~Max P.O.V.~
"I feel like I could walk aaaaaall the way to China." Emma slurred as Cate repositioned her arm. It was a clean break so no surgery was needed but still, this was the second time Emma broke her arm since she's been back in my life.
"We need you to stay here, Emma." Cate told her, her voice shaky.
"Why, Mommy?" She asked.
"Because that's too far from home, we'd miss you." Cate said.
"Oh. Okay." Emma slurred.
"Go back to sleep." Cate said. Emma had been out due to the medication Cate had given her. Emma woke up a while later and was now as high as the Empire State building.
"But I'm not tired." Emma whined.
"Yes, you are." Cate replied.
"I am?" Emma asked.
"You are." Cate smiled down at her.
"I am." Emma breathed, her voice growing tired. I watched her eyes flutter shut and her breathing relaxed not even a minute later.
"Today has to be one of the worst days of my life." Cate sighed.
"I can see why. How's Tyler?" I replied.
"Unconscious, much like this one." She gestured to Emma. "He'll be fine though. We were able to neutralize the drug in his system and we're working on counteracting it. It will just take time." She explained. "Emma and Lucas got to him just in time." She added. I smiled proudly at Emma; she had been so brave… "How bad were they?" She asked a minute later.
"We walked in right as she fell down the stairs. We pried them apart as fast as we could." I explained.
"Thank you." She replied.
"You don't have to thank me." I told her.
"Yes, I do. Emma and Lucas fought all the before we moved here. And then they started getting along. Howard and I thought this was going to stop. But then things with Leo came up and it started again while we were in Alaska. We've always been around to stop it, but this time we weren't. Who knows what would've happen if you and Fang hadn't stepped in." She explained just as I heard a pop in Emma's arm. She flinched slightly in her sleep. My eyes widened, Cate's did too. "I hate doing that." She sighed as she slipped a brace over Emma's snapped elbow, bending it at a right angle. "She'll have to stay here tonight, for observational purposes." Cate explained through a sigh. "Two of my kids are here." She slumped into a chair next to me.
"At least your youngest didn't get kidnapped when she was one." I replied looking at Emma.
"She's back though." Cate replied.
"Yeah, but who's to know if the ones who took her aren't back too. I've had a bad feeling for the past few days that they're going to show themselves again. It's just a feeling, but I just can't ignore it." I explained, watching our daughter protectively while she slept.
"They're not going to find her again, are they?" She asked.
"Over my dead body." I hissed. No one was going to touch her ever again.
"Mine too. But I'm not as tough you are." Cate said quietly right as my phone went off.
"It's my sister. I'm sorry." I said standing up and stepping out of the room, glancing at Emma once more before I closed the door. "Angel?" I answered.
"Hey, Nudge just told me what's going on. Are you okay?" She said.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Emma's the one in the cast though." I sighed. "Again." I added.
"She'll heal." Angel replied.
"I know but can't she just stay out of trouble?" I grumbled.
"No, Max. She has your DNA, remember? Except when you were her age, trouble always found you so you never had to go looking for it." Angel spoke. I laughed softly.
"You're right." I said.
"Of course I am. Where's Fang?" She asked.
"In the waiting room." I answered.
"How's he doing?" Angel asked.
"He's upset but you know how he never shows any emotion at all." I replied.
"Oh, I know." She chuckled.
"Alright, I should get back to Emma. Thanks for checking in-"
"Um, actually checking in wasn't the only reason I called." She told me in a shaky voice.
"What's wrong? Are you okay? Did Jason do something?" Jason: Angel's idiotic, all human boyfriend of three years. With his black hair and bright blue eyes, he thought he was the greatest person that has ever walked the Earth. Whenever Angel's upset, everyone's automatic thought is: "What did that asshole do?" I actually growled into my phone as I thought it.
"No. Max, it's nothing Jason did or even thought this time." She said quickly.
"Then what's wrong?"
"Jason was driving me home earlier today and when he was passing an SUV I swear I saw Ari driving and Jeb in the passenger seat!" She exclaimed. My jaw dropped.
"Are you sure it was them?" I hissed.
"Yes. I wouldn't even be telling you if I wasn't a hundred percent sure." She said. "I told Jason to follow them and when they stopped and the Prescott Inn. I watched them both get out and walk in. Then I was sure it was them."
"Where are you now?" I asked her.
