Chapter Seven:
"When I was a boy, my family took me on a trip." Lucas spoke as he drove the car he had inherited from Keith, down an empty road.
He was with Haley, Ava, and Jamie, on their way to meet to Karen, Andy, and Lily.
They were coming back to Tree Hill for the wedding, and to spend some time there afterwards. Ava was beyond excited to see her mother and her little sister again. She could hardly contain herself, looking at the green blur of trees passing them by.
"We didn't go to any exotic place." Lucas continued. "We didn't go anywhere glamorous. We just drove."
"Where did you go, Uncle Lucas?" Jamie asked from his place next to Ava in the backseat.
"We drove the back road to Tree Hill, and we saw all kinds of wonderful things."
"Well, where were you going?"
"Everywhere. Anywhere." Lucas spoke wistfully. "But where we ended up, really wasn't the point. It was the things we saw. And the people we met along the way."
"Who was with you?"
"It was just my mom, my uncle, my sister, and me."
Ava honestly didn't remember any of this, she was enjoying the story just like Jamie was. She must've been a baby when this had taken place.
"Where was your daddy?"
"He wasn't there. But something happened that day…..something magical."
"What was it? What happened?"
"My uncle let me drive." Lucas answered as he pulled the car over, to let Jamie sit on his lap in the driver's seat.
Ava couldn't help but smile at the two of them, as Lucas passed on Keith's little tradition.
"Were you scared?"
"No. I mean, the truth is, I'm not sure I ever felt safer. That day, in that car, with my uncle, my sister, and my mom…was one of the best days of my life." Lucas winked at Ava through the rearview. "Just like today."
"I'm excited to play with Lily." Jamie told his aunt as the two sat on the docks, playing with his toy boat.
"Oh yeah? What are you gonna play first?"
"Tag, and then Rock Band, and then basketball."
Ava knew how girly her little sister was. She wouldn't be very interested in playing basketball, but she entertained the idea anyway. "Sounds like you've got everything planned."
Lucas and Haley were talking about the new book he had written, waiting for Karen, Andy, and Lily to arrive.
Ava figured she could keep Jamie entertained while the two adults talked to each other. She didn't mind looking after him, he was pretty entertaining for a four year old.
Lucas had given Haley his first draft of his new novel, and she believed that it was about Peyton.
Ava could agree with her on that one. She honestly didn't think that Lucas had ever gotten over Peyton.
But, of course, he was in denial.
There was no reason to debate it with him.
"Mama!"
Karen had been away for several months now, and once again, Ava could hardly contain her excitement and her smile grew so wide, it hurt her cheeks.
And as soon as her mother stepped foot on land, she launched herself at her.
"Oh, angel!" Karen held her close, cradling her head.
Ava may have been fourteen years old, but she was every bit of a mama's girl as she could be. So being in her arms again, after being apart, felt wonderful.
"Mom." Lucas grinned, watching the two.
"Oh my gosh!" Karen pulled him into the hug. "My babies! I missed you!"
"We missed you, too, Mom." Lucas rubbed her back before they all separated.
Once she had gathered herself, Karen took notice of Haley and pulled her into an embrace of her own. "Haley! How are you?"
"Good, I'm really good." Haley smiled and pulled away.
"Oh, and who is this?" Karen looked at Jamie.
"It's me, Aunt Karen." Jamie piped up adorably. "James Lucas Scott."
"No, you are not James Lucas Scott." Karen shook her head. "Jamie Scott is a baby."
"I got bigger."
"You got bigger?" Karen lifted him up onto her hip. "Oh my goodness, look at you!"
"Where's Lily?" Jamie looked around for his cousin.
"Yeah, Ma." Lucas chimed in. "Where's my little sister?"
"I wouldn't mind saying hello to the kid who knocked me up to middle child status." Ava joked, making Haley tousle her hair.
"Your little sister is with Andy." Karen pointed to the upper deck of the boat, where Andy was holding Lily on his hip.
"Come on down!" Lucas waved them over.
Lily didn't need to be told twice, she wriggled down onto the floor and raced down below to the docks, attacking Ava with a hug.
And nothing stopped the smirk that Ava sent to her brother. She was totally Lily's favorite.
"Havana Banana!" Lily equaled when her sister lifted her up. "I missed you."
Sister solidarity, baby.
"I bet I missed you more."
"Nuh uh!" Lily shook her head. "I missed you more!"
"No, I did."
"No, I did!" Lily glared, though it didn't look all that threatening. "I asked Mama if I could see you everyday!"
"I guess you did miss me more." Ava gave up. "Well…..you win."
"Ha!"
"Hey, Little Sister." Lucas held his arms out to her. "Missed me?"
