'Okay Thomas, be cool,' Thomas thought to himself, 'I can do this.'

Thomas walked up to Bethany with cool strides. "Hi." Thomas choked. Bethany didn't hear him over the booming music because she was watching Terry. 'Well, this isn't going to work!' he thought. Thomas took Bethany's small hand in both of his and, when she turned to him, he spoke, smooth and cool. "Hi."

"Hey..." Bethany replied through a smile. She was blushing and somewhat shaky because Thomas was flirting. That was the way he liked his girls.

"I..." Bethany choked on her words. Thomas smiled to assure her that it was okay for her to speak, "I thought I saw you at the Salon Maxx earlier."

"Yeah." Thomas replied, "I saw you too. I left my wallet there by accident and I went back for it." Thomas lied, although he definitely saw Bethany there.

"Kind of a coincidence how we met up here, huh?" Bethany stated, looking down at her hand in Thomas' hand.

"Yeah, like one of those nice, unexpected coincidences that you hope happens, and sometimes does." Thomas spoke so smooth, like his words were coated in sugary creams, and Bethany just kept eating them up. As Thomas spoke, he gently squeezed Bethany's hand, as a flirt, and a signal he was talking about her, about them.

The time was now eleven forty-five. The crowd was more alive now, with excitement. In the little time Bethany and Thomas had been there, the crowd had grown very large.

"They'll be starting the countdown soon, Bethany said looking at her watch, "fifteen minutes."

"Time flies when you're having fun." Thomas reported. 'Oh jeez that was smooth. Way to win her heart, Romeo!' Thomas thought to himself, rolling his eyes.

"So, what's your name?" Bethany tried to make conversation, to break the silence between them. 'Well, I guess I wanna know his name,' Bethany thought.

'Should I tell her?' Thomas thought, 'say something, or she'll think you're brain dead, or making it up. Lie. Cause you know she's gonna tell Terry.'

"Mark," he said. One of the nurses at the hospital said he looked like a Mark. "My name is Mark. What's your name?" he said this as if he didn't know.

"Um," she sounded as unsure to trust him. She looked up at Terry and she gave Bethany a wink, as if to say, 'go for it.' "Bethany." she said bluntly.

"What a beautiful name. Are you named after a Saint, or an Angel?" suggested Thomas with a sexy, flirtatious smile.

"Hardly, I was..." Bethany started, but was interrupted by the whole crowd joining in the countdown.

"Ten...nine...eight..." the crowd screamed. Bethany and Thomas joined in,

"Six...five...four...three...two...one...Happy New Year!" Thomas took Bethany's hand, without realizing it; she jumped into Thomas' arms, hugging him tight. Thomas returned the gesture.

Terry jumped down off the stage and ran to Bethany screaming, "Happy New Year!" they hugged.

"Beth, hun, I'm gonna be going over to Rich's house tonight, okay?" Terry said to Bethany, pointing to a guy behind her, "Will ya be alright without me?" she gave Thomas a quick glance.

"Yeah, you go on. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Bethany called as Terry pushed her way out of the crowd with her new 'friend'.

"Don't wait up!" Terry yelled.

Everyone in the crowd were screaming and hugging. Many people were still saying 'Happy New Year'.

"Well, I guess they were wrong about that Y2K bug thing, huh?" Bethany said looking at all of the lights on in Times Square.

'Boom!' all of a sudden there were brilliant lights of red and yellow behind Bethany. 'Pop!'

"Oh my God!" Bethany screamed, "What the..."

"Shh..." Thomas interrupted, placing a finger on Bethany's lips, "It's the fireworks. They delayed them in case the Y2K bug set them to go off when they weren't supposed to."

"Oh," it was all Bethany could say as she turned around to watch the fireworks. Thomas put his strong yet gentle arms around Bethany. Bethany didn't know what to do, but it felt so good in his arms she didn't want to move. Bethany wanted to close her eyes and just sway there with him, but she left them open so she could see the immense light show.

"The show is so beautiful, all of the lights..." Bethany started.

"But not nearly as beautiful as you." Thomas spoke softly into Bethany's ear, coming so close to her, she felt his warm minty breath. She smelled his expensive cologne and after-shave and the aroma of his leather jacket. His muscular arms around her shoulders, his chin now on her head. She wrapped her arms around his, realizing how cold it was, even though she felt so warm with him.

"You're shaking." Thomas observed.

"Yeah, I'm a little cold." Bethany admitted.

