You know, I get that TVD is among the top 5 fanfics on this website, but I know people read this so please review.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BITTEN.

Chapter 9: Bitten

Ashley stared at Daniel Santos with disgust and disdain as he sat on their couch, in their great room, as they waited for Elena. She rolled her eyes when he stated that he didn't want to start without her. She gripped Nick's thigh beside her, as she desperately tried to stop herself from dissecting him like the rat that he was. When Elena entered the room, Daniel addressed her but Elena barely looked at him as she said, "Get to the point."

"I was promised a fair trade. Information for pack status." Jeremy had made no such promise. He spouted bullshit statement after bullshit statement about how everything was Clay's fault. With every word that came out of his mouth, Ashley's anger was building to the point where she was gripping Nick so tight that he removed her hand from his thigh.

"What I hear is that for the two years that Elena was your sidekick and you two policed the mutts, she, at least, brought some humanity. But you, on your own. Brutal. Vindictive, even. An individual mutt stands no chance against you. They had no choice but to band together. And they're creating a psycho army to help them in the process."

"If this is about Clay, why kill Pete?"

"To knock you off your game. Send Clay into a blind rage." Liar. They were all raging from Pete's death, but Clay was the calmest he'd ever been. He only lost it when it came to Elena. He was trying to rile Clay, just to prove his point and bring Elena into the conversation, trying to get her to agree with him. Elena simply sat in the chair, looking into space without saying a word.

"You're still a slimeball, Santos," said Nick.

"Please understand, what I've said comes from good intentions. Those being, reinstatement into the pack."

"We'll take that into consideration," Jeremy replied, quickly shutting down any further conversation. He got up and walked out, stating, "Ashley will show you out."

Santos got up and buttoned up his vest before telling Elena, " Don't forget. The queen can make any move she wants."

"The door's this way, Mr. Santos," Ashley said, rushing him out of the room as they were followed by Nick. The moment they stepped out the door, Ashley took Daniel's arm, pinning it behind his back as she pinned him to the side of the house. She placed a small knife to his throat and leaned close to his ear and said, "Don't think for a second I believe a word you crapped out today. Reinstatement to the pack. I will make it my mission that if you ever step foot in this house again, you'll only leave wrapped up in the carpet like your brother was." Her voice was calm, cold, and collected as she whispered. "I know you and your boss are responsible. A weasel like you could never think of something so elaborate. And I'm gonna find out who." She violently slammed his head into the brick before releasing him, sending him running back to his car. Her eyes never left him as he drove out of the driveway.

Nik approached her from behind and whispered, "You know, you're so hot when you're coldly threatening someone."

Ashley smirked as she held a black cell phone in her hand. "I picked his pocket." Her voice shifted from low and threatening to high and seductive. "Now let's see who he's been calling with your very sexy computer skills." When they returned to the house, they found a very tense Clay in the great room and Elena talking to Jeremy, informing him that she was leaving once again.

Ashley looked up at Clay, who was so obviously gritting his teeth as they watched her walk away. Once again, her heart shattered, not just for Clay but for herself, as she once again felt like an afterthought in Elena's life. She was continuously moving forward and leaving them behind.

As she sat in her room, Nick entered without knocking. He looked at Ashley as she rose up on her knees and extended her hands to him. "Come here." He removed his shoes as he got on the bed and wrapped his arm behind her back and her neck. They hugged tightly before they fell back on the mattress. "Just hold me. I just wanna cuddle."

Nick simply held her, passing his fingers through her curls, pulling them and watching them spring back into their shape. "Elena again."

"I hate seeing that look on Clay's face, always tight with grief and guilt. Remember when he first met Elena, he was so much happier, more relaxed."

Four years earlier, Ashley went up to Toronto to meet Clay at the university he was lecturing at. She was on a long weekend break and wanted to see him. Then she found out that Nick and Pete would also be at his university, so she went, since they hadn't been together for a long time. When they got to the university, Clay treated them to lunch before he returned to his office. Ashley, Nick, and Pete followed him, only to meet Elena at the door. They could immediately tell that Clay was attracted to her as his eyes remained glued on her as she spoke. The guys teased her until Nick said something insensitive about her parents paying her tuition, only to shut up immediately after finding out that her parents were dead. Pete pulled Nick away, but Ashley remained beside Clay to observe his reactions.

Clay handed her a book which she flipped through to find his photo on the back to see Clay's picture. "You're doctor Danvers?"

