As Doctor Johnson crept quietly over to the Orphanage Wing, he went up behind the boarded up door to the auditorium and pressed his ear to it so he could hear if there was anything out of the ordinary going on in there. As soon as he did, he heard gun shots and people screaming and his heart lurched. His Annabelle and Julie are stuck in there…because he put them in there. Tears welled up in his eyes and he pulled out the walkie-talkie from in his pocket and stared at it. There is no way he would be able to get a hold of Julie without Sean knowing. God if anything happens to them…no. He won’t allow himself to finish that thought because nothing is going to take his life away from him. Not this time. There is no way his sister would go through all of that trouble to give them to him only to rip them away again when he hasn’t even had them for very long. Doctor Johnson shook his head and he fought back the urge to go and grab something – anything that would be strong enough to bust open this door and barge in on the asshole hurting his family. Not just his future family…but the family he adopted when this Orphanage first opened. Brooke, the boys, their kids, the orphanage children, Ashley, Kori, Scott and the entire Ramsey staff. His brother...his brother. The only real family he has left. Everybody he loves and cares deeply about is in that room being tortured or god only knows what. Turning around so his back was up against the door he slid down to the ground and cradled his head in his hands.
“Come on Steve…you can’t give up. Think of something…anything,” He quietly urged himself. His mind turned to Julie then. Her sweet little angelic face – his angel. Man does he love that little girl…he would give anything to be holding her right now, reassuring her that everything would be okay. He would give anything to be in there with her and Annabelle protecting them the best he knows how. But he can’t. Because he is stuck on the other side of the goddamned door without any way in. Please God…you can’t really be this cruel. Didn’t it occur to you that I might have been just learning how to forgive you? and with those words being said in his mind like a silent prayer, a little voice spoke from his pocket instantly earning his undivided attention. There is no way in the world that voice would ever have to work hard for it.
“…Stevie?” Doctor Johnson’s heart did an entire flip flop inside his chest upon hearing her and he struggled to get the walkie-talkie out again. “Stevie I need you…” when he got it out he pressed the button down.
“I’m here angel…what’s going on?” He let go again waiting on her reply which didn’t take long.
“Stevie!!!” she cried gratefully though he could hear the strain in her voice as she tried not to cry. “Stevie I’m so scared! Come gets me, please come gets me.”
“I can’t get inside the auditorium honey…but I’m going to try and make it better from out here. You need to tell me what’s going on. Is the mean man going to catch you talking to me any moment?”
“No, I’m not in the auditorium” Julie answered and Doctor Johnson was surprised at how relieved that made him feel, though he wondered immensely about his Annabelle. “Sarah an’ the rest took me to the sewers. The bad man doesn’t know we’re here,” She explained quietly. The Sewers… he thought quietly to himself and was never more thankful for Dakota then he was that very moment as he comprehended what she meant immediately.
“I’m coming up sweetie. Where at in the…sewers are you?”
“Sarah says you won’t be able to fits up here,” Julie told him and he heard the distressed sound in her voice upon saying this.
“It will be a tight squeeze but I will manage. If Kevin can squeeze his way up there for Ellie I certainly can too.”
“Kay…”
“Where are you at sweetie?”
“Near the hospital.” Doctor Johnson cringed.
“I need you all to move away from there – far away from there. Now please…”
“Where would we go?” He thought about that for a moment, trying to think of an air vent he would be able to fit into the easiest. Just then Dakota came on.
“Meet us at the air vent in Bella’s room J, okay?”
“Okay,” Doctor Johnson replied and his heart warmed at the sound of Dakota’s voice. He’s always loved her so very much but after hearing that she’s taken such good care of his Julie his love for her, if at all possible, strengthened. He got up from the floor then and headed for the stairs as he knows for a fact that the intruders over in the hospital wing have shut off the elevators completely. He narrowly escaped being locked inside one earlier. When he made it over to Bella’s room he went inside and into her closet and there was the kids holding the vent open, waiting patiently.
