A.N.: This chapter is dedicated to Zelina for being the first person to review to my last chapter. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I was in Florida and I just got back. It didn't take me too long did it Nicole? I would also like to give a special thanks to Anywien and nikki007 for being the only people to have reviewed to every chapter. Thanks.

Zelina: I'm sorry it's taken me so long. I know that it's a long wait sometimes, but please don't get mad at me for it. I'm trying my best.

CeeCeeCaffeine: No one is sane, I'll agree with you there. You amuse me with your reviews. They are so funny. Thanks.

nikki007: Thanks so much for the review.

Ginny Weasley's Double: Um…no, but that was a good guess. You'll find out when you read more.

Smiley0925: As I said before, I'm really sorry it's taken me so long. I hope you can forgive me…

Anywien: I know I suck, but you love me anyway. Lol. Yes, you are my only Ukranian friend. Congrats. Lol.

kittykatangel518: Thanks Nicole. You're always giving me really great compliments. I'll probably talk to you later. And thanks for the long review. I appreciate it.

Someday

Wounds

Nina and I went straight back to the motel after our ordeal. She to see her husband and me to see my daughter. Yeah, I know, it's weird for me to have a daughter. In all actuality, I'm still getting over the shock as well. But everyone has a reason for living, for Nina it's Jesse, and for me it's Kat.

On the hour long drive, Nina called our supervisors to tell them that the problem was solved and we were going home. We both wanted to go but for different reasons. Nina wanted to keep her family safe and I wanted to get away from my hometown and the places I used to know. It wasn't a part of my life anymore and I was letting it all go, again.

When we got back to where the Ackermans' and Jesse were waking up, we told them we were leaving the next day.

David was the one to point out a forgotten fact, "But what about that dinner or party thing we were supposed to go to tonight?"

Damn him and his memory. I didn't want to see anyone of them again. It's easier for me to leave if I don't get too involved with them. And I couldn't let my secret slip, Kat had to be kept a secret for both of our sakes.

All of us pretty much spent the day being bums. With the exception of Nina and Jesse who went into another room if you know what I mean. I personally think they were in the shower right now because I couldn't hear the bed creaking or the sounds. Kat slept until one in the afternoon and when I had first come back, I didn't have the heart to wake her. She was sleeping so peacefully. Normally I can never sleep. Dreams and thoughts terrorize me so I sometimes don't sleep at all. No one knows about that though. I've been doing a pretty good job of hiding everything. Nina who knows practically everything about me doesn't know everything about me.

At about six-thirty, Jesse and Nina finally came out of the room, so while Jesse was playing with Kat, Nina and I set up our departure plans. We left the motel at quarter to six to get to that party dinner type thing my parents had planned. I was unconsciously worrying about whether I would see Rob or not.

As we were walking up the front walk of the house that stirred so many memories, I scooped up Kat into my arms. I needed her for some comfort; she was my lifeline even if she couldn't understand that.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Kat started jumping around in my arms. I guess she was happy to see me even though we spent the all afternoon together. For some reason, when she was jumping, my arm hurt a little. But I just rubbed that off.

"What is it sweetie?"

She squeezed my cheeks together and giggled. "You think that's funny?" She nodded. "Well watch this…" I started tickling her and her laughter was contagious. Pretty soon everyone was laughing with her.

By that time we reached the front door. My finger was about an inch from the bell, but I couldn't ring it. Eventually, Jake stepped forward and pressed it for me. "See, not that hard."

"Sleepy, I doubt that's why she couldn't press it." Nina backed me up when she saw that I wasn't even bothering to listen to him.

He just shrugged as the door opened and my brother's face was staring at me. My dad just happened to walk by a minute later and said, "Mike, who is it?" He then opened the door up a little further to see all of us. "Oh, Jess. Come in. Mike, move out of the doorway to let these people in." My dad left and went into the kitchen.

"It's…good to see you Jess." He looked uncomfortable.

"It's okay Mike. I won't make you stay here. You can just go over to your wife." He nodded and left to go somewhere else in the house.

"Come on. I'll lead you guys around." They all followed me into the living room where there were banners and balloons hanging off the walls saying things like "Welcome Home Jessica."

