Kevin's POV

"What?" I asked as Danielle and I got out of Jennifer's brother's car. They have like six cars so they said we could take one and return it tomorrow. It was some fancy thing I've never seen before. It was low on gas so we pulled into a gas station. Danielle was pumping the gas as I went inside to pay.

"Bella was stabbed," Nick said, "By Glenn; I called Mom and Dad. They're on their way. Lily's at home with Frankie."

"God," I said, "Is she okay?"

"We think so," Nick said. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't so sure. He was just saying that because Joe was probably right next to him.

"Okay," I said, "I'm on my way."

"We need someone with Lily," Nick said, "Can you?"

"Absolutely," I said, "I'll call you back." I hung up. Why did I say that? I saw someone, hiding, in the back of the gas station. I moved down one of the aisles to see him. Anger was forming in my face. I was about to make a scene, kill that jerk. But then I heard the sirens moving in the gas station. I looked out the large window. Danielle found my eyes, confusion clearly in them. Cops bolted in the gas station. I put my head down. I didn't want to be involved in Glenn being arrested. I moved back up the aisle and out the door.

"What's going on in there?" Danielle asked.

"We gotta go," I said, "Do mind spending the night at my place?"

"Not at all," she said getting in the car.

As I drove down the road I explained all about Glenn; who he was and that he just got arrested for stabbing Bella. She was shocked and worried. I held her hand as I drove down to the familiar road; my street. I was afraid to walk into my own home. But I did it.

Lily was there with Frankie. He was watching TV, fully aware of what was happening. I could see it in his face. Lily looked like she had been crying, a lot. As soon as she saw us she stood up. I walked over to her and pulled her into my arms.

"I'm so scared," she whispered.

"It's alright," I said, "Joe and Nick called me. Bella's going to be fine. And I was just at the gas station. The cops arrested Glenn right there."

"He was there?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, "Oddly enough."

"He's an idiot," she cried.

"I know," I replied, "My parents are going to be there. In the mean time, we should stick around here for a little bit."

"Yeah," she replied. New tears were in her eyes. Danielle went in for that. She pulled her into a hug.

"Don't cry," she said calmly, "It's all going to be okay." There was a knock at the door. Lily jumped and quickly went to answer it.

"Mom," she said throwing her arms around her mom. She must've called her and Bella's parents.

"It's alright," her mom said, "It's going to be okay. I saw the cops at the local gas station. They got him."

"Kevin was there," Lily said. Lily's mom moved over to me and Danielle. She put she hands on our shoulders.

"Thank you," she said. "For keeping my daughter safe. I couldn't imagine what I would do if this happened to her."

"You're welcome," I said politely, "Is Bella's parents?"

"They're on their way," she said, "And they don't blame any one of you for this. No one would expect this boy to do something like that." That was a bit relieving, knowing that Joe wouldn't want any trouble between Bella's parents and himself.

"Mom, he won't get out will he?" Lily asked her mom. She turned towards her, being fully honest and reassuring.

"I'm positive," she replied, "This was attempted murder." We all cringed at the thought. Lily's mom looked at Frankie and waved, "Hey, kiddo. Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Yeah," Frankie yawned, "But I was waiting for Kevin to come home. He tucks me in… just like Mom does." Lily's mom smiled at him then looked at me.

"Well you shouldn't keep him waiting," she winked. I nodded and smiled. I took Frankie by the hand and went upstairs with him.

***

"Is Bella going to be home soon?" Frankie said, "I drew her a picture. I saw how good she was at drawing."

"Well," I said tucking Frankie into bed, "Bella might have to spend the night at the hospital. But I promise tomorrow we'll bring her your picture."

"Really?" Frankie asked excited, "Do you think she'll like it."

"She'll love it," I laughed tousling his hair playfully, "I'm positive. Good night, Frankster."

"'Night, Kevin," he said. I shut his light off and left his door cracked open, just the way he liked it. I moved back downstairs. I was thinking about I said to him. Would Bella really be okay? I knew the answer right away.

Bella would be perfectly fine. I knew it. She was a fighter by heart, strong, and tough. She's been through so much I don't think she would die from this. If she did, it wouldn't do her justice. Bella was a lot to lose to this family. This family has grown by many if it wasn't obvious.

Joe, Bells, Nick, Lily, every parent, and Frankie have even grown closer. There was just one thing I wanted to do.

I wanted to make Danielle a part of this family as well.

Joe's POV

"Mom, Dad," I said as my parents walked through the doors of the hospital. They threw their arms around me. Nick and I called them, explaining everything.

"Is she okay," Dad asked.

"The doctors haven't said anything yet," Nick said, "But the cops are waiting to ask us questions." Just then, the doctor came out of the hospital room. Bella was still in there. I haven't seen her; I had to know she was okay. When he was directly in front of us the tension grew to the highest peak. We waited for what he had to say.