Lily nodded and gave him two high-fives for his troubles, making Ava burst into unbridled laughter.
"I'm so her favorite." She gloated, handing the child over to him.
"Now, something's different here." Andy scratched his head he approached. "The last time I saw you, you were this small, confident, little girl. Now, you're a teenager."
"It hasn't been that long." Ava playfully rolled her eyes.
She and Andy had a special relationship. Because of her history with Keith and Dan, he couldn't exactly step into the role of a father for her. But he did his best to let her know that he was there for her if she ever needed anything.
Who knows, maybe one day the relationship would evolve into something bigger.
"No, but it certainly feels like it." Andy turned his attention to Lucas. "Luke, how are you doing? It's a big day."
"He's been flipping out all night." Ava smirked and softened when her stepfather threw an arm around her. "I had to organize a little slumber party to keep him calm." She mock-pouted.
"Poor thing." Karen joined in on the teasing, so glad to have her family back together again.
"That is not true." Lucas denied, his eyes squinting playfully. "You suggested that we have the slumber party because you're just as excited about the wedding as I am. And you couldn't sleep because you couldn't wait to see Mom."
"Lies." Ava shook her head. "Lily, I think you should know that your brother is a liar."
"You're a pain, you know that?"
"I try."
"Alright, you two." Karen couldn't help but chuckle, still holding a very content Jamie in her arms. "We can continue this argument later. Right now, I think we all need to get a little something to eat."
"Are you gonna spend all day on the phone with Q?" Haley rolled her eyes at Ava.
Ava pursed her lips and flipped her phone closed, leaning back in the chair she was sitting on.
All the women in the family were getting ready for the wedding in a separate room from the men. Ava had made sure to put her dress on and get her makeup done before she even thought of entertaining the idea of texting. She didn't know why everyone else seemed to be taking forever, but the time they were taking gave her an opportunity to contact her boyfriend.
"Who said it was Q?" She quipped, watching her help Lindsay get into her wedding gown.
"The silly grin on your face is telling me it's Q."
"Is that your boyfriend?" Lily asked, walking over to her sister, so that she could help her with the back of her dress.
She refused to let anyone else help her. Ava thought it was adorable. She liked having someone that looked up to her like this. It made her feel a little special.
"Yes." Ava tickled her side. "Q is my boyfriend."
"Ah, the famous Q." Karen wiggled her brows, fixing Haley's hair. "Is he coming to the wedding? I'd love to meet him."
She couldn't wait to meet him and thank him for the way he conducted himself when Ava needed him the most.
Ava didn't know, but Lucas had told her all about the big blow out that happened. She wished that she could've been there to help her through it all, but she was here now and she fully intended on speaking to her about it.
While there was no doubt that Ava had been hurting, what she did was very reckless. She needed to know that.
But now wasn't the time or the place for that kind of discussion.
"Oh no." Ava almost laughed. "He's helping his mother out with his little brother and he couldn't make it, but he sends his best and wants plenty of pictures."
"He sounds sweet."
"He is."
"Yuck." Lily turned around and screwed up her face.
"Yuck?" Ava humored her.
"Yeah, boys have cooties."
"You think so?" The teen questioned. "I think maybe that's just Lucas. Poor Lindsay."
"Yeah, poor Lindsay." Lily parroted, making the entire room laugh.
And it made Lindsay a lot less nervous to walk down that aisle. She was grateful for the distraction.
"I'll get it." Haley announced after someone knocked on the door.
It was Jamie with flowers for Lindsay, and he looked so cute in his little tuxedo; like a little gentleman.
"Hey, we can help you out with that." Lucas tried to make his way in with Nathan trailing behind him.
Ava didn't understand why he was trying to see his soon-to-be wife right before the wedding.
You'd think that after all his bad luck with women, he wouldn't be taking any chances.
"Hey, look who it is." Nathan chimed in, in an attempt to reconcile with his own wife.
"Sorry, bad luck." Haley took the flowers and shut the door before he could say anything else. She didn't want to hear any of it. "You're brothers are a piece of work."
"Tell me something I don't know." Ava rolled her eyes and opened the door when Lucas knocked.
Lily saw him at the door and wiggled her way to meet him. She missed him, too. He always read the best stories to her and he never got tired of doing it.
"Lily." He smiled and bent down to her height. "Oh, I sure did miss you. You think you can let your big brother, Lucas, in and come say hello?"
Lily looked up at her sister for guidance and Ava leant down and whispered something in her ear, that Lucas couldn't hear.
But knowing her, it wasn't going to be something pleasant.
"No!" Lily whirled around on their brother. "You're bad luck!" She yelled before slamming the door in his face.
