A/N: Please Review.

Chapter 4: Memory

Memory, all alone in the moonlight

I can smile at the old days, I was beautiful then

I remember the time I knew what happiness was

I must think of a new life and I mustn't give in

All alone with the memory of my days in the sun

-Andrew Lloyd Webber / T.S. Eliot

“The stars are lovely tonight, don’t you agree?”

Melissa inwardly rolled her eyes as the man she was having dinner with kept babbling in what he seemed to think was romantic ramble. Alas, another man who thought he had his victim completely wrapped around his finger and positioned right between his thighs.

Usually she had fun with her dates, but not tonight. Tonight Melissa was bored with her current specimen and her mind kept shifting from thought to thought.

“Sorry, you’ll have to forgive me, I’m a bit out of it tonight, what did you say again?”

“Oh, it’s alright. What do you say we ditch this place and head back to my apartment? You know, break out the wine, and warm up to each other a bit?”

Melissa couldn’t help but snort. Warm up to each other a bit? More like wham-bam-thank you mam, which was how these types worked anyway, she scoffed mentally. Any other night Melissa would be ecstatic that her evening was going so fast, cut the small talk and romantic antics and get straight into the symphony of heavy breathing and friction of hips that drove men wild.

But tonight would not be a good night for a kill.

Tonight would not be a good kill.

With the way things were going, tonight she’d slip up, mess up somehow and leave some trace of evidence, and this was not something Melissa Banks needed to deal with. She couldn’t quite identify what was going on inside her head and what was keeping her from playing the game, but whatever it was, was cold and vicious.

“I don’t know Mark, it sounds lovely, but I’m not feeling too well tonight.”

“Aww, I’m sorry sugar, would you like me to walk you back to your place?”

Shrugging, Melissa couldn’t help but say yes, she didn’t really want to walk back alone, not with just her and her thoughts, not after a night like tonight, After all walking home together bought her more time with him which would help her to plan her attack, whenever the time for attack came.

“Sure, I’d like that.”

Pulling her chair back for her, Mark sweetly helped her into her black wool jacket, and took her hand in his. “It’s a nice evening for a stroll, anyway.”

Stroll? Who the fuck says it’s a nice evening for a stroll? Melissa’s patience was wearing and her head seemed to burst as if heading up for a migraine. For whatever reason she was extremely irritable and felt like telling Mr. Evans where exactly he could take his stroll.

The next twenty minutes went by in a sluggish blur as Mark rambled on and Melissa lost her thoughts in the bright lights of New York. This was why she had picked New York for her permanent residence; it was so easy to become overwhelmed and to lose yourself in all it had to offer. If she didn’t want to think there were plenty of distractions to immerse herself in to keep herself from bringing up the dead memories of her past.

However, sometimes not even the bright lights of New York could stop her mind from going back to those terrible last years in Kentucky.

The sky was beginning to darken as the first star of the night blossomed in the sky. The remnants of a sun kissed sky began to fade as the sun set, casting an ethereal pink glow around the small farmhouse. She was setting on the dock above the small pond on the outskirts of the farm, leaning into a warm chest and strong, supporting arms. Melissa was eighteen years old at the time, she was sitting outside watching the ducks swim and skim across the blue-green water, as her boyfriend of two years (off and on again) Rodney Briggs held her close.

Sighing into his chest she breathed in his warm scent of hay and aftershave. “It’s a nice evening, darling.”

“Sure is.”

“Of course, I love watching the stars come out, especially when I’m with such a pretty lady.” He playfully flicked her nose.

“Well, I must say I love the company of such a handsome man, Mr. Briggs.”

Melissa giggled as she lifted her chin to look Rodney in the eye. When she did so a hush fell between the two teenagers as Rodney gazed into her eyes. “I love you Melissa. I really, really love you.”

Melissa’s eyes formed questions as she stared up at her boyfriend. Seriousness had overtaken his tone and Melissa wasn’t sure where this was going. “I um…love you too, Rodney.”

“No Liss. I really love you.”

“Yeah…I love you…too…Rodney.”

“Melissa, no you don’t get it. I LOVE YOU. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Melissa rose in shock. “W-what?”

“I love you Liss. You’re so beautiful, smart, funny, and talented. I really cherish the time we spend together, and it’s times like tonight when I’m just sitting here holding you and everything around us is quiet and I’m reminded of how wonderful it feels to just be here with you, to just share this moment of solitude with only you. I want this forever.”

“Rodney, I have…no idea what to say. I’m only eighteen! There’s no way, Mama wouldn’t be very happy and I know Daddy wouldn’t approve. I’m too young Rodney.”

“We don’t have to get married tonight Liss. I’m just saying that YOU are the person I want to spend the rest of my life with, there is no more searching because I’ve found all I’ve ever wanted, I’ve had it for two years and I’m not going to let it go ever again.”

Melissa curled back into his arms. More than anything she wanted to trust in his words, she wanted this moment to last forever, the crickets chirping in the background, Rodney’s sweet embrace holding her close, the night sky basking in the final minutes of it’s pink glow, oh how she longed for this moment to last for eternity.

“Well?”

“What?” She fumbled, having been knocked from her silent longing.

“Is that what you want, Liss?”

