Signing is in bold. This is set before 2X16 so Bay and Ty have not slept together yet.
"Can I get you anything to eat?" Kathryn asked, signing along with her words so she could be sure that Daphne and Emmett were following her. "I have some chocolate almond cookies that just come out of the oven."
"That sounds great!" Daphne exclaimed. "I don't think I've tried chocolate and almond before."
"It's really good," Kathryn assured them. "Do you want some too, Emmett?"
Yes, please. Emmett grinned at her. I know how good your cooking is; how could I refuse?
"You're sweet," Kathryn gushed. "Juice or milk?"
"Juice," Daphne said while Emmett made the same sign.
Kathryn gave them a smile before flouncing from the living room into the kitchen to see her son heading by. "Toby," she called.
"Not now, Mom. I need to meet Nikki in ten. Is Bay in her room?"
"Should be!" Kathryn bellowed back a reply, hearing him thunder up the stairs.
Toby ducked into his room long enough to grab his wallet before heading into Bay's room.
"Knock much?" She sneered as soon as the door opened.
"It's not like you're naked," Toby shot back.
"Gross," Bay rolled her eyes, dropping her book onto the bed beside her. "You're my brother."
"I didn't say I wanted to see you naked," Toby replied, equally as disgusted.
"Good … Now, what's up?"
"Nikki wanted me to ask if you if you could do a wedding portrait. She says she wants a big painting of us to hang up on the wall – something based off of our favourite picture taken at the wedding." Toby offered her a hopeful expression. "So, you in? It would make both of us really happy."
"Stop with the puppy eyes," Bay laughed, holding up a hand to block her view of Toby. "I'll do it."
"You're the greatest, Bay!" Toby called, pointing a hand back to her.
"You know it!" Bay shouted in return. She watched him disappear down the hallway, before growling her realization. "You forget to shut my door, nitwit."
She shook her head but didn't bother to get up. The noises Kathryn made in the kitchen weren't that distracting, and it's not like Daphne and Emmett were going to get into a shouting match or anything like that. With a sigh, she returned back to her book, half thinking about going down to get a cookie, but not wanting to run into Emmett while doing it. Oh, the struggles of being Bay Kennish.
Toby paused when he heard Bay call him a nitwit, but when her anger didn't seem to give chase, he continued to fly down the stairs. He slid into the living room, as much to see Kathryn and Daphne as to have a quick word with Emmett.
"What's up?" Toby greeted. He was distracted a beat after. "Oh, cookies."
He snatched a healthy helping from the plate Kathryn had just sat down on the coffee table. He was quick to cram the cookies into his mouth in order to free his hands so he could turn to Emmett and talk to him.
Are you free weekend after next?
I should be,Emmett replied. Why?
Nikki might have found a gig for Awesome Sauce.
I'll keep the dates free.
Toby turned to say something to Kathryn when he heard the front door open. "Isn't Dad supposed to be gone all day?" he questioned.
"Yes … and Regina and Adrianna are both working; no surprise visits from them." Kathryn's hands flew to her hips. "Bay better not be sneaking out."
"I'll check," Toby volunteered. "I've got to head out anyway – I'm almost late for meeting Nikki."
He slipped through the doorway connecting the living room to the kitchen.
What happened? Emmett asked, only catching Kathryn's annoyed expression. Daphne repeated the words aloud, as Kathryn hadn't been facing Emmett, and she didn't know either.
"I heard the front door open –" Kathryn turned around, giving her explanation, but Daphne's attention was lost.
She saw Toby walking backward toward them, hands raised. What was simple confusion turned to heart-racing panic as she saw another person behind Toby, a mask over their face, something gripped in its hands. Daphne knew exactly what it was, even without seeing it clearly. There was an unknown figure in her house, holding a gun, which was pointed at Toby.
"Toby," she blurted her brother's name in fear.
The boy looked over his shoulder as Daphne said his name. He got a full view of his mother's face when she turned around and fully realized what was going on. He watched her usually youthful face transform into an aged one. He felt his heart rip as she screamed in terror.
(-.-)
Bay was halfway down the stairs, determined not to let Emmett's presence interrupt her quest for food, when she heard Kathryn scream. Initially, she thought Kathryn had encountered a large insect or a hairy rodent, but soon after, Bay realized that she was wrong. That scream was too long and too frightened to be caused by a wayward creature.
Bay continued her journey downward very slowly, realizing that something very wrong was going on in her house.
She heard Kathryn's voice come rising up from the living room.
"Who are you? Why are you in my house? And for the love of everything, could you get that gun off of my son?"
