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Author's Chapter Notes:

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Meanwhile at Ramsey Hospital, AJ sat at Nick’s bedside talking to him like he would on any normal day if he were conscious and well when suddenly Angel came into the room practically dragging Conner by the hand. AJ looked at her curiously to see a troubled look on her face and arched his eyebrow.


“Angel? What’s going on?”


“You have to see this,” Angel insisted while going over to Nick’s bed. “I can’t believe she would stoop this low!” she added, and then reached over and pushed a button on the side of Nick’s bed. A second later the television came on and it was currently set on cartoon network. Angel quickly turned it to the news and as soon as she did, there was her mother on screen talking to a reporter. AJ narrowed his eyes and hit the volume button turning it up loud enough for him to hear and he listened to Jane feed the reporter lies and bullshit about his sister being just another money hungry girlfriend and what’s going on with Nick.


“Oh yeah?” AJ asked calmly after a moment but nobody would mistake the anger toward Jane in his voice. “What will help you believe it then Angel?” he added and Angel quietly slid her arms around Nick and rested her cheek against his forehead.


“You have to wake up Nick…things are spiraling out of control around here without you,” Angel whispered to her brother as tears clouded her eyes. AJ sighed heavily and then reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, flipped it open and hit a button before placing it to his ear. Angel listened as he spoke into it a moment later.


“Mom, have you seen the news?” there was silence as he listened to her response. “What are we going to do about it?” He listened some more. “Okay…well while you do that I’m getting Ashley home. She is out with Marcus right now and completely unaware that there is going to be a swarm of angry fans after her,” he insisted and then hung up before turning his phone back on and hitting another button and putting it back to his ear to listen to it ring.


~*~*~*~*~


Meanwhile at the beach, Ashley felt her phone in her pocket vibrate and completely ignored it. She is not ready to deal with anyone right now, she is not ready to reveal where she is she just wants to be left alone. She gazed down at Bella when the vibrating finally stopped and she gently caressed her face with her fingers causing Bella to gaze up at her smiling. Ashley smiled back some at the innocent smile despite everything and she leaned down and kissed her forehead softly.


“You’re so sweet Bella…” Ashley said quietly. “I love that no matter how ugly or hard things get in the real world I can count on you reminding me of the precious things…” Bella cooed softly and Ashley leaned forward and rubbed her nose lightly over hers giving her an Eskimo’s kiss and she gently ran her fingers through her curls. “Ellie,” Ashley went on. She likes talking to Bella knowing that she isn’t going to talk back and give her, her opinion like everybody else. At least not in any language that she is going to understand. “She is one of those precious things…stubborn and selfish in some ways like her father, but still precious and mostly innocent in all of this. How could I ever hurt her?” Ashley sat there gazing down at her daughter as she continued to soul search.

What better person is there to have with you when doing such a thing? Her daughter is the best example of what’s good and pure in this world and suddenly it hit her that every decision she makes is going to affect her in some shape or form - Dakota and Sarah as well. If she decides to let the death penalty take place…in her grief of it all, Ellie may just shut Dakota out. Not because it’s her fault, but because of the whole situation all together. And if she doesn’t let the death penalty take place…Dakota will wonder why Ellie’s daddy gets to live while hers is currently fighting for his own? She is going to need Ashley to help her understand right and wrong, that’s for sure…which all comes back to her dad and his advice from long ago. Ashley rolled her eyes at this revelation.

Well, if you are kicking back up there on some cloud waiting on me to admit you are right daddy, it’s not going to happen. People may say that she is just like him, but one thing she knows she got from her mother is her stubbornness. Her father only reminded her of that every day. He knew her so well too…probably enough to know that she is going to end up following in his footsteps again because she openly takes pride in being like him. He and her mother worked so hard to teach their kids to do the right thing, and she only hopes that she can do them justice with her own. She wants Sarah, Dakota, and Bella to grow up with a sense of right and wrong and she doesn’t want Dakota to be resentful of her best friend. Therefore, she’s afraid that, like her father…she is going to have to give her the two rights don’t make a wrong speech. Not only that, but she is going to have to be a good example for them as well. Silently making her decision, she got up with Bella and carried her over to Marcus just as his phone rang and he turned it on and placed it to his ear.


“What’s up J?” He asked curiously.


“Is my sister all right?!”


“Huh? Yeah…she’s fine. She’s right here, why?”


“Because I’ve tried calling her three times and she didn’t answer!”


“Her phone must’ve been on vibrate then, because I didn’t hear it. She must’ve ignored it. Why do you sound so frantic? What’s going on?”


“She didn’t answer and it just scared me…that’s all. Will you get her home please? Jane talked to a reporter and said some really awful things about her…I wouldn’t be surprised if a swarm of fans come after her. I want her home now and to stay here until my mom fixes it somehow.”


“We’ll be right there. She’s all right J, I promise. I won’t let anything happen to her” Marcus insisted and then hung up.


“Why did you tell him that? I’m not ready to go home” Ashley insisted.