Ava high-fived her for the job well done. She was learning fast.
"Don't look at me." Haley raised her hands in surrender when Lindsay turned her attention to her. "Those are her kids." She pointed at Karen.
"Funny."
"What're you doing here?" Ava asked her father.
She knew that he had been granted parole recently, but she never expected to actually see him this soon. And especially not here.
She didn't really know how she felt about him being here, outside in his car, just watching everyone flood into the church. He shouldn't be anywhere near the church, she knew that.
And so did he.
"That was a warmer welcome than what I got from Haley." He joked. "It's good to see you, you look beautiful."
"What do you want?" Ava ignored him. "Lucas isn't about to let you walk into that building. You know that. We don't want to have anything to do with you."
"That's funny. Your visit states otherwise."
"You're infuriating!" Ava threw her hands up. "Do you ever take anything seriously?"
"I take my relationship with my children seriously."
"Just…..stay away, please?"
That conversation with Dan had set Ava on edge and threw her off balance.
It was just like Dan to show up somewhere unannounced and uninvited.
So now, she was making sure that the two youngest members of the family were safely kept away from him. She didn't think that he'd do anything to them, but she didn't think he was capable of what he had done to his own brother either.
It didn't hurt to be a little bit cautious.
"And when we go home, Mama said we're gonna stay a while!" Lily was in the process of talking her ears off, but she was distracted by her encounter with her father and wasn't really paying attention. "I wanna go to school with you! And I wanna meet your friends and see you dance! It's gonna be fun!"
They were all waiting to walk down the aisle, and the kids were getting a little restless. Ava just wanted this to go well for her brother.
"And Ava knows the best games!" Jamie piped up, just as excited.
"Hey, are you okay?" Haley snapped her out of her thoughts, nudging her side. "You don't look well, Honey."
It was true. Ava's eyes were distant and her skin was a little flushed. It wasn't all that hot this time of year, and no one else seemed to be clammy, so Ava figured that it was just her.
"Hmm?— I'm fine." She forced a smile on her face.
"Ava."
"I saw Dan." Ava kept her voice low so she didn't alarm anyone. "And I talked to him…..I don't know what's he's doing here, but it really caught me off guard."
"I told him he wasn't allowed in here." Haley assured her. "He will not ruin this wedding."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Ava nodded, but she still didn't feel right about anything that was happening.
"That's my cue."
But it wasn't like they had time to discuss it. The organ started to play and they had to start the wedding.
Of course, Haley, being the maid of honor, was to go out first. Ava was Lindsay's bridesmaid, so she had to follow right after. "You remember what we told you to do?" She asked the two four year olds.
"Uh huh." Lily nodded. "Throw my petals on the ground and don't run."
"And don't lose the rings." Jamie added.
"Good." Ava gave them a thumbs up. "I'm going out now, but I'll be at the altar cheering you on and Mama's in the first row if you need anything."
She gave the two knuckleheads a hug and held her flowers, walking down the aisle with grace and confidence.
As she walked, she looked for Dan, but she didn't find him.
Good.
He had actually listened and stayed away from the church. That was progress.
Once she took her place beside Haley, she took a look at Peyton, who was sitting with Brooke.
She felt sorry for her. Here she was, attending the wedding of the man she loved, and he was marrying someone else.
It had to be tough on her.
But this was Lindsay's time to be happy, and as she walked down the aisle, Ava could see how beautiful and excited she was.
She was still a lot closer to Peyton than she was Lindsay, but Ava knew that that was something time could fix.
Despite their odds, Lindsay was a nice woman and she made her brother happy.
"We give thanks today, for Lucas and Lindsay." The minister began to speak. "For their open hearts and their willing spirits, and for their closest friends and family. May we all be changed by what is said and witnessed here."
Ava couldn't help but gush at the way Lucas and Lindsay were lightly swinging each other's hands. It was so cute!
"It's a mystery how we fall in love, who we fall in love with, why we fall in love. But we do." He continued. "Lucas Eugene Scott, do you take Lindsay Evelyn Strauss to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to be true to her in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Lucas placed the beautiful wedding ring on Lindsay's finger.
As the minister spoke again, Ava noticed Jamie get up from his place in the pew and walk out of the chapel alone.
And after living with the kid for four years, she knew that he wasn't allowed to go anywhere alone.
Something wasn't right. She could feel it.
But no one else seemed to notice anything, so she followed her gut.
"I have to go to the bathroom." She whispered in Haley's ear, catching an amused look from Nathan who was standing up as their brother's best man.
"Now?"
"Yes, now." She insisted.
"Alright." Haley relented. "But go out through the side aisle. Not the middle."