"At Jason's." She breathed.
"Call Gaz and him them what's up. I'll call Nudge and text you what's going on from there." I told her.
"Okay." Angel muttered.
"Stay safe." I said and hung up. I quickly dialed Nudge's number and held the phone to my ear again.
"Hey, Max. This isn't really a good time. James and Monique are both freaking out about Lucas and Emma and they're on the verge of fighting." She explained over the yelling in the background.
"I'm sorry, but Angel just called me and said she saw Jeb and Ari at a hotel." I explained quickly.
"What?" She snapped.
"I called you right after I hung up with her."
"Iggy, watch them." She murmured just as I heard a crash.
"Oka-Hey! Knock it off!" I heard Iggy snap in the background. A door slammed suddenly.
"Okay. I'm alone. What's going on?" Nudge asked.
"Jeb and Ari might be in town." I said again. "Angel said she saw them walking into the Prescott Inn." I explained.
"That's not even four miles from here!" Nudge screeched.
"Exactly." I replied.
"What should we do?" She asked.
"Get everyone together: safety in numbers. Meet up at my house. Oh, God. Devin, Lucas, and Alexis are there alone right now!" I hissed. We had dropped them off so they wouldn't have to sit around the hospital all night.
"Iggy and I will get there as fast as we can." She told me as I began to hear the yelling resume in the background. "Guys! Let's go! We're going to Max's!" Nudge screamed. The yelling stopped.
"Nudge, what's going on?" Iggy asked.
"I'll explain on the way, just get them in the car." She told him. I heard them kiss quickly and then silence. "I'm back." She said a second later.
"Thank you." I sighed out of relief. "Fang and I will leave right now." I told her.
"Someone should stay with Emma. Just in case." She told me.
"You're right. I'll stay. Fang will meet you at home." I replied.
"Max, we need you. Fang too, but you're still our leader." She explained.
"Okay," I sighed. "I'll have Fang stay." I told her. "I'll be there soon." I said sadly.
"Emma is going to be fine." She said.
"I know. Text Angel and Gazzy tell them what's going on." I said. "Stay safe." I said again and then hung up. I walked back into the room. "Cate, I have to go. Keep me posted on how she's doing but something came up with my sisters and I need to go talk to them." I told Cate quickly. Emma was still sleeping soundly, in her drug induced siesta.
"Is everything okay?" Cate asked, looking up from Emma's chart.
"I'm not sure, I'll keep you posted if anything big happens." I said, leaning in and pressing my lips against our daughter's forehead.
"Same with me. Bye, Max. Hope everything goes well." She replied.
"Same too you." I said as I walked from the room. I walked down the hallway and into the waiting room. Fang was at my side a second later.
"Hey, how is she?" He engulfed me into a hug.
"She's sleeping." I said against his chest. "Fang, I have to go." I told him when he let me go.
"What, where are you going?" He asked.
"Home. Angel called and said she saw Jeb and Ari in town today. I need you to stay with Emma. I'll keep you posted on everything that's happening. I love you so much." I crushed my lips against his.
"I love you, too." He said against my lips and pulled me into another tight hug.
"Just please make sure nothing happens to her." I said when I pulled away. A tear rolled down my cheek was wiped with his thumb.
"I won't, Max. Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Worry about what's going on at home, I'll keep Emma safe." He told me as he ran his hands down my arms until he coiled his fingers into mine. "Keep an eye on Devin, make sure he stays safe." He muttered.
"I promise I will. I promise nothing will ever happen to either of them ever again. " I whispered, more tears starting to roll down my cheeks.
"Hey, no tears." He smiled slightly and wiped them away. "Everything's going to be fine." He said soothingly.
"I love you." I said again.
"I love you, too." He smiled bigger. I pecked his lips once more and then took off out of the hospital. I sped down the freeway and didn't stop speeding until my Durango was in my driveway, behind Nudge's red Avenger. I dashed inside didn't stop until I had my son in my arms.
"Mom, what's going on? No one will tell me anything. Where's Dad?" Devin asked.
"Sit down, Sweetie. We'll explain everything." I told him when I let him go.
"Aunt Max how's Emma?" James asked.
"Yeah, how is she?" Lucas chimed in.
"She's doing fine. When I left she was sleeping." I explained. They both nodded and returned their gazes to the floor. "Are Angel and Gazzy on their way?" I asked.