"Well," the doctor said, "She's going to make it." I let out a sigh of relief, "But she's going to have to stay here for a couple nights."

"Can we see her?" Nick asked.

"The police want to ask you a few questions first," the doctor replied, "If you don't mind."

"You two go on ahead," my mom said, "We'll take care of the police." That was good to hear. I've told the police a lot about Glenn before, I didn't want to have to repeat it. I knew that eventually we would still have to answer questions, but I didn't care. I wanted to see Bella.

She was there, trying to fight nurses from shoving a needle up her arm. When she saw me she didn't even care what they did. She let stick the IV up her arm. She didn't show any sign of recognition that they did that. The nurses eventually cleared the room and it was just her, Nick, and me.

"How are you feeling?" Nick asked sitting next to her.

"Like I got stabbed," she said. Nick and she laughed. He gave her a gentle hug.

"I'm sorry this happened," he said.

"Don't be," she replied, "You and Joe here saved my life." I don't why I hesitated to even touch her. She was staring at me, her eyes apologetic. Was I crying? Yeah, I think I was. "Joe, come here."

I moved over to her and pulled her into my arms as gently as I could. She hugged me tightly though. I don't know how many injuries she could take until one more accident was one too many. "I'm okay," she whispered in my ear.

"No thanks to me," I said. She pulled away.

"Like I said, you and Nick saved my life," she replied. I didn't feel like a hero

I felt like the villain.

***

Nick left the room; he said that he was going to take he round of questions from the cops. Bella and I were alone. I held her hand and just looked at her. "I can't believe this happened."

"I'm bringing too much danger to you," she said, "I can't believe I let this happen."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. She sighed.

"I've been thinking…" she sighed. No… this wasn't happening. She wasn't doing this. I squeezed her hand. She noticed my tension. She rubbed my shoulder, "I can't be with you. I'm sorry."

"Yes you can," I said, "We've talked about this. Glenn's going to get caught. He's going to get caught and thrown in jail forever. He won't be in the way anymore."

"Joe, that could've been you," she said, "If you walked in there, with me, he would've killed you. It should be me in this position right now."

"No," I said, "That's not true. You don't get it… my life is over without you in it."

"You're life is in danger with me in it," she said frustrated.

"You can't do this," I said, "We can't be apart." She looked at me, tears in her eyes. I felt helpless. I didn't go through all of this to be told it was over. It wasn't over.

"Bella," I began, "Things changed the day I first kissed you. Not just for you, but for me. I knew from the start that you were special. You're my light… my everything. You can't take that away from me." I kept going on and on, tears forming in my eyes. She was crying along with me. She took my hands.

"Okay, okay," she cried. I pulled her into my arms.

"You can't talk like that," I said, "You can't… ever."

"I'm sorry," she said, "I can't believe I said that. I love you, I love you, I love you."

"I love you too," I said, "So much." I kissed her passionately. The heart rate monitor went haywire, sending beeps flying through the room. I pulled away and it went back to normal speed.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's alright," I said, "At least I know the effect I have on you." She playfully hit me .

"That conversation," she began, "Never happened."

"What conversation?" I asked dumbstruck. I kissed her more until I couldn't breathe.

It wasn't going to be the last time I told her I loved her. It wasn't and she was alive. What more could I possibly need.

Bella's POV

If I was still the same girl I was before I met Joe Lucas, letting him go would be much easier than that. It was so hard, it didn't even end up happening. I felt terrible for even trying to do that; we were just going to act as if that never happened. That may not be the right thing to do sometimes but I didn't care.

Everything hurt. Apart from being beaten and bit, I had three stab wounds in my torso. Three. I survived three stab wounds. Can you believe it? I could barely adjust myself in the hospital bed without pain shooting everywhere.

Two police officers entered the hospital room. Joe was next to me, not letting go of my hand. After this, I knew I would be under his radar for a long time. He wouldn't let me out of his sight. Not if I could help it; but the last time I said that, everything went wrong. Maybe being under his control wasn't such a bad thing. Accompanied by the two cops was the detective we saw back at my home.

"Bella," he said, "Nice seeing you again."

"Hey," I said.

"Well," he began, "You're pretty lucky aren't you. Three stab wounds, huh?" I smiled crookedly and nodded. "We found him, kids. You're safe." I sighed in relief; Joe squeezed my hand. For some reason, I felt like I could fly out of the bed, full of energy at that point. Of course, I knew that I couldn't but at least I could feel better.

"That's great," I said, "Um, I'm assuming you want to know what happened."

"Well, you were the only one there," the detective said, "Everyone else was has cleared up most of the past stories and your history. All we need to know is what happened."