“Doctor J, please be careful” Dakota urged when she saw that he was using absolutely no caution. “Sean makes Marcus turn the cameras on.”
“I expected as much,” Doctor Johnson nodded. “I’ve been careful,” he told her and he climbed up onto the dresser and into the air vent and as soon as he did the first person he laid eyes on was Julie.
“Stevie!” she wailed and she flung herself at him as he lay on his stomach inside the vent since he couldn’t fit upright and he rolled over onto his back pulling her on top of him in tight hug causing her to bury her face inside his chest and sob. He kissed her forehead softly and allowed his fingers to cascade gently through her hair before bringing his hand down and rubbing her back.
“It’s okay angel, its okay…” He told her reassuringly in her ear. “I’m here now, I’ve got you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“Or mommy?”
“Or mommy,” he confirmed, promising her as well as himself. He held her long after he managed to get her to stop crying as it was just a relief to be holding her again and when she felt safe enough she lifted her face from his chest and rested her forehead against his and her watery eyes bore into his.
“I love you Stevie,” she whispered.
“I love you too sweetie…” After a long moment while lightly combing his fingers through her soft hair adoringly he glanced at the other kids and saw that Dakota and Sarah sat there silently watching the father and daughter moment with tears in their eyes – and a sort of longing look. He knows they really want their daddy right now. He took in the others as well – Josh, Spencer, Ellie, Ryan, Laila, and Bella and suddenly became serious.
“We need to sneak over to Brooke’s office – if I can just get to her phone…”
“We haves my mommy Ashee’s cell phone,” Dakota interrupted and she held up Ashley’s new cell phone. “An’ we already called Elliot. He’s busy withs Aunt Angel at the moment an’ was in a hurry to hang up but promises to call us right back.” Doctor Johnson heaved a sigh of relief knowing that despite how busy he is, he must’ve called for back-up and they must be outside taking care of things right now.
“Kota…” he began.
“What?” Dakota asked softly. Doctor Johnson wordlessly pulled the four year old into his arms and he hugged her close to him and kissed her cheek affectionately.
“You are pretty damn amazing,” He told her softly, and then started hugging all of the other kids too. “All of you.”
“Some of us don’t feel very amazing right now’s,” Ellie told him quietly and Doctor Johnson was sure to give her extra hugs and kisses.
“We makes Ellie call him,” Dakota added feeling slightly horrible about this confession she just made.
“I know you are having a hard time,” He told Ellie gently. “But just think about all of the people you may be saving because of that act of betrayal Ellie…you did a very unselfish thing and though you aren’t happy about it I’m proud of you. It was the right thing to do.” Ellie buried her head in his chest as he held her and after a long while he looked at Dakota just thinking. He wishes he had Brandon there to draw them a clear picture of the building so that Dakota could tell him all of her hiding places. He very much wishes that there were some that he might be able to fit into better. After a few moments he got to his knees ready to investigate more.
“Lead me to the auditorium Kota. I want to see for myself what is going on down there. However, I don’t want any of you to hear or see it so when we get closer to it I want you to stay a little ways back and cover your ears. Do you understand?” All of the kids nodded and Dakota lead the way to the auditorium so that Doctor Johnson could see what’s happening, and hopefully help in some way.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Ashley…don’t do it” Scott ordered in a quiet whisper as they lay under a chair way up high in the nose bleed section of the auditorium and they listened to Sean beat Nick relentlessly in his cruel attempt to get Ashley to reveal herself. As soon as he returned without Marcus and Q – both who had been shot god knows where for trying something very stupid up in the control room and left up there tied to chairs he tied up everybody except for Nick and started using him as a punching bag. Not only that, but Trevor had ended up sneaking two of the guys from over in the Hospital wing into the auditorium through who knows what secret entrance so now they had extra help. While Trevor and one guy stood guarding the grownups, the other new guy was searching underneath chairs for Scott and Ashley. Hearing Nick’s cries of pain was torturing Ashley just as much as Sean knew it would and Scott knows she is very close to cracking.
