Behind Bars (Niah & Crusade)

[Niah]

An extra six months, that was their decision when Mia had found herself back in front of the court. She was a repeat offender, mainly involved in cases of fraud, robbery and breaking and entry. This time last year she had just finished serving a 24 month prison sentence and was released back into society. The terms of her probation were pretty clear and of course one of the main points was that she shouldn't break the law again. Well... shit went south pretty fast. You see as much as prison was no picnic, getting out wasn't exactly fun times either. When you go to jail with nothing, you also leave with nothing. Sure, Mia had given her probation officer some bull-crap address for the paperwork. However the truth was that she had no one and nowhere to go. Life on the streets was one of those things that would sometimes make you miss prison. Perverts, drugs, drinking, crime... it's not long until all that shit finds you.

Funnily enough, Mia was actually in here because she was trying to avoid trouble, if you can believe that. Rather than go back onto the streets, she tried to find a place to crash. She soon found it, a very nice house owned by a rich married couple. She scoped the area for a couple of days, but no one came or left the house. So Mia assumed that they must have been on vacation or something. Whatever the reason, their house was empty and that was all the invitation Mia needed. She thought that if she wasn't on the streets than at least she'd be avoiding hassle... boy was she wrong. The couple came back early and she was found trespassing in their home, so was carted back off to jail. She was given six more months inside for breaking her probation and that was four months ago. Sure, she was pissed when it had first happened. However you soon get back into the swing of things and at least she had friends here, out there she was all alone.

"Wilson, you got a visitor." A rough male voice called over to Mia. The female rose up from her bunk, a quizzical expression upon her face. "What? I never get visitors" she replied to the correctional officer. "Well you do today, hurry up, lets go inmate." The officer began waving his arm in the direction of the door. Patience wasn't exactly a virtue that these guys tended to posses. "Ok, ok... I'm coming" Mia replied. She swung her legs around and off of her hard bed, standing up and stretching a little. "Wilson, I ain't got all day!" The officer continued to badger her. She rolled her eyes, before beginning to follow him out and towards the visiting area. Mia ran a hand through her dark brunette waves, as she turned a corner and walked through the door. Her deep mahogany eyes scanned the room and landed on a man that could only be there to see her. She turned and looked to the officer, it was clear that she was utterly confused. He simply shrugged in response and nodded towards the other male. Signalling Mia to go and sit down, like she was supposed to. She ventured on over, sat down and before she could even stop herself blurted out; "why are you here?" It was a valid question, as sitting right in front of her was the guy whose house she had broken into.

 

[Crusade]

Alden Collins had a lot going for him. He was a wealthy businessman, made his fortune before he even turned 30 and had a large, beautiful home and a doting wife. And yet, things were amiss. He had caught a woman in the process of robbing his home a while back and as if that weren't enough, after she was put away, he was targeted again. Convinced that it was an inside job and that Mia, the woman he'd subdued and had arrested at his home, was behind it all. A vengeful little bitch after his piece of the pie.

After the second robbery, Alden decided to go straight to the one person he knew had the information. Of course, he didn't let anyone in the prison system know who he was or why he was visiting her. That he kept under wraps.

Showing up at the prison wearing one of his business suits, Alden looked more like a GQ model than a professional or an attorney there to speak with a client. He was tall, with a nice tan, broad shoulders and immaculately kept hair. His dark blue eyes stood out as if begging to be looked into.

He was brought into a small room that wold serve as their common room, a place where he could accuse Mia of being a spiteful, ungrateful cancer. When she finally was brought before him, Alden sat forward in his chair and laughed with a shake of his head.

"You would be the kind to ask that, wouldn't you? You know why I'm here, Mia. It wasn't enough to get caught and scare my wife half to death? Now you have someone doing your dirty work for you?" He was sure to lean in close and keep an even keel despite how pissed he was, not wanting to raise suspicion from the guards about his motives.

"We can't even feel safe and protected in our own home. Do you know how unsettling that is? Police patrolling our neighborhood on an hour by hour basis. We even got a dog. Christ. What's your obsession?"