Ashley laughed and smacked Clay in the gut with the back of her hand. He didn't move at all, as though it didn't hurt. Ashley stood there, feeling like a third wheel as CLay could barely remove his eyes from her. He caught the book when she almost dropped her and held her hand for a second longer than he should have. "Sorry about my brother and our cousins." She greeted Elena and shook her hand. "I'm the only girl in the house and I have thick skin. They can be a little insensitive with their teasing. I'm Ashley."

"Elena Michaels. Don't worry about it."

"Why don't you come back tomorrow? I'm a little busy with my sister and our cousins."

"Okay," Elena said with a smile.

Clay smiled back, his voice the softest she had ever heard it. "Okay. Great." Ashley rolled her eyes and smirked as her strong, enforcer brother turned from a wolf to a deer in headlights as he watched Elena walk away.

Pete and Nick came back to them. Still teasing, Pete said, in his most grandfather southern accent, "Well, I do declare, that girl put a blush on your cheeks, the likes of which I've never seen before."

Ashley and Nick snorted and laughed as Clay said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Dude, be careful," Nick said. "That is a minefield you do not know how to navigate. I can give you some tips."

"Oh my God, Clay's never had a girlfriend before," Ashley said, putting her hands to her lips to hold in her gasp.

Clay turned to her with a sharp look. "No. Nothing is going to happen."

Although he said nothing was going to happen, something did happen. They talked about Elena over the phone during the semester, but Clay never did anything. In the end, they did become involved in a relationship and soon became engaged.

"Oh my God, congratulations," she said, on the phone. "So, did you finally lose your virginity?" she teased.

"Hey!"

Ashley could not hold in her laughter.

"What about you and Nick?"

"What about me and Nick? We're just two consenting adults who enjoy each other's company without the need to commit."

"Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that," Clay said. "You guys have been into each other since you were teenagers and neither of you have seriously been with anyone other than each other."

"Whatever you say brother, but I think there's something wrong with your eyes." She smiled throughout the entire call as she had never heard Clay sound so happy, so relaxed, and full of joy. "Anyway, we weren't talking about me and Nick. We were talking about you and Elena. I want to see her. Bring her to the house this weekend."

Clay paused for a moment. "Ash, I don't think that's a good idea. Jeremy-"

"I'll be there. I'll mitigate. She doesn't need to know what we are but she should know who your family is," Ashley said. "She's gonna be a big part of your life, meaning she'll be a part of our lives as well in the future. This will be a big change so we should get to know each other better."

"But…"

"And you can take the chance to ask Jeremy for his blessing. Meeting her may soften his heart."

Clay sighed. Jeremy was an obstacle that he needed to placate since he wanted to marry Elena. Bringing her to Stonehaven was risky but Clay wanted Jeremy's approval not just as his Alpha but as his father. He wanted his family to know about Elena. She was the woman he loved and he wanted her and his family to have a good relationship. He also wanted to give Elena the family she never had. He wanted her to be part of the family he had found. "Okay. I'll bring her to Stonehaven."

When they were walking down the driveway, Clay kept his calm to soothe Elena's worries but his heart thundered in his chest the closer they got to the front door. He would cross his fingers if he could to hope and pray Jeremy would accept Elena. When they arrived at the house, Ashley was nowhere to be found and Elena didn't want to ambush Jeremy. Clay left her at the door and went into the house. He looked around but he saw no one until he saw Ashley in a lounge shirt and shorts coming down the stairs.

"Ash, where's Jeremy?"

"Oh," Ashley gasped, "you're here already. I just woke up. I had a lot of homework." She listened but didn't hear anything else in the house. "Jeremy's not in here? Well, doesn't matter. Where's Elena?"

"She's waiting outside."

"Well, bring her in. I'll make tea."

Just after Clay left, Jeremy came in nude through the back door, stared intently at Ashley before going up the stairs to his room. He had a look of disappointment and cold anger in his eyes that told Ashley that he was not happy. He must've seen Elena outside and He was naked. Ashley's eyes widened to the realization that Jeremy had been on a run and changed while Elena was at their door. "Oh, he's not happy," she muttered to herself as she put the kettle on the stove.

As the water was boiling, she could hear Clay, Jeremy, and Elena interacting in the great room. With every word he said, a blizzard came out of his mouth. Cold and detached, yet sharp. He was definitely not happy. Jeremy did not like change or surprises, especially not in Stonehaven, but Elena was both.

