What If... Lana's Escape Failed?

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/37433260.

Rating: Not Rated

Archive Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Category: F/M
Fandoms: American Horror Story: Asylum, American Horror Story
Relationship: Oliver Thredson/Lana Winters
Characters: Lana Winters, Oliver Thredson, Sister Mary Eunice, Kit Walker
(American Horror Story), Johnny Morgan, Mother Claudia
Additional Tags: What-If, Lana doesn't escape, Briarcliff, just writing what I think would
happen, may be triggering, not ship fic, Pregnancy, Mommy Issues,
Forced Marriage, Forced Pregnancy, Horror, 1960s, Domestic Violence,
Childbirth, Breastfeeding
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-02-28 Updated: 2023-10-13 Words: 14,177 Chapters:
9/?
 What If... Lana's Escape Failed?
by Cicero_is_god

Summary

What would have happened if Lana was caught when she was trying to escape Briarcliff for
the second time with Mother Claudia? This is my exploration of how I believe the story
would have progressed if this had happened instead.

Notes

Hi everyone! This is the start of my 'What If' stories. I have always watched things and
thought, what if blah happened or what if a certain situation had gone slightly differently. So
this is me finally doing the thing and writing my own stories! Hope it's not too bad.

If you have seen AHS asylum (and you probably have if you're reading this), you know how
triggering the plot/characters/themes can be, especially with Lana's story. This is just my
warning that I will probably be writing things similar to what happened in the show in my
stuff. I am not doing it gratuitously (I hope!), it's just what I think would realistically happen
if things had gone differently. AND THIS IS NOT A SHIP FIC! I just put that relationship
tag to give fair warning that it kinda will be happening, but also not (you get my vibe?). They
aren't falling in love don't worry!!

Thank you! Hope you enjoy it!

 CHAPTER 1

As Lana walked behind Mother Claudia, down the staircase of the Briarcliff atrium, she saw
the two men talking at the bottom of the stairs. Shit, she thought. Please, no. Not when I’m so
close!

As she went further down the stairs, Lana’s heart began to race. She tried to step carefully so
as to not alert the men of her presence with the clicking of her high-heels. As she got closer,
Kit’s eyes flicked up to her face, realising what was happening after a second.

“But Lana… She – uh… She’ll never tell me where that tape’s at,” said Kit, trying to distract
Oliver Thredson, the most terrible man in existence. “I made her swear not to.”

Then Thredson replied, “Just talk to her. Try to get her to see reason.” Like I am the
unreasonable one!

As he finished his sentence, the doctor started to turn around to continue up the stairs. Kit,
knowing that Lana would surely be seen if he didn’t do something, grabbed Thredson’s
forearm and continued, “Yeah, well, what if she won’t? I mean… She can be pretty stubborn
when she wants.” Kit walked around the other side of the banister so that Thredson turned to
face him, away from Lana.

“She’s a spirited girl,” Thredson replied. Lana silently took a deep breath in as she passed
him. Please don’t see me. Please! “If anyone can reach her, it’s you.”

When she got down the steps, Lana tried to hurry towards the front entrance doors of
Briarcliff, no longer being careful about hiding the clicking of her shoes. I’m free! I’m almost
there! But then she heard the heavy footfalls of what sounded like a man walking towards her
from behind, and a firm hand gripped her arm and yanked her backward.

Lana stumbled back into the person clenching her arm, and she looked up horrified at the
menacing face of her worst nightmare. No! Please! NO!!

“Where do you think you’re going?” Thredson grimaced at Lana, not letting her go. She tried
to wriggle free of him, hitting his chest and arms with her fists, screaming obscenities at him.
The doctor grabbed her other wrist to try and stop her flailing, slowly tiring her out. Lana did
all she could to try and free herself from his grasp but he just tightened his grip to the point
that it was painful to struggle too much. “Guards!” he yelled, “a patient has just made an
escape attempt!”

Lana began to silently sob, realising that what was probably her last chance to escape the hell
she was in, had just failed. Four of the Briarcliff guards came around the corner and hurried
over to them. Sister Mary Eunice who had been in her office and heard all the commotion
had also just come down the stairs to see who was disturbing the peace in her establishment.
The guards immediately moved to apprehend Lana, one on each side holding her by the arms.
“What is going on here?” asked Mary Eunice to the group. “Why was there screaming? And
why is Ms. Winters not in her tunic?”

Thredson, with an evil look in his eyes, responded, “I have just caught Lana making an
attempt to escape, presumably with the help of Kit and the other nun over there,” nodding in
the direction of Mother Claudia.

With a wave of her hand, Sister Mary Eunice motioned for the other two guards to restrain
Kit as well. He tried to put up a fight but was instead tackled to the floor where one of the
guards rested his knee between Kit’s shoulder blades, holding him down.

“You are no longer needed here Mother Claudia,” called Mary Eunice to the elderly woman
standing near the doorway. “Please leave the premises. Jimmy will escort you out,” and with
that the man that was sitting behind the desk in the atrium stood up and opened the door for
Mother Claudia, leading her outside.

Turning to Lana and staring straight into her eyes, Mary Eunice spoke in a condescending
tone. “Tsk, tsk, Miss Winters. I thought that maybe you would have decided to not make
things difficult and start behaving, but alas!”

She then reached for Lana’s handbag and snatched it away, taking a peek inside at the
contents. She immediately withdrew a large tape that was within a sleeve and examined it,
the devil within her sensing its contents.

Mary Eunice then turned to the doctor who was eyeing the tape very intensely. “I believe that
this will be of some use to you, Dr. Thredson,” she said slowly, handing him the tape and
seeing him move it around in his fingers.

“NO!” bellowed Lana, as she began to cry uncontrollably. “YOU EVIL BITCH! HE’S
GOING TO KILL ME!” Lana screamed as she tried to break free of the guards and charge at
Mary Eunice, but did not get far with her dwindling strength.

“You monster,” Kit grunted from the floor, the guard on top of him digging his knee deeper
into Kit’s back.

“Take them both to solitary! And keep them separated,” Mary Eunice ordered the guards, as
she had grown tired of listening to the pair’s yapping. Lana screamed as she was led away,
but Kit just hung his head in defeat. Their one chance to see justice against the man who had
ruined both their lives was gone.

Once the two patients had been taken away, Mary Eunice once again turned to Oliver
Thredson, who was still slightly shocked that he was now in possession of the evidence that
could have damned him. “Do with that what you will,” the nun said, pointing at the tape.

“Yes thank you, Sister Mary Eunice,” he replied gratefully.

“Well, now that that’s been sorted, we’ll have to figure out what to do with our miscreants,”
Mary Eunice stated.
Dr. Thredson looked at the nun slyly, “I know what to do.”
 CHAPTER 2
Chapter Notes

Sorry I haven't updated in so long, I went backpacking!

That evening, Oliver went home and destroyed the incriminating tape, making sure it would
never see the light of day. He then thought long and hard about the intricacies of his plan to
get everything he wanted.

First, Kit Walker would have to go. Thredson had already put in the work; the police had his
psychiatric evaluation and taped confession. All the doctor had to do was alert the authorities
that Kit was in fact being held at Briarcliff. There was no need to pin his crimes on Dr. Arden
anymore as Kit no longer had any leverage over him now that the tape had been disposed of.

Oliver did consider that by doing this he would be jeopardising Sister Eunice for hiding a
known, dangerous fugitive. He thought however that she seemed like the type of woman that
was capable of handling the bumbling police, and if not... well he didn't really care.

So the next morning, detectives were alerted by the caring psychiatrist of Briarcliff that
bloodyface was being held at the facility, and that he was a danger to the patients at the
sanatorium. An hour later (pretty poor urgency Dr. Thredson thought), the whole blockade of
police cars showed up, officers and detectives running inside and demanding to be taken to
Kit Walker. Sister Mary Eunice had been extremely confused as to what was happening, but
when Oliver told her that the police had come to arrest Kit so he could stand trial, seeing the
glint in the real killer's eye, she understood.

"This way gentlemen, he is in solitary confinement."

As Sister Mary Eunice led the pack down the hallway of the solitary block, Lana, who was a
few doors down from Kit, looked out the grate on her door. She heard one of the doors open
and a whole lot of scuffling, then the clanging on metal. Putting two and two together and as
a last ditch effort, Lana screamed, "No! Kit! No! He's innocent! Oliver Thredson is the killer,
you have to believe me!"

Hearing Lana's wails one of the detectives chuckled looking over at the doctor, "What's up
with her?"

"She just doesn't like me very much," Oliver replied with a smug grin. As the group
continued down the hall, Kit in chains, with all the anger and hatred she had, Lana smashed
her fists on the metal door and bellowed out, "YOU EVIL BASTARD!!"
Dr. Thredson motioned to three of the orderlies to follow him as he strode back to Lana's cell.