 

[Niah]

Mia watched as the man began to lean in ominously. Then out of the blue he started on the most ridiculous speech that she had ever heard. She allowed him to finish with his little diva meltdown, before folding her arms and beginning to laugh. "Obsession?" The word barely made it out of her mouth, she just couldn't stop chuckling. "Wow... someone is super conceited aren't they? What is your poor wife feeding that ego of yours?"

An amused smile played across her lips, which brightened up her face. Mia didn't exactly look like the type of person you'd assume was a criminal. Delicate facial features, round doe like eyes and a soft olive skin tone. She was an attractive woman, not that this mattered in the slightest. Looks didn't dictate what a person was capable of. The worst thing that fairy-tales tended to do was preach that all good people were beautiful and all bad people were ugly. Yeah, one tour around this prison and that would be proven wrong instantly.

Mia shook her head, before turning her attention back to the male. "Seriously though, I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. And in actual fact, I don't even remember your name. Which is kind of awkward since you were nice enough to remember mine. Yet I'm the one whose supposed to be..." Mia used her hands to make air quotes. "... Obsessed." Sure, his name had probably come up in her probation trial, but she hadn't payed that much attention. It was just an empty house to crash in to her and maybe fence some stuff from. The names of those who owned it had mattered very little. She looked him up and down, noting his expensive suit and exceedingly well groomed hair. "I wanna say... Daniel? You look like a Daniel..." Mia continued as she attempted to guess his name.

 

[Crusade]

Mia was extremely good at infuriating him and had the guards not been there to remind him to calm down, Alden was pretty sure he would have lost his cool and went off on her. He took a deep breath and balled his fists together, trying any lame attempt at relaxation he could muster. She was pretty ballsy for a woman in prison.

Her smile annoyed him, too. Was there something he was missing? Why did she act as if this was all such a huge surprise to her? She had to be the one behind it. Things didn't add up. If the place was never broken into and then it was targeted twice in a matter of a few months, there had to be one person behind it. If it wasn't Mia, it was someone she was working for.

"It's Alden. You were so close," he said spitefully, leaning forward again. "If it wasn't you, then who? It's a little too much of a coincidence that these two incidents happen so close together. It's not like I live in the fucking projects, Mia. Think about it. Am I really that far off? Wouldn't you assume the same person might be behind something like this?"

Now he wasn't trying to sound condescending or arrogant. Instead, he was trying to appeal to her reason. Mia seemed like a complete bitch, but even she could see where he was coming from. Right?

 

[Niah]

You could practically feel the anger coming off of him. If Alden had been a cartoon character there would have been steam shooting from his ears. Mia leaned back a little, the last thing that she needed was for him to take a swing at her or try and grab her by the throat. Now you might think this was a ridiculous notion, considering that they were in a prison and surrounded by guards. However she had been around her share of violent people. When you couldn't control your anger it literally came out with no hope of stopping it, regardless of who was around. She'd seen several criminals not only have violent outbursts around cops, but actually towards them. Not knowing a thing about this guy, she had no idea if he was the type to lose his shit quickly.

He appeared to be working hard to steady himself, before beginning again, hatred laced in every word that he said. Mia wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of acting scared. So instead she simply smirked when he mentioned how close she had been to guessing his name. "I was, wasn't I? One more letter and Daniel would have been the perfect anagram for Alden!" She replied sarcastically. He then leaned forward again, very determined so and so wasn't he? She ran his words over in her head and gave a facial expression that showed she was musing over his train of thought. "Yeah, I suppose I would assume it was the same person. You know... if that person was actually able to do it. Cause you see in order to orchestrate a plot to break into your house again, I'd need to talk to someone." Now it was Mia's turn to lean back in. "So here's a little fact to burst that conspiracy bubble of yours. I've had no visitors, no phone calls and no letters since being here. Check with my counselor if you really want to or don't, I honestly couldn't give a shit."