“Because he’s freaking out that’s why. Jane went to the reporters and said some awful things…fans are about to get very angry if not already and it’s most likely going to be directed at you.” Ashley narrowed her eyes slightly at this news but having a pretty good idea of what was said she shrugged.


“I don’t care, I can’t think about that right now. I need you to take me somewhere.”


“Sweetheart, your brother is very worried about you.”


“So tell me something new,” Ashley insisted. “Marcus I really need to get to the station and talk to Elliot, so please take me there, please?”


“Talk to Elliot about what?” Marcus asked curiously and Ashley shrugged.


“Just…some stuff,” was all she said and she began gathering up Bella’s stuff. When she had it all together she headed for the car and Marcus followed her with concern in his eyes. She looks like a woman on a mission and it didn’t look like an enjoyable one. She looks almost emotional. They got in the car, Marcus took off, and when they arrived at the police station they parked the car and got out. Ashley got Bella out of her car seat and with Marcus at her side protectively they went into the police station and up to the second floor where she knows she’ll find Detective Stabler at. When she walked out of the elevator she spotted him sitting in his desk going over some files or something and Detective Benson sitting on top of his desk having a discussion. She looked up however when she saw a determined Ashley approaching and she raised her eyebrow causing a curious Detective Stabler to look up at her.


“Ashley? What are you doing here honey?” he asked while getting up.


“I want to talk to Sean,” was all she said.


“…Sean has already had his visitor for the day. Ellie was just here talking to him” Detective Stabler insisted while studying the state she is in. She looks like she could break at any moment.


“Well, now he has another one.”


“Honey I’ve already asked the guards to get him out twice today.”


“Will it hurt them any to get him out again?”


“No, but I’m a little concerned about what brought this on…it’s not every day that you storm in here near breaking point demanding to talk to the man you were once terrified of” Detective Stabler explained while Detective Benson gently took Bella into her own arms.


“It DOESN’T matter okay?” Ashley asked while raising her voice just slightly. “I JUST need to talk to him is that really such a difficult request?” Detective Stabler eyed her for a moment, and then got up and went off to find Ed and talk to him. A few moments later he came back out and motioned for her to come to him and she and Marcus did just that as Detective Benson stayed where she was holding Bella.


“He’s bringing him into the interrogation room.” Ashley gave him a short nod as she followed him back there and when they got in there he pulled out the chair that Ellie had once been sitting in and offered it to her. Ashley took a seat and he gently squeezed her shoulder.


“He will be handcuffed and Ed will be standing in here with you so you won’t need to worry about him hurting you.”


“Kay,” was all Ashley said and a moment later Ed walked in with Sean who eyed Ashley curiously while Ed led him toward his chair on the other side of the table. When he had him sitting in it and handcuffed to the table he turned and headed over to the corner of the room where he would be standing and Detective Stabler and Marcus walked out of the room, closed the door behind them, and instantly made it so that they could hear what’s going on.


“Well…I never thought I would get a visit from you,” Sean commented after a moment of silence as she sat there staring at him hatefully.


“Prison looks like it’s been treating you well,” was all Ashley said as she took notice of his bruises. He has a black eye and a cut lip that is still bleeding. She gazed at him with slight satisfaction now at this revelation.


“Oh you like my battle wounds do you?” Sean asked casually.


“Honestly you don’t have enough of them. A little more time in prison and maybe you will finally understand the hell you put me through…huh?”


“Wow, you’ve turned into quite the feisty one…are we sure we have the right Mortenson girl in here?”


“I guess having your boyfriend stuck in a coma and just about everything taken away from you will do that to a person.”


“You deserved it. And you are lucky that I am handcuffed to this table right now or I would strangle you with my bare hands, bitch.”


“Is that supposed to intimidate me? You don’t scare me anymore, Sean.” Ashley informed, completely unfazed by his threatening words. “In fact, I think you need to realize that the tables have been turned quite a bit here haven’t they? It’s me who you should be afraid of. It’s me who controls whether you live or die this time.”


“Is that why you are here then?” Sean wanted to know. “Would you like for me to beg you to let me live?”


“You can, but it doesn’t matter either way. My decision has already been made.”

 


“Ah, I see. So you’ve just come to scare me then have you? Well it’s not working.”


“Oh really…is that why I see panic written all over your face?”


“You’re not going to kill me,” Sean insisted. “You don’t have it in you, you’re too sweet and vulnerable.”


“I may be sweet but one thing I am not anymore is vulnerable Sean,” Ashley informed with hard eyes. “Not anymore not when it comes to you.”


“Would you be saying the same thing if I were un-handcuffed right now?” Sean taunted.


“And you know what I would love more than anything right now Sean?” Ashley went on as if he hadn’t said anything.


“What is that?” Sean asked casually, almost sounding bored and Ashley leaned forward on the table and looked him directly in the eyes. “For you to suffer more than I ever did, more than your daughter ever did, and ten times more than any other human being that you ever laid a hand on.”