Jeremy said nothing when he came into the kitchen and went straight for the stove. Ashley moved back silently as the blizzard also came into the room with him. He placed the tea leaves in the hot water as Clay entered. He almost walked on his tiptoes, his head slightly lowered as though he was a pup with his tail between his legs. Jeremy didn't turn around when he said, "I wish you told me that you were coming here with a friend, Clayton. You've put me in a difficult situation."

"I told him to bring her," Ashley said in low voice.

Jeremy looked at her for a moment, forcing her to avert her eyes and shut her mouth before turning to Clay. "Those rings… are you married?"

"Engaged." Jeremy said nothing and poured himself some tea. "I know it's sudden. It's crazy. I can't explain it, but I love her."

Ashley heard Elena becoming restless in the great room, so she took a few mugs and the kettle on a tray and left the kitchen. Ashley exhaled as she walked into the room with a smile. "Hey, Elena, long time no see. I heard from my brother that congratulations are in order."

"Hi," Elena stood off the couch. "Ashley, right? Clay's cousin?"

"Sister, although not by blood, we were both adopted by Jeremy." She poured the tea into each of the two mugs, handing one to Elena.

"Sorry for coming unannounced. I don't think your father's happy to see me."

"It's fine," Ashley said as she sat beside her. "I'm the one who told him to bring you here. As for Jeremy, he's a hermit. He's overprotective of his home and his family. He doesn't like strangers."

"Where's Clay?"

"Getting his ass chewed out by dear old dad. Though it's totally my fault. He's my big brother so he takes the punishments for me," Ashley joked, keeping one ear with Elena and the other in the kitchen, listening to the conversation between Clay and Jeremy. "I had a long night doing homework so I overslept and forgot to tell Jeremy about you." The smile left her face when she heard the final part of their conversation. Her eyes grew wide as she turned to look at Elena feeling nothing but pity for the poor girl.

"Is something wrong?"

Ashley shook her head and returned the smile to her face. "Oh, it's nothing. I just want to say, I'm so glad Clay found you. He seems like a big, strong dog, and he is. He protects us, but he also has a soft heart. He likes to give a lot of love but he doesn't get enough in return. I'm glad you can give him that."

Elena smiled a soft smile, her eyes gleaming as she thought of Clay. "He gives me a lot of love too."

Jeremy entered the great room, interrupting the two. "I see you two are getting along," he said. Ashley's face hardened as she stood off the couch. She moved to stand beside Jeremy as he addressed Elena. "Sorry about Clay. I sent him to help one of our neighbors having car trouble up the road. Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yes. You have such a lovely home. I've never seen anything like it. But, it must be hard being out here on your own. You know, isolated."

"I don't mind the isolation. My family owns all the surrounding land. It gives me peace and quiet when I work and gives my children space to play and do as they wish."

"You don't get scared?"

Ashley shook her head as Jeremy replied, "Of what in particular?"

"Um… I don't know. Sometimes I go out in the woods and see things. You know, strange things."

Ashley closed her eyes as her stomach dropped. Maybe Elena did see Jeremy change in the woods, but it appeared that she wasn't sure what she saw. Her heart broke for Elena who was a nice girl, but also for Clay, who would have to stand by and watch his lover killed to protect the Pack's secrets.

As she opened her eyes, they widened when she saw Clay's wolf enter the room. "Jeremy," she whispered. What the hell was he thinking coming in his wolf form. Although Elena only seemed to think of him as a big dog and nothing more.

Jeremy turned to see him skulking towards Elena. "Clay…" Jeremy warned. Ashley moved slowly to stand behind the couch, behind Elena as Jeremy came around behind Clay. But, they couldn't stop him in time as Elena moved close to the wolf and extended her hand under his snout. Just as Jeremy grabbed Clay by the scruff of his neck, Clay whined and quickly bit Elena on the back of her hand. Elena screamed, grabbing her hand as Jeremy threw Clay out of the room.

Ashley rushed to Elena to see what Clay had done. Werewolf bites contained a venom that mutated human DNA, allowing the few who survived the change to be able to transform into wolves, gain increased strength, speed, senses, and longevity. However, according to the pack's records from the previous generation, no woman had ever survived the change. Even though Ashley was the first female wolf, no one knew if she was bitten or born. Even then, Jeremy thought that she survived her first change because she was young and her wolf's instinct was strong, completely transforming without needing guidance. At the same time, she could not bear the pain of changing a second time, so her wolf suppressed her human half, leaving her to wander as a wolf for several years.

"Did he break the skin?" Jeremy asked frantically. Elena denied it but Ashley nodded, exposing the hand to Jeremy. "No, no, no, no, no." Drowsiness overcame her as the venom spread through her body. Jeremy caught her as she fell unconscious.