"Got it." Ava nodded, creeping out of the chapel the way she was told to do so, ignoring all the looks she had gotten.
She honestly didn't care about what anybody else thought of her, she just needed to make sure Jamie was being supervised.
Skills was supposed to be watching him, but Ava guessed he was preoccupied with something else.
"Jamie?" She called, looking for him as soon as she exited the chapel.
But all she got in response, was a pair of hands grabbing her from behind and covering her mouth.
"Sssh, sweetie." Her breath hitched at the sound of Carrie's voice. "It's just Carrie, honey. You remember me."
Ava tried to scream, but her voice was muffled by the woman's hand. She tried to get away, but her grip was too tight. She could feel the hot air of her breath leaving her nose and bouncing off of Carrie's palm as she was forced to remain silent.
Where was Jamie? What had she done to him?
"Relax, everything is fine." Carrie tried to soothe her. "I'm not gonna hurt you. We're just gonna take a little family trip. It's gonna be so much fun. You'll love it."
Family trip?
Since when was Carrie even a part of the family? This girl was nuts!
"Everything's gonna be okay." Ava felt a sharp prick in her neck and at first, her breath quickened with panic, but after a couple of seconds, she began to relax. "Good girl."
The teen did her best to keep her eyes open, knowing that once she fell asleep, Carrie was going to take her far away from this place, but they were just so heavy that she wanted to take a little nap.
"Sssshhh, baby. Shh."
Carrie's hushed whispers only soothed her spinning head so that she would give in and before she could even put up a fight, Ava's lids closed shut.
And everything went black.
"Jamie!" Haley ran frantically, in search of her child. Ever since the wedding ended, her son couldn't be found. At first, she thought that maybe he had been playing one of his games or maybe he was with Ava, but neither of those two things were true. "Jamie!"
She got no answer.
"Sweetie?" She did, however, manage to find Lily sitting on the steps of the church. "Have you seen Jamie?"
"No." Lily shook her head, looking a little wiped out from the wedding. Ceremonies were a lot for small children to keep up with and it looked like Lily was all tired out for the day.
"Come with me." Haley took her hand and led her along for the search. "Jamie!"
"Haley, any luck?" Karen asked her, meeting her out front and setting Lily on her hip.
"No, I'm really getting worried right now. Dan was here. I saw him earlier…"
"No luck inside." Andy jogged over to them. "I'm sorry. Have you tried calling Ava?"
"No….I haven't seen her since she left the altar." Haley's eyes widened at the possibility that her sister-in-law could have gone missing as well. "Karen….."
"No, I'm on it." The woman whipped out her phone and dialed her daughter's number, only to get her voicemail. "She's not responding."
She didn't want to panic, but this didn't look promising. Ava wasn't the type of kid that ignored her calls.
"I haven't seen her anywhere inside." Andy ran a hand through his hair. "She might be with Lucas."
"He isn't answering his phone either." Being left at the altar was a tough thing to deal with. They wouldn't be getting any kind of communication from Lucas for a while.
If Ava was with him, they would've known.
"I'm so sorry, Haley." Skills sincerely apologized, guilt marking his features. "I should've went with him."
"Mouth and Millicent are taking another look around back." They had looked everywhere and double-checked everything, but the two kids were still missing!
"You need me to call them to ask if they've seen Ava?" Skills asked, more than willing to do anything make the situation better.
"Please."
"Jamie!" Haley called, wanting nothing more than to hear her son's voice calling out to her.
"Ava!" Karen was really beginning to worry herself. It wasn't like her daughter to just disappear without saying anything. Most of the time, Ava was very responsible.
Something was terribly wrong.
"Ava!" Andy could see how frantic his wife was and he couldn't help but feel the same way, but he needed to be calm and level-headed in her time of need. It would be useless for the both of them to start panicking.
And they had to keep themselves from frightening Lily.
"Ava!" The four year old chimed in, thinking that maybe if her sister heard her calling, she'd answer.
Ava always answered when she called.
"Jamie!" Haley kept calling, though by this point she knew she wasn't going to get an answer. "Ava!"
Where could those two be?
"Haley!" Nathan rushed over to her. "Hey, what's going on?"
"Jamie's gone…..Ava's nowhere to be found, and Dan was here."
This was mess! Haley knew she should've sent Dan while she had the opportunity to do so. How fishy was it that his daughter and his grandson have gone missing today of all days?
"What?!"
"They're missing!" She reiterated. "Dan came by, I told him he was not to come into the church! And now they're gone! We've looked everywhere!"
Nathan wanted to focus on calming his wife down, but when he saw a police car rolling their way, he immediately jumped in front of it, forcing the driver to slam his brakes to keep from hitting him.
