Aww…thanks guys! Lovin' the reviews!

On a side note, please check out 'Live Every Moment' if you haven't! I feel like people must not like it because the number of reviews went down.

Please keep an open mind on this chapter; it's different but I have a plan.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.


The following night, Wednesday, Troy went out to meet up for a 'guys night' and left Tressa home alone. He was hesitant on doing so but decided that she was old enough to stay home by herself. Tressa giggled and practically shoved him out of the house. He left her a list of everyone's phone numbers and emergency numbers, making her laugh harder. She eventually got him out of the house. Right now, Tressa was curled up on the couch, watching The Strangers on TV. She held a pillow in her hand, hiding her face behind it when she was scared. Just when it was a scary part on TV, she heard a noise in the front yard.

Tressa paused the movie and turned around to the window behind the couch. She swallowed fearfully and opened the curtain, screaming when she saw an outline of someone on the front lawn. The person walked towards the window and smashed it in. Tressa screamed again and fell off the couch, running to the kitchen. The person, wearing all black, climbed through the broken window and followed after her. Tressa grabbed the emergency numbers from the fridge and shoved them in her pocket. The person entered the kitchen as Tressa tried to look for something to protect herself with. As the person came closer, Tressa ran around the table, knocking a chair down behind her before running towards the front door. She heard the guy kick the chair out of the way and cried even more.

Tressa frantically tried to unlock the door but couldn't get it open out of fear. She cried out before turning around, seeing the person walk towards her. She dropped her hands and tried to run up the stairs only to have him grab her ankle, making her fall. She kicked and wailed her feet as he pulled her closer. "Let go." She screamed, crying by this time. "Please." She pulled back her free foot and kicked it forward, successfully kicking him in the nose.

The man grunted and let go of her ankle, bringing his hands to cradle his now broken nose. Tressa quickly found her footing and stood up, running up the stairs and into her fathers' room since it was the closest. She slammed the door shut and locked it. Running her fingers through her hair, she put her head in her hands as she heard the man banging on the door. "No." She whimpered as she tried to think of something to do. Tressa shakily took her phone out of her pocket and dialed the first number that came to mind. As the phone rang, the man continued to bang the door, making Tressa jump each time. "Hey Tress."

"Daddy. Help me." She whimpered into the phone, screaming as she saw as she the wood of the door splinter open. She saw the person through the hole using a fire extinguisher to break the door open. She backed up until she hit a wall, jumping.

"Tressa? What's wrong?" Troy asked as he heard her scream.

"Someone's in the house. Help me." She screamed again, the man stepping into the room from the hole he broke into the door. The person took out a knife which made Tressas' eyes widen with fear. She opened her mouth to say something but couldn't form any words. The guy swung the knife at her and she screamed as she quickly ducked, dropping the phone in the process. Tressa heard her father screaming her name through the phone just as the person stepped on it, breaking it into pieces. He took another swing at her and she jumped out of the way of it and ran to the connecting bathroom. She closed and locked the door again. "Go away." She yelled brokenly before sobbing into her hands, sliding down the wall and onto the floor. Instead of hearing the man banging on the door, she heard silence. She lifted her head up and looked towards the door suspiciously, standing up. She cautiously walked to the door and put her ear against it, hearing no sounds from the other side. She closed her eyes as she flicked the lock open, carefully opening the door as well. Tressa slowly stuck her head out the door and saw nobody in the bedroom.

Tressa took a cautious step out of the bathroom and towards the broken door. She fearfully continued to venture out of the room, avoiding the pile of wood pieces on the floor. She glanced down the hallway, quietly walking towards the stairs. She was about to run down the stairs when the man suddenly lunged at her, knocking both of them to the floor, him on top of her. Tressa heard the pictures on the wall fall and break as she flailed her arms around and kicked her feet in an attempt to fight him off. "Please." She sobbed, loosing energy as she fought so hard. "Don't do this." She pleaded. She continued to fight hard but he was too strong for her. He slapped her hard on her cheek, making her cry out in pain, closing her eyes. He hit her once more before the front door burst open, two officers running into the house with their guns ready to fire. The officers saw the two at the top of the stairs and quickly ran up their, pulling the guy off of her.