He has done everything he possibly could to keep her down, even going as far as covering her ears but it wasn’t doing much good. He was currently lying on top of her with his forehead rested against hers and his hands covering her ears firmly and he was giving her a serious look. She tried her very hardest to shut out Nick’s cries but she knows that is useless. Their bond won’t allow it he is too much a part of her. When his cries seemed to get louder and longer, Ashley could not take any more. There is nothing holding her back now. Dakota took Bella to the air vents where she is safe, there is nothing to keep her back – only Scott, but she was taught to take care of that. With her love for Nick as her strength she shoved Scott off of her with all her might and leaped to her feet and flew down the stairs toward the stage.
“STOP IT, LEAVE HIM ALONE!” she sobbed and ignoring Sean as he stood there grinning at her victoriously, she threw herself on top of Nick as he lay face down on the stage floor bloody and bruised. As Sean stood there with his belt still in the air ready to strike, she whirled around so that she is lying on his bloody back completely sheltering him and ready to take the blow instead. What’s another belt beating? She thought to herself. She’s received plenty and she’s learned to take them in silence knowing her cries only please him and therefore increase the pain. She will not be satisfying him this time, hell no. In fact, why should she suffer another beating? She won’t. At least not without a fight she won’t. Nick has protected her all this time it was her turn to return the favor. She would protect the love of her life this time. As Sean started to bring the belt down on her however, Nick who’d been lying on the ground appearing to be completely out of strength seemed to recover at the sight of her. Two things happened at once just then. He whirled around onto his back and slid his arms around her waist and in one movement threw her and himself to the side and completely out of harm’s way – but not before Ashley’s foot could reach out and knock into Sean’s legs with all of the strength she has in her causing him to lose his footing and fly backward with a cry of surprise. He landed on his back with a loud oomph getting the wind knocked out of him in the process and Nick was on top of her protectively in an instant but she peered at Sean with angered eyes from over Nick’s shoulder daring him to try anything.
“I’m going to assume that move was an accident because of Nick moving you so abruptly Ashley or –“
“--Or what?” Ashley interrupted challengingly. Sean arched his eyebrow in even more surprise. “You’re going to beat me for it? Kill me? Blow Nick up? Go ahead. Threaten me. I can guarantee there is not a single threat you’ve made that I’ve not heard already!” “In fact, I am quite sick of them to be honest. They just don’t scare me anymore. How about you come up with something new for once, Sean?” Sean stared at her in silence now, completely taken aback and at loss for words. Ashley laughed, but it was not at all a humorous laugh. “What’s the matter Sean? Were you expecting the weak and useless Ashley that you’ve worked so hard to create all these years?” “Well guess what – that Ashley is gone and you’re just going to have to deal with the new one. And she is not taking your shit anymore. You do NOT control her!”
Sean let out a low dangerous growl as he’s had about enough of this. He has to be in control. He can’t handle not being in control. Okay, so she’s developed a backbone. So what? He broke her before, he’ll do it again. While Sean was deciding this and working on regaining his composure again after being knocked off his feet literally (that had come to him as such a huge shock after all) Ashley was unbuckling Nick’s belt as he continued to lay on top of her. He was looking into her eyes as she stared back into his and the two of them were communicating silently as he’d wanted to know what she was doing. By the time she had the belt out of the loops three things happened at once. Sean made a movement, Scott started toward him, and Ashley was on her feet in that same moment.
“No Scott he is mine!” she insisted and to his surprise she lifted the belt in the air and brought it down on Sean, beating him like he used to do to her and he hollered in so much pain. Trevor started toward her, and Nick though weak from being beaten and shot in the leg was up on his feet ready to defend his lover. He lunged himself at him, shoved him to the floor and began punching him.
“Yes it hurts Sean, doesn’t it?” Ashley asked viciously. “Now you get a taste of your own medicine. Now you know what I had to endure EVERY fucking day since the day you took my parents from me! It isn’t nice is it?”