He wasn't even thinking, and he certainly didn't care about whether or not the vehicle would hit him. He just needed to get the officers to help them.
"What're you doing?!" The driver snapped as he and his partner hopped out of the vehicle.
"My son is missing and so is my sister." Nathan wasn't the least bit phased by almost being run over. His blood was pumping and his adrenaline was running high. He would do anything for those two kids, everybody knew that.
"Alright, calm down. You could've gotten yourself killed."
"We just left the wedding! All the guests are gone, and my son is missing! He's four and a half years old!"
What was so confusing about what he was saying? Why weren't they getting it?
"Have you been drinking, sir?" The other officer asked, disregarding everything Nathan had just told them. "Have you been to the reception?"
"What kind of question is that? Have I been drinking?!"
"Hey, you need to listen to me—"
"—No, you listen to me!" Nathan cut him off as Haley, Karen, and Andy made their way over, knowing that with his temper, the situation could escalate. "My name is Nathan Scott. My father is Dan Scott. He was arrested for murder! He's a bad guy, and he was here today! Now, either one of you two idiots gets on your radio right now and finds my son and my sister, or I'll knock you both out and I'll do it myself!"
He wasn't kidding and it seemed like the officers finally realized it.
"Hey, you need to relax alright?" The first one tried to placate him, before speaking into his walkie-talkie. "Dispatch, I have a 9-20c Charlie…..missing persons, critical. We're gonna need an exact description of your son."
"His name is James Lucas Scott." Haley spoke with tears in her eyes. "He's four and a half years old. He's wearing a black tuxedo…He has blue eyes and sandy blonde hair."
"Alright." The officer wrote everything down on a notepad. "And your sister?"
"She's my daughter." Karen did her best to hold it together for the sake of the child in her arms. "Her name is Havana-Rose Scott, she's fourteen years old. She was wearing a royal blue dress…."
"She has tanned skin." Andy took over, holding Karen in his arms. "Brown eyes…and dirty blonde hair down her back."
"You said that your daughter is fourteen years old?" He looked up from the pad.
"That is correct." Andy once again answered for Karen.
"The last time you saw her….was she upset about something? Was she angry?"
"No, of course not."
"Why?" Haley furrowed her eyebrows.
"It seems a little suspicious that your son has gone missing on the same day as your little sister."
"Are you suggesting that she ran off with him?" Nathan asked with fire in his eyes.
If anything happened to those two because they were wasting time here, he would actually lose it. And he wasn't the only one.
"It's a possibility. This may have been a plot for revenge or a seemingly innocent prank. Have you tried calling her cell?"
"It's not a possibility!" Karen snapped. Obviously these officers had messed with the wrong parents. "My daughter isn't capable of such a thing, she's a child herself! And of course I called her cell! I'm here speaking to you, because she isn't answering!"
"Ma'am, I'm only stating what the evidence is leaning towards."
"So, the fact that her father, who was just released from prison, and was here, doesn't affect your thought process?"
"That's also something to consider." The second officer, who seemed to be more crass than the first said. "What is your sister's relationship like with your son?"
"It's wonderful." Haley wiped at her eyes. "They're very close. He looks up to her and she's always looking out for him, which is why I can't understand why you've come to the conclusion that she somehow ran off with him."
"I know my sister. She would never hurt our son." Nathan spoke firmly, glaring at the officers.
"With all due respect." Which, in Andy's opinion, was very little. "We just informed you that two children are missing and gave you all the information you needed. Do I need to call a few friends from the department of investigations, or do you think you can do your jobs?"
"We'll call you if we find anything."
"Ava…..Ava wake up."
Jamie lightly tapped his aunt on the shoulder, but she remained asleep. She looked so calm and peaceful, but he needed her to wake up.
He wanted to go home.
"Let her rest, Jamie." Carrie smiled at him, though she seemed a little nervous as she rummaged through the bags she had packed. "She's really tired."
"She's been sleeping for a long time."
It was true.
Ava had been fast asleep ever since Carrie had drugged her with that sedative.
When they arrived at the hotel, Carrie had just set her down on a bed, not fully planning on what to do for when she woke up. She wasn't even supposed to be asleep for this long, so she really must have been tired.
The sedative really did work wonders.
Carrie had decided at the very last minute to take Ava along with Jamie. She knew how close the two were and she didn't mind the extra company.
And it was easier for her to take Jamie with her, with him knowing that Ava was coming along, too.
She didn't mind being the mother of two kids.
"I'll wake her up soon and we'll all go out to eat dinner." Carrie clenched her fists, having not found what she was looking for. "Jamie, honey, Nanny Carrie has to go out. But I have a key, and I want you to stay here and keep the doors locked."
