I'M BACK! ahh! isn't it a miracle? i know i haven't updated in a month. actually, in exactly one month. how creepy. and, omg, it's the three month anniversary since i first posted this story! w00t! celebration! hehe.

you all have been so patient! i kept expecting angry mobs of reviewers to come to my door. who would have led those mobs? hm. i think maybe...coughLAURENandCLAIREcough. haha.

okay, now i would take time to answer everyone of you, but it's been a while, so i'm just gonna answer to those who have questions that i can answer without ruining the story.

Flonshoe: no no. see, i know you would ALWAYS review my story, good or bad. something screwed up and all that talk about it being soo OOC was meant for another reviewer, but it didn't show up... haha yes, we dorks must stick together! DORKS UNITE! haha. your hilarious, do you know that? Yes, this story would loose it's momentum if Jess was her usual self, I think. This is more dramatic. My other story, the one i'm currently working on, that's more like Jess' usual self, right? Thanks for reviewing, Lauren! ;)

Anywien: WOW. You're soo random. It's totally funny, in a good way. hehe. Yes, Rob knows how to operate a blender. Yeah, you have seen too many scary movies, but that's okay. Thanks for your review, Anywien! hahaha "crap on toast" hah thats hilarious!

Uh.yeah: Hiya Claire! Aww, you rock too! Yeah, i think Jess would act like that. You'd have to be cold at heart not to bawl your eyes out when your parent's have been kidnapped. Aww i want a Rob too! Damn! Hmm. how many reviews DO i have? 80! HOLY CANNOLI! huh. i'm more popular than i bargained... You better update your story on here and on mcbc sooon! Although, that update on mcbc was SUPERB. I love it! hehe. Thanks for the review, Claire!

Me'shell: do i know you from somewhere? or are you just a random person?

PrincessofEmbarrassment: Thank you! hehe. I dont know who won the contest, the person who created it hasn't been back in a while, so now we just have fun! ;) Read Uh.yeah's story too! It's called "walking on air". Her's was in the same contest! ;)

To all of my WONDERFUL reviewers: I LOVE YOU ALL, THANK YOU SOOO MUCH, KEEP IT UP!
nikki007, Quietly Losing Control(um. getting addicted isn't good...), sparklinqt87, madmaddy, marvelgirl08(hold yer horses, calm down, everything will be fine, just keep on readin! hehe), timydamonkey, Some Person/Sum1(are you the same person? i think so. hhe), phelpsEpoe(i hope i didn't kill you...), gaia, She-who-must-not-be-named(thanks!)

DISCLAIMER: i own nothing, basically. only wish i did. :D

REVIEW PLEASE!

CHAPTER 10: Parents, Trusty wooden sticks, and ROB!

I woke up around eight o'clock in the morning. I had not woken up since Rob gave me the special "tonic." I slept like a baby, and Rob and Dr. Krantz seemed to be pleased by this. This time, I knew where my family was. I knew and I was going to get them.

But, unfortunately, I had to deal with Rob and Krantz. Not easy people to persuade. So there was this big argument about it and how the two guys were all against me going anywhere near where my parents are. But, I am a good persuader too, so I cracked them enough so that I was allowed to go, with the police, to where my parents are.

This turned out to be a good thing, because I had to give out the directions, because the police got lost. The map didn't help because they were in a place very much like the house that Sean was in a couple of weeks ago.

I wasn't even in the car with Dr. Krantz, or Rob. Well, Rob wasn't allowed to come on this little trip. He stayed home with his mom, who was kind of shook up when she learned about my parents…and the undercover FBI vans parked outside their house.

I was very upset about this, but they could not be swayed any further. So, here I was, in this un-marked FBI vehicle with SWAT team members in all the seats surrounding me, guns in hand. When they pulled up to the house, sirens flashing, the SWAT team guys refused to move from the car. When I inquired about why they weren't jumping out and busting down the door, they said that there job was to protect me, unless they were absolutely needed.

And they were. Needed, I mean. When their other partners broke into the house, it turns out that they underestimated the number of people in the house with guns. I didn't even know that there were close to twenty people, with the exception of my family, in that house. Why in the world are all those people in that house? Do they all get together to play cards or something? All armed with either guns or knives, too. All we had were about eight SWAT team members, besides the ones in the car with me. So, they were called to duty, and this was a very bad thing. I really should not have come. Telling them the way on a cell phone would have been good enough. But no, I had to come along.