Bay came to a halt just outside of the living room entryway, knowing that she'd walked too far. Trying not to make a sound, she tried to move away, simultaneously digging out her cell phone and dialing as she went. She was so intent on making sure that she hit the right numbers that she underestimated how far she was from the wall. She hit it with her shoulder, resulting in a dull thud. Bay held her breath, praying that no one heard that.
"Is there anyone else here" Came a roar – definitely a male voice.
Oh shit, Bay thought, knowing that she should start running but found herself unable to move, ears straining to hear the next words.
No one seemed inclined to give an answer, but the unfamiliar voice demanded to know, "What's he doing with his hands?"
Emmett, Bay realized, was confirming she was there through sign language – something the unknown male was obviously ignorant of.
"Fine," the unfamiliar man grumbled. "I'll go investigate. If any of you have moved when I get back, people will get shot."
Bay was torn between not wanting anyone to move and knowing that someone had to call for help because there were heavy footsteps coming in her direction. Her instincts finally kicked in knowing that a gun was coming toward her. She threw herself forward while pressing call on her phone. She raced toward the front door, feeling the presence getting closer and closer.
"Hello, 911," a light voice said from her phone.
"There's someone in my house!" Bay screamed, feeling the 'someone's' breath against her neck.
There was a suspended moment where Bay could feel the large, hot body millimeters away from her own. Her heartbeat roared loudly in her ears and she yelped another word into her phone, "Help!" before his body dropped down onto hers, sending Bay crashing painfully into the floor.
She didn't have time to register the pain in her ribs and chin, the lack of air in her body or the barking voice coming from her phone. The man had knocked the phone away from Bay's stretching hands, and dragged her to her feet – she too breathless to resist his seething touch. She could feel the gun poking at her side as she was turned around to face the mask.
"Another bitch, huh?" He snarled, drawing back his arm and punching her in the face. "Let's go see if any of your family needs to be shot."
Bay kept her head down as she was forced back to where the others had been left. She began to cry, hot tears spilling onto her already aching cheekbone. Feeling the pain, she began to get angry. Who was this man, why was he in her house, and what the hell did he want?
Bay shoved him, trying to drive her elbow into his ribs. She waited for him to release her in surprise. Instead, his grip on her bicep tightened to the point where she cried out from the intensity of his hold – it was too much. When they rounded the corner into the living room, Bay was glad to have him let go of her, even if he did make sure to throw her roughly against the floor.
"Keep your hands off her!" Bay saw Toby jump up and the gun flashed with sudden movement.
"Ah, ah," the man chastised, carelessly waving the weapon. "Sit back down. I'm glad to see you were all smart enough to stay put, though."
Kathryn cringed as she drew a trembling Bay into her arms. The first thing Toby, Daphne, and Emmett had done when the man disappeared to hunt Bay was jump to their feet, intent on escape. Kathryn, however, couldn't let them do that; wouldn't even let Toby bring out his cell phone to call 911. If the man had come back and found something amiss, Bay would be his closest target. Kathryn was not about to let her daughter die. She knew that in protect Bay by not letting anyone run, she might also be dooming the other kids, but she was praying that it wouldn't come to that; she had to have confidence that everything was going to work out.
"What do you want?" Daphne plucked up the courage to ask. She tried to keep her eyes trained on the man's lips but it was hard; not only was he wearing a ski mask but he was also pacing.
In that moment, Daphne hated being Deaf with a burning passion. All she could gather was that this was a dangerous situation. If the man gave an order, she'd have no way of knowing it – neither would Emmett. Every person in that room was in danger but she and Emmett were more so (if they didn't listen because they couldn't hear, and that man decided to shoot, what could anyone do?). it was a terrifying thought – one she had been confronted with that night in the food truck, but one that seemed so much more real in this moment.
The man gestured to Kathryn, who had Bay still in her arms. "Am I right to assume you are the woman of the house?"
Kathryn nodded. "I am."
"Then let's make this simple. I want jewelry and I want cash. You deliver those things to me and I'll walk away – no one has to get hurt."
"My jewelry is in my bedroom upstairs," Kathryn answered promptly. She didn't care about losing jewelry or anything else, so long as the man got away from the children.
"First things first, empty your pockets – cell phones on the floor."
Toby made another defiant move but Kathryn caught him in a glare, one that clearly said 'play along'. Toby huffed but put his phone on the floor with everyone else's.
"Good," the man purred. "Now, stand up."
Emmett watched everyone else rise before scrambling to his own feet. He hated being a beat behind, especially knowing how quickly that gun could go off. He had seen Toby's angry movements and almost wished the other boy would go in for the attack; Emmett would gladly help. He didn't fully understand why the man was here (he doubted even the people who could hear the man fully understand what the man was doing in the Kennish home). What he did know was that he cared about every person in the room – Toby, his friend and band mate; Daphne, his best friend; Bay, the woman he was in love with; and Kathryn, the mother of Bay and Daphne, and the woman who hadn't failed to accept him – and he knew that he had a fierce protective streak. He wasn't going to let anything happen to anyone.