"By myself?"
"You'll be fine." Carrie waved him off. "Ava's here with you and if you really need anything, you can wake her up. I'll be right back and I'll bring you a present."
"When are we going home?"
"Home?" Carrie tried not to panic. This wasn't going the way she planned it. They should've been far away from here by now. "Don't you wanna play a game?"
"I guess so." Jamie shrugged, popping one of the many pieces of candy Carrie had given him into his mouth.
"Okay. Let's play hide-and-seek. I want you to hide, and don't come out until I find you, okay?" She smiled. "Okay, I'll go out, and you hide. Go on."
Jamie watched as she closed the door, practically leaving him all alone.
Nanny Carrie was acting so strange. She took him from the church and she was acting like something was wrong.
And Ava was still asleep.
He knew Ava's sleeping patterns. She wasn't that deep of a sleeper.
And he was right.
Once she was sure that Carrie was gone, Ava opened her eyes and sat up, shaking her head in order to clear it. Jamie knew her well. She hadn't been asleep at all. She was just waiting for an opportunity to get Jamie out of there.
"Ava?" Jamie's eyes widened. "What happened to you? Why are you so sleepy?"
"M'fine." She smiled weakly, blinking away her blurred vision. She hoped her adrenaline was enough to make it home, because if not, they were both doomed. "Don't worry about me. We have to get home."
The teen stood up and found her balance before taking a shaky step forward. She was wobbling, but it was better than nothing. All she had to do was get Jamie home and then she could sleep.
"C'mon, Jamie." She took his hand, pulling him off of the bed. "We're getting out of here."
And as soon as the two began to move, there was an audible knock that stopped them both in their tracks.
Ava hoped with every fibre of her being that it wasn't Carrie again. She wouldn't be able to fight her off this time, not with the sedative in her system.
And if she couldn't fight her off, then she couldn't get Jamie back to safety.
"Jamie?" A man came to the door, trying to look through the window. "Jamie, can you hear me?"
It was Dan. Ava nearly fell over with relief. It was only Dan.
But Jamie didn't know Dan.
He knew that he was his grandfather, sure. But he didn't know much else.
Unless of course, you count the fact that he had been in prison for a long time because he had done something wrong.
"Listen to me. I'm here to help you." Dan continued. "You have to open the door, son. I'm here to take you home."
Jamie stared at him and back himself into a corner, clearly frightened by the man's presence.
"Jamie, look, your aunt is here, right?" Dan tried. "Open the door, Jamie." He instructed, watching his daughter struggle to do it herself..
But Jamie didn't move. He was afraid.
The way Ava saw it was, she'd rather take her chances with Dan than that crazy ex-nanny. Dan was her father and he had never done anything to physically harm her. She was going to take a giant leap and open that door for him.
Her priority wasn't even to herself right now. It was to Jamie. If she could get him out of here and far away from Carrie, then she would consider that to be a job well done.
Forcing the black dots out of her eyes and preventing them from connecting, even though she so sleepy, Ava dragged her feet over to the door. The sedative was still coursing through her system and she was fighting every step of the way, her feet felt as heavy as lead. All she had to do was get to the door. That was it.
She could do it.
"Come on, Baby." She heard her father encouraging her on the other side. if she didn't make it, he'd bust the door down. There was no way he was going to leave them here. "Just a little bit more and you're done."
Ava stumbled the last few steps to the door and had to take a few breaths to compose herself. She tried to blink away her blurry vision, but it didn't help. So she was forced to reach the hand that wasn't keeping her body upright and steady against the wall, up to feel around for the lock.
Once she found it, she turned it and found the knob, opening the door for Dan to come in.
She had used her last bit of energy just to let him in. As soon as the door was open, her legs gave out on her and she would've hit the ground if Dan hadn't scooped her up.
"Everything's gonna be alright now, Baby." He spoke in a hushed tone, which did everything to keep her calm. "You did so well. You're safe now."
"...Jamie." The teen slurred, her mind still on getting the four year old home.
Once he saw that Dan wasn't there to hurt them, Jamie came out of his hiding place and moved closer to the two.
"Are you okay?" The large man looked his grandson over for any injuries.
"I'm fine." Jamie nodded. "Ava's acting funny."
"Ava?" He gently tapped her cheek. "Can you hear me?"
"…C'n…hear jus…fine….."
"I need you to stay awake for me, alright?" Dan bounced her very lightly, taking Jamie's hand in his own to lead them both out of the hotel room. "I'm taking you two home."
"M…..'wake…..jus' tired…."
"Is she gonna be okay?"