"I will not have you acting like this, it is not good for the baby, you being so riled up," Oliver
said very sternly while looking at Lana's enraged face.

"As if you actually care," Lana said with venom.

Ignoring the remark, Oliver retorted, "If you do not calm down, I will have you restrained!"
Lana did not answer, but instead threw her shoulder against the door as if trying to break it
down.

"Right, get a straightjacket from that closet," commanded Thredson to the orderlies. Lana
backed into the corner as they opened the door, ready for a fight, but her strength did not last
long. Once properly restrained, the doctor looked at Lana thoughtfully and softly said,
"Besides, solitary is no place for a pregnant woman."

Lana could not decipher the expression on his face and looked back in confusion. Why was
this despicable man showing her kindess? When Lana noticed that he was slowly stepping
toward her while staring deeply into her eyes, she did the only thing she could think of and
spat in Oliver's face.

The orderlies immediately grabbed Lana and pulled her backwards. "Just take Miss Winters
to the infirmary and strap her down tight. But be gentle," Oliver called down the hall as Lana
was carried away. There it was again, this compassion for her. Where was it coming from?
Lana resigned to think about it later when she could lie down and rest the pounding headache
that she was getting.

Oliver watched the group of four round the corner as he wiped the saliva from his face with
his handkerchief. He had patients lash out at him before but he had never been spat on. Dr.
Thredson admired Lana's pluck, he had told her so himself, but he now hoped that their child
didn't inherit this much of it, otherwise he would have a long 18 years ahead of him.

***

"Ah, Dr. Thredson, please have a seat." Oliver walked into Sister Mary Eunice's office and
sat down at the chair in front of her desk. "Before we start I just wanted to say, that was
clever way to deal with Mr. Walker. I was a little confued at first, but no matter," the nun
continued with a wave of her hand, walking around her desk and towering over the doctor.
She gazed at him with a cold smile and then said in a somewhat threatening tone, "Do not
undermine me again."

Oliver stared back at her and nodded once, which was sufficient for Sister Mary Eunice so
she walked back to her chair and resumed her seat. "So what did you want to discuss,
doctor?"

"I wanted to talk about Miss Winters."

"Oh yes? What about her," Eunice replied gleefully.

"A mental institution really is no place for a pregnant woman."

"Well, she is here for a reason doctor."

"Yes, but does her condition not prove that she is making a recovery from her affliction?"

Eunice remembered that she had made that same point to Lana earlier, "I suppose so."

"Would it be a possibility to consider putting her in a more comfortable position?"

Eunice eyed Thredson carefully, "what are you suggesting doctor?"

"I believe it would be best for all parties for Miss Winters to be remanded into my custody,"
Oliver said slowly, gauging her reaction.

Eunice replied, "why you?"

"I can monitor her more closely and look after her at home," Thredson said, not being
entirely honest about his motivations. "Not to mention that she is the mother of my child."

The nun raised her eyebrows and looked at him with slight surprise, "so the baby really is
yours, huh?"

"Yes," the doctor replied, looking slighty embarrassed.

The nun looked at him for a moment, carefully considering what he had proposed. After a
while she came to her conclusion, "well congratulations Dr. Thredson! I don't see why there
should be any issue with your suggestion, I'll have the paperwork written up," said Sister
Mary Eunice as she stood up from her desk, indicating to Oliver that their conversation was
over.

Thredson stood up as well and walked over to the office door, opening it to leave when
Eunice called out to him, "although, I don't know if I approve of having a baby out of
wedlock. It's not a good look for our employees."

Oliver looked back at the nun and considered what she said. He hadn't really thought too
much about it, but he knew that the nun was right. It was a small town, and this kind of thing
might attract unwanted attention. "I will rectify it, Sister."

"Good. Well, I'll let you know when everything is ready," and with that Dr. Thredson left the
office and closed the door behind him.

When he was finally alone in the hallway, Oliver couldn't help but smile as his plan fell into
place.
 CHAPTER 3
Chapter Notes

Hey hey! Sorry if this is really bad. Enjoy!

As Lana lay in a straightjacket on a bed in the infirmary, she thought about how miserable her
life was. She had been here for about two weeks now (she wasn't sure exactly how long as
the days were starting to meld into one), constantly being watched by the nurses and nuns so
that she didn't try to harm the baby inside her. It turns out that Sr. Mary Eunice had told the
staff about her abortion attempt, so they were overly cautious and had not let her be
unsupervised and unrestrained simultaneously.

There was no news of Kit that she could gather. For all she knew he had already gone to the
electric chair.

Lana felt tears fall from her eyes for the third time today when one of the young nuns came to
her bedside with a large smile on her face.

"I have good news Lana, you're going home today!"

"What?" Lana replied, completely confused. "Has my family come for me? Are my parents
here? How did they find out about me?" Lana asked trying to figure out what was going on.
She had no home to go to now that Wendy was gone, and her parents had estranged her, but it
was the only logical explanation. None of it made sense, but the woman seemed to not hear
her questions as she turned around and was fussing with something Lana couldn't see.

The young nun faced Lana and was carrying a woven bag full of the items that Lana had
when she was wrongfully imprisoned all those months ago. One of the orderlies was standing
nearby as if waiting to help escort her out.

"Do I not need to change my clothes?"

"No, there's no need to, just follow me," the nun replied happily.

"I don't need to take off this straightjacket?"

"No, come on!"

"Okay," Lana muttered sheepishly. This was all so strange that she couldn't help but think
something bad was about to happen, especially with her luck. It was too good to be true, too
suspicious.
Lana got up from the bed and followed the nun out of the infirmary and through the winding
passages of Briarcliff. She noticed that the orderly was following them, his hand just
hovering on Lana's elbow as if anticipating an erratic reaction to something. As they rounded
the corner into the foyer, Lana saw Sr. Mary Eunice and Dr. Thredson standing near the
doorway chatting. Oliver was holding his briefcase and overcoat, appearing to be leaving for
the afternoon. When they noticed the approaching group, the two turned to face them.

"What's going on?" Lana said, more to herself than anyone else.

"Well doctor, here she is," Sr. Eunice announced gleefully. Still confused, Lana saw the
young nun pass the woven bag of her things to Oliver and everything suddenly clicked. It
now made sense why she was still restrained and being guarded by an orderly, they knew
how she was going to react.

"No! What's happening?!" Lana cried to the room. She tried to step backwards but had
already been grabbed by the orderly so she couldn't get away.

"You're going home with your husband, Lana. You are going to be a happy family," Sr.
Eunice answered with a malevolent grin on her face, as if she was very much enjoying seeing
Lana's hysterical reaction to what she just said.

"WHAT?! NOOOOOO!!! I WON'T GO!!!" Lana shrieked, fighting for her life to get away
from all of them. This couldn't be happening! But the orderly's grip on her was too strong and
she was overpowered easily.

Unbeknownst to Lana, Thredson had prepared a needle while she was distracted, now
plunging it into her neck to sedate her. "Shhhh, calm down... it's bad for the baby," he
whispered to her softly, holding the other side of her neck as he withdrew the syringe. Lana
crumpled toward the ground as the sedative started to work, but was picked up by the orderly
before she could hit the cold concrete.

As she started to lose consciousness, Lana heard at the edge of her awareness Sr. Mary
Eunice say, "Well Dr. Thredson, good luck with her. I hope the two of you will be happy."

And Oliver repied, "Oh, we will be." Then Lana felt herself being carried out the front doors
of Briarcliff, and the world went black.
 CHAPTER 4
Chapter Notes

I literally looked up Massachusetts marriage law for this lmao enjoy!

A somewhat familiar smell greeted Lana as she slowly awoke, she couldn't place it
immediately but it was not a welcome scent. She could feel that she was in a soft bed, her
wrists secured by restraints at her sides. As Lana slowly opened her eyes she tried to look
around the room, but she was still very groggy from having a needle shoved in her neck.
Lana suddenly remembered what had happened before she went unconscious, and panic set
in. Trying to slowly and unsuccessfully pull her hands free of the cuffs, Lana felt someone sit
on the bed beside her and firmly grasp her wrists to stop them moving.

"Good morning, Mommy," said a masculine voice softly. Lana immediately recognised it,
and her stomach dropped. She ripped her eyes open, fighting her muddled state to look at the
man leaning over her. As she stared into the face of the one person she feared the most in the
world, Lana was overcome with terror and began to uncontrollably cry. She couldn't believe
that after everything, her escape and all the effort of capturing him and getting a confession,
it had all led her back to Oliver's basement.

"Shhh, don't cry," he said to Lana as he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his fingers.
"Everything is going to be alright."