"Upstairs," the man ordered. "And if anyone tries to break away – " he snatched a passing Bay, bringing her taunt against his body, " – she's going to get it."
Emmett, seeing Bay that close to such an awful man, felt his blood boil. He lurched toward the man, but felt Toby's hand clamp onto his shoulder. Emmett looked at the blonde, who shook his head. Emmett followed Toby to lead him up the stairs, following Kathryn who was holding Daphne's hand. He was glad that Daphne was out of the man's reach (though not out of gun range) while being worried about Bay, bringing up the rear with the man.
What's happening? He signed to Toby.
Guy wants cash. Mom's taking him upstairs.
Is he going to let us go?
I hope so.
Kathryn opened the door to her and John's bedroom. She led the little group inside. The man followed last, holding a freaked out Bay.
Before he released her and addressed the group as a whole, he whispered in Bay's ear, "I like you. I can tell you're a spitfire."
Bay wanted to slap him across the face and scream 'fuck you' as loudly as she possibly could. She forced herself to take a breath and channeled Daphne's usual easy-going, non-confrontational nature. If the man liked spitfires, she would be the anti-spitfire. The man let go and Bay quickly stumbled away from him and gripped the first safe spot she saw – Toby.
"Into the closet," the man ordered.
"Closet?" Daphne repeated. "Why?"
"Because I said so," the man growled, raising his gun.
"Let's go," Kathryn said quickly. She tugged Daphne along behind her and they all filed into Kathryn's closet – large enough that they could all sit inside, but not so large that there was anything such as personal space.
Kathryn winced as she heard a scraping sound – fearing that they'd just been barricaded in and knowing that was exactly the case.
"Well," she said, struggling to stay strong and confident for the kids, knowing they were probably more afraid than she was, "Is everyone okay?"
"I'm fine," Toby answered immediately. "Bay, how does your eye feel?"
Bay gingerly lifted her fingers, brushing the bruise. "I'll be all right. What happened? How did he get in?"
"I don't know," Daphne shrugged. "Toby left the room and then came back in with a gun pointed at him."
What happened? Emmett asked.
"Mom thought Bay was sneaking out –"
"Thanks for the trust, Mom."
"Anyway, I walked out to check and see if she was right, and that guy was just standing inside the door. He saw me and pulled out his gun. He didn't even ask if there was anyone else in the house because we could hear Mom talking. He just told me to walk backward to the rest of my family, which I did. I was hoping Bay would call 911 and not get caught, but obviously that's not what happened," Toby finished.
"Maybe it's for the best that a call wasn't made," Kathryn murmured. "We're barricaded in a closet –"
Toby, who was sitting next to the door, tried opening it, but it stayed shut.
Kathryn continued, "And we don't want to become hostages. Hopefully, we'll get robbed and then released."
We're in a closet. I think we're already hostages, Emmett pointed out.
"Guys," Bay slowly confessed, using her signing as a way to hide her hesitation, "I did get a call to 911."
"Well, the police is never a bad thing," Daphne was quick to say.
Kathryn nodded, though she was now worried about what the police could mean. As of right now – excusing the rampant fear and Bay's slight injury – everyone was fine. She didn't want the man to be put under any pressure that could cause him to act irrationally. She just wanted everyone to get out of the situation safely.
She was about to echo the assurances Daphne had offered when she heard a faint wail. She froze and saw Bay and Toby do the same. Kathryn hoped the sirens would pass; that Bay's call had been too brief. But the sirens didn't pass. They were at the house.
"Fuck!" The man roared, followed by a loud thump and more choice words.
"What's happening?" Daphne cried, feeling the intensity level in the closet rise.
"The police are here –we can here the sirens," Toby explained. "The guy isn't happy."
"And we're definitely trapped," Bay groaned.
"Shh," Toby hissed. "He's yelling at the cops." He pressed his ear against the door, desperately trying to hear her better.
"What's he saying?" Bay demanded.
"Get out of here. I'll kill them if an officer steps foot in this house."
Bay translated the words into ASL. Toby was at an awkward angle for Daphne and Emmett to understand him.
"The police are trying to talk him out; saying that if he comes out now, it's less of a punishment than if he takes hostages." The group watched as Toby paled. He swallowed hard before whispering, "He just said that if the cops don't leave, then we'll die hostages."
I don't own anything recognizable. Updates will come every Monday. Thanks to my beta: NuGirl.
The title is from the painting Massacre Of The Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens, circa 1611-1612.
~TLL~