Tressa rolled away until she hit the wall. She leaned her back against the wall as she brought her knees up to her chest, openly sobbing. One of the officers comforted her as the other one arrested the man. He dragged the man down the stairs, as the man glared at Tressa. She shuddered and buried her head in her hands, ignoring as the officer rubbed her back. "There's an ambulance outside as well. I think you should get checked out." He whispered to her.

Tressa looked up at him. "Where's my dad?"

"He's on his way." The officer stood up and held out a hand to her. "Come on. We'll get your cheek checked out and your dad will be here soon." Tressa nodded her head and grabbed his hand, allowing him to pull her down the stairs and outside. He walked her over to the ambulance and helped her climb in. A paramedic sat her down and wrapped a blanket around her. She pulled it tightly around her as he wiped her bleeding cheek.

Just as he finished cleaning it up and placing a white bandage over it, Troy jumped out of his car and ran up to the house, looking for Tressa. She saw him and jumped off of the ambulance. "Daddy." She called out as she launched herself into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her as well, holding her to him. She cried into his shoulder as she clutched onto him. "Don't leave daddy." She sobbed as he kissed the top of her head over and over again.

"I won't baby girl. I won't." He whispered as he stroked her hair reassuringly, leaning his head on top of hers and closing his eyes.

Chad, Zeke and Jason ran over from their cars and each rubbed her back. After they got the phone call from Tressa, they called the police and rushed to get to the house. They called up Taylor and Kelsi and told them what was up. A few minutes later, the two showed up, scared for their niece. They wanted to hug her but knew that Tressa needed her father more than them. A little while later, after everything was settled with the police, the family walked inside the house, Tressa still clutching onto Troy.

Chad, Zeke and Jason found some pool covering paper to cover the broken window in the kitchen. They duct taped it up until they could call someone in the morning to come and fix it. Taylor and Kelsi went to the kitchen and picked up the fallen chair before starting a pot of tea on the stove for Tressa. Troy and Tressa went into the living room and took a seat on the couch, after the men cleaned off the broken glass from it, Troy still trying to comfort a shaking Tressa. The ladies handed Tressa a cup of tea and she took it, tea spilling out over the top since her hands were shaking badly. Troy helped her steady it and take a sip before he set it on the table for her.

"Are you ok Tressa?" Kelsi asked carefully. Her voice seemed to startle the young girl because Tressa jumped when she started talking. Tressa, who couldn't find her voice, just shook her head, her face showing no emotion.

"How can she be ok after what just happened?" Troy asked quietly as he gazed down at his little girl who was literally shaking in his arms. He didn't mean for that to come out harsh but he couldn't help it. Kelsi understood that and didn't take any offense to it. "I should've never gone out tonight." He muttered to himself. Troy tucked his daughters' head under his chin and held her close to him.

"It's not your fault Troy." Chad said sternly. He knew his best friend was going to say that. "Don't blame yourself."

"He's right." Tressa muttered, squeezing his hand. That's the person he needed to say it to fully believe it wasn't his fault. The TV was still paused on The Strangers from before and Tressa cringed, hiding her face in Troys' shoulder. "Change the channel." She cried out, tears falling from her eyes again.

Jason quickly grabbed the remote and turned the television off. Everyone watched Tressa break down again, their own hearts breaking at the sight. Troy pulled her onto his lap and held her, trying to soothe her. Chad got an idea and ran up the stairs and into her room. He grabbed something off of her bed before running back down the stairs. He walked over to the father/daughter and handed Tressa her stuffed monkey. She looked up at him and took the monkey, holding it close to her chest.

"Do you guys want to stay here tonight?" Troy asked, talking to his friends as he continued rubbing Tressas' back. "It doesn't matter to me. I think it'll make Tressa feel much better." He tried to get a reaction out of her but got nothing.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Troy nodded his head while placing a kiss on Tressas' head. "Chad and Taylor, you can stay in the guest room, Jason and Kelsi can stay in Tressas' room while she stays with me, and Zeke can stay on the couch if that's ok?" He asked and they all nodded.

