Hey, everyone! How are ya this fine day? I hope you're doing well, and ready to read another chapter of JAS! This will pick up where the last chapter left off. Has Reagan been caught? Will Theo survive? How will Alya react to her parents breaking off the engagement? Let's read, find out, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's

Chapter 33: Calm After the Storm... Again

Paramedics were called immediately to the room to tend to Theo. They worked vigorously, but fast to keep the boy from fading away. Both Gabe and Arnie's bodies were placed in bodybags. Rudy explained to the officers that he killed Gabe out of vengeance to protect his daughter rather than self-defense, and said that he'd accept any consequences. Albert even admitted to throwing Reagan out of the window out of fury.

The officers understood the situation and stated that any consequences may be up to a judge, even though they agreed that both actions were well deserved, based on what they knew about the case.

The guys had a short moment of silence for Arnie. While the former pool shark has caused trouble for them on more and one occasion before, he at least made an attempt to atone for his mistakes, even if one of those mistakes was teaming up with a convicted criminal.

Eventually, paramedics got Theo downstairs on a stretcher. When Trina saw her son in his condition, she rushed over, demanding to know what happened. Albert tried to keep his wife calm as he explained the details. Trina had alternated between crying uncontrollably for her baby and threatening to do terrible things to Reagan. Sondra, being as young as she was, didn't understand the severity of the situation, but she knew that her brother was hurt, and started to pray that he'd get better.

"If that bastard is still alive, he better hope he doesn't run into me!" Trina sobbed with anger in her husbands' sweater, "And he better hope my baby survives, because if he.. he..."

"It's gonna be okay... we gotta have hope, Tri." Albert whispered softly, stroking her hair, "And they're retrieving Reagan right now. He'll be back in jail where he belongs."

"If you'd like, Mrs. Robertson. You can ride in the ambulance with your son." An EMS worker suggested kindly as Theo was being loaded in said ambulance.

The mother wiped her tears, "Yes, I'd love to do that."

"Can I ride too?" Sondra asked sweetly, as she held Jamal for her mother.

"Sure, baby."

While that was being taken care of, the guys had once again met up with their own families. Leia hugged her husband and daughter, "Oh, I'm so glad you're both okay." She looked at April, "Please don't even do something like that again. You could've gotten killed."

The preteen nodded, "I know, Mom. But I just wanted to help Dad and the others. Besides, Alya is my girl."

"I understand. Next time, leave the rescue to adults instead of running headfirst into danger."

"Aw, don't be hard on her, Leia." Donald came to his daughters' defense, "She was just being smart."

Leia looked at him with a disbelieving look, before sighing, "Well, at least you're safe. And because she had good intentions, I'm willing to let this slide just this once." She looked back at her daughter, "So you've narrowly avoided punishment, young lady."

April smiled, "Got it, Mom."

"You're really brave, April." Fuschia hugged her sister.

"Thanks..."

Bucky gave his wife a kiss, "Y'know, Sash. You did really well. You helped the kids, and you led the police and everyone here to save us." He said with a smile, "I'm really proud of you."

Sasha blushed, "Aww... I had to do something, mi amor. The kids wanted to save their parents, and they weren't going to back down until they did. I just wanted to make sure they were protected." She then frowned as she looked down at Jan, who was sleeping, "But Theo... poor baby..."

"I know..." Bucky wrapped an arm around her, "He'll make it... I hope."

Cami playfully slapped Bill when he arrived, "You fool!" She smirked, "You really ran after a criminal."

"Hey, I'm not the only one now." The doctor defended himself.

"Well, try to set a better example for the boys next time."

"I will... and so will Russell."

The couple looked over at Bill's brother, who was playing with the twins. That reminded Bill of something, "Oh, did the nurse figure out why you were feeling bad earlier?" He asked his wife.

Cami started to say something, but then shook her head with a smile, "I'll tell you later." She replied with a wink.

Danielle used a wet cloth to dab at Rudy's bruised nose, "So you really killed that guy...?" She asked, feeling surprised at the mere idea of him actually doing something like that.

"Yeah... I guess I lost control or something..." The rich man blushed, "But... I did it to protect our little girl..."

Alya smiled at her parents, "I'm okay, Daddy. A little shaken up... but okay. Honestly, if I didn't put that gun out in the hall where you could find it..."

"Ah. So that explains it." Rudy bent down to kiss her on the nose, "You kinda helped me, Princess."

"I guess so... I don't know how I feel about you killing that man, even if he was bad."

"We all do irrational things when we're angry, honey. Just don't take after what I did."

The preteen nodded, "I won't Daddy. Besides, we're all together again. We'll always be together, especially when you two get married."

Rudy and Danielle both frowned as they exchanged looks. How were they gonna go about explaining things? Deciding to take the first step, Danielle spoke first, "Um... baby. About that... I'm afraid there isn't gonna be a wedding anymore..."