"It looks like they just got here." Nudge replied looking out the window. And sure enough, Angel, Gazzy, and Jason walked through my front door not two seconds later.
"Why's he here?" I gestured toward Jason.
"I figured if they saw me, they saw him. So I panicked and brought him with us." Angel replied quickly.
"You made sure you weren't followed, right?" I asked.
"Of course, Max." Angel told me. "Gazzy was watching out the back the entire time." She added. After a few minutes, the kids were starting to get bored.
"Not that I don't love having the house I live in full of family at 10:30 at night, but why is the house I live in full of family at 10:30 at night?" Devin asked, looking to me for an answer.
"There's some stuff that we really didn't want to have to tell you." I started. All of their eyes widened. "But to protect you, we feel that you need to know now." I added.
And story time began.
~Fang P.O.V.~
"Hi, Daddy." Emma giggled groggily as her tired eyes wandered around the room.
"Hey." I smiled down at her. "How're you feeling?" I asked her.
"Like I could walk aaaaaall the way to China!" She giggled.
"Emma, we've talked about this. We'd miss you too much if you walked to China." Cate told her.
"Oh, yeah." She pouted. "Where's Mommy?" She looked at me.
"She's right here." I gestured toward Cate.
"Well I know that! I mean the other Mommy?" She asked. My eyes widened.
"Max had to run home and get something." Cate answered.
"Oh. I miss her. She should come bac-Ahhhhh!" She groaned as her eyes became full of awareness. "What the hell happened to me?" She shot up in bed and dropped her head into her hands.
"Language, Emma." Cate scolded. "How do you feel?" She asked.
"Like I got hit by a freaking truck." She growled.
"What's going on?" I asked Cate.
"Pain meds are wearing off." Cate told me.
"Oh, goody." Emma whined. "My freaking arm!" She explained and cradled her arm against her chest.
"You fell down the stairs at home." She told her. "What were you and Lucas fighting about this time?" Cate sighed and sat on the edge of Emma's bed.
"Uh… Nothing…" Emma replied and shrank against her bed.
"Emma-" She was interrupted by a loud beeping. She pulled her pager out of her white coat and looked at it. "I have to go; Tyler just woke up." Emma's eyes widened. "But, we are not done talking about this." She glared at Emma who avoided her gaze at all costs. "Look at me." She said sternly. Emma sheepishly looked at Cate. "We are not done talking about this, do you understand?" She said, sounding a lot like Max. Emma nodded slowly. "Good." She cupped Emma's face and pressed her lips against Emma's forehead. "I love you; get some rest." She said and walked out. "Bye, Fang." She said as she left the room.
"Bye, Cate." I replied as the door closed. Emma guilty stared into her lap, twiddling her thumbs and wincing as she moved her broken arm. "What did you do?" I asked her.
"It's nothing I did." She peeped and shrugged. My eyebrows rose.
"Are you covering for someone?" I asked.
"Kind of…" She muttered and looked up at me.
"Who?" I pried.
"Well," She almost whispered. "Someone, actually two someones, did something and something happened and one didn't want to tell the other but that one told me and I accidently blurted it out to the other and the other got mad because the other and I didn't tell him sooner and them him and I got into an argument about it and boom," She stopped and breathed for the first time. "I tumbled down the stairs." She finished.
"So, and I'm just guessing here," I sat on the edge of her bed where Cate had been sitting. "Lucas is one of the someones and you accidently told him something he wasn't supposed to know and he got mad and it caused you two to fight?" I semi asked. She nodded. "What did you tell him?" I asked. She stiffened. "Okay, will you at least tell me who the other someone is?"
"Lucas's ex-girlfriend." She mumbled. "Her name's Jeanie." She shrugged.
"What did they do?" I asked. She stiffened again and gagged slightly. "Emma, if it's bad someone has to know. You should really tell Cate or Howard." I explained. She just shrugged and stayed silent: yeah, my kid alright. "Get some rest. We'll talk about this later." I sighed. She nodded and slid back down in her bed. I got up and went to the chair in the corner and listened as her breathing slowed. She had fallen asleep through all the pain. My phone vibrated a little while later. I read the caller I.D. and answered in instantly.
"Max?"
~Max P.O.V.~
"There was a third guy with them though. I didn't recognize him." Angel told us.
"What did he look like?" I asked, pulling the curtain back slightly and peering out just to be safe.