I sighed. Joe wasn't going to leave. He wanted to know, I could tell. I didn't want him to know. But I dealt with it. "I came home. Frankie, Joe's youngest brother, was there. He didn't know who he really was. I sent him upstairs." I couldn't look at Joe though I could feel his eyes on me. I went on, "I had a house key in my hand. I was planning on using it to my defense if he tried anything. He was close to me. I raised my hand to hit him but he had a knife hidden. He stabbed me once." Joe sighed in disgust. I acted like I didn't notice, "I didn't realize I was actually stabbed until I tried to hit him again; then he stabbed me a second time. I could feel it then. I tried to scream for help but… he covered my mouth and stabbed me again."

"Then what happened?" the detective asked. Joe let go of my hand and put his face in his hands. He obviously didn't want me to keep going. But I had to.

"He left me there… on the ground. After he was gone, I made me way to the phone and called my best friend and Nick."

"Where is this best friend?" the detective asked.

"She's at home," I said, "With Frankie and Joe's oldest brother. I think he might have his girlfriend with him."

"Do you know if she touched anything in the crime scene," the detective questioned, "We need that evidence."

"I doubt any of them touched anything," Joe said.

"Well that's all I've got for you two," the detective concluded, "We're going to swing by the Lucas residence. We promise to be secret. No one will know this happened. I'll make sure of it."

"Thank you," I said.

After the detective and policemen left Joe looked at me. "I will never let you hear anything like that again," I said.

"I believe you," he replied.

"Just promise me," I said, "That I'll never see you in this kind of state again."

"Bella-" he began.

"Joe, promise me," I said.

"I promise," he sighed.

"You should go home," I said, "Get some sleep." Joe actually chuckled at that. I put my hand on his face.

"I'm staying," he insisted, "Don't you dare protest." I didn't say anything. He smiled, "Good."

"What about shooting tomorrow?" I asked unable to help myself from asking.

"James is outside," he said. I had a look of worry on my face, "Don't worry." I don't remember him going outside to even see. I think he just sort of knew; nothing to do but believe him.

"I am so fired," I said.

"I wouldn't hold your breath," he said, "He's like the a father to the cast. You are included in that picture."

I sure hope I wasn't fired though.

***

"Well look at you, kiddo," James said moving in the hospital room. Joe was still there. He couldn't just be next to me all night. He would have to at least move. "How are you holding up?"

"Pretty good," I said, "Listen, I fully understand if you want to replace me."

"Replace you?" James laughed, "You're hilarious, Bella really. Why in the world… no how in the world could I replace you?"

"But I'm not suppose to leave the hospital," I said.

"I know," James said, "We're going to postpone the show until after the tour. Trust me, you've save me some trouble. My wife had a baby and I've gotta help her out."

"Oh," I said like an idiot, forgetting that actually did happen, "Well then I'm glad I could help?" James laughed.

It looks like everything would be fine for a while.

Lily's POV

I felt so tired. After Kevin put Frankie to be, we all sat down. My mom was sorry about Bella and everything. I knew that Bella would have to go to court to prove that Glenn tried to murder her and that my mom would have to go with her. I couldn't think about that now. There was a lot of things to catch up on; one in particular that made me forget about what had just happened.

"Mom, I know this may be the wrong time to talk," I began.

"Are you joking?" My mom laughed, "It's the perfect time to talk sweetheart."

"Well, okay," I said, "You know that Kevin, Joe, and Nick are musicians…"

"Yeah," she said, "I know."

"And they're going on tour," I said, "They asked me go along."

"W-what?" my mom asked, "Really?"

"Yeah," I said, "I mean I know that a lot of stuff has been going on but-"

"Sweetheart, you're growing up," she began, "I know when I was your age, I wanted to see everything, experience different things. You know I can't tell you not to go." I gave her a hug.

"Thank you for trusting me," I said.

"You're welcome, sweetie," she said, "So tell me… you and Nick huh?"

"Mom," I laughed. I became serious, "Yeah."

"Cute," she teased, "You kiss him yet?" I hugged her again, "I'll take that as a yes."

"Mrs. Patterson, I can assure you Lily will be in safe hands," Kevin said.

"I believe you," she said, "You just better call me, Lily."

"I will," I said, "Um, it's actually in September."

"Well we've got a lot of time to catch up then, don't we?" she asked. I nodded and smiled. I didn't realize how much I missed my mom. "Well I am here; do you want to come live with me now?"

"Yeah," I said turning to Kevin, "I mean I hope that's okay."

"If that's what you want," Kevin replied smiling.

There was a knock at the door. Danielle got up and answered it. Two cops were in the doorway with a detective. "Hello, we're just here to collect evidence from… you know."