"W-What...?" Alya looked like she was going to faint, so Rudy quickly stepped in, "It's like this. After that fight you saw that we had... we both realized... that we're not meant for each other. All we've done is fight since getting engaged, and it felt like the only thing keeping us together... was you and the baby. So, we decided to call the engagement off and focus on something else."

"And that something else... is our children." Danielle added, "Because while your father and I definitely don't agree on a lot of things... there's one thing we can agree on... and it's that we both love you very much, and always will."

Slowly, Alya was starting to understand, as she placed a hand on her mother's stomach, "But if you're not getting married... then doesn't that mean Mom's gonna... move..."

"No, sweetheart. No..." Danielle wrapped her arms around her daughter, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm still gonna live in the mansion. I still have a lot to make up for. For not being there for most of your life. And I wanna say that I'm so sorry for making you feel like I never wanted you. That couldn't be farther from the truth, Alya. I wanted you then... and I want you now!"

"Same here." Rudy joined the hug, "I'm sorry too... and I promise I'm gonna go better for you... I'm gonna be better..."

"Me too."

That was all the confirmation Alya needed as she embraced her parents. The reality of everything made her exhausted, but happy to know that her parents' love for her and the baby hasn't diminished at all. But it also brought her back to what happened to Theo, making her tear up.

"Oh... Theo!" She sobbed.

Rudy took the liberty of picking his daughter up and holding her in his arms, "He's gonna be okay, baby girl. He's gonna be just fine..." He whispered soothingly.

"We just gotta pray..." Danielle rubbed her back.

Harold was pacing back and forth, staring anxiously at his phone. He was expecting a call from the hospital for an update on Harry. But so far, nothing. He was starting to get worried. Was his son okay? Were they able to save him...? "Please call soon... I need to know if he's alive..." He whispered.

The tall man felt Mush's hand on his shoulder, as a sign of comfort. Harold gladly accepted the gesture. Albert walked over to place his on his friend's other shoulder, "Hey, hey, hey. He's gonna be okay." He said softly.

"I sure hope so... how are you so calm right now, Albert? I mean, Theo has a less likely chance of surviving than Harry is. And they both lost a lot of blood. How can you not be worried?"

The large man sighed, "Honestly, I am concerned. That's my firstborn, just like Harry is yours. But part of me wants to still have faith that he'll pull through. The fact that he didn't die instantly from getting stabbed is one of those reasons I have faith. Maybe he really has a big heart."

"Just like you, man." Bill said as he walked over, "Where do you think Theo got it from?"

Albert smiled, "Yeah... but I'm glad to say that this is once again all over..."

That's when two officers made their way towards the guys, both looking rather concerned as if they had gotten some bad news. Albert was the first to speak, "Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Not exactly." One of them responded.

By now, this had caught the rest of the guys' attention as they came over, "What do you mean, 'not exactly'?" Rudy demanded, "Where's Reagan? You caught him, didn't you?"

"That's just it." The other officer said, "When we checked the area where Mr. Robertson said he fell to... we couldn't find anything. We searched both inside and outside the building. It appears that Reagan Sauls... has fled the crime scene."

...

...

The whole gang was stunned by this news. Escaped? Reagan escaped? How was that possible? How did he get away so quickly?

"What the fuck?!" Rudy was outraged, "How did he escape? Where did he even go?"

"And how the hell did he even get up to go anywhere?" Russell asked, "He fell from a three-story window. He shouldn't have been able to use his legs, let alone get out of here so fast."

"I'm surprised he's not dead," Bucky spoke up.

"You gotta find him." Bill told the officers, "He can't get away with everything he's done."

The officers nodded, "Rest assured, we have a team searching the area. We won't rest until he's caught and put behind bars again."

"You'd better." Rudy warned, "'Cause we'll all be damned if something like this were to happen again."

The woman had heard a bit of the conversation and too was shocked to learn that Reagan had fled. This was just like when they found out that he escaped prison, but ten times worse. This time, he managed to escape the law and was once again a fugitive. What was going to happen now? Were they still in danger? And what about the kids? Would he still target them?

Albert could sense that everyone was feeling rather scared, angry, anxious, or a combination of those emotions. So he quickly attempted to stop the panic before it started, "Hey, hey, hey. Let's not feel dismayed. They'll catch him."

"How do you know for sure?" Bill asked, "He could be anywhere at this point."

"I know. But he can't stay hidden for so long. And if we do happen to run into him again... we'll be ready."

Everyone exchanged glances with one another, before nodding in agreement. Albert was right. Reagan couldn't be a fugitive forever, and he will eventually be caught again. And if they were to ever be confronted by him... this time, they'll be waiting for his attacks...

How will they deal with it? They're not sure, but for now, they decided not to worry about that.

Everything was going to be okay again...

It was all over... for now...

It's over indeed. Reagan may have gotten away, but that won't stop the gang. They're confident he won't get away for long. Theo's rushed to the hospital, and Alya learns that her parents won't get married, but will still stick together for her and her future baby sibling. Next chapter, we'll find out the fate of both Theo and Harry, and see some familiar friends as well.

Until then, I'll see you guys later. And as always, don't forget to review, please. Thank you!