Mia looked Alden over, finding it kind of strange that one little woman like her could cause him so much upset. His house had been broken into, not burnt down, he seriously needed to chill out. She leaned back again and relaxed more into her chair. "You know, you are probably right about one thing though, it wasn't a coincidence. Call me crazy but I'm guessing by the size of your house, how much expensive crap was in there when I last saw it, your snappy suit and moronically tidy hair, that you've got a good job. Probably something high profile? Which means you're well known. Which also probably means my break-in was covered by the local news. Now if that was the case, you know what happened, right?" She stopped just to make sure that Alden was processing her words and understanding her intended point. A guy this rich must have had a damn good education. So surely he'd be able to piece together pure logic at the same rate as her. "Every thief in the local area just got told by the news how easy it is to break into your fucking house. So of course, someone tried their luck. The fact that you got broken into twice, says more about your shitty security than it does about me. So here's my advice; get a better security system, stop letting the press broadcast your private life and leave me the fuck alone!"

 

[Crusade]

Alden didn't want to believe Mia. In his mind, he wanted so desperately to believe she was behind it all. It would have made it so much easier that way. But in all honesty, he knew everything she said was true. He was a high profile, very rich man who was in the spotlight more than he wanted. His every move was pretty much a topic of conversation and everyone knew where he lived, even though his home was in a secluded, private neighborhood. The security was haphazard and even after Mia's break in, things didn't seem to get better.

For a man with as much money and influence as Alden, his life had hit a low point. And Mia seemed to read him like a book.

An exasperated sigh escaped him as he ran a hand back to his neck, massaging what felt like a knot that could have crippled him right there at the nape. He looked at Mia, with that know-it-all look of disdain on her pretty face. He wanted so badly to slap that look off of her face, but she was right. He couldn't fault her for anything she'd said. He had to man up and accept it.

"As much as it pains me to say this, you're right. I was wrong to jump to conclusions. The security is a fucking joke. I'm taking care of that as we speak. But none of that discredits what you did, Mia. Why? What was the game? Our security footage showed you entering a long time before we got back and yet when I found you, you didn't even have any of our things on you. Were you planning to rob us?" If Alden's whole idea of Mia being the mastermind was wrong, he at least wanted to know what her motive was behind breaking into their home. It would be the only bit of information he could get to salvage an otherwise pointless trip to the prison.

 

[Niah]

The male seemed somewhat exhausted by the conversation and began to rub at a stress point upon his neck. He then glanced back to Mia and she could tell that the mere sight of her face seemed to annoy him. Well the feeling was very much mutual and hey, if he didn't like the view, he knew where the door was. At least he was able to leave and with a beautiful day like this, there were a million other things that he could be doing right now. Instead he was here, talking to a woman who clearly did nothing but set off his blood pressure and not in a good way.

However then something surprising happened, the conversation seemed to take an unexpected turn. Mia watched every line in his face as he began to speak once more and she truly did believe what he said, it must have been agony for him to consider her being right. She got the sense that he was a prideful man and there was nothing more damaging to your pride, than having to admit when you're in the wrong. She couldn't help but feel a slight sense of satisfaction. Powerful men on top rarely had to apologize to others, not that he had actually used the word 'sorry' to her. She was willing to take what she could get though. A wealthy guy like him, admitting that he was wrong to a worthless criminal like her, it was good to hear.

The topic was swiftly turned back to herself though. Alden wasn't going to let his small faux-pas absolve Mia of her own mistakes. He wanted an answer to why she had done what she did. At first she was tempted to tell him where he could shove it! She was already being punished for her crime and so therefore owed him nothing. However she stopped and for a minute allowed herself to really take in the man before her. He seemed stressed, frustrated and just looking for some answers. Mia chewed the inside of her cheek, something that she always did when contemplating a decision. Finally she let out her own sigh and leaned back in. "Fuck it, you caught me on a good day and that's only cause they finally got some pop-tarts in commissary. Plus I suppose you're kinda man enough to admit when you're being a dick. So..."

Mia looked him square in the face, her dark eyes unflinching. "You asked me when I first sat down if I knew how unsettling it must be to not feel safe and protected in your own home. The short answer to that is; yes. In fact I've never felt safe or protected, anywhere in my entire life. When I broke into your house I had two choices. Leave and sleep on the streets or stay and have a roof over my head for at least a few days. I went with the last option... stupid choice, clearly." There were no tears, no puppy dog eyes or sad expression. She wasn't after sympathy, she was just telling him the truth. Mia had been in his house for one reason only, she had nowhere else to go. "So there you have it Mr. VIP, great mystery solved."

