Omgosh y'all I am soooooo sorry I haven't forgotten about this at all. I even tell Lauren all the time I'm gonna write and I am seriously doing it now. I just got all wrapped up in my website and it's done. http://www.geocities.com/brenna8186. Yeah...I had to move Hayden's Heartstrings from homestead cause they suck. Anyway, there's an A.J. Cook site added in there called Absolutely A.J. and they share a guest book cause I'm lazy. I update, like, every day but if you go puh-lease sign the guest book. Even if you go "this really bites I hate you" I'll be happy. J So without further adieu I am finally posting…….
The Absence of Fear
Chapter 10
Shelby woke up the next morning and went downstairs. The house was quiet. Probably too quiet. Brad was never a quiet person. She had been with him long enough to know at least that. If he was totally unpredictable in every other area of his life at least she knew that if he was within a few yards of the vicinity there would be noise. A lot of noise. Noise seemed to come to him. But this morning the house was quiet. Dead quiet. The only sound she could hear was the ticking of the clock on the wall next to her.
"Brad…." She said quietly. There was no response. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall. 10 am. She had no idea what time it was wherever Scott was. Once again, school..geography..all that stuff was never her strong point. She slowly stepped on a stair. It made a loud creak. She cringed and eased down the next step with more caution than she had used to take the first one. "Brad?" she asked into the silent house. Still no response. But he could be down there waiting. Waiting for her to come down and try to leave and then he would catch her so close to freedom. But even if she did get out where would she go? And who would she talk to? And what would happen when Scott finally got here and didn't find her in the house? No, she thought, better to stay here and just wait it out. She finally got down to the bottom floor of the house. "Brad….?" She asked peeking in the kitchen. No one. He wasn't there! She could get out! Her heart was beating in her ears. It was magnifying the sound of the ticking clock. She didn't have much time. It was possible for him to come home at any time and she'd be stuck here. She ran up the stairs, not caring about the noise she was making. She grabbed the suitcase out from under the bed. She ran back down the stairs and towards the back door. She noticed the phone, picked it up, and punched in Scott's cell phone. The little recording came on saying how the person was out of range. Of course he was. She turned around and saw a shadow on the outside of the door. She stepped back. The door knob turned. Brad was home and she had her suitcase…what was she gonna do? She tried to make her feet move but they were stuck and she just stood there like an idiot waiting for him to open the door and literally bust her. When the door opened she stood there and just waited for the worst.
"Shelby!" a familiar voice said and hugged her. She didn't even have to open her eyes to know that voice. She dropped the suitcase and clung to Scott. "Are you alright…are you okay? Did he hurt you?" he kept repeating variations of the same question over and over but she didn't care. All that mattered was he came. And he was here and she was going to be alright.
"I'm fine…can we just go??" she asked somewhat impatiently. She didn't want to sound short with him but she was ready to go home and see her baby. She had Scott, now she wanted Chelsea.
"Yeah, of course, let's get you out of here." He said and picked up the suitcase. The front door slammed and Scott and Shelby froze.
"Shelby!" Brad yelled up the stairs. Scott looked at her. He didn't know what to do.
"Just…go outside and wait, I'll sneak out…." She whispered to him
"I came here to get you and I'm not gonna go outside like a punk and just wait," he said. Brad walked into the kitchen and they all stood there for just a minute sizing each other up and trying to get their bearings about the situation.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Brad hissed at Scott. "And when are you leaving?"
"I'm sure you can figure it out." He said. "And the only way I'm leaving is with my wife on my arm."
"She's not your--" Brad started
"YES. I am." Shelby said. "Brad…let us go, just let us go. You don't have a gun and you cant stop us."
"Fine." He said. Shelby was shocked. He was giving in this easily? And he didn't even put up a fight. "Go." He said. Shelby turned and Scott opened the door and they were getting ready to go out when Brad screamed at them "Freeze!" he yelled. They did. "Turn around." He commanded. They did. He was holding a small hand gun. "You." He said pointing the gun at Scott "Get your hands where I can see them, now." Scott dropped the suitcase and lifted up his hands. "You." He said to Shelby "Get over there." He pointed to another part of the kitchen diagonally behind him. She didn't move.
"He has a gun Shel, just-" Scott started
"Shut up or you'll eat metal." Brad growled at him. Scott stopped. Shelby inched over to where Brad had told her to go. Brad looked at her, never taking the gun away from shooting range of Scott. "I warned you, Shelby. You're mine. I told you. And now I'm gonna have to do it. He came between us. He's the problem. The whole time I was married to you all you ever talked about was Scott. You ate, slept, and breathed Scott. He was the problem. And it's about time I removed the problem." He clicked back the safety.
"No…no, Brad, please no." Shelby pleaded. "Don't do it." He tried not to look at her as he willed himself to pull the trigger. "Please…please...don't," she kept repeating. A shot rang out. But Scott was left standing. Brad fell to the ground with a thump and the gun skittered across the kitchen floor. Scott was breathing heavily in and out as he dropped his hands. Shelby grabbed the gun and ran to where Scott was standing.
"Who…." Scott started when a man walked in through the open kitchen door that was directly behind where Brad had been standing. Shelby's mouth dropped open. He didn't say anything, just held the gun in his hand and stared at the body on the kitchen floor.
"Dad?" Shelby asked
"Shelby." He said. "It's….been a long time."
"6 years." She said.
"Too long."
"How did you know?" she asked him. Her father nodded his head toward Scott
"Your husband there left me a message I couldn't ignore."
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okay next chapter is the grand finale but I'll start another fic up and lauren and I will continue the strong are saying nothing. PLEASE review.
