Disclaimer: I do not own AHS

A/N: Hey guys, thanks again for the reviews! Enjoy chapter 14!

HEAVEN & EARTH

CH 14- Promises

When Lana had calmed down, she spoke to the officers again. They reassured her once more that as long as she was in the hospital she and her daughter would be safe. They didn't know if Oliver was dead. They said there was a possibility that he had bled out as he tried to escape. After all, Lana had wounded him pretty badly and there was a lot of blood in the kitchen. Lana only wished she could have made sure he was dead but she fled in such a hurry that there was no time to look back.

"Mommy," Noelle tugged on Lana's hospital gown once they were back in their room. Lana's frantic state had scared her. Not to mention the police officers that had been hanging around them, "What's going on?" She hugged her bunny close. She had been so confused for the past few days and growing restless. Every time she asked Lana where her Daddy was and what they were still doing at the hospital she didn't receive an answer.

Lana looked at Noelle. The little girl deserved a response. So Lana picked her up and sat her on the bed. "Ellie," She began, "I want you to be the big girl that you are and listen to me good, ok?"

Noelle nodded.

"I know you're confused and have a lot of questions and that's okay. You can ask me all the questions you want but right now Mommy is scared and worried and confused too." Lana was honest to the girl. "So I won't have every single answer." She wanted to answer all her questions but not even she knew the answer to most of them. At least not yet.

Noelle frowned lightly, "Don't be scared, Mommy." She placed her little hands on Lana's cheeks, "I'll be good, I promise."

"Oh, Ellie," Lana collected the child in her arms. "You are good already. Very good but I want you to be patient and bare with me, ok? I'll explain everything to you soon. I promise."

"Okay." Noelle said. She trusted her mother. After all, Lana was all she had left. It was just the two of them. Just like Lana had promised her.

Lana and Noelle had been in the hospital for about four days now. Since Lana had no where to go and she was still healing, the police told her that it be in her best interest to stay and heal until she found a safe place to go to. The first place that came to mind was the home she lived in with Wendy but Lana had no clue what had become of it since Wendy died and she was imprisoned. Even if she could go back home and Oliver was miraculously alive, wouldn't he look for her there? Besides, Lana didn't know how she felt going back to that house. So Lana thought about it and knew whom to call: Lois and Barb. They had to be somewhere in the book.

The following day Lana managed to get her hands on a phone and call Lois and Barb. She only prayed that they still had the same number as always. To Lana's luck, they still had. Barb was the one to answer the phone and she almost screamed when she heard Lana speak the words: "It's me, Lana."

She and Barb went down to the hospital right away. They burst in to the room, startling Noelle who pressed herself against the wall and watched as these stranger women hugged and cried with her mother. They asked Lana all sorts of questions and demands. Lana told them she would explain to them shortly and then looked to Noelle.

Barb and Lois' eyes followed Lana and looked to the little girl leaning against the wall, holding a white floppy bunny in her arms. "Well," Barb said with a smile, "Who's this precious little girl?"

Lana smiled, keeping her eyes on Noelle. "She's my daughter."

Lois and Barb instantly looked to Lana, "Your daughter?"

"Come and say hi, little girl." Lana stretched out her hand to Noelle. Noelle instantly ran to her and took her hand. Lana helped her up on the bed and sat her down on her lap. "Barb, Lois, this is my daughter Ellie."

Barb and Lois looked at each other and then at Lana, "Biological daughter? As in you had her daughter?" Lois asked.

Lana chuckled softly. "Yes. She's all mine." She looked to Noelle. "These are Mommy's friends from a long time ago, Ellie. Say hi."

"Hi." Noelle said shyly, hugging on to her bunny tighter.

Lois and Barb were completely stunned and speechless. They had so many questions but held themselves together.

"Hello, Ellie." They said and shook the little girl's hand.

x

A nurse accompanied by a police officer took Noelle to the cafeteria. Lana had been reassured that she and her daughter were safe in the hospital. After all, Oliver may have been missing but he was wounded and could possibly be dead somewhere. So Lana let the child out of her sight but well accompanied only so she could talk to Barb and Lois in private.

And so Lana told them the whole story, every single thing that had happened to her as soon as she arrived at Briarcliff. They were both shocked and appalled to hear of what had happened to Lana in the last five years. Barb was on the brink of tears and Lois paced around the room in rage.

"That bastard's gonna pay for what he did to you." She said hotly.

"He will. I'll make sure of it." Lana said as she placed her hand on Barb's shoulder.

"Oh Lana," Barb hugged her, "I am so sorry."

"I am too." Lana admitted.

"So the child is his?" Barb asked referring to Noelle.

"Yes." Lana admitted and the truth did hurt her. She almost didn't want to tell Barb and Lois because it still stung to hear it out loud, to know that her precious child's father was a monster.

"The poor thing." Barb's voice trailed off and she looked to Lois. Lois shook her head sadly.

"But please," Lana said, "Don't mention anything to Ellie about her father. She's still confused about what happened. I haven't explained everything to her myself."

"Lana this is a very serious situation. Sooner or later you will have to tell her." Barb said.

"I know, I know." Lana said, "But not yet. Not until I know what I'm going to do. She's still so little and innocent…" Lana's voice trailed off and she felt the tears prickle her eyes. "She doesn't know that her father is a monster…she adores him."

Lois and Barb looked at each other and felt the heavy string yank their hearts. They would have never guessed that this was happening to Lana and that poor child.

"Don't you worry, Lana." Barb stood to her feet, "You and Ellie can come stay with us."

"Of course you can." Lois said.

"I don't want to be a bother." Lana said honestly, "I don't want to drag you in to this."

"Nope. We're not taking no for answer. We're your friends. We owe it to you and to Wendy."