"No, no, why are you doing this to me, Oliver? What do you want from me?" Lana sobbed
trying to back away from him, but he was still holding her forearms down.

"We are going to raise our child, Lana. We are going to give him the unconditional love that
the both of us never received," he said matter-of-factly, never breaking eye contact. Lana
chuckled in a sarcastic manner thinking he was playing a cruel joke on her, but Oliver's
expression never faltered.

"You cannot be serious," Lana stated, continuing to stare at him, her fear being replaced by
total and utter confusion. "And how is that supposed to work without you killing me
eventually?"

"I told you that I have great determination when I have reason, Lana," Oliver replied. "I will
make this work on my end for the good of our son, you just need to decide what you're going
to do." He had a threatening undertone that told Lana that he would do whatever it took to get
what he wanted.

"I would rather die than have anything to do with you, Oliver," Lana growled at him, thinking
it was his luck that she was restrained.
Oliver hummed as he considered her bubbling anger. "I know, Lana, but you don't really have
a choice anymore." Leaning in so they were face to face, he gave her a warning, "You can
either be a good mother willingly, or I will make you."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"Well, as you are now legally my wife, there isn't much I can't do to you," Oliver taunted,
watching the shock come over Lana's face. "Yes, that's right, you heard Sr. Mary Eunice
correctly. All I had to do was get a license for a proxy marriage, so you didn't have to be there
for the signing. And the law is a little murky for incarcerated people, which being at
Briarcliff you sort of were as they hold criminals a well. It really was an ingenious idea of Sr.
Eunice. Anyway, in short, welcome home Mrs. Thredson," Oliver quietly laughed as he
watched Lana's mouth open and close, too stunned to speak. Oliver continued on, "And I
considered leaving you at Briarcliff, but we very well know that they send the babies born
there to St. Ursula's, so he couldn't stay with you there. And if I took him with me when he
was born then I would have to take him to and from work with me everyday so that you
could feed him, which isn't practical at all. So really my only option was to bring you back
home where you belong. We will raise him together, mommy, daddy, and baby; a happy little
family."

Lana was silent as she took in everything Oliver had just said. She felt like she was in shock,
her heart racing with a storm of emotions. She was so disgusted that she could barely even
look in his direction. While Lana was looking around and processing her thoughts, Oliver got
up from the bed and went over to one of the work benches. He was dressed very plainly in a
white dress shirt and black pants. Lana's eyes followed him and saw as he returned to her
bedside and sat back down that he was holding a bowl and spoon.

"What is that?"

"Oatmeal with honey," Oliver replied while mixing around the contents of the bowl. "I
thought you might be hungry for something that isn't Briarcliff mulch," he said as he brought
a spoonful towards Lana's mouth.

"What are you going to do, spoonfeed me?" Lana retorted incredulously.

"Well you're not trustworthy enough yet to have your hands unrestrained. I have learnt my
lesson."

"How do I know that it isn't poisoned," Lana asked, eyeing the oatmeal suspiciously.

Oliver did not respond and instead just stared at her as if to say 'really?'. He moved the spoon
closer and Lana had no choice but to open her mouth and accept the warm oatmeal. It was
smooth and sweet, she hated to admit it one of the better oatmeals she had in recent years.

"Good," Oliver whispered as he watched Lana slowly chew and then swallow, and he
prepared another spoonful.

Once the whole bowl was gone and Lana was feeling quite full, Oliver placed it and the
spoon on the bedside table then turned back to look at her once again.
They sat in silence for a moment staring at each other until Lana said quietly, "Why are you
being nice to me?"

Oliver looked at her pensively and then responded, "I have realised the error of my ways."
Lana felt him place his hands on either side of her waist. It was then that she noticed he had
changed her blue Briarcliff tunic for one of those frilly nightgowns that he had made her wear
before. She then was suddenly aware that Oliver was moving his hands down along her hips
and thighs to the hem of the nightgown where he started to pull it up. Lana started to squirm
and kick to stop him from doing whatever he was about to do, but she was still too weak and
tired to actually get him off her.

"Shhh, it's ok," said Oliver, trying to calm her down. As he dragged her nightgown up to
above her stomach, he looked at her skin and seeing the slight bump already showing, let out
a sigh. "Our baby boy will be so beautiful," he said softly. Oliver looked back up at Lana,
who was now letting her tears fall silently, and genuinely smiled, completely unfazed by her
distress.

Lana watched as Oliver held her tummy and leant down to kiss where he knew the baby was.
As she felt him place several long kisses around her abdomen, Lana scrunched her eyes in a
grimace of discomfort and clenched her fists while more tears fell down her cheeks. After
what felt like the longest minute of her life, Oliver finally sat back up, but not before running
his soft hands over her stomach once more.

Oliver pulled Lana's nightgown back down again and looked back to her face, seeing the tear
tracks running from her eyes. "You'll get used to it," he muttered with a poor attempt at
sympathy. "I need to go to work, be good while I'm gone."

And with that, Oliver got up from the bed, picked up the bowl from the bedside table and
made his way to the basement stairs. He looked back at Lana a final time before turning off
the light and heading upstairs, leaving her alone in the darkness.
 CHAPTER 5
Chapter Notes

Sorry for the wait for this chapter. Enjoy!

Later that day in the evening, Lana awoke to the sound of the front door slamming upstairs.
Oliver was back, and that immediately filled her with dread. There was not much to do for
the long hours that she was alone in the darkness, so between sleeping Lana had been going
over the course of action that she would take.

Lana was pretty powerless to change her situation at the present time, still being restrained
and all, but even then, she knew that Oliver would not make the same mistakes that he had
made before. It would take time to truly earn his trust again, but she would do whatever it
took to keep herself as safe as she could possibly be. Even if it took years of having to force
herself to do unimaginable things to keep Oliver placated, Lana would not give up; she will
eventually get her freedom again.

After listening to the trudging footsteps from upstairs for half an hour, the door to the
basement opened and he came down the stairs and turned the lights on. Lana squinted for a
few moments letting her eyes adjust to the harsh white light. She smelled something
heavenly, like a roast with vegetables. When she heard metal clanging, Lana looked over at
Oliver who had just placed two plates on the metal bench and was retrieving a manacle from
underneath it.

Lana drew her feet up towards her chest away from him, “Don’t you dare chain me, Oliver!”

“I am trying to give you some freedom, Lana,” Oliver sighed. “Stop being difficult.”

Lana scoffed, “And how is chaining me down giving me freedom? Are you really that
delusional?”

“I was going to untie your hands, but not without this,” he replied waving the ankle cuff in
front of her. “So what is it going to be?”

Lana death stared him for a few seconds before conceding that it would be better to have her
hands free. “Fine!”

She closed her eyes as she was overcome by traumatic flashbacks when she felt Oliver close
the cold metal around her left ankle and secure the other end to the leg of the bed near her
head. Then she felt the restraints on her wrists being loosened and her hands were free. As
Oliver backed away towards the bench again Lana sat up, rubbed her stiff arms and stretched.
When she saw him watching her, Lana barked at him, “What?”
“I thought we could be civil and have dinner together,” said Oliver. He rounded the bed with
the two plates and sat down on the other side. Lana noticed that the chain on her ankle was
much shorter than the one from last time so she could not reach for him even if she tried. He
really had thought of everything.

Oliver slid Lana’s plate across the bed to her and tossed a spoon in her direction, being
careful to not get within arms reach of her hands which would try to strangle him if given the
chance, he was sure. Lana looked down at the plate and saw it was indeed a roast with baked
vegetables.

“You’re really making me eat a roast with a spoon?” Lana said incredulously.

“Well I’m not giving you a knife and fork to skewer me with,” Oliver responded sarcastically.
“I’ve cut it up for you.”

Lana gave him one last look of hatred before taking the plate of food and spoon and putting
them in her lap. She took a bite of the roast beef and was amazed at how tender and
flavourful it was.

“Where did you learn to cook this?” Lana asked curiously.

After swallowing, Oliver replied, “Well I have lived alone for over a decade, Lana, and I
haven’t starved yet.” He paused and looked at her. “I also tried a lot of those recipes you used
to write for the gazette. Some of them were quite good. I hope you will enjoy making them
for our family when I can trust you enough to be in the kitchen.”

Lana rolled her eyes, returned to her plate and huffed. “After everything I fought for and
went through… just to end up in a man’s kitchen.”

“Well it is a woman’s role, Lana,” Oliver retorted. He couldn’t believe that they were about to
have a political argument of all things.

“Of course you’re a misogynist too,” Lana sighed continuing to pick at her dinner.

“No, I have a lot of respect for women.”

“Oh yes that’s why you murdered and skinned them!”

