Disclaimers: I own nothing or anyone associated or affiliated with TNA. I own only the original characters. This is just a fictional story that came from my imagination.
Chapter Content & Trigger Warnings: Flashbacks of violence

Chapter 11

Ella watched as Joe turned into a large parking garage and drove up a couple levels. A moment later, he pulled into a parking space and killed the engine.

"Well, we made it. Now we just need to get you up to the room."

She nodded as she took off her seat-belt, and started to open her door when they spotted Officer Jones pulling into a space at the row across from theirs. They watched as he climbed out of the van.

"Stay put, okay," Joe said, opening his door. "I'll come around and get you."

Before she could reply, he had slammed his door shut, and hurried around to the passenger side. He opened the door and bent down, scooping her up into his arms.

"Joe—I can walk." She squirmed a little, trying to set her feet on the concrete flooring.

"I'm sure you can, sweetie. But it's a long walk to the room, considering what you've been through. You can walk around the hotel room a little though, if you want."

"Don't call me 'sweetie', please."

Officer Jones joined them then, "I'll see you up to your room and make sure it's all clear."

"What," Ella asked softly, as Joe began carrying her to the garage's elevator. "Do you mean someone could actually be in Joe's room?"

The cop cleared his throat with an excess amount of nonchalance, "Just a precaution, Ms. Roberts. I'm sure everything's fine."

"They were all killed except for Fournier, baby girl," Joe reassured her. "And they'll get him soon enough."

"Stop with the pet names, Joe," Ella said. "Either you hate me, or you…" she halted, not sure of what word to use, "…don't. Pick one and stick with it, please."

Joe shook his head regretfully. "You're not making things easy for me."

"And why should I?"

They stepped into the elevator as the doors slid open, and Ella reached out to the numbered buttons. "Which floor," she asked.

"Five," Joe replied. "And could you reach inside my jacket and pull my key card out of the pocket?"

Moments later, they entered Joe's hotel room, with Jones leading the way. "Stay in the living area with her while I check the place over," he instructed. With his gun drawn, he walked through and looked in the closets, as Joe settled Ella on the sofa.

As Joe turned back around, he saw the cop make his way to the bedroom and bathroom, and then out onto the balcony. Jones came back inside a moment later to report his findings.

"I see no signs of forced entry, and nothing seems to be out of place."

Ella sighed with relief as Officer Jones put his firearm away. "If you need anything," the cop added, "Or if you feel something isn't right around here, do not hesitate to call us."

"Thank you," Joe said, "Really. Thank you so much."

"No problem," the officer said, "I'll get out of your way now. She wants to rest, I'm sure," he motioned to Ella, who appeared quite exhausted. With that, the cop pulled the door closed behind him.
Joe looked at Ella sitting on the sofa. "Do you want to try and take a nap?" He knew the answer before he even asked.

She shook her head instantly, and winced at a jab of pain in her shoulder. "No, not right now."

"Jeff is supposed to bring your medications later. We can order some food then and you can take a pain pill," he told her.

She simply nodded, but Joe knew she was just making an effort to appease him. She had no intention of taking any pain medications.

Having no idea what to say, they shared a long silence. Joe was afraid to say anything at all, on the chance it would come out the wrong way.

"Do you want to talk," he finally asked her. "About anything?"

She scoffed and avoided his eyes. "No. I don't want to talk about anything. I think I made myself clear on New Year's Eve. And you said more than enough that night as well."

Joe sat down beside her on the sofa and stared at her for a moment, then spoke softly.

"I know I hurt you. And I can't even really tell you why I did it. But I can tell you, I wish I hadn't. I wish I could have shut my mouth before the first ignorant thing I said came out. I wish…" He reached over, turning her face to his, and scooted closer. "I wish I could take back the things I said—the fact I ruined what we shared. It was-"

"Joe…don't," Ella whispered. "Please. You don't have to do this. I just want to be-"

"Ella, I screwed up," he went on. "I had too much to drink and it affected my brain and mouth. I am so sorry-"

"If alcohol makes you act that way, then maybe you shouldn't do it anymore, Joe," Ella said, moving to the other end of the sofa. "Do you even remember the things you said to me after we... we..."

"Made out," Joe supplied.

"You said I was acting crazy. I was scared, Joe. There's a big difference. I've never done any of that stuff before, and when I asked you to stop you acted like you didn't even hear me."

Joe cringed.

I didn't remember exactly what I'd said or done, he thought. It's no wonder she was so hurt. I was absolutely horrible to her.