“Is that right?” Sean asked and she saw the slight panic in his eyes again.


“Yes it is very right and you know what? That is why I am going to let you live.”


“That doesn’t make any sense.”


“Oh it makes perfect sense.”


“How do you figure?”


“You may have killed my parents, you may have killed all of the other innocent people that you laid hands on and I’m sure it hurt pretty badly…but the truth is, it didn’t for long because as soon as they left this earth you sent them off to a much happier place where pain and sorrow didn’t exist,” Ashley explained. “So you know what Sean? If I have it my way you will be forever sentenced to this earth for the rest of your life locked up behind bars and being treated like the filth that you are by other inmates. You can watch for yourself what you did to your daughter who for reasons of her own that I don’t understand…still loves you very much. I promised her I would fight for your worthless life and you know what? I don’t break promises that I make to people that I love.” When Sean said nothing, Ashley continued. “So I suggest you treat me with utmost respect for the next few weeks and pray that Nick makes it out of this because I have absolute control over your future.”


“You do not. Not entirely, I still have a trial.”


“One where I am going to stand up and beg the judge to let you live when I really don’t have to,” Ashley reminded him and she gave him a dark glare before getting up and walking out of the room having said all that she needed to say. When she walked out there she discovered Detective Stabler and Marcus standing there at the one-way window. Deciding that this should be no surprise to her she didn’t call them on it.

“What made you come up with this decision?” Marcus wanted to know.


“My father and my Girls.”


“Your father?” Detective Stabler asked while arching his eyebrow. “Don’t tell me he’s here too…”


“He is here,” Ashley said slightly amused. “In memory where he belongs. I just remembered his advice is all…he used to always tell me two wrongs don’t make a right.”


“So…you are letting Sean live…what about Trevor?” Detective Stabler questioned.


“Trevor was part of the promise I made to Ellie. However, Sean’s behavior toward me controls whether or not they’re separated,” Ashley added, being sure to purposely say it right when Ed was bringing Sean out. “His behavior toward me when I’m around, his behavior toward me when I’m not around and his behavior toward Ellie.”


“Well then Sean,” Ed spoke up while leading him away. “I guess you best work on that apology huh? Or you may very well be saying bye to your bodyguard.”


“What apology?” Ashley asked Detective Stabler curiously and he slid his arm around her shoulders and began to explain it to her while leading her back to his desk where they left Detective Benson and Bella. After talking to him for awhile and then retrieving her daughter again, Marcus drove Ashley back to the hospital wing only to find the huge mob he’d been fearing they’d run into sitting outside it and much to Marcus’s dismay, there were more this time.


“Shit…” he cursed, and while he pulled out his phone and dialed up AJ, Ashley sat there quietly staring out the window at all of the angry fans and finally allowed her emotions over what Jane had done hit her since she took care of her other problem. How could she be this cruel? She thought to herself and she managed to fight back tears with major difficulty. She is not going to cry, she will not let herself cry. Will nothing go right for her? Is it not bad enough that she doesn’t have Nick’s comfort to go inside to after all of this?


“J…it’s me. I’m sure you’ve figured out that there’s a mob outside the hospital wing…I’m driving around to the orphanage meet us there, Ashley is going to need you.”


“It’s not much better over there, there’s a mob there too.”


“Great…what do I do?”


“The rest of security and I will be there in a second. Get Ashley out of the car…put her on your shoulders if you have to. They wouldn’t dare mess with you.”


“We have the baby, what if they start throwing things? I’m just going to sneak her around to the back. Or are there fans over there too?”


“No, just the front entrances to both buildings. They don’t know that Ashley isn’t in here, they’re waiting on her to come out.”


“How do you know?”


“Because one bold fan actually came inside and started shouting at her to come out before she got escorted out.” Marcus shook his head and concentrated on driving around the building and as soon as they got there they found AJ and the rest of security waiting. Ashley opened the car door and went straight into her brother’s arms and she hugged him, still refusing to cry. He kissed her forehead softly as he hugged her in return.


“What took you so long? I called you an hour ago,” AJ asked Marcus as he got out and proceeded to get Bella out of the car.


“Yeah well…Ashley insisted we go to the police station so she could confront Sean.” AJ raised his eyebrow at Ashley then and Ashley shook her head.


“I don’t feel like talking about it,” She insisted. “Get Bells from Marcus for me will you?” She added and then gently pushed past him and before he could reply she went into the building. She ignored all of the eyes and just went straight to Nick’s room. When she got in there, she saw that Angel was sitting in a chair keeping an eye on him. Without so much as a word to her second favorite Carter, she went straight to Nick, crawled into his bed and buried her face in his chest before breaking down into sobs and she felt Angel wrap her arms around her from behind and hug her.


“I’m sorry Ashley…I’m so sorry my mom did this,” She whispered in her ear. Concentrating on Angel’s words and her hug, it didn’t register in her mind completely when she felt another pair of arms wrap around her.