There was silence. Lana and Oliver hatefully stared at each other for a moment before he
looked back down at his dinner and quietly said, “that’s just the way it is, Lana,” clearly
ending that conversation.

They continued to eat the meal without speaking for another ten minutes. Oliver finished his
plate first and decided to watch Lana eat the meal he had made for her. It filled him with a
warm feeling inside that he couldn’t place. He had never felt it before.

Once Lana had finished too, she pushed the plate back towards Oliver and looked at him for a
moment intently.
“You can’t keep me in this basement, Oliver. It probably isn’t good for the baby, as I’m sure
you’re aware,” Lana said, using his own reasoning against him.
He considered this for a moment then replied, “I know, I’m working on it, Lana. I just need to
put all the potentially hazardous objects out of your reach,” giving her a little mocking smile.
“I also need to set you up with an obstetrician. We conceived him in early December, so that
would make you about four months pregnant. It’s about time we got everything
professionally checked to make sure he and you are healthy.”

Lana hummed to herself, trying not to break down from the crashing realisation that this was
real and was her life now.

Oliver continued, “And don’t even think about acting up when we go outside, you might not
like what I’ll do,” he growled very threateningly. Lana hung her head in sadness, and as she
looked hopelessly down at her stomach, Oliver took the opportunity to wearily inch closer to
her. Lana looked back up at him, shocked, when Oliver suddenly took her hands in his,
running his thumbs over her knuckles in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture. She
tried to pull her hands out of his grasp in disgust but he held her there with a firm grip. He
stared deep into her eyes and did not break the eye contact. “Now, Lana, it will take time for
you to earn my trust and for me to also earn yours, I know that. I will provide for you and
make sure that you are comfortable. We both know that we have not always got along very
well, but if you give it a go and learn to accept me, I promise you, you will be happy.”

Lana could not believe that this man was such a delusional idiot. Did he really think that they
would be able to find some semblance of happiness together after all he had put her through?
Lana continued to stare at him with disdain while her mind was racing, but she knew he was
testing her, and not reacting in a negative way would take her one step closer to getting out of
here for good. Lana stayed still as Oliver’s left hand let go of hers and reached towards the
back of her neck; she tried to keep calm, unsure of what he was doing. He pushed himself
onto his knees in front of her and pushed her head toward him. As Lana leaned forward,
Oliver brought his lips to her forehead and planted a kiss there. She closed her eyes and
mustered all her willpower to not react and elbow him in the face. Even though he had made
it clear that he had no intention of killing her anymore, Lana still had no idea how Oliver
would react with his still unhinged mindset if she tried to defy him. He withdrew and gazed
down at her face, moving his hand to hold her cheek. Lana opened her eyes once more and
looked up into his pitch-black ones searching for some sort of rationale, what he was doing
was madness, but there was no soul behind them.

As Oliver brought his other had up to cup her face, he softly said, “You’re beautiful, Lana.”

Lana started to feel very uncomfortable and sensed what was coming, but she decided to do
nothing and let him do it. She didn’t really have a choice.

Oliver leaned in closer, looking between her chocolate brown eyes and her lips, “Please, let
me love you.”

When Lana did not say anything, Oliver took that as all the permission he needed and
tenderly kissed her.
It took all Lana had to not throw up her dinner right then and there. She never would have
expected this to happen in a thousand years, but here she was. After what felt like an age,
Oliver pulled away and smiled down at her, looking pleased with himself. He stood up from
the bed but not before gently running his thumb over her bottom lip. Lana knew she had
passed this test. Oliver collected the plates and cutlery before heading back upstairs, looking
at Lana dotingly the whole time.

Once he had gone, Lana finally let everything spill out, she would not give Oliver Thredson
the satisfaction of seeing her tears ever again. But no matter how awful it was for her, Lana
thought, she would do whatever it took.
 CHAPTER 6
Chapter Notes

Enjoy everyone! Also tw for sa/VERY dubious consent!

After a few weeks, Oliver decided to move Lana upstairs. She had been behaving herself and
he thought to reward her by taking her out of that dank basement. Oliver also did not like
being down there any more than Lana did; it was a place that held painful memories for both
of them.

He insisted on cuffing her hands while they walked through his house, just in case Lana tried
to grab anything, but she did not even attempt to resist. Oliver decided to also give Lana a
little tour of the house while he was at it. He showed her the lounge area, kitchen, bathroom
and the two spare bedrooms.

“What do you mean spare bedrooms?” Lana questioned. “Where am I staying?”

Oliver only responded, “this way,” and she was forced to follow him.

He led her to the hallway that Lana went down the first time she was here; the hallway where
she found the workshop containing his ‘hobby’. But this time they went to one of the doors
that was locked on that fateful night so long ago.

“Here we are,” Oliver declared, nudging Lana through the door first. He followed her in,
closed the door behind him and leaned back against it, effectively blocking the only escape
route. He then undid the cuffs on Lana’s wrists and allowed her to look around the room. The
walls and furnishings consisted mostly of brown hues with not much other colour. The
furniture was simple: built-in closets, a double bed facing the door, and a little bedside table
on each side, both with a lamp and drawers. Lana also noticed that the door to the ensuite
bathroom off to the left was open. The room had a very distinct masculine scent to it and the
space looked like it was lived in, unlike the other rooms.

Lana turned back around to Oliver and shakily said, “this is your bedroom.”

He stood up off the door and approached her, putting his large hands on the sides of her
shoulders. “It is our bedroom now,” he replied with a somewhat kind smile.

Lana’s stomach dropped at the idea that she would have to share a bed with her worst enemy,
but she was able to keep her composure and feign a look of gratitude to not make him
suspicious.

Still holding her, Oliver’s eyes flicked to the bed and back to Lana before saying to her, “let’s
sit down. I have a present for you!”
Oliver placed his hand on the small of her back and gently pushed her towards the bed. She
nervously sat down on the edge and he joined her on her left.
Lana looked at her hands and started to fidget, not knowing what to do other than look
around the room. Oliver reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small rectangular
box and placed it in her hands. He watched in silence as Lana’s shaky hands fumbled but
eventually opened it, revealing a small, plain silver ring. She stared at it for a few seconds
before Oliver said, “I wanted to make it official,” taking her left hand firmly and slipping it
onto her ring finger. “I hope it fits well,” he added looking back into Lana’s face.

Forgetting the company that she was in for a fraction of a second, Lana let slip and
overwhelmed, “Oh god.”

“What?” Oliver retorted. She could feel his anger simmering as if even her small comment
was a massive act of defiance. Lana continued to stare at him as it became more evident by
his facial expression that his wrath was growing. Unsure of what else to do, she turned and
placed the box on the bedside table next to them then faced him once again.

“Thank you, Oliver,” Lana gushed, trying to back pedal, putting her hand on his knee. “That
was very thoughtful of you.”

The look on his face did not change, and so in an effort to calm him, Lana leaned in slowly
and kissed the man she despised. Oliver’s demeanour changed immediately, and after a slight
moment of surprise he kissed her back with a passion that he barely knew he possessed. He
moved one of his hands to the side of her face and the other to her waist so that he could pull
her in and lean more deeply into their kiss. Lana felt frozen in shock, but knew that if she did
not reciprocate Oliver’s feelings, she would surely feel his rage, and so she did not recoil in
disgust like she wanted to when she let him slip his tongue into her mouth. She tried to show
her ‘enthusiasm’ by moving both her arms around his shoulders and her hands to the back of
his neck to rake her hands through his jet-black hair. She breathed in his smell of cologne and
noticed that he tasted like cigarettes and whiskey. As his tongue lightly touched hers, Lana
had to admit to her self that Oliver’s lips were a lot more delicate than she thought they
would be. They reminded her of Wendy’s, which was the smallest of comforts.

Lana then became acutely aware that Oliver had guided her to lie down on the bed with him
leaning himself on top of her smaller body, trapping her underneath him with his body
weight. He brought his left thigh up between her legs to rest at the spot that he knew would
bring her pleasure if correctly stimulated. Oliver removed Lana’s hands from around his neck
as he continued to kiss her, and brought them down to either side of her head, lacing their
fingers together. He started to carefully grind his leg against her, trying to not be too rough or
eager so as to not hurt her. Lana broke the kiss and forced herself to let out a small moan as
she felt herself getting wet. Oliver kissed along her jawline to her neck then along her
collarbone before finding his way blocked by her nightgown. He removed his hands from
hers and reached down to pull the garment off over her head. Once the obstacle was removed
Oliver looked down at Lana’s naked chest displayed before him and sighed as he
remembered how much consolation it had given him in the past. Unable to restrain himself
any longer, he brought his face down and enveloped one of her pink nipples in his mouth. As
he lightly sucked on the firm peak, Lana arched her back up into him and Oliver hugged her
waist in support. He growled against her with satisfaction and she felt it vibrate through her
body making her even more aroused. It was at this point that Lana noticed his hardened
length grinding on her thigh making her grimace as if in pain, but he was too absorbed in her
breasts to notice.