So, while the police were battling the people inside, someone escaped. And who do they see in the car? Me. That's right, so he came right over and before I could scream bloody murder, he hit me in the head with something; I think it was a wooden stick. Why do they keep doing this? I mean, really.

Luckily, I didn't conk out right away like the guy had hoped and I started to scream. Very, very loudly. But he was too quick and covered my mouth when I had only been screaming for like 5 seconds. He then, in the car, proceeded to hit me. Thankfully, the only weapon he had was his trusty wooden stick, because he never pulled out a knife or a gun.

In-between the punches and hits that he threw at me and the ones I threw at him, I screamed. As loud and hard as I could. Finally, someone noticed the guy half in and half out of the car and came running over.

With one swift hit with his rifle at the back of his neck, the guy fell—on top of me, knocking the wind out of me. The SWAT team guy who saved me took me out of the car and went around to the other side, so that the car was like a shield to us, in case gunfire erupted.

"Miss Mastriani, my name is Andrew. Are you alright? Slow down, stop breathing so fast." Stop breathing so fast? How the hell does he suppose I do that? I mean, a very heavy man just fell on top of me! And how does he know my name? Oh, maybe Dr. K told them I was coming along. I'm sure it's not very often they get a 16 year old ride along.

He took his helmet off and revealed a middle-aged man with dirty blond hair and brown eyes. "Um…I…okay…I…think…" I was still breathing hard, but I could almost form sentences, so that was good. I hope he was happy with my improvement in the breathing department.

"Did you just get hit in the face? Or was there somewhere else?" Andrew asked.

"Oh…he…hit me…on the back…of my head." Next to passing out, I don't like getting the wind knocked out of me. It hurts to breathe…and talk.

"Okay, hmm," he touched the back of my head, and when he brought his fingers back up, I saw bright red blood on them, even though he tried to prevent me from seeing it. "You may have a concussion. Don't worry this will all be over soon."

"How is my family? Are they okay?" I frantically asked.

"Yes, there fine. Their over there, actually. I would take you over there, but I don't want you to get up. You'll see them soon." He smiled. He may not want me going over there, but I'm not sure if I could go over there, anyway. My head was starting to hurt—a lot.

But, finally, it was all over. No shots had to be fired and they captured all the guys whom Jacob had hired. Andrew told me that it was the last time that I would ever see those guys. And I had believed him. (A/N: ooh. Foreshadowing, maybe?)

I had to be taken to the hospital, once again. I'm really starting to hate going to the hospital. The nurses and I are almost on a first name basis. And this time, I didn't pass out. Riding in an ambulance is kind of fun! Most of the time, you either pass out, are drugged up on morphine, or you're scared out of your mind.

But me? I was none of those things! Well, I was hyped up on some kind of painkiller but it just made me act weird. And, oh yeah, the concussion, that makes you act kind of funny too.

My mom, dad, and Doug had to be checked out by the EMTs, just to be on the safe side, but they didn't have any injuries that required admittance to the hospital. Just little ol' me.

They all came in and we hugged and cried and I told them how sorry I was, because I really was sorry. I mean it was all my fault that they had to go through that torture. But they didn't seem to care; just that I was OK.

I was asleep when Rob came in. I don't know how long he was there before I woke up, but I think only a few minutes. Unless he was watching me sleep. If that's the case, then I'm okay with that.

"Rob?" My voice was hoarse from all the screaming I did earlier, so I had to whisper. He was sitting in the chair that was next to my bed, and he looked up from the magazine he was reading when I spoke. I obviously startled him.

"Jess! Oh my God. How are you?" He had worry painted all over his face, and I didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bonk on the head and a punch in the face; nothing I haven't handled before," I tried to smile, but my face was swollen, so I kind of smirked instead, I think.

"That's good."

"Yeah. Rob?"

"Yeah?"

"Stop being worried about me. Please. I hate seeing you like this. I'm gonna be fine! Everything's all right now. Besides, you're going to get worry lines on your face," I laughed a little at that but my ribs still hurt from the first attack.

Rob laughed too, "I'm sorry. I just…can't help it. But if it makes you sad…I'll stop." He smiled.

"I love you, Rob," I told him.

"I love you too, Mastriani." Then he leaned down and gave me an earth-altering kiss. Review please! i love you all!