"Have you been to the hospital?" my mom asked before I could.

"Yes," he said, "And Bella is okay. Are you her mother?"

"No," Mom replied, "I'm Lily's."

"You're the best friend?" he asked me. I nodded, "I hope you guys didn't touch anything."

"Nothing," I replied. I didn't realize we were sitting in the middle of a crime scene. There was blood on the carpet and the wall where the phone was sitting. There was also an exceptional amount of blood on the kitchen floor. I never looked at it.

"Can we see Bella?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think so," the detective replied. I looked at my mom. She was already standing up.

"I'll drive you guys," she said.

***

"Bella!" I gently hugged her. She looked a lot better than from when we found her. She was a strong girl and I knew that. She would recover quick.

"Hey," she said, "What's up?"

"What's up?" I repeated, "You're crazy."

"I agree," Joe said. I gave him an embrace as well.

"You okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he said, "You?"

"Pretty good," I said. I turned to Bella, "My mom's here. How do you feel about moving back with us?"

"I don't care what we do," Bella said, "I want to get out of here. But they won't let me."

"Can you sit up?" I asked. She tried; that didn't work out well, "Then I can understand the doctor's intentions." Bella stuck her tongue out. I could feel the presence of someone in the doorway. I turned around to see Bella's parents.

"Mom, Dad," she said. I moved out of the way so Bella's parents could hug her. Her mom had been crying; she probably thought she wasn't going to make it. Her dad on the other hand, had a little more confidence in her.

"Are you okay?" her dad asked.

"I'm fine," she said, "Really, I feel great." I could tell that was a lie because her parents hugged her a tad too tight. Her eyes were in pain.

"We heard everything," her mom said, "We feel terrible." Her parents turned to Joe.

"We're sorry," her dad said, "We didn't ever think that this guy would come here."

"It's okay," Joe said politely, "I take full responsibility for Bella's injuries."

"Nonsense," her mom said rubbing his back, "This was unpreventable."

"Mom," Bella said, "Dad. You don't need to stay. Dad you've still got a broken leg. Mom you look exhausted. You don't need to stay."

"We want to stay," her dad said, "At least until you're out of the hospital."

"You guys can bunk with me and my mom," I said.

"If that's alright with your mom," Bella's mom said giving me a quick hug. Bella's mom and I never really had moments like these. But I guess there was a first time for everything.

Bella's parents had a lot to talk about with her. But Joe wasn't going anywhere. I left the hospital room to join everyone out in the waiting room. Kevin and Danielle were going to wait to see her; give her some time to just relax. They meant well and I loved it.

That reminded me of the one thing I forgot about throughout this entire mess.

Nick told me he loved me.

And I told him I loved him too.

Bella's POV

"Mom, Dad," I began, "This September, after my birthday, Joe, Nick, and Kevin are going on tour. And they want me to come with. Now, I know this may not be the right time to bring it up but I need to get it out there."

Mom and Dad looked at each other, communicating with their eyes. I wasn't sure what they were going to say. And I wasn't sure what was going to happen. But I didn't care if they said no. I would find a way to do this.

"Bella, we trust you," dad said, "And we allow you to go." I felt relieved, cinderblocks raised from my shoulders. "On one condition." Never mind.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"You stay safe, you call us, and you keep us updated," my mom said.

"I can do that," I said simply.

***

I told my mom and I would see them tomorrow. They gave in easier than trying to get Joe to. He still wouldn't leave me. I was hoping this wouldn't last long though I understood why he would be acting this way. I pulled Joe in the hospital bed with me. He loosely wrapped his arms around me. I pulled them tighter. He laughed.

"So," I began, "That was easier than I thought. My parents are full of surprises."

"True," he said, "But their beautiful people. You get that from them."

"I don't feel beautiful," I said.

"Trust me," he said in my ear, "You're beautiful." How could he say that when I was here looking like a drained corpse? Was he lying or was it real? I think it was real.

"Thank you for staying with me," I said, "Where's Kevin?"

"I'm pretty sure they were coming to see you but visiting hours were over," he mused.

"Are you allowed to even be here?" I asked curiously.

"Maybe," he said kissing my cheek, "Maybe not." I laughed.

"Wow," I said, "I can come with you."

"Yeah," he said, "I still can't believe it." He paused deeply breathing, "Bella, I can't help now but assure you once again; you don't have to do this."

"Do what?" I asked.

"Make yourself love me," he said. I know that I should've been questioning about this, but I wasn't. I was calm and caring.

"What can I do to prove to you that I love you?" I asked.

"You can keep saying it," he laughed kidding. I wasn't.

"Joe," I began.

"Hmmm?" he hummed.

"I love you," I said. I must've said it all night.