After a minute, Oliver was ready to go further and so he reached a hand down into Lana’s
panties to test if she was ready too. Pleased with what he found, he plunged two fingers into
her core while circling the soft button with his thumb, also caressing the sensitive spot inside
her. Lana let out another moan, this time genuine as she could not contain the unwilling
pleasure that she was feeling and gripped his shoulders for something to hold onto.

Oliver watched Lana’s face be overcome with a look of shame and crooned, “I know you’re
enjoying this, Lana, there’s no need to hide it or be embarrassed.” She did not argue with his
statement and just turned her face away. He removed his hand and examined the juices left on
his fingers before licking them clean with a deep, “hmm.” Oliver then removed his glasses
placing them on the bedside table and quickly took off his shirt and pants, needing to be as
physically close to Lana as he possibly could, also tugging her underwear down her long legs
so that they were completely bare before each other. Lana looked back at him as he climbed
back onto the bed and spread her legs further apart, settling between them.

When she saw his obvious arousal, panic coursed through Lana’s body as she instantly
regretted her decision to play along with Oliver’s whims. As she tried to back herself away
from him, he speedily crawled after her, grabbing her wrists and resuming his position.

“I can’t do it, Oliver! Please don’t make me do this,” Lana sobbed, but not letting any tears
fall.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay,” Oliver whispered against her ear as he nuzzled into her neck. “You can.
Just let me. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to be with you this way again.”

Lana gathered all of her mental strength she had and nodded. Oliver sat up slightly on his
knees and positioned his hardened length at her entrance before slowly pushing himself all
the way inside her.

“Ah,” Lana winced in pain as she was uncomfortably stretched and closed her eyes, not
wishing to look at the man above her. Oliver groaned with pure ecstasy into her neck, trying
not to go over the edge immediately. Once he had regained control of himself, he began to
pump into her at a steady pace, gradually building rhythm. He could feel her wetness coating
his shaft making it easier to slide into and out of her. Lana forced herself to start rolling her
hips, matching his tempo and was almost sick at the sopping sounds that their bodies were
making. Oliver once again entwined his fingers with hers, and upon noticing that she had
closed her eyes, commanded, “look at me, Lana.” Her eyes snapped open and she stared up
into his which were full of admiration for the mother of his child. He leaned down and kissed
her hard again, biting her bottom lip with aggressive need.

Oliver continued to go faster, and Lana felt her body being jerked over the blanket beneath
her. His deep thrusting was no longer hurting her and instead she just felt a slight discomfort
at being filled so completely.
“You’re so tight,” Oliver moaned, not considering that maybe Lana was not enjoying this as
much as he thought she was. He was not very experienced, and so it didn’t take long before
he felt his release pooling in his groin. Right as he climaxed, Oliver pounded as hard as he
could into her; Lana hissed as he inadvertently hit the sensitive nub above her entrance. He
spilled himself into her core before collapsing on top of her in exhaustion. Lana could feel his
heart racing in his chest and even though he didn’t get her to her release, she was grateful that
the ordeal was finally over. Oliver exhaled and pulled his softening cock out of her, letting go
of her hands and settling to lean on his side to look down into Lana’s face. He brought his
free hand to her cheek so that she faced him and he kissed her spent lips one more time.

“I love you, Lana,” Oliver confessed gingerly, waiting for her reply. When she did not say
anything back and instead turned her head to look away, he suddenly snatched her jaw and
forced her to look back at him, her face starting to hurt from his grip.

“I love you too, Oliver,” Lana managed to squeak out and he let her go.

Still irritated from her unsatisfactory return of affections, Oliver got up and went to the
ensuite to have a shower, slamming the door behind him. Lana, who was now shivering from
not just the cold, crawled under the covers, turned away, and cried herself to sleep.
 CHAPTER 7
Chapter Notes

Sorry it's been so long! I just got really busy with the holidays and work. Anyway, enjoy
this new chapter!
Tw for SA and domestic violence

A few months passed and Lana was almost ready to give birth. Oliver had been so pleased
with her good behaviour every time he took her to the obstetrician, that he allowed her to
come out with him to buy things for the baby. She picked out little clothes that she thought
would be cute and suit a baby boy (it had been confirmed on one of the doctor’s visits that
they were indeed having a son), along with some bottles and toys. Oliver had made the spare
room next to theirs into a nursery and decorated it in blue things he thought a boy should like:
boats, cars, and dinosaurs. A cot was also purchased and placed in the middle of the room, at
present it was filled with baby blankets and swaddling cloths.

Lana was awaiting her son’s arrival as he had become her only good company and joy in her
miserable, lonely life. She would talk to him throughout the day when she felt him kick, and
it gave her some sense of comfort. There was still the black cloud over her excitement that
was Oliver, as the baby was not just a part of her, but also a part of him. She also could not
stand being pregnant and was tired of all the aches and pains that came along with it. Oliver
had let up a little bit with his demands of sexual gratification from Lana, it being so late in
her pregnancy, but he still needed it at a few times a week rather than every day. Lana would
dread those nights when he would put her on her hands and knees and take her from behind,
but she still had no choice but to comply. She had earlier begged him to stop having sex with
her on her back as the weight of the baby was starting to hurt, hoping that it would stop all
together for the time being, but Oliver just found another way. At least this allowed her to
hide her face from him. Lana was also now used to sharing a bed with her captor but still
cringed every time he held her and pulled her close to him, which was all the time. While
Lana had thought it best to stop physically defying Oliver, she had not given up on her quick
quips from time to time, occasionally earning her a swift backhand across the face. Oliver
had started hitting her as he knew that in her condition, he could no longer physically
discipline Lana in the ways that he used to.

Lana had not given up either on her dream of eventually escaping the hellhole she found
herself in. In the days after her release from the basement, after Oliver had gone to work,
Lana checked every door and window to the outside each day, but they were always locked.
After two weeks of this routine, she had slumped onto the sofa in defeat. Lana did not dare to
try and pick the lock in case it didn’t work, knowing that if Oliver came back in the evening
to find undeniable evidence of an escape attempt, she would never see the light of day again.
Lana also was constantly feeling sluggish due to the pregnancy and had to rely on the man
she despised more and more every day. She knew she would not make it far enough on foot
to ensure a good chance of freedom. So she sighed and decided to wait it out, however long
that may be.

Oliver had also started encouraging Lana to cook under his supervision. She was allowed to
make simple meals, but whenever anything had to be cut up, he would take over; she was not
yet allowed anywhere near the kitchen knives. But Lana was slowly improving her skills, still
sometimes burning things through no fault of her own. On one occasion she had been
cooking steaks in a pan when she felt Oliver come up from behind, wrap his arms around her
middle and greedily kiss her neck.

“No, Oliver,” she said, trying to get out of his grip. “I’ll burn our dinner!”

“I don’t care,” he had growled in return as he pulled up her dress.

As Lana squirmed in an attempt to get away, she said firmly, “No, Oliver! Stop!”

But he didn’t respect her wishes and instead forcefully bent her over, pushing her face into
the countertop and had his way. When he was done, he kissed the back of Lana’s neck,
whispering “good girl” against her skin. Oliver stood back up and went to their room to
change, but not before roughly smacking her on the bottom. Lana winced from the pain and
humiliation, but continued to prepare their meal as she didn’t want to truly anger him.

As they sat together at the table eating dinner, Lana had asked, “Why did you do that,
Oliver?”

He stared at her for a moment before returning to his plate, saying nonchalantly, “You
shouldn’t resist me, Lana. I am also your husband and am therefore entitled to take what you
owe me.”

“You know that I am more than happy to be with you when we are in bed,” Lana retorted,
although that wasn’t entirely true on her part. “I will not stand for it in the kitchen like some
animal!”

Oliver looked at Lana carefully and then nodded slowly, “Fair enough. I’m sorry.”

And it never happened again. That was the first time that Oliver had ever apologised to Lana
for anything, and it gave her hope that maybe she was getting somewhere with the maniac in
front of her.

***

On a cool night in early September, Lana was awoken by the worst pain she had ever felt.
Throughout the day she had been experiencing what she suspected were contractions, but she
had had those phantom ones before and didn’t think much of it. She slowly got up from the
bed and made her way to the bathroom, clutching her stomach. She turned the light on in the
bathroom and went to vomit in the toilet from the excruciating pain. Lana panted as she sat
with her back against the bathtub and the feeling subsided. She started to feel a liquid trickle
onto the floor before she was overcome with the pain again a few minutes later.
Hunched over and groaning, she called out to the only other person who would hear her,
“Oliver!”