“I could stand here and beat you till near death if I wanted to like you’ve done to me recently but I won’t. Because A I am not you and B, I love Ellie way too much to ever do that to her.” She is just thankful that the kids got her away from here. She hopes that she is far enough away not to hear Sean’s cries and she is also thankful that Sean had tied the rest of the kids up in another room where they can’t see her violent like this. This is not a side of Ashley anyone has ever seen before and she is afraid of what that would do to all of the kids if they were to witness it. She doesn’t even know where it came from herself.
But knowing Angel is suffering because of her, knowing he shot her brother in the arm, Marcus, everybody in this room, Kori, her parents, hearing Nick suffer for an hour straight while Scott held her down…something inside her just snapped. Nick was the last straw. The trigger. It must’ve been. She just needed to get Bella out of the way. And she had. And now that she’s snapped she doesn’t know how she is going to stop. She will stop because she is not him. Anytime now…but it just feels so good. To just get it all out. Somewhere in the middle of her beating him however, Sean who could not believe this was happening and just wanted it to stop angrily reached out and grabbed her ankle and in that same moment a gunshot went off and something slammed into Ashley sending her flying forward to the floor. It was Kori. Somehow she had broken free and had acted on quick impulse and she was now sheltering her sister on the floor protectively. Ashley peeked out from the curtain of Kori’s hair at Sean to see that Kori had acted on quick impulse to save her and they had missed a bullet by mere inches.
“NO!” Kori shouted angrily at the man who had shot the gun – the forgotten one, who until now had hung back. Why had he hung back? Ashley wondered quietly to herself. Why was he standing there just…watching? “NOT my sister too you bastard!”
~*~*~*~*~*~
When Detectives Stabler, Benson, and Munch arrived at Sean’s old trailer home with Aaron and Conner, Aaron jumped out of the car with his shovel and made a run for it into the woods with Conner at his heels and the Detectives ran quickly after them with their own shovels.
“Wait Aaron! How do you know where you are going?” Detective Munch questioned when he noticed Aaron seemed to be running toward a certain destination though he was not told where the grave was.
“I can just feel it! We’re close to her!”
“But I thought she was passed out?”
“She is, but that doesn’t matter. I know she is here” Aaron insisted and then a few moments later came to an abrupt stop at a grave. He instantly began digging with all of the strength in him and Conner and the Detectives helped. When their shovels hit the coffin they dug around it and then Detective’s Stabler and Munch reached in and pulled it out and Detective Benson threw it open to see Angel lying inside it along side Sean’s skeleton father passed out.
“Angel! Angel!” Aaron cried and he reached in and pulled his sister out of the coffin hugging her close to him and kissing her cheek. “Angel I’m here, I’m right here Twina you have to wake up” he pleaded.
“Aaron give her here,” Detective Stabler ordered and he gently grabbed Angel into his own arms so that he is cradling her, sat down on the ground with her and he began to perform CPR on her. Aaron and Conner watched anxiously and after a few moments Angel coughed and her eyes shot open.
“Aaron? Aaron?” She asked and though she was weak she sounded very frantic. “Aaron?” Aaron and Conner both let out a breath of air that neither of them realized they were holding and Aaron began to sob.
“I’m right here Angel...I’m right here sweetie” He insisted and he took his sister from Detective Stabler and held her against him protectively. Angel slid her arms around his neck and held onto him just as tight as he rested his forehead against hers. While Aaron held her, Conner took her hand wanting her to know that he is there too and she squeezed it with what little strength she has in her wanting him to know that she knows.
“I love you Twinny,” She whispered softly to Aaron.
“I love you too.” Just then an ambulance could be heard arriving and when it came to a stop near them a misty eyed Detective Benson began to help Aaron get his sister onto a stretcher.
“Aaron? Aaron?” She asked suddenly panicking again and she reached out for her twin. Aaron grabbed her hand gently as he crawled into the back of the ambulance with the stretcher and she instantly calmed down at his touch and as long as she could feel Aaron she allowed the paramedics to check her out and take her to the hospital.