Still thinking about that night made Ella's heart break. "It's not just that you were hurtful, Joe," she said, seemingly reading his mind. "I thought that night was amazing," she whispered, her eyes filling with unshed tears. "I thought our kisses were special. But then you started groping me. And got angry when I needed you to stop. Then you taunted me, and made me feel so stupid for loving you."

"Ella, I can't begin to-"

She stood to her feet then and tried to compose herself. "I'm sorry you have to babysit me but let's just try to get through the next couple days, and then I'll be out of your hair. For good."

Joe was right in front of her in a mere second's notice. His swiftness made Ella jump back a little. Immediately, he regretted his haste, and reached his hands out to steady her.

"I don't want you out of my hair," he told her. "I want-"

"Stop," she cried softly. "Just stop, Joe! Please."

"I will…" Joe answered her, a challenge in his dark eyes. "…for now. But I am not giving up on you, Ella." He reached up and stroked the back of his hand over her cheek. "Sooner or later, you're going to forgive me, and love me again."

"I need—a l-little time alone," she stammered, trying desperately to forget his soft voice and touch. "I need to lay down."

In truth, the idea of being alone terrified her, but somehow, being around Joe frightened her more. Not waiting for him to answer, she hurried into the bedroom and closed the door, silently telling Joe their discussion was over.

Frustrated, Joe sat back down on the sofa and rubbed his eyes.

Though he worried about Ella staying so guarded and distant, he was actually relieved she was opting to lie down and get some rest. Inwardly groaning and staring at the bedroom door, he spoke softly and with determination, "Okay, Ella—You can have your distance for now. But there are only so many places you can run to in this hotel room. Sometime soon, you'll have to face me."

}i{}i{}i{}i{

Ella sat on the bed, her back supported by the headboard. No easy task, she fought the urge to collapse against the cozy pillows and close her eyes. The comfort of the mattress and warmth of the room enticed her to give in and sink into oblivion. She gazed down at the pillows, longing to feel their softness against her head and face.

"Just a couple of minutes wouldn't hurt," she thought out loud. "I just need to rest my eyes for a minute."

She knew however, if she lay down, she would be asleep in seconds. She managed a compromise, drawing her knees up, and placing a pillow across them. She then let her head drop onto the pillow. Inhaling, she caught the unmistakable smell of Joe's cologne. She sighed sadly and snuggled closer against the pillow.

Her eyes closed, and in mere seconds, she dozed lightly, melting further into the pillow. By the time she realized she was well on her way to full-on sleep, it was too late. She could not fight the heaviness weighing down her eyelids. She whimpered softly, feeling the first slivers of fear stab at her heart.

In the next instant, Ella was sitting in the backseat of her parents' car, watching several masked and armed men approaching them. Next, a bullet blasted through the window in slow motion, went all the way through her mother, and crashed into her shoulder. As she drew in a breath to scream, everything in the dream shifted and she was lying on the cold ground. She glanced upward and saw a pair of men standing over her.

"Grab her," one told the other. "She needs medical attention."

The man did as he was told, and bent down to grab her, latching onto her and digging his fingers into her sore body. She cried out in pain and fought the man's hold. "No," she sobbed, struggling against the strong arms that held her. "Let me go! No! Please…NO!"

"Ellacome on, babywake up. Please."

Becoming more aware of Joe's voice reaching out to her, she clung to it like a security blanket, fighting to waken and desperate to escape the nightmare unfolding before her. Gradually, as she became conscious of Joe's gentle touch on her face, she finally was able to open her eyes. His face slowly came into focus above hers, and she found herself cradled in his arms.

"There ya go," he said softly, his black eyes full of tenderness. "You're okay now, sweetheart. It was just a nightmare." He dabbed at her cheeks with a tissue and wished the terror would fade from her face.

Ella looked up at him, and couldn't stop the bone-chilled shivers that shook her frame. Her heart raced in her chest and she desperately needed a deep breath.

"Calm down, Ella," he murmured, brushing his hand across her forehead. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

Another tear spilled down her cheek as she finally spoke with chattering teeth. "C-cold… I-I'm so c-cold…"

"Okay, let's get you warmed up" Joe whispered, standing to his feet. Then he laid her in the bed and climbed in beside her, pulling the covers up over them.

She felt him gently tug her up against his large frame and instantly stiffened. She tried to resist, but he just held her tighter. "Ella, just stay still," he scolded lightly, rubbing his hand up and down her back. "I'm only trying to get you warm."

"J-Joe... You have to let me go," she said, her voice low and soft. Her teeth still chattered slightly. "Don't hold me."

