Sweet Sacrifice : Chapter 4: Anniversary.

*Note*The following chapter may contain: Violence, bad language, and dark theme.*Note*

It's been a while. Two months? Well, this day was the anniversary of Anisa's baby being kidnapped. This was the ninth year. Her baby? It would be nine years and three months old. Same flashbacks haunted her on this very day. There was more than usual this time of year.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay with me?" Peggy asked Anisa. She seemed very concerned. The two girls have grown good friends over the past two months. Desmond and Anisa started "dating" well they weren't necessarily a "couple" They just shared a few dates, hugs and kisses, nights over. It never got serious. Anisa found that with someone looking over her, her flashbacks were reduced. She could feel safe in his arms. It was a temporary feeling, yet more than she got before.

"I'm pretty sure. I was being a burden anyway!" Anisa replied forcing a smile. It pained her to leave Peggy's company. They had some fun movie nights, Anisa always had food on the table, a bed to sleep, a friend to talk to. Luxuries never last.

Anisa picked up her baggage. Alistair, the mysterious man who she had talked to in the Butterfly Pavilion set her up an apartment. She met him once from the period of then and now. Shortly before this day. He manged to get him in the wrong direction. For a while. His plan was simple to him. Anisa didn't know why he was doing this, but he told her that they needed the right opportunity to get her son.

Suddenly Anisa was in between big arms. Peggy hugged her. Anisa was elated to have Peggy. To be able to call her a friend.

Today was a day where Anisa expected nightmares, flashbacks, probably a sort of "mocking" from him but he couldn't find her, so that one could be crossed off the list. Desmond invited her over to his apartment for a night over. Just what she needed. Distractions. Today, she was going to get herself so tired, that she'd be way too tired to dream, if that was possible. She hit the gym.

The building was big, blocky and the fee highly expensive. People would pay millions to get muscles and burn carbs, so she decided not to dwell on it. She wore an ordinary sports suit. A hoodie, tracksuit bottoms. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

She started with some basic warm ups with the radio to get her heartbeat up. She imagined every sweat that broke, was fear flowing out of her. Every muscle hurt was a sign of the weakness, she needed to work out on it. This small exercise was beneficial. She was cleansing her soul.

The treadmill was next, she did not last too long. Running was never her strongest point. She could run for a while but, it just got so tiring. Her heart was never prepared for it and her past injuries lef a mark. Swimming, cycling they were all okay, enjoyable even. But running was never a close first.

The next step she took was a bit of weights. Who goes into the gym and doesn't do weights? Fatigue crept over her so it wasn't a very long exercise.

She showered, eradicated the sweat and grime clinging to her body. "Man I stink." Anisa thought out loud as she reached for her shampoo. Her day ended with a brighter note. She got to be close to Desmond.

Desmond's apartment was quite big. White rooms with black or red details. It bothered Anisa how a cleaner earned so much money before, but he informed her that it was inheritance from his parents. Anisa stayed in a place like this before too. She wasn't poor, her family was filthy rich, so she "borrowed" some money. The cold irony that she couldn't live in one place forever taunted her.

The rest of the rooms looked alike. Clean, white, so not male like. They lay on his bed, arms in arms, watching several movies. Just popcorn, drinks, and them. He was wearing a bathing robe. Anisa wore a long gown.

After a while, Desmond pulled away from Anisa's embrace, he sat down, legs hanging over the bed. he buried his head in his hands.

"Stay one second." Desmond announced out of nowhere.. "I need to pee."

Anisa stopped worrying laughed at the remark. How.. romantic.

He came in a while later, wine bottle in hand and he set two wineglasses down on a nightstand. His robe was off, revealing his boxers. Anisa knew what was coming, she tried to talk it off but her body couldn't resist. She hadn't felt this needy for a man since her fiancee died. Now, it was almost a sin for her to have this feeling. Was this what he was thinking about earlier?

He fixed the wineglasses, but they weren't used. used. They lunged at each other. Both very aware of what was going to happen next. Wine wasn't going to be an excuse the next day. If this day wasn't the anniversary of her son's kidnapping, this would have never happened.

---

Anisa wasn't aware of her cuddling in Desmond's arms. He was sleeping away, she decided to do so.

Hopefully the flashbacks will leave me tonight.

How very wrong she was.

~~~ Less than 9 years ago ~~~

Anisa was deeply affected by her mother's words. They played out in her head. Over and over again. Each time the sound being twisted by her mind. Nothing sounded the same after a while.

Arriving at her house, she was welcomed by Tommy. Her husband to be, he read her expression almost instantly and let out the protective side he has.

"Hey Nisa! What happened? Are you okay."

Anisa explained what happened between her mother and herself. She heard him curse under his breath. "That old hag. The cheek on her.."

She remembered being cared and pampered for before labour. She saw moments of her life unwrap before her in a matter of seconds. How Tommy loved her, how she was his precious.

She remembered labour, how it hurt, but what the outcome was. She was elated when Olivier Thomas Taylor Hendricks was born.

Anisa always loved the name Oliver, she remembered she planted an olive tree when she was younger, so Oliver was naturally her favourite name since. She cherished that memory.

Tommy loved his baby son too. He loved Anisa's name choice, but living in France, they Frenchified the name. Olivier, was a lovely son, even reckless and sleepless nights couldn't stop their love for baby Olivier.

Anisa's baby son was turning 8 weeks. As she took him home from her long walk in the park. She knew something was not right. The front door was open. She held tightly onto her son. Surely it must be nothing. She told herself. What could happen to someone like Tommy?

Entering the kitchen her heart dropped, her lungs seemed to get rid off every breath she took. She stared at the horror in front of her, her husband-to-be. Laying on the floor. Anisa felt hot. There was, blood spilling, flooding the kitchen. Tommy was shot! Anisa screamed, picked up her phone, dialled for the ambulance but..

She was hit. A shot in the stomach. She fell on her back. Clutching onto her baby, her hands bloody. She scraped at her attacker. He took her baby. All her force available from her body came out.