"Let's get out of here," Thomas suggested, "here's my coat, put it on." Bethany took it, feeling the warmth in the jacket from Thomas' body heat. The coat dragged on the ground because Thomas was eight inches taller than Bethany, seven with her heels. Thomas put his hand on her back as they walked through the crowd. Thomas signalled for a cab two blocks up from Times Square. Finally, one came within ten minutes. Bethany told the taxi driver her apartment because Thomas was to drop off Bethany first and it would seem suspicious if Thomas knew where she lived, although they were going to the same place.

"No way, that's the apartment I live in!" Thomas decided he could tell her that.

"Really, I haven't seen you..." Bethany started.

"Oh, I just moved in today, from out of town. I haven't seen you, either." Thomas lied again, although he did come from out of town.

"We're here." the taxi driver called, putting his hand through the hole in the fiberglass separating the front and back of the cab, waiting to be paid.

"On me." Thomas said reaching out to her chest to open the jacket. Bethany slapped his hand.

"Mark! What are you doing?" Bethany screamed, struggling to open the door on her side of the cab.

"Bethany! I was just reaching for my wallet." he explained, "Will you get it for me then?"

"Oh. In this pocket, right?"

"Yeah, on the inside."

"Here." Bethany handed Thomas his wallet. He paid the driver. Thomas got out of the cab and turned around to help her out.

"Sorry." Bethany said.

"Hey, don't worry about it. If I had borrowed your pants, cause I was cold, and you were reaching for the front pocket, to get your lip gloss, I'd most likely push you away." Thomas joked. Bethany laughed.

"There we go, there's that gorgeous smile." Thomas said taking Bethany's hand. They walked into the building and to the elevators. "What floor?" he asked this as if he didn't know.

"Thirteen." Bethany said reaching across Thomas to press the button. Thomas took her hand and dipped her down as the elevator lifted them.

"Get on my back," said Thomas as he knelt down.

"What?" Bethany looked surprised, but got on his back.

"Ding." the elevator door opened on floor thirteen.

"Whee! Ha ha!" screamed Bethany as she rode Thomas down the hall.

"What number?" asked Thomas, although he didn't care because he was going to ride her right to his room. Bethany said some number with a scream, but Thomas wasn't listening. Thomas took his keys out of his pants pocket, prepared to take her to his apartment at the end of the hall.

"Mark? Hello. Are you listening? Slow down, you past it." Bethany sounded a little more concerned.

"No I didn't." Thomas declared.

"Yes you did. I know where my apartment is, and it is back there." Bethany persisted.

Thomas stopped at the last door on the right and fiddled at his lock with the keys. Now scared, Bethany tried to get off Thomas, but he had a tight hold of her legs.

"Mark! This isn't funny! Let go of me!" Bethany screamed. She got so scared she started struggling to get off Thomas. She got one leg free as Thomas loosened his grip in one arm to open the door. Bethany was so afraid, she didn't realize he had her other leg. She tripped and fell flat on her face with a thud. Her leg was still under Thomas' arm and her body looked almost sickeningly twisted. Bethany was knocked out, maybe unconscious, by the fall.

"Oh Bethany," Thomas shook his head as he put his keys in his pocket and grabbed her feet, "You didn't have to struggle. I wasn't going to hurt you, not on purpose." He dragged her into his apartment and kicked the door closed.

***

"Hey Bob," one of the guards watching Thomas' room via camera said through a mouthful of ham sandwich, nudging the other awake, "he's home."

"Wha...what?" Bob said sleepily.

"My dear Lord, he's dragging a body..." the guard said dropping his sandwich, "C-c-call the chief on a 4-39er. Hurry!" the guard ordered, "I'll go check it out."

"Okay." Bob said picking up the telephone, hurriedly pressing digits.

"Bob?" the guard said heading out the door, "if he tries anything, you press that button, okay?"

"Yeah...yeah, okay." Bob said, "Oh, yeah chief? We've got a problem..."

***

"Bethany, Bethany, Bethany," Thomas sighed, "not like this. Why did you do this?" He removed his coat from her seemingly lifeless body and hung it up. He pushed her head to turn the other way with his foot and noticed an indentation in her skull where she had fallen earlier. Thomas figured she could be bleeding internally, he imagined her brain as mush inside her head. Just oatmeal sloshing around. He shuddered. Thomas knelt down and picked up her body, throwing her on the couch.

"I loved you!" he screamed, "Stupid girl!" Thomas had triggered the electric currents in his spine to jolt through his body. He collapsed on the floor next to Bethany.

A moment later, Bethany came to, feeling dizzy, yet remembering where she was and how she got there. She looked around for the door. It was locked from the inside and Thomas had the keys. She couldn't see him anywhere. She noticed the fire escape in a bedroom down the hall from where she was. Bethany decided to bolt for it, she jumped off the couch but something had a hold of her leg as she stepped across the room. It was Thomas.