 

[Crusade]

Were things really bad enough at the prison that pop tarts made Mia's day? Alden really knew nothing about women's prisons, but from what he could gather, they weren't all that bad. Plus, it wasn't like Mia was a violent offender. Yeah, she broke into his house, but she never threatened him with violence or anything, so he couldn't imagine the prison being that tough. But what did he know?

When Mia started to talk about the predicament she faced on the day she broke into his home, Alden sat forward in his seat, hanging on every word. He never anticipated her breaking in being out of necessity. He just figured she was just some low life trying to rob him to get some money for drugs or just for the thrill of it. He was mistaken and if she really was telling him the truth, he knew he was going to feel like shit.

Because of how much money he has, Alden often feels disconnected from those who aren't in his class of wealth. That's not to say he doesn't feel pity on those less fortunate. He just doesn't really associate with them. It was hard to believe someone as fiery and attractive as Mia didn't have a place to stay, though. How did things get so bad for her?

The news was yet another turn in a story Alden thought he'd already figured out a long time ago. He still wasn't certain he could trust Mia, but if she acting, the girl deserved some sort of award. She was damn good.

"Why didn't you just tell me that when I had you restrained? We could have worked something out. If I would have known the real reason you were in my house, maybe things could have gone differently. I certainly wouldn't have been so fast to call the police."

As much as he wanted to believe that was true, Alden knew his wife would have convinced him to call. She would have had little sympathy for Mia's sob story. She might have even laughed. "And what were you doing on the streets? You don't look like the type who wouldn't have a place to go." Alden was perplexed and it showed on his face. He'd lost the feelings of anger and was actually started to soften. In a weird way, he pitied Mia.

 

[Niah]

Mia had been hoping to be left in peace once Alden had received the answers that he was looking for. However it was becoming clear that he had no intention of moving from his seat. The man who sat before her was now completely engrossed in her story. His face no longer full of spite and frustration, but looking more... sympathetic. The female shifted slightly, it was clear that such a change in attitude left Mia feeling unnerved. Her experiences in life had left her with a very bleak view of the world. No one gave you anything for free and others only used and abused. Which is why, when Alden said that he may have let her go, she just didn't believe him, point blank! People didn't let criminals off through the kindness of their hearts, there was always a catch.

"Me and you both know things would have gone no differently, no matter what I said." She was making assumptions, which may have been wrong of her. However Mia just didn't see it, her walking away from that situation scot-free, it wasn't possible in her mind. As if that was hard enough to swallow, Alden's next statement really was an eyebrow raiser. "Are freaking kidding me?" She tried her best to hold in the sarcasm and natural defensive bile that she was used to spouting out at people. She could see that this man was trying to connect in someway, but he was doing a terrible job. "You are really suggesting that my life should be better because of my looks?!" Surely he saw how ignorant that was? "You're a good looking guy, you honestly going to tell me all of your success is down to that pretty face of yours?" Mia asked him.

"Dude what do you want from me? My entire life story? When you're chucked into the foster system before you can walk and left to fend for yourself at fifteen, the only place you have is the streets. Yeah, maybe I could have found a place to stay, but from where I'm from, people don't give you something for nothing. There's always a price!" Her dark brown eyes locked onto his own blue ones. "You're the one who brought up how I look. So take a wild guess how most people expected me to pay." The mere thought of it made her skin crawl even now, but it was sometimes the reality for those who had nothing else to bargain with. "Satisfied now?" Did this guy seriously have nowhere else to go? He was handsome, rich and had a wife waiting for him at home. Surely there was something earmarked on his calendar for today other than bothering her?

 

[Crusade]

Why was Mia making everything he said out to be some sort of personal attack? He was being completely serious when he told her things could have gone differently if she would have just told him of her predicament. Sure, Alden was shrewd when it came to business. He wasn't above knocking down competitors by any means necessary. In terms of being a humanitarian and an upstanding member of society, Alden prided himself on that. He gave to charities, gave free lectures to business students and was integral in the building of a new park in the city.

It wasn't unlike him to feel sympathy for someone who was struggling. He'd grown up entitled and privileged, so he couldn't say he understand the plight firsthand, but he most definitely sympathized.

Again, a misinterpretation of what he said. Alden meant that Mia didn't look haggard or like she was spending most of her time on the streets. She had a way of twisting his words and using them against him, but he wouldn't let that fly.

"Are you serious, Mia? Don't flatter yourself. I only meant that you didn't look too dirty or beat up when you showed up in my house, not that you're model material. Relax." He was giving her the same tongue lashing she was giving him. Tit for tat.

"Dude, I don't need your whole life story. I was trying to get a feel for who was squatting inside my house. That's all. I'm entitled to that, right?" He narrowed his eyes at her and then lifted his hands up as if surrendering. "You're too much, Mia. Jesus. I was trying to help you out."

Alden eased his seat back, the legs squeaking against the cool floor. He lifted himself to his feet and then slid the chair back in. "I'm still not sold on any of this, but thanks for at least being somewhat candid with me. We'll speak again," he said and then without another word, he turned to the guards, handed in his visitor badge and left the prison. He had no intentions of telling his wife about this little trip.

 

[Niah]

Mia rolled her eyes as Alden returned to his previous arrogant self once more. She knew all that 'trying to connect' nonsense as nothing more than bullshit. Poke the bear hard enough and they soon show you exactly what they're like. He began correcting her and insisting that she wasn't some model. When in doubt; remind a girl that she's not that attractive, classy. "You got a shower don't you?" Well that explained why she wasn't dirty when he had met her. As for haggard, she had fortunately managed to avoid slipping into the dark side of drugs and drink. So other than becoming somewhat slimmer than she would have liked, due to not eating every day, her body hadn't taken a gaunt like state.

When Alden had found her in his home, it had barely been a couple of weeks since she had left prison. The food here might not have been all that good, but it was enough to get her back to her optimal weight and so yeah, she had looked fairly healthy when seeing her for the first time. However she wasn't going to explain all of this to him, it was clear that the male had lost interest and for that she was glad.

When he asked if he wasn't entitled to know more about her, she shook her head. "Nope, not really." He was entitled to know why she was there and to seek justice for the crime, both of which he had now. Other than that, Mia owed him no more. "Oh please!" She practically snorted when he added that he was trying to help. He had come here for one reason only; to try and rip her a new one for ruining his life, apparently. Helping her wasn't on his agenda, she didn't care what he tried to claim. Then as he rose, he decided to insult her one last time and pretty much called her a liar, saying how he wasn't sold on her story.

"Not my problem." He asked for the truth, she gave it and the guy still wasn't happy. She couldn't wait to see the back of him, however apparently he intended to return. "I wouldn't count on it." Mia replied to his statement that they would talk again. She was under no obligation to accept visitors. If he came back, which she highly doubted, Mia had no intention of giving him a second meeting. The male left and finally she was able to return to her block. She lay down upon her bed and tried to relax, but found herself unable to. Alden had gotten under her skin and just thinking about his visit frustrated her. Why couldn't he have just left her alone? She turned onto her side and attempted to take a nap, maybe she'd feel better after she woke.

 

[Crusade]

Alden still couldn't understand why Mia took everything as a personal attack. He wasn't trying to stir anything up. He'd been wrong in assuming she was behind the second break in. Maybe. But was she going to hold that against him forever? She'd broken into his house and he had her arrested. It wasn't as if his methods were that contrived or out of the ordinary. He was trying to protect himself and his wife. End of story.

If Mia wanted to continue to be a bitch, he wouldn't bother with her. He walked out without so much as another glance back at her, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of having another chance to sneak in a smart ass comment. She was infuriating and if he stayed there another minute, he was bound to blow his top. He wanted to shake some sense into her, but at that point, it all seemed like a lost cause.

Alden headed home after his visit, telling Brandy that he'd been at the office, even though he was sure the prison had a distinctly rotten smell that she might be able to detect on his clothes. Luckily, she hadn't and the two had dinner and called it an early night.

One recurring theme the next few days was randomly thinking about Mia. He should have wiped his hands clean of her and moved on, but something was pulling him back. It was hard knowing he'd put her in prison when instead he could have helped her get on her feet. And despite the fact that she annoyed the hell out of him, he couldn't keep from thinking about how good she looked as well. Brandy was gorgeous, but there was no mystery with her. She grew up rich just like he did. She didn't know what it was to struggle. That's sort of what was drawing him to Mia.

After nearly a week, Alden couldn't stand it any longer. The day prior, the police arrested the two men responsible for the latest break in. There was no connection there. Alden would use the news to formally apologize. He headed back to the prison, went through the same protocol, and just waited and hoped Mia wouldn't be stubborn enough to turn down a visit.

 

[Niah]

Over the next week Mia attempted to go about her business in a normal fashion. Well you know; as normal as you can get when you're banged up in prison. However to her annoyance, the subject of Alden kept being approached with her. The visiting room had huge windows, allowing inmates to see inside as they walked past. A good looking guy like him didn't go unnoticed, not in a building full of women who hadn't had sex with a male in God knows how long. Mia couldn't go one day without someone asking who that 'fine piece of meat' was that had been visiting her. She tried her best to shake it off, however her mind couldn't help but wander towards the strange male. What was his deal? The question only became more irritating when she found herself walking past the visiting room one day. Who should be sitting there? None other than Alden himself. Luckily she managed to dodge the windows in time for him to not notice her and scurried away as fast as she could. Mia rushed to her counselor meeting, just hoping that none of the guards stopped her along the way. The female slid into the office like she was on a covert mission and shut the door hastily behind her.

Her counselor looked up from his desk. "Wilson... Michaels was just in here looking for you, you've got a visitor." He told her. "Oh yeah I know, I'm not going." Mia replied, before flopping herself down in the seat opposite him. Her counselor raised an eyebrow and looked at her suspiciously. "You don't want to see who it is?" He asked. "I know who it is and I'm not interested in talking to him." Her counselor placed down his papers and looked to her. "He traveled all the way over here to see you. You can't spare the guy five minutes?" Mia simply shrugged, causing her counselor to sigh. "You know why you ended back up in here? Because when you left the first time; you had no one and nowhere to go and that landed you in trouble. Now if there's someone out there willing to give you some sort of support, you should take it." Mia scoffed, "trust me, that's not why he's here. The guy's a condescending ass!" Her counselor began rubbing his forehead. "Mia, you need someone in your life that you can talk to." He told her in a somewhat concerned manner. "Isn't that your job?" She replied. "I'm not going to be here forever! You're getting out in a couple of months and you need someone in the outside world to help you. Otherwise you're going to be right back in here by next year, is that what you want?" Mia crossed her arms and looked away. She didn't want to talk about how alone she was due to be when leaving this place. Her counselor threw up his arms, "you're impossible."

Mia scowled as she heard Alden's words echoing from his mouth. "Why do people keep saying that?" She replied sarcastically. "Cause it's true, you don't let anyone in, don't let anyone help you." He gave a sigh. "You probably have your reasons. Maybe someone hurt you, perhaps even a lot of people. Hell; for all I know everyone you've ever cared about could have fucked you over. But guess what? Get over it! You keep letting the past dictate your life and you're just going to end up locked away forever or dead!" Tough love, it was his go to when being reasonable didn't seem to work. Mia avoided eye contact and refused to even respond. She could hear his breathing become heavy as her silence annoyed him. "You know what, you might be able to just sit back and watch your life go down the shitter, but I can't. Go see your visitor or I'm giving you a shot!" Mia's head snapped round and she glared at her counselor. "You can't do that!" She began to complain. "I just did, now get going and don't think I won't be coming to check on you!" Mia jumped to her feet and kicked the chair from underneath her. She marched towards the door and swung it open violently. "Inmate! You want a visit to the SHU?!" He called after her, Mia stopped and calmed herself. Her fists were clenched but she had to keep her composure. If she allowed herself to lose it, she'd end up regretting the consequences. "No sir!" Mia replied, before taking a steadying breath and returning to the visiting room. She gave the guard her name and then walked on in. Mia ventured on over to Alden and took a seat opposite him like last time. "Miss me already?" She asked, one of her hands running through her hair in stressful manner.