Jeremy carried her to the basement and placed her in the cage. Ashley came down the stairs with a cold compress and placed it on Elena's forehead as her fever mounted and she began to sweat profusely. Clay came down to join them, now human and dressed. He came to the cage, his eyes never leaving Elena's pale body. "She'll make it. I know she will."

Ashley was also hoping for Elena's survival, not just for Clay but also for herself. Clay would be completely broken if she died because of his bite. But for Ashley, it was scientific curiosity. She wanted to know if there was something special or weird about her that made her a wolf, or if other women could become wolves as well. The former pack Alphas in history were unaware of the existence of female wolves, but that did not mean they did not exist. In addition, daughters of wolves were abandoned. Even if they could have been wolves, they would not have had the guidance the sons had from the pack when it came time to turn. Women could have lived with their wolves sleeping inside them and never know it. Ashley needed to know. Elena had to survive the change.

She watched Elena closely Clay and Jeremy bickered in the background. "No, she won't. She won't. You have to be honest with yourself Clayton. No woman has ever survived the change."

Ashley raised her hand. "Excuse me? What am I?"

"We don't know if you were born or bitten. And you were young. Your survival instincts guided you," Jeremy said. "The best we can do is stay with her until the change kills her."

Ashley saw Elena's eyes flutter open. "She's waking… she passed out again."

Clay when Elena was showing no signs of waking, but Jeremy and Ashley remain. They sat in the room for several hours until Elena began to stir once more. She groaned in pain, crawling off the bed as she took in her surroundings. "Why am I here?"

Jeremy brought her a cup of water through the bars, but Elena pushed the mug away, splashing the water on Ashley, who was sitting in front of the cage. Ashley stood up and moved to stand beside Jeremy. "What did you do to me? Did you drug me?" Elena was breathing heavily as the pain continued to course through her body. She could barely crawl as she grabbed the bars of the cage. "Where's Clay?"

"I sent him away for what he's done. For biting you."

"The dog bit me." Every breath was like a million needles in her throat. Her eyesight was blurred and her hearing was like an echo. "Ugh, what's happening?" She turned to look at Ashley, who had removed her shirt and was not removing her shorts and her underwear. Elena's brow furrowed as she shook her head, not sure of what she was seeing. She watched as Ashley crouched low to the ground, groaning as though she was in pain, as her bones cracked and dislocated in a sickening pop. Slowly, black fur formed on her skin, and her face elongated into a wolf's snout. Before her eyes, the young girl was replaced with a black and dark brown wolf, sitting in front of her.

"You're very sick, Elena. Clay bit you. It was not a dog. He was a wolf. We're all wolves," Jeremy declared. He bent down to Ashley and petted the back of her neck. "I was born that way, Elena. Clay was bitten. Now, you're becoming one, too. You're becoming like us."

Elena thrashed around the cage, moaning and groaning in pain. She fell on her hands and knees on the ground.

"What is happening to you right now is called the first change," Jeremy explained, raising his voice over her screams. "And unfortunately, you're about to experience a world of pain like you've never felt before. I'm sorry."

The bones in her hands began to morph, causing her engagement ring to fall off her finger. "Please help me. Please…"

Jeremy looked away, hesitating for a moment before turning back to her. "Don't fight it. Elena, listen to me very carefully. Listen to me now! Don't fight the pain. It will kill you."

Elena's skin was on fire, completely unbearable that she had to remove her dress. She removed her bra and panties just as she fell to the ground. "Elena, you have to go with the pain. You need to let this pass through you." Her shoulders dislocated and she screamed. "Let the pain take you where you need to go." Jeremy moved back from the bars, smiling as he watched her complete the change in amazement. He had seen Ashley change a number of times, but it was his first time witnessing the first change of a female wolf.

She passed out again just as Ashley shifted back into her human form. "She succeeded," Jeremy said.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Ashley smiled. "I'll prepare a room for her."

But, Elena ran away after knocking Clay out, who spent the rest of the afternoon tracking her before bringing her exhausted body back to Stonehaven.

The next morning, Elena woke up in an unfamiliar room With Ashley watching her. "I put your clothes out for you." Elena looked at Ashley without making a move. "Come on. Get it out of your system before breakfast. I will answer any questions you have."

"I saw you. I saw you change into a wolf, right? I thought the pain was making me hallucinate."

"Not hallucinating. I did change to show you how it was done."