After a few moments, he came rushing into the bathroom and crouched next to Lana,
grabbing her hand. “What’s wrong?”

“I think the baby’s coming,” Lana managed to squeak out before she screamed.

Oliver went into doctor mode and instructed her to breathe like they had practiced while he
grabbed things for the hospital. When he came back into the bathroom fully dressed with a
bag over his shoulder, he helped Lana off the floor and walked her to the car, only having to
stop once when another contraction came.

Once at the hospital, Lana’s legs were too shaky and weak to walk so Oliver had to bridal
carry her to the bed the nurses had brought to meet them. Oliver luckily had booked a
hospital bed weeks ago at the recommendation of the obstetrician and called ahead from
home to let them know they were coming. Upon being examined by a doctor, Lana was told
that she would probably have the baby within two hours. Oliver was playing the part of a
doting husband, making sure Lana was alright and comfortable. He was over the moon and
could only count down the minutes until he would be able to hold his child. When it was time
for Lana to start pushing, Oliver was kicked out of the room and told to wait outside; the
fathers were not allowed to be in the delivery room. As he stood in the hallway, all that he
could hear were Lana’s screams of agony. He could not stand the sounds of the woman that
he cared about being in pain. Oliver did think that he was truly in love with Lana, although
she would disagree and say he was not capable of love. Oliver shook the thought from his
head and contented himself with the thought that he would soon have a family of his own.

As Lana pushed, she felt like she was being ripped apart. She had declined the painkillers the
nurses offered her, wanting to be in full control of her body. Lana screamed for the nurses to
get the baby out of her, but they just told her to keep pushing and that she was almost there.
The moment the cries of a baby met her ears and the pain stopped, she felt like she was in
another dimension. Lana started to close her eyes, she heard a doctor in the distance shout,
“she’s losing a lot of blood!”

All Lana wanted to do was let go, hoping that her hell would end and she would go to a better
place. She felt the life slowly leaving her body, so at peace, and everything went black.

***

Lana opened her eyes to sunlight coming in through the window next to her bed, slightly
disappointed that she had not died. She began to stir and felt a large hand on hers, she turned
her head to the right and saw Oliver sitting in a chair by her bedside. A look of relief came
over him when he saw that the mother of his baby was alright and awake.

“I thought I’d lost you there for a moment, Lana” he said softly, stroking her hand with his
thumb. “They had to give you a blood transfusion.”

Lana looked Oliver straight in the eye and replied, “You probably hoped I’d die.”
“No, no,” his brow furrowed in shock, “never. Our baby needs his mother, speaking of
which,” he reached into the bassinet beside them that Lana only just noticed was there. Oliver
held their wriggling baby in his arms and brought him over so Lana could see.

The baby was wrapped in one of the white blankets they had bought, his adorable face
peeking out. Lana couldn’t help but smile down at him. Oliver placed him carefully in her
arms, no longer worrying that she would try to hurt him as he saw Lana relax into the role of
being a mother over the past couple of months.

“Isn’t he beautiful?” Oliver asked, his voice filled with admiration.

“Yes,” Lana responded, not taking her eyes off her baby.

He continued, “I have named him John Oliver Thredson. Johnny for short.” Lana looked up
at the man standing next to her, not considering that he had already named her boy without
asking for her input. “Is that ok?”

Lana only replied, “Of course,” she couldn’t really say no.

There was a moment of silence before Oliver said, “When we have a girl, we can name her
after you.”

Lana could not believe that he already expected her to have another child with him only
hours after she had just given birth, but she supposed of course he would, being a delusional
psychopath and all.

Lana looked back down at Johnny who had opened his eyes, and saw that they were like hers.
Oliver left the room to fetch a nurse to let them know that his wife was awake. She just
continued to lovingly stare at the baby when he started to cry. Lana tried to rock and comfort
him but the boy wouldn’t stop squealing.

Oliver returned with a nurse (a kind looking middle aged woman) a few minutes later and
returned to stand by Lana, placing his hand on her right shoulder, signalling that he still
didn’t fully trust her to not say anything out of line. The nurse rounded the bed to stand on
Lana’s other side.

“You have a good husband, Mrs. Thredson,” she babbled. “He stayed by your side the whole
time you were asleep!”

Lana could not bring herself to acknowledge that Oliver had done anything right, and instead
just replied with a quick, “hmm.”

Oliver did not appreciate Lana’s insolence, but he couldn’t address it now in front of the
nurse, and decided to leave it for the privacy of home.

The conversation returned to the crying baby. “Oh my, he must be hungry,” the nurse said,
looking expectantly at Lana.

Not registering what the question meant, Lana only questioned, “what?”
“You will be breastfeeding him, won’t you?” the nurse asked.

Oliver answered before Lana could say anything, “Yes, she will be.”

She looked back at the nurse with panicked eyes, “I-I don’t know-”

“Lana,” Oliver said with a threatening tone. She felt his grip on her shoulder tighten, ordering
her to do as she was told.

“It’s alright, deary, I’ll help you,” the nurse continued, unaware of the energy in the room.

Without asking, the nurse undid the front of Lana’s hospital gown, exposing her left breast,
where the baby’s head was, to the room. Lana hunched over trying to hide herself, but
Oliver’s hand simply pulled her back up and forced her to stay lying against her pillow.

“It’s ok, no need to be embarrassed, honey,” the nurse smiled at Lana, thinking that she was
afraid of the nurse seeing her, rather than her husband. The innocent nurse latched the baby
on to Lana, and he started feeding. “Good! Well, I’ll leave you to it,” the nurse said before
leaving the ‘happy’ parents to enjoy their new baby.

Lana leant her head back against the pillow and numbly stared at the ceiling. Closing her
eyes, Lana was overwhelmed by the memory of Oliver first attempting to suckle from her,
just as their son was now, almost a year ago.
 CHAPTER 8
Chapter Notes

Hi everyone! I am so, so sorry that I haven't updated this sooner, but I promise you this
fic will not be abandoned. I will finish it no matter how long it takes me haha!
Anyway, university and work have been absolutely kicking my ass so that's why it's
taken me a while. But the semester is almost over so hopefully I can write more in the
holidays.
And I just have to say, how good was the last of us?! Damn! Highly recommend you
give it a watch if you haven't already.
Finally, (I should start saying this at the beginning of every chapter) I am sorry Lana for
what I put you through, you will get your revenge! love you <3
That's the end of my rant, thanks for reading! Enjoy!

After a few days, the doctors deemed that Lana and baby Johnny were healthy enough to
leave the hospital. Oliver was very happy at this news, as he was getting worried that Lana
would have an outburst and ruin all his hard work. But this had been a major test of his trust
in her, and she had passed. He never left her side while at the hospital except for when he
went home to get more things for Johnny, and Oliver was not sure if something would happen
upon his return, if Lana had talked; but nothing did, so she mustn’t have. Oliver had thought
through a whole cover story if Lana ever did slip in front of someone: she was mentally
disturbed, as her medical file would show having spent time at Briarcliff, so not everything
she said was trustworthy, but he had no reason to use this story yet.

A nurse helped Lana down to the reception and had Oliver sign the discharge paperwork
which was several pages long.

“Make sure to rest, Lana,” the nurse said kindly. “It will take time for your body to fully
recover.” The woman leaned over the baby sleeping in its mother’s rocking arms. “He’s such
a little darling, we have to enjoy them before they grow up and become moody teenagers,”
the nurse added, smiling at the new parents. “And one more thing before you leave, it is
highly recommended to abstain from… marital relations for at least six weeks while you
heal, but after that you should be fine.”

This was what Lana had been looking forward to for months; even though it would be a
physically painful recovery, at least she would have this brief time of reprieve. She nodded,
somewhat too eagerly for Oliver’s liking, and responded, “Of course, thank you.” Lana’s eyes
flicked to Oliver’s, but she ignored the slight glare that he was giving her and turned to walk
out the front door of the hospital with Johnny.

“Thank you for looking after us,” Lana heard Oliver say to the nurse. “Hopefully, we’ll be
back again soon!”
Lana halted and couldn’t stop herself from shuddering at this comment which Oliver had said
just loud enough for her to hear. It was his promise that he would not stop bending Lana to
his will until he was satisfied.

Lana was so lost in her thoughts that she was only jolted back to reality when she felt
Oliver’s forceful hand on her lower back, guiding her towards the car. He opened the front
passenger door for her, and Lana got in, wincing as she sat down, with Johnny still fast asleep
in her embrace. After putting their belongings in the backseat, Oliver got in the driver’s seat
and started the car. He paused and looked at Lana for a moment, but she couldn’t quite read
his expression.