"Ella, shhh..." Joe uttered softly, not realizing he was frightening her. She's just afraid of her feelings, he thought. I have to break through her shields.

He didn't know what she'd seen in her dream, but he knew it had frightened her to death, judging from the screams he'd heard coming from the bedroom. And whatever she saw had quite literally chilled her blood.

A hint of panic laced Ella's voice as she faintly recalled someone holding her down and hurting her. An icy blade jabbing into her mouth, nicking her lips. Such horrible mean things being said to her.

"That big guy on the patio who was kissing you? Yeah, I doubt you'll ever see him again."

"But something tells me that you will be a meek little kitten once Fournier gets through with you."

"Yeah, little princess. I know exactly what he has in store for you."

"Let me go. Now." She rammed her fist into Joe's midsection and fought him with all her might. "Get off me!" She sobbed and shoved away from him, falling off the bed and onto the floor. She backed her way into the corner of the room and curled up into a ball, hiding her face in her knees. "Leave me alone... Please..." She sobbed.

"Ella, honey, I won't hurt you," Joe said gently, moving from the bed and heading toward her slowly. His heart pounded at seeing the glazed look in her eyes. He took a step closer and she reached up to the night table and grabbed the first thing she could find, the lamp, and threw it at him with all her might.

He easily dodged the glass lamp and heard it crash to the floor behind him. He wasn't as quick to dodge his cell phone which she threw next. The phone glanced off his cheekbone and fell back to the bed.

"Get away from me!"

"Ella," he called loudly. "Stop it, baby! I'm not going to hurt you!"

He snatched the alarm clock from her hand next and grabbed hold of her wrists. In the next instant, he'd wrestled her down to the bed and held her arms above her head so she couldn't strike him anymore.

"No," She screamed, thrashing against him. "Please... NO!"

Ella fought to free her wrists but Joe knew he couldn't let her go. She'll hurt herself or both of us. He could see he was frightening her terribly, but the only thing left for him to do was let her wear herself out.

"Don't do this," Ella cried, still struggling with him. She looked up at him and saw a masked man instead of Joe. His face began morphing from Joe to the ski-masked man holding her down.

"Have you ever heard of the Black Dahlia? If you don't stop that screaming and squirming, I'm going to make you look just like her."

She trembled in fear but managed to finally get one of her hands free. She immediately used her palm to drive up into Joe's nose. With a garbled curse, Joe fell to the side of her, holding his nose, and she scrambled off the bed and tore into the living area. She quickly ran to the hotel room's door and fumbled with the deadbolt. It clicked open and she yanked on the door only for it to slam against a chain lock she'd overlooked. She reached up to unchain it, but then Joe's large hand reached out to stop her, and closed the door again. Panic-stricken, Ella turned away with a scream and darted toward the kitchenette, grabbing a knife up off the counter top. Holding the blade out in front of her, she shifted her terrified gaze to Joe's.

"Get away," she panted. "Stay away from me!"

Joe froze, his heart shooting straight into his throat. "God, Ella..." he said, breathing hard also. "Baby, put the knife down." He realized then that she wasn't seeing him. She wasn't even really in the hotel room with him. She was back in the woods, trying to fight off a killer.

And she was scaring him to death.

"Ella... It's Joe." He inched toward her with his hands up to show he meant no harm. "Give me the knife, honey. You're going to hurt yourself."

"I don't care," she cried. "I'd rather die by my own hand than let you kill me."

Her eyes were glazed and Joe grew frustrated that he wasn't getting through to her. He took another step forward, and Ella backed up till she hit the sliding glass doors which led out onto the balcony. She unlocked them with her free hand and stepped outside, quickly locking them back with the key, watching Joe all the while.

"Ella, get back inside," Joe yelled, alarmed at the vacancy behind Ella's eyes.

He was briefly relieved when she dropped the knife and it clattered at her feet. But then a fear like he'd never known took over when he saw her turn to the railing.

"ELLA! NO!" He latched onto the sliding door's handle and yanked on it till the glass rattled, but it would not open. "Oh, God," he cried, seeing her climb over the railing onto the ledge. He scanned the room looking for something big enough and heavy enough to shatter the glass. His gaze fell on a cast iron skillet and he snatched it up. Drawing it back like a baseball bat, he sent it sailing to the glass door just as he saw Ella let go of the railing.

Rushing through the rain of glass, Joe dove to the balcony just as Ella tumbled from it. Stretching over the barrier, he grabbed for her wrist, terrified he would feel only empty air. His fingers snagged hers and latched on.