And that's when I started to tear up. I mean, they were welcoming me back home and I wasn't even going to be staying. I had every reason to break down and cry right then, but I held it in and kept looking around the house and the differences that there were. There was some new furniture and some of the old furniture was moved to different places in the room. Also, there was a shelf of pictures that wasn't there the last time I had been here. I walked over to it and looked at each one of the pictures. They were of me. Evidently my parents- my mother to be precise- created a shrine in honor of me. How sweet.

"Oh, Jessie. You're here. Welcome home. I've missed you so much!" My mom found me. And of course she started crying.

"Mom, I'm not staying. Actually, I'm leaving again tomorrow."

She looked hurt. But there's nothing that I can really do about it.

Eventually, she left to mingle with some more people and the Ackermans' moved on to other people as well. Nina and Jesse left me to get something to eat, so I was left with Kat. But of course everyone in the house was forced- presumably by my mother- into the living room.

I put Kat down on the couch just as the cake was coming my way. It was almost like my birthday, but not exactly considering m birthday is in April.

I blew out the candle and we all ate cake and talked and laughed for about a half an hour. That's when the surprise came. Rob and Mrs. Wilkins walked through the door followed by Gary. "Sorry, are we late?"

Doug smiled slightly and said, "Just a little."

Rob was staring at me. I had my head down, but I could feel his eyes boring into me as I picked Kat up and fed her some cake. Eventually, I gave Kat to Brad and stood up to go into another room. Anywhere would be fine. As long as Rob wasn't there with me it would be perfect.

All of a sudden I felt a pair of arms come around me from behind. I knew those arms, all too well in fact. "Let go of me Rob! I said let go!"

"Jess, stop fighting me for one minute, okay?" He was squeezing tighter to tell me without words that he wasn't letting go until I did as he said. In the background I could hear Kat crying softly.

I stopped moving and Rob took that as my consent to stop fighting him. "Take off your coat."

"Why?" That was interesting. I was expecting him to say we needed to talk or whatever. Not ordering me to take off my coat.

"Just do it Mastriani." And yet, he still calls me Mastriani. Not that I mind, it's just you would think he would call me by my first name after everything we've been through.

I took it off and handed it to him. My gun was extremely visible and just about everyone in the room flinched or grimaced at the sight of it. "Now what?"

He didn't reply. He just looked into my eyes for a split second before he lifted my arm up.

"What are you doing?" It came out as more of a squeal but I was surprised. Wouldn't you be too? I mean, my ex-boyfriend was lifting my arm above my head. A little creepy if you ask me.

"Who shot you?"

"What are you talking about?"

He pointed toward a spot on the inside of my arm and said, "Here. That's a bullet wound. Who shot you?"

"Oh wow. Nina I guess the bullet from this morning did graze me." Everyone looked on curiously and I inspected it before I said, "It's nothing. I'll be fine."

"That's not nothing Jess. It's pretty deep. Come on, let's get that bandaged up." Well, now he calls me Jess. But of course he had my wrist in his hand and was already dragging me out of the room. And that was something that I was having nothing of.

"There is no way in hell you are taking me anywhere. Get off me, now! I can't believe you would do this, in front of everybody and my daughter for God's sake."

"Jess, I know that you're extremely mad at me, which you have every reason to be, but you need to get that patched up before it gets worse." He took my whole arm this time to drag me out of the room.

I couldn't really help it, I got mad. The arm that he wasn't pulling was already reaching for my gun before I even knew what I was doing. I cocked it and pointed it at his skull. "You are taking me nowhere, got that?"

Nina hurried over and put a hand on my arm and said, "Jay, do you really want to do this? In front of all these people? I know you two have your problems, but do you really want to do this in front of Kat?"

She knew how to get to me. I pulled my other hand away from Rob before he knew what was happening. He was too much in shock to fight me anymore. I grabbed my coat out of his arm and went over to Kat who was in Helen's arms at that moment. I put on my coat, grabbed my daughter and said, "Come on, we're leaving."

A.N.: So, how did you guys like it? Sorry for the long wait, but I updated as fast as I could, I swear. So, you guys know the drill, review and I write faster…