“Well done, Lana,” he muttered quietly, placing his hand on her thigh. “You have made me
the happiest man in the world.” Oliver moved towards her and gently kissed her cheek before
withdrawing and putting the car into gear. “Let’s take our baby home.”

The car ride back to the house was spent almost completely in silence for Lana feigned being
too tired to talk, which shut Oliver up until he pulled the car into the driveway. He got out of
the car first and went around the front to help Lana stand up. It was a nice sunny day and still
a little warm, the season having only just changed to fall.

“Good afternoon, Thredsons!” It was their elderly neighbour, Mrs. Bailey, who lived in the
house next door. She had been watering the flowers in her front garden when she saw the
quiet doctor arrive home with his wife and their baby. Mrs. Bailey had lived next door to
Oliver for years and always thought he was very mysterious; he very much kept to himself
but had always been nice to her when they crossed paths; he had even helped her with some
handiwork and house maintenance a few times. She had thought it strange when the brown-
haired woman suddenly appeared one day and wearing a wedding band too! But she
supposed that the doctor was a private man, and it wasn’t surprising to her that he would have
found himself a wife out of the blue without her knowing. Mrs. Bailey thought that it was
only a matter of time before he got married, for he was such a kind and gentle man. Not to
mention incredibly handsome.

“Oh, did you finally have your baby?” Mrs. Bailey enquired, wandering over to the young
couple.

“Yes, just a few days ago!” Oliver replied ecstatically. “I don’t think you’ve been formally
introduced to my wife, Mrs. Bailey! This is Lana,” motioning towards the woman standing
next to him.

Lana smiled at the old woman, “It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Bailey. How are you?”

“Never mind how I am! How are you feeling? I hope it was an easy delivery,” Mrs. Bailey
fussed, walking closer so that she could see the baby. “I had six children, so I would know!”

Lana let out a small, dignified laugh, “I’m well, thank you. It was difficult for a while but I’m
alright now.”

“He’s gorgeous,” Mrs. Bailey said, gazing at the newborn with wonder in her eye. “It is
always a joy to have a new baby around. Is it a boy or a girl?”
“He’s a boy; we’ve named him John, but we’ll call him Johnny,” answered Oliver, grinning.

“Well, let’s hope he grows up to look like his father!” Mrs. Bailey laughed.

“Yes, I can only hope,” Lana murmured, staring at Oliver coldly. She did not know what she
would do if her son looked like him. Lana knew that when she eventually gained her
freedom, she would not abandon her child after everything she had gone through, but she did
not want to be reminded of her ordeal every time she looked at the face of her baby boy.

“Johnny,” Mrs. Bailey continued, “what a lovely name.”

“Isn’t it? We better get inside, Mrs. Bailey, try and get him settled in,” Oliver said, trying to
usher Lana towards the front door of his house.

“Oh yes, I’ll get out of your hair! But Lana, if you need anything at all, just give me a shout,”
Mrs. Bailey said, softly rubbing Lana’s back. “This can be a hard time for new mothers, and I
would very much like us to be friends.”

“I would like that,” Lana smiled back at the neighbour. She thought it would be good to have
someone that she could possibly rely on and talk to who wasn’t Oliver. It would make what
was ahead of her that much easier.

As the young couple wandered back towards the house, Mrs. Bailey called out, “I’ll bring
you two some dinner this week, save you having to cook!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Bailey, that would be lovely,” Oliver concluded, opening the front door and
leading Lana inside.

Once they were alone in the confines of the house, Oliver moved the baby bassinet from the
spare room to Lana’s side of the main bedroom and put Johnny down for his nap. Lana sat
down on the sofa in the living room, feeling absolutely exhausted from the events of the past
few days and closed her eyes, hoping to get a few minutes of sleep before Johnny woke up
again. Lana opened her eyes when she heard Oliver’s muffled footsteps on the carpet coming
closer to her.

“Here,” Oliver said, kneeling in front of her and taking her shoes off. “Your feet must be sore,
why don’t you put them up,” he lifted Lana’s feet and put them on a cushion, adjusting her to
lie down and he sat next to her on the sofa. Oliver faced Lana, putting his hands on either
side of her waist, and leaned over her.

“What did you think of Mrs. Bailey?” he asked, looking into her eyes.

“She seems nice,” Lana replied, shifting uncomfortably from Oliver being so close to her.
“Why?”

“I think you should get to know her; it will make your transition easier.”

“I know,” and Lana looked away from his hungry gaze.

Oliver started to undo the buttons on the front of Lana’s blouse, and her neck snapped back to
look at him.

“What are you doing, Oliver? They said you couldn’t for six weeks,” Lana stated, writhing
below him.

“I know we can’t,” he responded, his eyes drifting back up to meet hers. “That’s not what I’m
doing.”

Oliver’s body prevented Lana from moving off the sofa, so she resigned herself to lying there
and discovering what he was going to do as he continued to unbutton her shirt. And then it
occurred to her.

“No, Oliver! It’s for Johnny, not you,” Lana protested, weakly pushing at Oliver’s shoulders
but to no avail.

“Your body will produce milk to meet the demand,” he responded in that medical manner that
was completely aggravating to Lana. “If anything you will produce too much. I am doing you
a favour.”

“Please, Oliver,” Lana pleaded, “Johnny will probably wake up soon and he’ll be hungry!”

“No, he won’t, you fed him less than an hour ago at the hospital and he’s fast asleep.”

“Stop it, Oliver, please don’t,” Lana begged. He had completely opened her shirt and slid it
off over her shoulders. All Lana could do was cross her arms over her chest and wouldn’t
budge when Oliver tried to wrestle them free. As his efforts were not succeeding, he drew his
hand back in an open palm.

“Would you like me to hit you, Lana?” Oliver rhetorically asked, sternly.

“No,” Lana whimpered in complete fear of the man bearing down on her.

“Good, because I don’t want to. Now, behave!”

Lana relaxed her arms and let Oliver take her wrists to place them at her sides before
reaching behind her to undo her bra, which he slipped off and threw to the floor. When Oliver
saw Lana’s bare chest in front of him, he let out a deep sigh.

“Oh, how long I’ve waited for this moment,” Oliver closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “To
be given the motherly love and nourishment that I never received as a baby, and from the
mother of my child.” Oliver looked into Lana’s eyes, staring deep into her soul, “You really
are the one.”

Lana decided to stare at the ceiling to try and distract herself from the nightmare that she was
about to endure, and her breath hitched when she felt Oliver start to nurse from her. She
sensed that he was becoming agitated over the fact that she was not enjoying this experience
as much as she ought to, in his view. This was confirmed when Oliver, still engrossed in
feeding from Lana, guided one of her hands to rest on the back of his neck, like the gesture of
a mother comforting her upset child. Understanding what Oliver wanted her to do, Lana
caressed the nape of his neck and whispered the thing he desired most in the world to hear:
“My baby.”
 CHAPTER 9
Chapter Notes

Hi everyone, I'm back!! I told you I wouldn't abandon this fic!

Again, so sorry for the late update, I just need time for my creative writing tank to refill
if you know what I mean haha
Thank you to everyone who reads, likes and comments! It really makes my day to see
that people like my work.
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Tw: non-explicit SA/dubious consent

The days slowly crept past and the December snow started to fall over Massachusetts. Oliver
had started to run the fire all the time as the chilly winter winds blew, trying to keep the
warmth in the house. Christmas was fast approaching, and Oliver was determined to make his
son’s first experience as wonderful as it could be. He had put up the tree in the corner of the
living room and insisted that they decorate it as a family, which Johnny enjoyed immensely.
Lana, on the other hand, was exhausted from constantly having to care for Johnny, but he was
the light in the darkness that was her life. She spent her days alone in the house entertaining
him with toys, reading and dancing to records with him; she was almost able to forget her
situation in those precious moments. Lana never believed that she would make a good mother
before, she hadn’t thought that she would ever have children, but she loved her son more than
anything in the world, despite who his father was.

Oliver had decided that they would have a big family dinner on Christmas day, and so a few
days before, the three of them went out on a shopping trip. Even though it was snowing and
getting colder, it seemed like everyone had the same idea.

“Dammit, there aren’t any car parks,” Oliver said on the third loop around the block where
the stores were.

“Why don’t you let me out in front of the grocery store?” Lana replied. “I’ll take Johnny and
meet you in there.”

“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Oliver said, staring with an unsmiling expression.

Lana had not yet been allowed to go outside the house unsupervised and could sense Oliver’s
reluctance to let her do it now. “Have I done anything to make you doubt me?”

When Oliver did not say anything, Lana impatiently snapped, “I thought so, now go!”