"I'm never doing that ever again. The pain…"

"The more you change, the less painful it becomes. Even if you don't want to change, your wolf is stronger than you. It will want out and you'll have no control over it if you suppress it for too long," Ashley sat on the mattress but Elena inched back. "Don't worry. Jeremy will teach you like he taught me and Clay and Pete and Logan."

"Are you really family?"

"We're a pack, like wolves, the animals. Jeremy is our Alpha. Clay and I were adopted by Jeremy. Logan and Pete were also found by Jeremy and brought into the pack. Nick and Antonio were also born wolves. We're all one pack, one family, even if we don't share blood. You already met Nick and Pete. And now, you're going to be a part of the pack."

"I want nothing to do with you people," Elena said. She grabbed her clothes and got off the bed. "I'm leaving."

"You can't. Compared to the rest of us in the Pack, you're a baby who doesn't even know how to walk. If you go out there with no training, you won't survive." Ashley warned. "If you leave, you'll become a mutt. They're lone wolves with no territory and they're not allowed to settle down. If you leave, Clay will be forced to hunt you down to make sure you never stay in one place for too long." Ashley took Elena's hand. "Elena, stay. Here, you'll have all the support that you need and you can continue to live your life. You can finish college and get a job like regular people do. Being here, together as a pack, ensures our survival. I'll help you."

Elena pondered as she was unsure of what to do. "You said you'd answer any question I had?" Ashley nodded. "Jeremy said no female wolf had ever survived the change. Obviously, you have."

"It's only me and you, as far as we know." Ashley hesitated but she wanted to be truthful with Elena. "But, according to the records, all women who have ever been bitten have... died."

Elena scoffed, falling back on the mattress in disbelief. "So, Clay bit me, knowing that I could have died."

Ashley shook her head. "No! It wasn't like that. He trusted that you would survive, or else he wouldn't have done it. Even when Jeremy was adamant you were going to die."

"How could he betray me like this?"

"Elena, please listen…"

"I'd like to be alone please." Elena turned her back to Ashley, falling silent to tell her she didn't want to continue the conversation. "Please tell Clay, I don't want to see him. We're over."

Ashley sighed and finally stood up. She walked to the door, then stopped. "Your body is still adjusting so you should rest. I'll bring you something to eat later and we can continue to talk." She shut the door behind her, leaving Elena in tears in the room.

Ashley wiped a tear from her eyes as she finished the story. She inhaled a breath of the cold fresh air before she rolled the car windows back up. She remained silent after telling Nick the complete story of what happened four years earlier. Nick was not at the house then, but Jeremy suddenly introduced Elena as the new member of the Pack. Elena was the second female wolf. Neither Clay, Jeremy, Ashley, or Elena spoke of what happened at Stonehaven when Elena was turned. All the rest of the Pack knew was that Elena was Clay's fiance and Clay bit her.

Nick noticed the tension between Clay and Elena as Elena would almost always look at Clay with disdain and Clay always appeared crestfallen. Clearly, Clay was head over heels for Elena but Elena avoided him like the plague. A while after Elena had been living at Stonehaven, Nick took Clay out and asked about the relationship, but Clay never explained anything to him. And now, four years later, Ashley finally told him the story. "So that's why," Nick said. "Clay never told me that Elena saw Jeremy change. Turning her was the only way she could have survived."

"I don't think Elena saw Jeremy. She was insecure with low self-esteem and afraid back then. If she saw Jeremy change, she would've run for the hills rather than stay in the manor and talk to me and Jeremy for approval," Ashley said.

As Nick processed the new information, a lot of things over the years made sense, especially when it came to Clay and Elena's relationship and Elena's slow isolation from the Pack. Elena hated Clay for turning her and risking her life, and she hated the violence that entered her life because of Clay. She didn't become a wolf by choice nor was it a legacy she was born into. "Does Elena know why Clay bit her?"

"No. He didn't want her to know. He wanted her to stay at Stonehaven, to get Jeremy to teach her to survive as a wolf." Nick nodded as his heart ached for his best friend. The woman he loved hated him because she believes he tried to kill her when he was trying to save her. Thinking about all the times Elena glared at Clay with contempt in her eyes, he could not fathom how painful it was for Clay every time they spoke. Nick looked at Ashley in the corner of his eyes as she continued to look out the window. The choice Clay had made for Elena, Nick understood. If the woman he loved was in danger of losing her life, he would have also done anything to save her, even if she would hate him in the end. So long as she was alive.