"Nooo," Bethany moaned as she fell to the floor once more, knocking over a table. Thomas crawled across the floor towards Bethany. Bethany felt around for something to hit Thomas with. She screamed as he grabbed her by the hair pulling her head back. "Stupid girl," he whispered in her ear, coming closer.

'Smack!' Bethany had rolled over and hit Thomas with a statue that had fallen on the floor off the table. Thomas flew back, releasing Bethany to grasp the injured part of his face. Bethany scrambled to get up and threw the statue at Thomas again, for good measure.

"Stupid this, you stupid psycho!" Bethany screamed as the statue hit Thomas again, but this time in his left shoulder.

"Gaarh!" he growled, feeling the warm, sticky blood. Bethany fled towards the fire escape. She ran through the room and reached the window, scrambling to unlock the latch and open it.

"No..." Thomas got up and staggered towards Bethany, one arm out, stretched towards her.

Bethany let out a scream as she saw Thomas, and almost started crying until she heard a 'click'. The latch released and she pushed the window open.

Bethany crawled out onto the fire escape and into the cold chill of winter. She reached out for the rail, but something was holding her inside the room. Bethany turned around slowly, expecting to see Thomas there, but he was in the doorway of the bedroom. 'What's holding me back?' Bethany thought as her eyes came across her dress...caught in the latch. She felt her stomach knot and her eyes blur as Thomas stumbled towards her. 'No.' Bethany thought, 'Come on girl, you can do it, just unhook your dress, go on. Don't let Mark get you, come on, Bethany!' Bethany snapped to and reached back inside to untangle her dress from the latch.

Thomas smiled, "I knew you'd see things my way," thinking she was coming back in; back to him.

"No!" Bethany said firmly as she freed her dress from the latch, backing away.

"Bethany!" Thomas growled, diving for her, snatching her dress.

"Stop!" she screamed, pulling back.

"Bang!" a sharp pain pierced Thomas through the back on the right side of his chest, as he released his hold of Bethany's dress. Bethany shrieked. Thomas couldn't tell if it was because she hadn't seen anyone shot before, if it was the loud noise, or if she had fallen over the rail.

"In here!" the guard called to back-up as he ran into the room.

"Bring in the meds." another voice called.

Five people came in the room. Two in blue outfits with 'Paramedics' written on the back, they were rolling in a stretcher. As they lifted Thomas onto the stretcher, he made the sign of the cross, touching his four wounds.

His head where Bethany hit him, "In the name of The Father..." he choked through the oxygen mask. His stomach, where it was punctured by the latch when he dove for Bethany, "The Son..." he continued.

"Sir, keep your arm down." one of the paramedics instructed as they wheeled him out of the room. Thomas could barely hear. He touched his right side, where he was shot, "and The Holy..." Thomas coughed, sputtering blood as he reached to his left shoulder where Bethany threw the statue at him the second time. "Spirit, Amen...God Bless Bethany..." Thomas' arm dropped as he finished.

"Beep..." his heart monitor droned.

"He's not breathing!" one of the paramedics yelled as she started yelling medical gibberish to the other paramedic, grabbing at different medical instruments as they ran down the hall.

***

"I knew this would fail. I knew it would be trouble," complained one officer as he shook his head.

"Where's the girl?" the guard broke in, "Did you find the girl, Chief?"

"Girl, what girl?" the Chief questioned, "Tell me!"

"When Thomas came home, he was dragging a body, a lady's body..." explained the guard.

"How do you know it was a female?" questioned the Chief, clicking his pen and flipping open his notebook.

"She had long hair, and a dress. She was wearing his coat." The guard continued.

"It's all on tape," explained Bob, "I saw it everything, almost, it was awful."

"Lieutenant Smith," the Chief called to one of the crime scene investigators, "got anything on a girl?"

"No sir, Chief." called the lieutenant, "Wait, we've got a piece of black silk from the window latch, it doesn't match anything in here. And two samples of blood from the carpet, one is Thomas'."

"Looks like we need to check that tape..." the Chief reported.

***

There is no doubt that Mr. Patterson's psychiatric license was revoked. He could no longer work in that field of medicine.

***

Thomas was charged with first-degree murder because the jury felt that the tape of Thomas' room showed he was purposefully trying to kill Bethany, and pushed her out the window. There was no video proof, though, because there were no cameras taping his window. Bethany was never found, dead or alive.

---------------

Final Thoughts: Can you tell I read a lot of R.L. Stine books as a kid? d:

Let me know what you think. I may re-write this one day, because I like the concept, but it probably won't happen. s: