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Chapter Two-Hundred-Seventy-Three



As soon as the boys entered the room and they saw the naked girls, AJ with a glare fixed upon his face, was the first one to open his mouth and it was directed toward Kevin.


“I TOLD you Kevin, I TOLD you!” He insisted. “I told you what that bastard’s plan was!” he added, pointing at Lou with disgust. Dakota caught sight of Nick and began to cry even harder as she reached for him.


“Daddy” she whimpered, and Nick rushed over and gently took her from Ashley’s arms and he hugged her close to him. Ashley took Nick’s leather jacket off of herself and wrapped it over Dakota to cover her naked body before wrapping Bella’s blanket – that she just happened to have in her hands, around Sarah. She looked over at her mom then, suddenly reminded of Bells and she saw that Denise has her.


“Are they okay? Did he hurt them?” Nick demanded to know, as he knelt down and pulled Sarah into a hug too before kissing her forehead softly.


“No, but he tried” Ashley explained softly, as she is mostly upset over this situation, but also this is the first time they’ve spoken to each other after their fight on the bus.


“Are you sure?” Nick questioned.


“Positive. Ellie said he tried but she wouldn’t let him – and that seems to be true, because when we walked in she was in the process of fighting him off.”


“How did they get in here with this bastard in the first place?” Nick wanted to know, eyeing Jerald and Harry who they left incharge.


“I’m wondering the same thing myself,” Kevin added as he helped Jerald take is leather jacket off and he covered his little girl up. He was getting even angrier then he already is by standing there watching the sick bastard eye her this whole time.


“Harry and I assumed since we could hear the boys playing on the other side of the room, that the girls were there too. We didn’t know they were gone until Tyke heard their screams from a distance and alerted us.”


“How did you end up in here Ellie?” Kevin asked gently, after narrowing his eyes at Jerald. He leaves him in charge of his little girl, and this is what happens? He knows he’s supposed to keep an eye on her, even if he thinks she’s there. He knows how sneaky she is. He would understand if he had stuff that he had to do, but he didn’t. He was just sitting back there. So how could he have lost track of her? She was his only priority. Or at least she was supposed to be. Elenore hid her face in Jerald’s shoulder, and he felt tears soak through his shirt. How is she supposed to admit that this whole situation is all her fault? He’s going to be so mad at her. Nick is going to be mad at her for putting his girls in danger. When she clearly wasn’t going to answer, Nick tried. He rubbed his hand over Dakota’s back.


“Kota?” he asked gently.


“He knew we were bored, an’ tolds us that he has games that we could play…an’ ice cream. He saids you wouldn’ts get mad because we were withs an adult an’ would be safe,” she explained softly, tears still streaming down her cheeks. “Sarah an’ I didnts want to. We don’ts like him for bein’ mean to Ashee…an’ we knew it wasn’t safe. But Ellie dragged us a long.” AJ growled then and he looked at Lou.


“You sick fucking bastard,” he spoke softly to Lou, eyeing him like he was a piece of garbage. “I bet you harassed my sister tonight too, didn’t you? Did you touch her Lou? Were your filthy hands on my sister?” Lou said nothing. AJ looked over at Ashley, and her eyes darted to the floor as a tear fell from her eyes. “I knew it. I had an aching feeling that that was what happened just by the way she was acting.”


“She asked for everything that she got tonight,” Lou insisted. “Face it. The little slut just likes older men. First Nick, then Pete Wentz, and now me. You should keep track of your girlfriend Nick. She’s all over the place.”


“It was you, wasn’t it?” Howie spoke up. “You PhotoShopped that picture.” Lou again said nothing. Neither admitting or denying his dirty work. “It had to have been you…because only a select few have that photo. It hadn’t even reached the fans yet. Lou again said nothing and AJ once again let out a low growl.


“That is it. I am sick of this!” he insisted, and he started toward Lou, only to have Kevin grab hold of him.