"She's gonna be fine, Jamie." Dan assured the child, bringing the two out to his car and placing Ava in the passenger seat, buckling her in while Jamie got in the back. "She's just a little tired right now."
"Promise?" To him, Ava looked like she was really sick. But if his Grandpa was sure that she was going to be okay, then maybe she would be.
"I promise." Dan winked. "I need you to do something for me, Jamie. I need you and Ava to stay in the car and wait for me. I'm gonna be back in a few seconds, but you can't leave this car, okay?"
Now that the kids were safe. He had some business to attend to. Business that neither one should have to witness.
"Okay."
"And keep the doors locked."
"I will."
Dan took Jamie's response with stride and marched right back up to the hotel room, hiding behind a wall so that when Carrie come back, she wouldn't see him.
"Jamie?"
And it looked like he had gotten there in just the knick of time.
"I'm back!" Carrie called out. "I'm gonna find you! I'm gonna get you, Jamie!"
Dan took this opportunity to grab the woman and push her up against the wall by the bed, holding her there by the throat. "I think you're wrong." He seethed as she struggled for air. "I think I'm gonna get you. My name is Dan Scott. I think you know my grandson and my daughter."
Carrie could only gasp in an attempt to catch her breath.
"It's okay. You can blink once for 'yes'."
And Carrie did exactly as she was told.
"That's what I thought. Well, you're done knowing them, for the rest of time. And if you forget, or if you decide to go anywhere near my family ever again…let's just say this; I killed my brother in cold blood. I'd have no problem killing you."
"I will never forgive myself." Skills ran a hand across his face. He should've never allowed Jamie to go to the bathroom on his own. What was he thinking? Ava was fourteen and she had more sense than that. Now they were both in trouble. "They have to come home. They have to."
Everyone had been gathered back at Haley and Nathan's house just to wait for the police to give them some news on Jamie and Ava.
So far, there was nothing and they were growing more and more restless as time passed on.
Especially the parents of the two children.
"I can't lose her!" Karen sobbed into Andy's shoulder, the way she had been for several hours. She was inconsolable and it was hard for anyone to watch. "I can't! My baby!"
"We're gonna get her back, love." Andy soothed. "You're going to hold her in your arms again. I'm sure of it."
He was sure of it.
Ava was a fighter. She'd fight her way back to them. With Jamie by her side.
"Is it okay if I play with this?" Lily asked Nathan, holding one of Jamie's balls.
She understood that her cousin wasn't here. She understood that her big sister wasn't here. But what she didn't understand was the severity of the situation. To her, the two would be back by the bedtime and everything would be okay. She didn't understand why everyone was so sad.
And she hated to watch her mother cry.
"Yeah." He nodded, his voice hoarse from crying. "Go ahead, honey."
As Lily walked off to play with the toy, Lucas entered the house to find everyone in shambles.
After Lindsay had left him at the altar, he had gone to find her, so he had no idea about the news of his nephew and little sister. But as soon as he checked his phone, he rushed over, breaking every single traffic law he could just to get there in record speeds.
"Haley." He found his best friend, pulling her in for a hug. "I'm so sorry. It's gonna be okay. You have to believe that, okay? He's gonna come home."
Haley couldn't do anything but cry.
She could've prevented this. If she had just let her husband come home so that he could protect them, none of this would've happened.
None of it.
"I have to go see how my mom's doing, but everything's gonna alright." Lucas kissed the top of her head before approaching his mother. He wanted to continue comforting Haley, but he needed to see his mother.
"Lucas." The woman thought she'd be all cried out by now, but she kept proving herself wrong. She hadn't been worried about any of her children since the day of the shooting or the day Lucas had a heart attack. She didn't miss that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and the helplessness that came with it.
"Mom." His lip quivered. He was unwilling to break down in front of Haley, but seeing his mother in distress and knowing he didn't know where his sister was, was making that difficult. "What happened? How did they just disappear?"
This was different from all the times Ava had left the house without calling to tell anyone she was running late. Whenever that happened, she was always with someone who they knew was safe. Someone they knew they could trust.
This time, there was no trace of Ava this time.
"Well, Jamie went to use the restroom and our guess is Ava followed him, because she saw him going on his own." Andy explained, still cradling his wife. "And we have no idea what happened after that."
"Mom, they're both gonna be alright." Lucas' voice gave way as he tried to keep his tears from falling. "She's gonna be okay and you'll never have to let her out of your sight again."
He was never going to let her out of his sight again. That girl was going to get real sick of him, real soon. He didn't care, he just wanted her safe. If anything happened to her, he honestly didn't know what he'd do with himself. The pain he was feeling from Lindsay leaving him at the altar was nothing compared to what he was feeling now that his little sister and his nephew were in danger.