"Ooh," Ashley groaned as she grasped her chest with her hand. Her brow furrowed painfully as she closed her eyes, causing tears to fall down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Nick pulled over on the side of the road before turning to Ashley.

"I don't know. I just feel this ache in my chest," she explained. Her breathing grew ragged as the tears continued to flow from her eyes. "It hurts, Nicky. It hurts. Make it stop." Ashley was screaming in pain, tightly gripping Nick's arms. Nick raised her shirt to look where she was screaming the pain was but he saw no bruise or mark or anything that could be causing her pain. The only thing he noticed was her erratic heartbeat and breathing. Her hands moved from her chest to grasping her temple and her eyes. "Aah! My head!"

Nick didn't know what to do to help her because he was not even certain about what was happening. She was in pain, in front of his eyes, but he could do nothing but watch as tears flowed down her face. He did the only thing he could, hold her and soothe her. He placed his hands on her temples over her hands, moving his fingers gently, massaging the area where she was hurting. He did not move the car. He only focused on her, massaging her for several minutes before pulling her head to rest on his shoulders. Her screams lessened to soft groans as she also massaged her chest the same way Nick was massaging her temple.

"Thank you, Nicky."

When the pain alleviated, they continued on their way like nothing had ever happened. When they arrived at their destination, Ashley quickly fled the vehicle to avoid the conversation with Nick. "We need to talk about this."

She slammed the door of the car. "What is there to talk about? Even I don't know what happened. It just happened. I felt a throbbing pain in my chest and my head. Then it went away. So what do you want me to say?"

"We should tell my dad and Jeremy. They might know something," Nick explained following her to the door.

Ashley stopped, taking a deep breath as Nick stopped beside her. "You smell that?"

Nick inhaled, taking in the putrid scent of blood and rotting flesh coming from the building. The scent of death was strong as he scrunched up his nose.

"Go around back." Ashley returned to the car to grab a box of latex gloves before returning to Nick at the back door of the house. His eyes were blank as he stood still in front of the door, not noticing Ashley had returned. She sighed, feeling sorry for Nick as they were about to enter the house of his friends, who could possibly be dead. Jeremy had sent them to recruit the Stillwell family, allies of the pack, to help them fight the mutts. The Stillwells live apart from the pack but always answer when Jeremy calls. Dennis Stillwell, Antonio, and Jeremy had known each other for a long time, and Joey was good friends with Nick. Ashley saw a torrent of emotions on Nick's face as he stared at the door. He hesitated, knowing he could very well find another close friend dead.

Ashley slowly approached him, placing a hand lightly on his shoulders. She opened her mouth for a moment, but she could not say a word. She wanted to say that everything would be alright, but she knew it would not be. Just like Nick, her emotions were in turmoil so she tried her best to just suppress it. "I'll go first." She put on a pair of gloves before twisting the door handle, breaking the lock, and forcing the door open.

The scent of death slapped them across the face as they shut the door silently. Ashley took out a small knife from her sleeves, holding one in each hand as she walked ahead of Nick, past the kitchen toward the scent of the decaying flesh. Ashley was the first to see the body lying on the floor behind the couch. She approached but did not lower her guard. She stopped, her breath caught in her throat when she saw the face of the person. She closed her eyes and turned away, almost wanting to puke at the sight. "It's Dennis Stillwell," Ashley told Nick, but said nothing else, except, "I'll search the rest of the house."

Ashley went through the other room, carefully looking behind every door and every room. She found nothing. The house was empty, Dennis Stillwell was dead, and Joey Stillwell was missing. Her ears picked up Nick's voice from below, talking to Jeremy on the phone, delivering the news that Dennis Stillwell's eyes were removed from their sockets. She returned to the bathroom, taking out all the cleaning supplies before returning to the living room.

"No. Ash and I will clean up here." Nick ended the call, releasing a heavy breath as he took a photo of Dennis and Joey from the coffee table. He turned to Ash, standing below the stairs with cleaning supplies in her hands. She tossed Nick a pair of gloves before they began to clean the house. They wrapped Dennis' body in shrinkwrap in a fetal position before putting him in a large chest they found in the house. They removed the carpet, the curtains with blood spatter on them, and even the floorboards. They got new curtains from the hall closet to replace the dirty ones. If they had a black light, they wouldn't be able to spot a speck of blood residue.

Jorge would come by later to replace the floorboards. Antonio would make it seem like the Stillwells went on a last-minute vacation and no one would be the wiser.

I'm gonna start to change the canon after this.

R&R