“Alex don’t. It’ll just cause more trouble” he insisted. Lou smirked and AJ narrowed his eyes at Kevin ready to protest, when suddenly Kevin gently pushed AJ to the side and walked past him, and he raised his fist and connected it to Lou’s eye causing Lou to yell out in pain.


“THAT is for Ashley!” He shouted, before punching him hard in the other eye. “THAT is for the girls!” he told him, before bringing his fist down and slamming it into Lou’s stomach. “And THAT is for my little brother!” He added, as he watched Lou bend over and hold his stomach.


“Laney, call the cops” Marcus ordered, as he grabbed hold of Lou again. He didn’t even bother stopping Kevin. For one, it shocked him to see Kevin do it in the first place and two, he had been day dreaming of doing the very same thing himself and Kevin just brought the daydream to life for him.


“It’s all ready been done,” Laney replied, and a few seconds later two policemen came in the room. They watched as Lou was arrested and led out of the room while being read his rights. Another policeman hung back and asked questions, and then when they were all gone, Kevin gently took Elenore from Jerald and hugged her close to him affectionately and he looked at everybody else.


“I think we should all leave early. There is no reason we need to be here anymore seeing as how we’re done and the kids need to feel safe.”


“I agree,” Nick replied, as he gathered Dakota and Sarah into his arms and stood up. He looked at Ashley then.


“Since Denise has Bells, can you handle getting her diaper bag while I take the girls onto the bus and get them dressed?” Ashley nodded quietly, and Nick turned around and left the room with his two girls. AJ who had been watching his sister and Nick for quite sometime noticed how formal Nick spoke to her. The tone in his voice making it very clear that they’re just cooperating with each other for the sake of the kids and the situation at hand, but in reality they just don’t like each other right now. Everybody packed up their things and said their good byes – Ashley giving Pete a farewell hug and a kiss on the cheek before he had to go out onstage and perform. He even gave her his cell phone number and told her that if she ever needs a friend he’s always here for her. She told him she would keep that in mind and then he really had to go, so she turned around and saw AJ waiting for her. She went over to him and he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close.


“I know this isn’t really the best time…but should I be worried about you and Nick?”


“No…we’re fine. Just fine.”


“Are you sure? Because quite frankly, you look like you hate each other right about now.” Ashley shrugged.


“You’re right. This isn’t the best time,” she replied, and she walked ahead of him going to the bus. AJ sighed and followed her. When they got on there, they saw the door to the bunkroom open and Kevin knelt down by a bunk and looking underneath it.


“Ellie baby, come on please come out from under there” he pleaded.


“NO.”


“You can’t stay under there forever,” Jerald added, as he too was knelt down beside his brother. He knows Kevin isn’t happy with him right now, and he doesn’t blame him. But he hopes he’ll let him make it up to him. He and Kevin are way too close for him to be mad at him forever and he feels really horrible about what happened, he needs to know that.


“Sure I can,” Elenore replied.


“What about Josh? You’ll need him sooner or later. And your Donald Duck?” Kevin asked. Elenore said nothing, and he watched as she turned her head around so she was facing the other way. He would reach under and get her, but she is too far back and he is too big to go in and get her himself.


“What about clothes? Are you just going to lie under there naked forever?” Jerald asked gently.


“Yes.”


“Honey, why are you being like this?” Kevin asked, taking his turn again.


“Kota an’ Sarah will be safe if I stays here.”


“Well…I don’t know about that, but I do know that they would miss you terribly,” Jerald replied.


“They’ll gets over it.” Kevin sighed heavily, as this kind of behavior from her is really scaring him. He thought for a few moments, and then turned his head and saw Josh standing in the doorway surveying the scene before him with worry. Kevin quietly motioned his head toward the bed and mouthed ‘talk to her’ and Josh nodded. He then went over and got down on his stomach and he slid underneath the bed like a snake until he was lying next to Elenore who lay there on her stomach with Jerald’s jacket still covering her. He rolled over onto his back and she rolled over and lay her head against his chest allowing him to envelop her in his arms.