"Well, we were far away but he looked young like seventeen or eighteen. It looked like he had black hair and was about as tall as Lucas, maybe a little taller." She explained.
"Did he look like he could be an eraser?" Nudge asked.
"That's just it: he looked scared. Ari was dragging the kid behind him." She said.
"So he was about my height with black hair?" Lucas asked.
"That's right." Angel replied, turning and looking at him. I glanced at him and noticed he was digging through the pictures on his phone.
"Is this him?" Lucas asked and held up his phone. Angel looked at the screen and her jaw dropped.
"That's him." Angel breathed. I looked at the screen. A black haired, bright-eyed boy was smiling while Emma was kissing him on the cheek.
"Who is that?" I asked.
"That's Leo." Lucas murmured.
"Leo?" James growled.
"Yeah, Leo: the guy who committed suicide not two weeks ago. You know, Leo: the guy Emma thinks she murdered because he mentioned her name in his death note." Lucas explained his voice rising. "The guy who apparently made my sister's life a living hell without me even knowing!" He hissed.
"Lucas, calm down." I reasoned as I saw his fingernails digging into his palms.
"I can't calm down if the guy who put my sister through hell repeatedly is in town!" He hissed and shot up from the couch. "Who, I might add, is suppose to be dead in the first place!" He snapped and started pacing. I sighed.
"Angel: you, Gazzy, and Iggy go scout where you thought you saw them. Make a pass by the hospital and make sure everything's quiet and peaceful. Nudge: stay here with Jason and I and help watch the kids." I ordered in my leader voice that I haven't had to crack out in years. Knowing not to argue, the all robotically nodded and the three I told to scout headed out the door and took off into the darkened air. I sank down next to Devin and wrapped my arm around his shoulders. "You should go lay down; you look exhausted." I told him as Nudge sat down in between James and Monique on the other couch. Jason started mumbling to Lucas as he was still pacing. Alexis had fallen asleep in Emma's room before I even got here.
"I'm fine." He muttered shrugging his shoulders.
"That wasn't a question: Devin, go lay down." I said again.
"Max, Monique and James need to sleep too." Nudge told me.
"Mom, we're fine." Monique whined.
"Yeah." James grumbled.
"No, you're not. You both keep yawning." Nudge scolded. They both shrank against the loveseat knowing that Nudge wouldn't budge.
"Okay, James and Devin can share a room, and Monique can have my room." I said.
"But Mom-"
"No buts, Devin. Get some sleep. We'll wake you up is something happens." I told him and kissed his cheek quickly. "Good night." I said.
"Night." He grumbled and stood up.
"Night, guys." Nudge kissed both her children and then they all trudged into their rooms.
"Lucas," I waited until he looked at me "Both of your parents are staying at the hospital tonight and said that it's okay if you stay here. You can sleep in Emma's room with Alexis if you want to stay here. I could drive you home if you'd rather."
"I'll stay." He mumbled. I nodded. "G'night." He said and then disappeared into Emma's room.
"Night." Nudge and I said at the same time as the door closed.
"Kids are hard to deal with. You two make it look easy." Jason said as he sank down next to Nudge on the loveseat.
"Years of practice." Nudge told him as his head drooped over the back. "Have they found anything yet?" She asked a few minutes later, after Jason started snoring quietly. Yeah, big help he was. I shook my head.
"Angel would've called or texted or sent a thought or something if they had." I sighed.
"If they haven't found them yet, where do you think they are?" She muttered almost silently. "Why do you think they're even here? Oh God, Max! What if something happens to James, or Monique, or Devin, or Iggy, or Gazzy, or Angel, or Fang, or you? What if they're here for Emma, Max? What if they came to finish the job they started fifteen years ago?" She was rambling about a mile a minute.
"There's no way in hell." I snapped up and ripped my phone out of my back pocket. "There's no way in hell will I let anything happen to anyone, let alone my baby." I growled and dialed Fang's number. As it rang the one time it rang, the fury turned to worry about my daughter.
"Max?" Fang answered.
"Fang, how is she? Is she okay?" I asked, my voice shaky.
"Yeah, Emma's fine. She's sleeping right now." He explained. "Is everything okay there? Are you okay?" He asked.
"Everything's good here. I sent Iggy, Angel, and Gazzy to the hospital to check in. Have they been there yet?" I replied.
