Chapter 5, enjoy! We are finally getting into Hailey's family dynamics and how Alana's death affects that, this is the real beef of the story, we have just been slow to get there.

There was screaming, lots of screaming. Then her dad grabbed a plate and chunked it at her mom. Glasses, plates, lamps, picture frames, anything her father could get her hands on shattered at her mom's feet, if it didn't hit her.

Then a beautiful blonde girl entered the scene and everything went calm. There was no yelling or screaming and nothing was being thrown.

Then the girl turned pale and beaten, her hair blonde hair stained with blood. The yelling and throwing started again.

Then her dad turned to her and began throwing things at Hailey. Family pictures shattered at Hailey's feet.

"You were supposed to find the monster that ruined our family!"

Hailey jolted awake and sat up straight in bed. She was drenched in sweat and her heart was racing. She looked around the room, there was no broken glass and her father was no where to be found. Jay was beside her in bed, still sound asleep. She laid her head back down on the pillow and drifted back to sleep.

The yelling and screaming started again. Insults were being metaphorically thrown at Hailey in between the literal throwing of breakable items.

"You're a terrible cop!" Her dad shouted at her.

She jolted awake again. She laid back down and tried to fall back asleep, but when she closed her eyes all she could see was her angry father. Jay moved in bed beside her and she flinched.

After several minutes of tossing and turning she opted to get a glass of water from the kitchen. She venture out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where she filled a glass of water and slowly sipped it with shaky hands.

She had already been debating going to the brunch at her parent's house and after these nightmares she was leaning towards not going. Every time she blinked she got flashbacks of her nightmare with her dad launching plates, lamps, or whatever else he could get his hands on at her. And now, Alana wasn't there to keep the peace.

Alana's position in the Upton family, weather she knew it or not, was the peace keeper. She truly brought their family together when she was born. Hailey's dad wasn't violent or abusive when Alana was around. But now she is dead and Hailey is supposed to be finding her killer.

Once her heart rate slowed and her hands lost their shakiness Hailey returned to the bedroom she and Jay shared. She quietly slipped back under the sheets and stared at the seiling.

She went back to debating if she should go or not. Derrick would want her to go, and after all this was for Alana not Hailey, so her feelings weren't important. But deep down, it bothered Hailey that her dad would be there. She wondered what he would say or do, she hadn't seen or talked to him in nearly three years. The upside was that she would have several of her family members there: her two brothers, her younger nieces, her mom, and her sister-in-law.

At some point in time she drifted back asleep and her nightmare retuned yet again. This time, she found herself crying in her sleep which woke Jay up.

"Shh, you're ok," He comforted. With his military experience, he knew better than to wake up someone having a nightmare so he quietly comforted her with his words hoping she heard him.

She woke up in the midst of her crying and tossing and turning. Both dried and fresh tears stained her blushed cheeks.

"Sorry I woke you up," Hailey timidly apologized. She was still getting used to waking up beside Jay and sharing her life with him.

"Don't apologize Hailey," He replied. "Do you want to talk about it?" He could see her internal debate on her face. She didn't look him in the eyes, she chewed her lip, and fidgeted with the sheets debating if she should share what was bothering her with him.

"My parents are having lunch at their house tomorrow for all of my family and invited me," She finally decided to tell him. "But my dad will be there," She confessed, her voice cracking and a few tears trickled down her cheek, which she quickly brushed away. "I need to go for Alana, but I don't want to see him."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Jay asked.

"I don't know if I even want to go," She admitted. "Besides what good is sitting around with my toxic family going to do when I could be helping find the monster that did this to her."

"You can be there to comfort your nieces, your mom, your brother, Sarah. And all of Intelligence will keep looking for him, we won't stop until we find him," Jay replied. "Were your nightmares about your dad?" Hailey nodded in response, avoiding Jay's eyes. "You don't have to go if you don't want to, it's your decision. And if you feel uncomfortable you can always leave."

"I guess I'll go," Hailey finally decided.

"It's up to you Hailey."

"I'll go for Alana."

"Let's try to get some more sleep," He said as he placed a kiss in her head and pulled her into him.