“Come on Ellie…come out from under here…Kevin is worried sick about you,” he told her gently, as he rubbed his hand over her back and smoothed her hair out of her face so he could look her in the eyes.


“I can’ts,” Elenore insisted softly, as she noticed Kevin and Jerald’s faces suddenly appear as they’re lying on their stomachs with their heads rested against the floor so they could see and hear the conversation. She doesn’t care. Just so long as she has her Joshy with her. “I can never come outs again.”


“Why not?” Josh questioned. “We’ll miss you too much if you stay under here forever. Who else is going to drive me crazy?”


“I’m nots safe.” Josh raised his eyebrow.


“What are you talking about?”


“I do stupid stuff an’ my friends get hurt because of it. I’m a bad girl.”


“You’re not a bad girl baby, it’s the choices that you make that are bed” Kevin told her gently.


“All the same, if I stays down here, the choices I make won’t hurt my friends anymores.”


“Sweetheart…we all make bad choices in life, but that doesn’t mean we all need to go hide under beds because of it. That’s not going to make things better.”


“My choices are badder,” Elenore insisted softly, and she buried her face in Josh’s chest.


“I don’t know about that honey, I’ve seen people make some pretty bad choices,” Jerald replied.


“But I bets none of theirs made their friends get hurts in the end.”


“Honey…come out of there so we can talk about this better,” Kevin pleaded.


“No. I don’ts want to. An’ Joshy should goes away before I hurt him too.”


“I’m not leaving you,” Josh insisted. “If you stay under here forever, I will too.”


“But I’ll hurts you Joshy, an’ I don’ts want to but I will because I’m dangerous. I’m like a bomb waiting to happen.”


“You can’t hurt me Ellie.”


“You don’ts know that.”


“I do so know that. Better then anybody else on this bus and you know it.”


“You’re so stupid if you stays with me. My daddy poisoned me. I’m no goods.”


“And you’re stupid if you believe that load of Chance poo-poo.”


“I hates you,” Elenore replied stubbornly.


“Well that’s too bad because I love you, and the world isn’t the same without Ellie.”


“Well, it’s definitely safer.”


“Being safe is over-rated.” Elenore scowled, as she was running out of things to argue about.


“You would rather be unsafe?” Elenore asked skeptically.


“Of course I do. I laugh at the face of danger – hahahaha” Kevin chuckled, and Elenore couldn’t help but giggle a little herself, as she loves that line in Lion King.


“Well I don’ts. I can’ts live with the fact that I puts Kota an’ Sarah in danger” she insisted. Kevin gave Josh a look then, and understanding the look, Josh gently grabbed Elenore and shifted her so she was lying on top of him and he scooted closer and handed her over to Kevin who’s hands were now under the bed ready to grab her. Elenore’s hand flew quickly to her face to cover her eyes and when Kevin had her out from under the bed he removed Jerald’s jacket and replaced it with a blanket before scooting back with her and leaning against the wall. He shifted his legs so they were up and slightly bended and he lay Elenore in his lap before wrapping her up in the blanket. He gently pulled her hands from her face and brushed her tears away with his finger. “If it weren’t for you Elenore Ellerbee, your two best friends wouldn’t have made it out of that room without being hurt tonight” he told her gently.


“Buts—“


“—You are a real hero Ellie. You weren’t going to let Lou hurt them whatever it took. You protected them with all your might because you’re a sweet and caring little girl who loves her best friends” He explained.


“Buts I’m dangerous,” Elenore insisted as tears fell from her eyes like a waterfall and he wiped them away once more. “I’m a bad girl an’ I needs to stay far away.”

“Ellie, you are not a bad girl, You aren’t.” Kevin replied firmly. “And I don’t want to ever hear you say that again do you hear me?”