"Not yet. Max, are you okay?" He repeated.
"I'm excellent, Fang." I said quickly.
"If you say so. I'll have Emma call you as soon as she wakes up so you can talk to her." He told me.
"Thank you." I mumbled.
"Max, she's going to be fine. Emma's safe with me just like Devin's safe with you." He said, his voice low and soothing.
"I know, I know." I sighed. "I'm just nervous."
"And you have every right to be." He replied just as I started to hear familiar voices in the background. "They just got here." Fang told me after he shushed them, telling them Emma was sleeping. "I'll have her call you. I love you."
"I love you so much." I told him and then hung up as the tears began to roll down my cheeks. "They just got there. Everything seems peaceful." I explained.
"Max, everything's going to be fine. We always pull through, together." Nudge said and couch hopped so she was sitting next to me.
"Yeah, but who know what kind of crazy, tough, eraser-things they have to go up against us this time! And what version of Ari are we on: 9.7?" I hissed.
"Then we'll fight them just like we used too. But this time, we have more then just our own lives to fight for." She told me. My eyes widened. "You said something like that the night before Emma was taken, remember?" She smiled.
"Yeah, I remember." I smiled back.
"Good. Now let's act like the momma-birds we are and not let anyone touch a feather on our little hatchlings." She beamed, causing me to burst of laughing.
"You're right." I smiled.
"Of course I am." She replied. Her smile faded. "Monique Chelsea Ride, come over here this instant." Nudge snapped but when she saw the terrified expression plastered on her daughter's face, her features softened. "Come here." Nudge opened her arms. Monique trudged to the couch and sat in between us, snuggling into Nudge's embrace when she was settled. "How much did you hear?" She asked.
"What the hell is going on? All you told us earlier was that there were people in town that might be dangerous! What does that even mean?" She nearly shrieked as tears of fear and confusion rolled down her cheeks.
"Keep your voice down." Nudge scolded and held her tighter. Nudge and I exchanged glances before she continued. "There's some stuff that happened while we were growing up that we can't tell you unless you absolutely have to know, and trust me when I say, you're better off not knowing." Nudge explained. Monique nodded once slowly, gazing hard into her lap. "Hey, look at me." She said gently and waited until her head turned. "Whatever happens," She brushed some of Monique's strawberry-blond hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "You're going to be okay, all of you are. We promise you that." Monique nodded again. "Alright, go get some sleep, we'll talk more tomorrow. Can you just do us a favor and not tell James, Devin, Lucas, or Emma what you heard?"
"I wouldn't." She peeped.
"Good." Nudge leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I love you." She said when she pulled away.
"Love you too, Mom." Monique smiled.
"Night, Baby." Nudge pulled her into a hug.
"Night, Mom." She hugged her back. "Night, Aunt Max." She turned and hugged me.
"Night, Sweetie." I replied and hugged her back. Then she got up and headed toward my room.
"Mom?" She stopped when she was about half way across the room.
"Yeah?" Nudge replied.
"Will you come with me?" She asked shyly, clearly still a little freaked out. A smile grew across Nudge's lips.
"Of course, Sweetie. Go lay down, I'll be there in a minute." Nudge replied. Monique smiled shyly and nodded before turning and walking toward my room again. "I'll try not to fall asleep." Nudge told me.
"No, get some rest. I'll handle things out here. The other's should be back soon, I should be fine." I said.
"Thanks. You're the best." Nudge smiled and threw her arms around me.
"Hell yeah, I am. Now go, your daughter's waiting." I grinned and pulled away.
"Good night, Max." She smiled as she got up.
"Night, Nudge." I replied as she took of toward my room. I sighed when I was alone. Well, alone as being the only one awake as Jason was still sleeping on the loveseat. The others got home about an hour later, minus Gazzy.
"Where's Gaz?" I asked.
"Stayed with Fang." Iggy replied. "Where's Nudge?"
"Sleeping with Monique. She overheard some stuff about the school and got scared." I explained. Iggy nodded and sat next to me. Angel settled in next to Jason and here we were for the night.
And many more to come.
Hey you little awesome reader you! Thanks for sticking with this story for so long and I hope you still love it! Tell me what you thought and it there's ANYTHING you want to see happen in this story, anything at all, ideas, fights, break-ups, anything, tell me so I can do it! Because I value your opinions! Loves you!