And as soon as the words left his mouth, Jamie ran into the room.
"Mama!"
Everything stopped so suddenly, if a pin dropped, it would've echoed off the walls.
"Jamie!" Haley was the first to snap out of her shock and run to him, lifting him into her arms as everyone gathered around. "Sweetie, what happened to you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Jamie smiled as his father kissed his forehead.
"Jamie, was Ava with you?" Lucas asked what they were all thinking.
"Yeah, we're okay." Jamie nodded. "Ava saved me and then Grandpa Dan saved us."
"What?" Haley furrowed her eyebrows, just as Dan came in, carrying Ava who was in a state of lethargy. "Oh my goodness."
Karen's jaw dropped after seeing the man for the first time in nearly five years and to make matters worse, he was holding her child.
Lucas wasted zero time in taking Ava into his own arms, glaring at the man as all his anger bubbled up to the surface. He had no idea what happened, but he was almost sure that Dan had something to do with it.
During that period of awkward and agonizing silence, Ava stirred and blinked awake just in time for her to be transferred into Andy's arms as her mother showered her with kisses.
"Mama….." She shook her head to make her exhaustion go away, but was unsuccessful.
"I'll be right back." Lucas grit his teeth.
Dan wasn't going to get away with this.
"Luke….." Ava knew exactly what he was going to do and she wanted to stop him, but Andy wouldn't let her go. "Put me…..down….."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, love." Andy shook his head, relieved to have the teen back home safe.
"I'll get her some coffee." Brooke offered, rushing into the kitchen as he laid Ava down on the couch.
Karen sat down and lifted her head on to her lap, wanting to keep a close eye on her. It was obvious that she had been drugged. She was going to have to stay in bed with her just to make sure that the drugs were wearing off properly.
"Take Jamie." Nathan, transferred the tyke back into Haley's arms to follow his brother, but not before pressing a kiss to Ava's forehead.
"Jamie, sweetheart." Haley held him close, only to have him wriggle away to follow his father. "Jamie!"
"Ava, don't fall asleep honey." Karen told her daughter.
"I'm not…..t'red…..It's okay….." Ava mumbled, blinking up at Brooke, who had brought her coffee.
"This is for you, Baby Scott." She sat down at her side and pressed the mug to her lips. "Drink up."
"Thank you."
"Anything for you, Honey." Brooke smiled. "You really scared us. Don't do that again."
"Try….not to…."
"Ava, what happened outside of the chapel?" Karen asked, noticing the coffee was making her a little more coherent.
"I was looking…..f'r….Jamie, but I couldn't find him….." Ava answered, the effects of the sedative were slowly but surely wearing off. "And someone…Carrie…grabbed me…..fr'm behind…..felt a prick in my neck." She finished as Haley, Nathan, Lucas, and Jamie came back inside, looking a little troubled.
"That explains the exhaustion." Peyton surmised. "That psycho drugged her. She looked the same way I did that night Brooke and I went to that college party."
Brooke nodded and smoothed some of Ava's hair down. She remembered that party. She had to call Lucas to come and get them. It had really been a scary night for all of them.
And this one hadn't really been much better.
After a few minutes of watching Ava lull in and out of coherency, Karen had finally had enough. She couldn't sit there and gamble with her daughter's health. The only reason she hadn't immediately taken the girl to the hospital, was because she knew how terrified she was of the place. But that wasn't important now.
"Ava, are you okay?" Lily asked, leaning over to look at her sister. "Why are you so sleepy?"
"M'fine..." Ava tried to cheer her up, but she only succeeded in making her worry.
"She's been tired for a long time." Jamie told the adults. "But she and Grandpa Dan saved me."
"Jamie, how did that happen?" Haley asked, as Lucas scooped Ava back up into his arms.
"The door was locked and Grandpa couldn't get in. I was too scared to unlock the door. Ava walked all the way over and let him in, but then she fell."
So Dan really had saved them.
"Do you guys want us to come to the hospital?" Haley asked, keeping her hold on her son.
"No." Karen shook her head, cupping the little boy's cheek. "But if you don't mind, can you keep Lily here with you?"
"Of course we don't mind. Do what you need to do and keep us posted."
"Thank you."
A real crisis had been averted today, but somehow, it didn't feel like it was over.
A/N: The wedding was a disaster. It always bothered me that Jamie was allowed to leave the chapel all by himself, so I had to fix that lol. Everyone watched as this tiny four year old just walked down the aisle and out the door and no one even batted an eye. I don't know, it felt weird. That made Carrie's plan that much easier.
So...Dan is back, the kids are okay (kind of), Ava had to go to the hospital, and her reckless spontaneity still hasn't been addressed.