“Buts—“


“—But nothing. You’re a very good girl who just makes wrong decisions.”


“Which is why I need to stay far away!” Elenore shouted tearfully, as she is getting tired of this fight. Why won’t anyone understand? Her mother did and that’s why she got rid of her. Because she couldn’t handle her. Why isn’t anyone else doing the same? They should all be turning the other way running and screaming. Or locking her up in a closet or something. They would all be a whole lot better off.


“Baby if everybody was sent away for all the wrong decisions that they made, the world would be a very empty place. There wouldn’t be anybody left.” Elenore crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from him. “Because every single person in this world has made a dozen or more mistakes that they all wish they could take back. But you can’t. What’s done is done,” he continued, and he gently placed his hands to each of her cheeks making her look at him again. “But what you can do is figure out what you need to do to make sure you don’t keep repeating those mistakes.”


“I try,” Elenore replied weakly. “Problem is, half the time I don’ts know I’m making them up until the point where you yell at me.” Kevin nodded, understanding completely where she is coming from.


“Well that’s nothing that we need to send you away for, or make you hide under a bed for honey…you just need to learn how to stop and think before you do things,” he explained. “You act on impulse…do you know what that means?” Elenore shook her head quietly, sniffling some.


“It means when you have a sudden desire to do something you don’t stop to think about how it’s going to affect people. You just think hey, this sounds fun, I want to do it, and no one can talk me out of it and that’s what gets you into trouble,” he explained gently. “Do you understand?” Elenore nodded quietly. “Like the time when we were on the plane for example…when you were playing hide n seek with Josh? What were you thinking when you went where you weren’t supposed to?”


“That, that room would be fun to hide in and Joshy would never be able to find me.”


“Did you think about how any of us grownups might feel if we woke up and found you gone?” Elenore shook her head shamefully.


“No…that I didnts think about.”


“And what about when you let the puppies go on the plane? What were you thinking then?”


“That Lil’ Rok was scared and needed cuddles.”


“And nothing about how the flight attendants would feel about five puppies running around, right?” Elenore shook her head sadly.


“Well there we go. You’re impulsive, Ellie. When you have the desire to do something you do it. You don’t stop to think about how it will affect the people around you. You just have to remember that the next time you have an idea and stop and think about it before you do it. Okay?”


“Kay…” Elenore replied softly.


“You are a very good girl sweetheart, and I love you so much. You’re the center of my world and without you in it I wouldn’t be complete. I want you to always remember that Ellie. Always. No matter how hard you are being on yourself, I’m always going to be right here loving you just the same as I always do. There isn’t anything that can change that.” Elenore slid her arms around Kevin’s neck then and sat herself up and buried her face in his shoulder and he rubbed his hand over back as he kissed her forehead softly.


“And your father didn’t poison you,” he whispered in her ear.


“He’s not a bad man either Kevy,” Elenore insisted softly, and she looked up at him. Kevin said nothing; he only rested his forehead against hers. “He’s just a man who makes bad choices and didnts have a Kevy to loves him like me.”


“You are right,” he replied gently. “He made one good choice though,” he replied as he hugged her close to him. “He gave me you.” Elenore snuggled against him some, nestling her head into his chest and Kevin sat there placing soft kisses on her forehead and rocking her in his arms. It wasn’t long until she was suddenly fighting sleep. He knows he should probably get her dressed, but she looks so comfortable and he would rather not fight bedtime, he would rather her just fall asleep. He’ll get her dressed when he goes to lay her down. He looked at Jerald then.


“I want you to get me a phonebook, my cell phone, and a highlighter. Detective Stabler and I have some therapists that we need to find,” he whispered. Jerald nodded, and he got up and set off to do that. They’re at the hotel already, and everybody had gotten off and gone to pack – Brian had volunteered to pack Kevin and Jerald’s stuff so they could spend all the time they needed with Elenore. And they definitely needed it.