"The couch is fine." Zeke nodded his head.

"Is that ok Tressa?" Troy asked his daughter. She just looked up at him and nodded her head. "Let's get to bed now."

Minutes later, everyone went to their designated rooms while Troy helped a still frightened Tressa to his room. The officers helped pick up the mess so they didn't have to worry about it later. Once they were up the stairs, Tressa winced when she saw the hallway where she was attacked. Troy noticed and rubbed her shoulders soothingly. "It's ok Tressa. I'm here now and I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Tressa closed her eyes and nodded her head as he steered her to his room where she winced again. Troy managed to get Tressa to lie down on the bed while he grabbed his pajamas. "I'm going to the bathroom to change. I'll be right back." He kneeled down on the ground next to the bed and brushed some hair out of her face. He placed a kiss on her forehead and walked to the bathroom.

Tressa watched him close the door and sighed. She glanced around the room, the events of the night coming back to her full force. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and took deep breaths as she waited for him. After a few minutes, Troy stepped out from the bathroom, glancing at Tressa immediately. He noticed that she was a little on the pale side. After throwing his clothes in the hamper, he laid down next to Tressa and turned the light off, making Tressa whimper slightly. He immediately pulled her into his arms where she snuggled into him. "I love you Tressa."

Tressa nodded her head as she closed her eyes. Troy sighed and rubbed her back. This is the last thing that his little girl needed. He should've been home. He should've been there to protect her. He let her down and himself down. Ten minutes later, Troy heard Tressas' even breaths and realized that she was sleeping. She was still holding onto him tightly and he didn't mind.

Troy closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep but he seemed to have a restless night. It didn't help when Tressa woke up screaming, panting slightly, before starting to cry. He hugged her close to him as she cried out the fear from her nightmare. "It's ok Tressa. It was just a nightmare." He whispered. Tressa shook her head as she buried it into his shoulder. "You're safe now baby girl. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you again."

Tressa, once she realized it was a nightmare, controlled her crying and managed to quiet it down to a few whimpers. "You're not going to leave right?" She asked quietly.

"Never Tressa." He promised, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Everything's going to be ok."


The next morning, Thursday, Chad woke up early due to the doorbell ringing. Knowing that Troy and Tressa both weren't going to go to school, he quickly got up and ran down the stairs, pulling the door open. Lacey and Aidan both looked up at him and smiled. Chad returned it as he finished tying his robe shut. "Hi Lacey." He looked over to Aidan. "And stranger."

Lacey giggled and rolled her eyes. "This is Aidan, Tressas' boyfriend, Chad."

Chads' lips formed into a thin line as he looked over Aidan. "Boyfriend, eh?" He raised an eyebrow at him. He shook his head; there was a bigger issue at stake here. "Tressa isn't going to school today."

"What? Why? Is she ok?" Aidan frantically asked. Lacey nodded her head in agreement with his questions before looking at him, waiting for a response form him.

Chad sighed, knowing he had to tell them sooner or later. "Someone broke into the house last night when Troy went out for a guy's night. She's fine, just shaken up. I don't think you'll be seeing her at school until next week if that." He explained.

The two teenagers looked at him, shocked. "Oh my gosh." Lacey whispered to herself, bringing a hand up to her mouth and covering it. "Are you sure she's ok?"

Chad nodded his head. "Again, she's just shaken up."

"Can we see her?" Aidan asked, scared for his girlfriend.

"She's sleeping right now. Check back after school, she should be up by then."

Aidan and Lacey nodded their heads. "Ok. Can you tell her we'll see her then?"

"I will. Don't worry guys." Chad added after seeing the looks on their face. "Everything will be ok." They quickly nodded their heads before walking towards the school. Chad closed and locked the door again before walking back up the stairs and into the guestroom. Taylor was still sleeping peacefully and he glanced at Zeke when he was down stairs and noticed he was sleeping as well. He walked across the hall and opened the door to Troys' room and peeked in, just to check on them. They were still sleeping, surprising Chad. How can someone who was just attacked the night before sleep? Especially someone who is only 14 years old? He shook his head and left the room, returning to his own.