Lana's eyes fell at the mere mention of Wendy. With everything that happened she had almost forgotten. But she nodded. "Thank you. Thank you both very much."

So it was settled. Lana and Noelle were going to live with Barb and Lois until Lana was able to get back on her feet. She had been a prisoner for over five years and needed to get back in to the swing of things. Also, she had no money to her name. She had left Oliver's house without nothing but the clothes on her back and her daughter in arms. She wasn't even sure what had occurred to her savings before she went to Briarcliff. She would have to find out.

The nurse brought Noelle back to Lana. Lois and Barb said they were going to go do some shopping for them both. Lana declined at first but then she remembered that all they had to wear were those ghastly hospital gowns. And Lana couldn't imagine what had even happened to the clothes they were wearing when they escaped. All that survived was Noelle's bunny and only because she never let go of it. So Lana let them and swore she would pay them back when she could.

Lois and Barb spoke with the police and testified their small side of the story. They didn't know much. Only what had occurred after Wendy signed Lana over to Briarcliff. However, they were able to provide some identification for Lana. After Wendy went missing, Lois and Barb gathered up their things and put them in storage. That included their birth certificates and old ID's. They let the police know that Lana was more then welcome in their home.
It was settled. Lana was released to go the day after tomorrow. Lois and Barb hugged Lana once more and told her they would be back to pick her up and take her home.

Home. It was a word that had not applied to Lana in years.

The following day, Lana was in her room playing with Noelle. They sat on the bed together. After being condemned to a bed for more then five years, Lana had grown quite tired of it but she could have toughed it out until tomorrow when Barb and Lois took them home.

Noelle had had a nightmare the night before and Lana was doing her best to cheer her up. She had asked when they were going home and all Lana could tell her was, "soon".

There was a knock on the door. Lana was hesitant at first but let them enter. A woman dressed formally and with a briefcase in hand walked in. "Ms. Winters?"

"Yes?" Lana looked up. Noelle turned around to look at the woman. She was becoming used to all the strangers that filed in and out of the room.

"Hi, my name is Jane Anderson and I'm from Child Social Services."

As soon as her words hit Lana's ears, she froze. Her arms then tightened protectively around Noelle. "Yes?" She spoke. This woman's sole presence terrified her for many reasons.

Mrs. Anderson stopped at the foot of Lana's bed. "I'm sorry I arrived unannounced but I was sent here regarding your daughter…Noelle?"

Lana frowned lightly. "I'm sorry but I don't understand."

"Well, Ms. Winters, we were contacted about your case and we are greatly concerned about the well being of your child."

Noelle looked at the woman standing at the foot of the bed. It seemed like a lot of people were interested in her lately but by the look on her mother's face, this woman's presence was not welcomed at all.

Lana hugged Noelle, "My child is perfectly fine." Lana said firmly.

"Well," Mrs. Anderson continued in a tone that Lana did not like right away. "We are very aware of your…current situation and since your name is not on her birth certificate and her father is no-"

"Listen," Lana cut her short before she could mention anything about Oliver in front of Noelle, "This is not something I would like to discuss in front of my daughter. She's still shaken from what happened. Now, I may not know how her paper work was fabricated when she was born but I gave birth to her myself. She is my child and I am her mother and I assure you that her well being is perfectly fine in my care."

"I see." Mrs. Anderson said realizing that she was going to have a tougher fight on her hands then she realized. Also, speaking of such matters in font of the child wasn't right. She didn't want to scare the girl but she was only doing her job. She exhaled softly, "Very well, Ms. Winters. I only wanted to let you know that we are greatly concerned and will be checking in on you until your situation is fixed. Have a good day." She said and left.

Lana almost wanted to yell at her as she exited the room but she contained herself. She didn't want to worry or scare Noelle anymore then she already was.

"What was that about, Mommy?" Noelle turned to Lana.

Lana smiled softly at her, "Nothing." She reassured her.

Later that evening Lois and Barb arrived with bags of clothes and shoes. They also brought a coloring book for Noelle. So Lana sat her down at the small table in the room with her crayons and coloring book and turned to her conversation with Barb and Lois.

She told them about the woman from Child Social Services that had arrived. Lois scoffed. She knew about the lady. Apparently, they were concerned with what Lana planned to do with the child now that the child's father no longer imprisoned her.

"What do they think?" Lana asked in a harsh whisper, "That I'm going to throw her away?" She was angry. Lois and Barb calmed her down and reminded her that Noelle was in the room.

"They're just concerned, is all." Bard tried to be rational. "It isn't every day you hear about a case like yours."

"Still, she's got quite the nerve to say it in front of the kid like that." Lois said.

Barb looked to Noelle who was too busy coloring in a giraffe that she didn't even bother listening to the grown up's conversation. "That is true, but she was only doing her job. Its not like it was personal."

"You're right." Lana said calming down. "I- I'm just a mess with everything that's happened. I need to get myself together."

She looked to Noelle. The poor little girl had no idea what was going on as it were, Lana didn't want to rattle her anymore. Still, Lana was terrified at the thought that Noelle could be taken away from her. She wouldn't let her go without a fight.

That night Lana lay in the hospital bed with Noelle safely tucked by her side, facing her. Lana caressed her daughter's sleeping face. In a way, they were right. What was Lana going to do with Noelle? How was she going to provide for her? What was she going to tell her about their situation? What school was she going to enroll her in? How was she going to raise her?

All these questions raced through Lana's mind. She had been locked up for almost six years and in those six years Oliver had been her sole provider. She had almost become dependent on him. He controlled every aspect of her life. He clothed her and fed her. He was her only source to every simple commodity. He was also Noelle's provider. He gave her everything.

And now how was Lana going to provide that and more?

She didn't know but she was sure as hell going to try.