Melissa was silent for a moment. Yes, she did want to spend the rest of her life alongside Rodney Briggs, but at the same time she wasn’t ready to sign herself over just yet. It was her senior year of high school and Rodney had all but completely devastated her heart before. She did love him, but she was skittish. She was so afraid of being hurt again and promising her heart to someone for forever and having that trust violated would not be something to easily overcome.

“I’m not sure Rodney.”

“What do you mean you’re not sure?”

“I do love you, more than life Rodney, but I can’t promise you forever. Not yet. Not now.”

“I don’t understand, I thought you loved me, I thought this was all you ever wanted. It’s all you harped about for months last year.”

“That was last year Rodney, and if you remember correctly you completely defiled my heart when I found out you were seeing Shonna, my best friend while I was in school.”

“Liss…”

“No, Rodney. I do love you, if I didn’t we wouldn’t be back together now, and do you have any idea how much it hurts me to have to play this game? How much it hurts to say ‘I don’t know?’ It kills me, because I love you and I want to say yes, I want to say yes for forever and never look back, but that’s never worked in the past. You’ve stomped on my heart so many times, I’ve lost count. I need proof that you’re going to stand by this time; I need time to see that you are truly dedicated to me before I open myself up to all of that again.”

“I really can’t believe you Liss. It’s been four months!”

“Four months? Four months? Try a year, Rodney. Four months is very small in comparison to the year I gave you in which you dated other people under my nose several times, not to mention some of them being my very best friends.”

“Liss, I’m over that now. I think I have proven to you how dedicated I am. I’ve been a different person, can’t you see that?”

“Yes, I’ve seen a change, a drastic change, otherwise we wouldn’t be sitting here tonight, but still it’s not enough time to know how everything will work out.”

“I can’t believe you still hold all of that against me.”

“I don’t hold anything against you Rodney, I forgive but I can’t forget. My heart won’t let me forget. It’s just a matter of time and trust. In time I’ll be able to give you all of me again, but right now I can’t do that.”

“I don’t believe you.” Rodney pushed Melissa from his arms and she went sliding across the dock. “All this time and I get this response?”

“All this time? Rodney we’ve dated on and off for a year and four months! And half of that time you were seeing other people! That’s not a lot of time.”

“I treat you like a queen for four months and spill my heart to you, sacrifice so many things for you, do everything you’ve always wanted, and I get this crap?”

“Love isn’t about ‘doing’ something to impress the other person Rodney.”

“Don’t even start lecturing me on love Melissa. I think I’d know it better than you anyway.”

Melissa staggered. What a low blow he had just taken at her, she was aghast at his statement. “Oh.”

“No, Liss, wait I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No, really it’s okay.”

“Liss. Liss. LISS.”

Melissa quickly stood and began to run from the dock. “Go away Rodney.”

“Melissa, damnit! Come back! Melissa!”

“Leave me alone Rodney.”

Melissa stomped back to her house; there was no way he had just taken a stab at her family. No way. Oh the audacity that boy had, to criticize her when she alone had been completely faithful to him and he couldn’t remain faithful for two weeks. So what if her parents were nil on the emotional scale? That still gave him no right to treat her that way. So what if her parents hadn’t been the token family of love and affection, what the hell did it matter when came to their relationship?

Melissa growled in frustration as she ran towards her house. A perfect evening ruined by another fight with her significant other-no surprises there!

Melissa’s eyes bugged out as she stumbled from her reverie. Ouch, her heart seemed to sear in protest as the southern night stewed in her memory. Her blood began to boil as the memory began to steam in her mind and before she knew it anger had taken complete hold of her conscience.

Gruffly and angrily she whipped around grabbing Mark’s collar with both hands and pulling him against her body. Menacingly, she shoved him against the brick wall decorating the alley they had just traversed. Fiercely, she shoved her lips onto his and began to roughly run her hands through his curly hair.

“Oh, Liss.” He growled. “I like where this is going.”

“Do you?” She whispered seductively, her hands slowly tracing his body down to where he had just hardened. Softly she began to trace his length outside of the fabric of his pants and slowly leaned into this body, purring into his ear. “I want to feel you. All of you.”

She watched as his eyes glazed with lust. His body thirsted for her and she thirsted for a night of thrills. Oh what a memory could do for you. Mark began to play back, running his hands along her back and then coming forwards to cup her breasts and tease her nipples with soft touches. “I want you hard.” He barked as he squeezed the tip of her breasts with his left hand while roughly running his right hand along her crotch. He trailed his hand along her opening until he came to her clit and began to tease it from underneath the fabric. “This would be a lot better if we were naked.”

“Can you make me pant, Mr. Evans?”

“Oh baby, I can make you do more than pant.”

“Oh can you?” Melissa thrusted herself onto him, rubbing and touching, driving his senses wild, while inwardly laughing at what she was witnessing and playing along with.

“I’ll be the best fuck you’ve ever had.”

Melissa laughed seductively, “Mmm you’re making me wet Mr. Evans.”

“I can do better than that Miss Banks.”

“Oh stop teasing me Mark.” She moaned, implying his touch was driving over the edge, oh how little did he know.

“We should go somewhere.”

“I know just the place.” She whispered, still tracing his length, fully erect and statute. “Follow me.” She smiled, as she quickly turned around and began to walk in the direction of the Forensics Lab. She had just the set up for a nice long soak.

In acid.