"Tressa?" Troy shook her shoulder gently, trying to wake her up. He smiled softly at her before shaking her shoulder again. He saw her eyes flutter open and pushed the hair out of her face. "Morning baby girl. I'm going to go down stairs and make breakfast ok?" He asked gently, watching her face contort into fear.

"Please don't leave me." She cried out as she clutched onto his arm tightly.

The sight of his little girl so scared made Troys' heart break. He pulled her onto his lap and held onto her. "I'm just going to make breakfast."

"Please daddy, don't go. I'm scared." She let out a sob on the last word.

"Sh, Tressa. There's nothing to be scared of. Nobody is going to hurt you." He soothed, running a hand up and down her back. "I'm here now."

Tressa hiccupped as she looked up at him. "I'm going down with you."

Troy nodded his head, knowing that she wouldn't stay anywhere by herself. They climbed out of the bed and Tressa immediately wrapped an arm around his arm. The pair left the room and climbed down the stairs, making their way towards the kitchen. Troy helped her sit down on a stool, letting his gaze linger on her worriedly for a few seconds before starting breakfast. He noticed that she was incredibly pale and scared of her own house. He silently cursed the guy who did this to her. As he made bacon and eggs, he kept sneaking glances at Tressa to make sure she was alright.

Tressa hugged herself and rubbed her arms to keep warm. She was scared and it probably showed. Suddenly, the events of last night flashed in front of her eyes. She closed her eyes and buried her head in her hands, panting. Troy noticed and dropped everything he was doing to embrace her. She jumped when he touched her and pushed him away, still in her flashback. "Stay away from me." She yelled, keeping her head in her hands. Troy, shocked that he was pushed away, just stared at her frightfully. He didn't know what to do.

Everyone ran into the room minutes later to see a concerned Troy standing by a hysterical Tressa. She was crying and mumbling 'No' repeatedly, rocking back and forth in her chair. Troy snapped out of his fear and ran over to her, ignoring her pleas of protest. "Tressa, it's me, your father." He said as she shook violently in his arms. She screamed again and tried to push him away, thinking he was the guy from the night before. Troy just kept a grip on her and kept whispering that it was him.

"I think she's having a panic attack." Taylor whispered to everyone.

Five minutes later, Tressa calmed down and snapped out of her nightmare, crying rivers. Troy cried with her, scared about what was happening to her. Kelsi took a clean rag and wet it in warm water planning on placing it on Tressas' head when she calmed down fully. Tressa closed her eyes as she held on for dear life. Troy led her to the living room and sat the two of them on the couch. Tressa took another few deeps breaths, closing her eyes. She allowed Kelsi to hold the rag onto her head as she laid down, Troy kneeling on the floor beside her stroking her hair soothingly. After a few minutes, she fell asleep. "What the hell just happened?" Troy asked the group, scared.

"Troy, I think she had a panic attack." Taylor answered softly. "I think you should take her to see a therapist."

"Therapist?" Troy asked incredulously. "You really think so?" He looked down on his little girl and sighed.

"I do. Troy, maybe you should take her to see the doctor. She could end up having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from this, judging by the panic attack she just had." Taylor added.

"You're right. I should call them today." He said distractingly. "Thanks for being here guys."

"Anytime Troy." Kelsi patted his arm supportively.

"You stay here with Tressa; we'll fix breakfast together for you." Jason said as everyone stood up, leaving the room. Troy glanced down at Tressa and closed his eyes, wondering what he was going to do. He placed a kiss on her forehead lovingly. "Everything will be ok, Tressa. I promise."


Ok, well, again, this idea may seem like it came out of left field for you guys but don't worry- I have a plan. I'm sorry if it wasn't your cup of tea; it's a little far fetched but please keep an open mind to it! Please review!