He huffed and pulled the car up in front of the store. Lana opened her door and got out,
shielding Johnny in his harness on her chest against the wind. Oliver called out, “I’ll see you
inside in a few minutes,” but Lana just slammed the car door and hurried undercover,
watching as the car sped off.

Lana had been considering for the last few weeks if she should buy Oliver a Christmas
present. The idea of it repulsed her, but she could not deny that it would get her in his good
books even more, and so once the car was no longer in view, she slipped into the clockmaker
that was just down from the grocery store.

The shop was nice and warm, smelling slightly musty but not in a bad way. Lana wandered
over to the cabinet that contained the watches, looking for one that was nice but not too
expensive. Oliver was constantly lamenting over how ratty his old watch was getting, which
frankly was starting to annoy Lana, so in a way buying him a new one was also for her own
benefit.

“Good morning, ma’am,” the store clerk said, coming over to greet the first customer of the
day. “Are you looking for a wristwatch for you or your husband?”

“My… husband,” Lana answered, barely bringing herself to use that word. “I want something
that is elegant but not too expensive, and quickly if you don’t mind; I’m just in a bit of a
hurry.”

Once Lana had picked out a plain, leather banded watch that she thought Oliver would like,
only ten minutes had passed. She just had enough money in her purse to buy it, thinking that
she should withdraw some more when she got the chance. Since Lana’s bank account had
been frozen when she was admitted to Briarcliff, Oliver had to give his permission for her to
reopen it now that she had been released. Lana hated that she lived in a world where women
were not allowed their own financial freedom and still needed a man’s permission to have
money, but there was nothing she could do about it right now.

Lana left and raced into the grocery store, carrier bag and purse in hand with Johnny strapped
tightly to her chest, thankfully still asleep. She looked around the large store hoping that
Oliver hadn’t beaten her there, but when she spotted him by the vegetables she tentatively
walked over. As soon as he saw her, his face became enraged.

“Where were you?!”

“Nowhere, I was just outside waiting for you.”

“No you weren’t,” Oliver retorted, seeing the shopping bag in Lana’s hand. “What’s that?”

“Nothing,” Lana said softly, seeing his irritation building. “I wouldn’t want to ruin your
surprise now, would I?”

It had the desired effect and Oliver calmed down immediately. “You got me something?”

“Maybe,” responded, offering him a slight smirk.

Oliver, trying to hide his grin, continued, “Well, what vegetables did you want for the
dinner?”
“We definitely need potatoes and carrots,” Lana said, not showing how relieved she was that
she had saved herself from one of Oliver’s outbursts. When they finished getting all the
necessary ingredients and had gone to the butcher to get the meat, Oliver carried everything
back to the car and loaded it into the trunk.

“Wait, before we go, I think we need to get some more clothes for Johnny,” Lana told Oliver.
“He’s growing so quickly, and he needs some warmer things too.”

Oliver looked down at Johnny in his harness, who was now awake but not fussing; he had an
incredibly good temperament for a baby. “Yes, I think you’re right, his clothes have been
looking a bit tight recently.”

They made their way to the baby store and spent some time choosing adorable outfits for
their son as well as some more toys for Christmas. No one else was in the shop as not many
families could to afford to spend their money there, but on Oliver’s psychiatrist’s salary,
money was not an issue for him. Lana especially loved this little light blue beanie that she
had seen a month before and was insistent that her son had it, now that he was big enough to
fit it. Oliver watched as Lana looked around with Johnny, pleased that he had chosen such a
perfect woman to have a family with. Once Lana had collected all the items that she wanted,
Oliver paid quickly so that they could return to the warmth of the house.

***

On Christmas morning, Lana awoke and opened all the curtains to see that it had snowed
several inches overnight. Johnny had also just woken up and started crying for his mother.
Lana hurried into his room to the crib and picked him up, cradling him in her arms.

“Merry Christmas, Johnny,” she whispered against him as she delicately kissed his temple.
Lana shuffled over to the window and pointed outside. “Look at all the snow! I think we’ll go
outside and make a snowman later!” She heard Oliver get out of bed in the other room but
did not turn around or acknowledge him until she felt him behind her, his hands on her waist
as he nuzzled into her neck.

“Merry Christmas, darling.”

“Good morning, Oliver,” Lana’s tone matching the temperature outside.

Oliver ignored it and came around to face his wife and son, motioning for Lana to give
Johnny to him, which she begrudgingly did. “Come on buddy, let’s go and see what Santa
Claus brought you,” he said and took his baby out into the living room, Lana following
behind them.

They opened the presents on the floor in front of the lit-up tree, the picture of an ideal family.
Johnny loved all his new things, especially the baby mobile and stuffed elephant that Lana
thought would be perfect; she lay him down on the floor on a new blanket so that he could
play with the wrapping paper. Oliver was also incredibly grateful for his new watch.

“Thank you, Lana,” he beamed, leaning over to kiss her. “It’s just what I needed!”
“You’re welcome,” giving him a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“I got something for you, too,” Oliver said, as he reached for the last wrapped gift under the
tree and handed it to Lana. She gazed at it for a moment before tearing open the paper to see
what appeared to be two jewelry boxes, one large and the other small.

“What is it?” Lana asked.

“Open it,” Oliver answered gently, nodding at her expectantly.

Lana slowly lifted the lid on the bigger box to see that it was a single-strand pearl necklace.
She then opened the other box which was a pair of matching pearl earrings. Lana gaped at
Oliver; the pieces looked expensive.

“What do you think? Do you like them?”

“Yes! Thank you, Oliver,” Lana held up the necklace, admiring its beauty. “Genuinely, thank
you.”

“That’s alright! I wasn’t sure, but I’m glad you like them.” Oliver took Lana’s free hand in
his, stroking her knuckles with his thumb and stared adoringly into her eyes. “Anything for
my beautiful wife.” Lana lifted her hair and turned her back, inviting Oliver to put the
necklace on her. When he closed the clasp around her neck, she got goosebumps as she felt
his fingers lingering on her skin.

After getting dressed, Lana cleaned up then stuffed the turkey and put it in the oven with the
vegetables. Oliver took Johnny outside to look at the snow before he needed to have his nap,
which gave Lana the solitary time she needed to try and understand the recipe for the
Christmas pudding.

By the time evening rolled around the entire meal had miraculously all come together. Lana
could not believe how far along her cooking had come. If only she could have cooked for
Wendy like this. They ate around the dining table, listening to Frank Sinatra’s record of
Christmas songs while the fire crackled, and a snowstorm roared outside. Lana wondered if
this is what it was like for normal families, if every day was a good day rather than a rare,
once-in-a-blue moon occurrence. But something was better than nothing, and Lana allowed
herself to feel happy.

Johnny fell asleep early after his big day of excitement, so Lana put him to bed, leaving her
and Oliver alone. Once the washing up was done and all the lights were turned off, he took
her hand and led her to their bedroom. Oliver wrapped his arms around Lana, unable to
contain himself any longer and hungrily kissed her, pushing her towards the bed. Lana knew
this was coming, the day was too good for it not to, but she supposed that she would reward
Oliver with her active enthusiasm for his good behaviour. He was getting better at making her
finish too, which was an improvement and made it somewhat more endurable. But Oliver
was also becoming frustrated that he was always the one to initiate. Even though Lana never
refused him, he still wanted her to need him in the same way that he needed her. Lana could
not force herself to do it yet, but she knew she would eventually have to if she was going to
truly fool Oliver.
When they were done, Oliver lay on his side facing Lana with his arm draped over her
stomach while he played with the fabric of her nightgown. “Today was wonderful, Lana,” he
murmured.

“Yes, it was,” Lana whispered back, briefly holding her hand to Oliver’s cheek in an
affectionate manner.

“You know I’ve been thinking,” he said, sitting up on his elbow slightly, “we should go out
one evening, just the two of us.”

Lana considered his offer for a moment and replied, “alright, if you would like to.”

“What do you mean, ‘if I’d like to’?” Oliver furrowed his eyebrows. “Is that a ‘no’, then?”

“Well, what would we do with Johnny?” Lana said, trying to backtrack her comment.

“I’m sure Mrs. Bailey would love to have him for the evening,” he answered, mistakenly
relieved that Lana had not rejected him but was instead worried about their son. “She’s
always offering to watch him for us.”

“I suppose so,” she sighed. “What would we do?”

“We could see that film that was just released. Doctor Zhivago, I think it’s called. Apparently,
it’s very romantic,” Oliver chuckled.

Lana, ignoring the insinuation, nodded slowly. “Yes, I’ve heard it’s quite good.”

“Then it’s a date!” Oliver beamed as he got up to turn off the bedroom light.

Lana rolled onto her side to face the wall. She felt Oliver get back into bed and he
immediately snuggled up to her, wrapping his arm around her body. She shuddered, “it’s a
date.”
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