She reached up then with her other hand and tried to make him release his vice-like grip. "No," she screamed. "Let me go! You're not going to do this to me!"

Joe had no idea if she was still speaking to her attacker, or if she'd come to her senses and was upset that he wouldn't allow her to end her life.

As light as she was, he had no problem lifting her up and over the railing, into his arms. She became a wildcat then, giving him no time to rejoice, clawing at his arms and slapping at his face. He pinned her wrists together in one of his hands and prayed he never saw that terror in her eyes again. "Ella, honey, I'm so sorry," he told her as he located the Vagus nerve in her neck. Pinching it hard, he watched as she cried out in pain, and her breathing became labored.

"Please, no," she whimpered as she attempted to struggle. He increased the pressure on her neck however, and within seconds, she went limp.

"God, I'm sorry," he told her unconscious form. "I hope I never have to do that again. But thank God I caught you."

He cradled her and brushed his lips over her face over and over. "Please, don't do that again, Ella," he whispered into her hair. "I don't know what I'd do without you, lo'u alofa."

He heard a knock at the door and stood with Ella in his arms.

"Hotel management, sir. Please, open the door."

Joe strode to the sofa and laid Ella down, before going to the door. He looked through the peephole, seeing an older man with gray hair who wore a gold-plated name tag, and noted that the man did appear to be who he said he was.

If not, Joe thought, I'll kill him. With my bare hands.

Reluctantly, he opened the door, knowing there must have been complaints about the noise coming from his room.

"I'm sorry for the noise," he said, allowing the manager into the room. "And the damages. I'll gladly pay for them."

"What happened in here," the manager demanded, eyeing Joe's bloody nose and various cuts.

"This young woman was the victim of an attack several weeks ago," Joe said, motioning to Ella on the sofa. "She is healing from physical wounds, and still has a lot of healing to do mentally. I think she has PTSD from her assault. She thought I was one of her attackers and tried to jump from the balcony. I did what I had to do to save her." He pulled all the cash out of his wallet and handed it to the manager, "Sir, if you could please not involve authorities I'd appreciate it. She's been through enough. Please, just let me take care of the damages with my credit card you have on file. And if I could rent a different room. This won't happen again, I'll make sure of it." He could see the manager was contemplating what to do next, so Joe added, "Her uncle will be here in a few hours if you need him to verify this."

"Okay," the manager finally replied. "I'll let you take care of the damages. But you better be sure this won't happen again."

"It won't."

The manager left, and Joe began packing up his things to get ready to move to another room. He eyed Ella wearily, wondering how in the world he'd keep her from panicking like that again.

Fearful of how she'd react when she awoke, he lifted her up and carried her to the bed where she'd be more comfortable.

}i{}i{}i{}i{

A few hours passed since Ella's meltdown. Within an hour of Joe's subduing her, they were checked into a new room, and he had laid her down on the bed.

After hearing her cry out within a couple of minutes, he decided to try lying down beside her, but kept physical contact to a minimum.

Ella jolted every few seconds. Joe could only imagine the horror she was being forced to relive in her sleep. He reached up and brushed a lock of hair from her face as she twitched and shuddered in her sleep. He took a long look at her pale skin and lightly traced the shadows underneath her eyes with his finger. "Oh, Ella," he whispered. "What can I do to fix everything for you? I wish I could take it all away."

She whimpered in her sleep and Joe brushed a kiss over her forehead. She seemed to settle then, and surprised him by snuggling against his broad chest. Her face burrowed against him and he could feel her fingers curling into his t-shirt.

"It's okay," he whispered soothingly in her ear, stroking her hair. "I've gotcha, honey."

His phone vibrated then, and he contemplated not answering it. He was loving the feel of Ella clutching at him in her sleep. It gave him a little bit of hope. But he knew Jeff could be trying to reach him too, so he slowly slid his arm from under Ella's head and eased himself up from the bed as quietly as he could. He left the bedroom and crossed the living area as he looked at the Caller ID.

It was indeed Jeff.

He hit the "Answer" button and didn't even get to greet Jeff before he heard, "Where the devil are you? AJ, Sabin, and I went up to your room only to find it vacant and being repaired. The front desk said-"

"Jeff, calm down," Joe interrupted. "We're fine. We had an...incident, and had to change rooms."

"Where are you," Jeff asked again, impatience in his voice.

"We're on the ground floor, room 102," Joe answered. "I'll explain everything when you get here."

"Okay, we're on our way," Jeff replied, and hung up.

A couple minutes later, there was a light knock at the door, and Joe looked to make sure it was Jeff and the guys. He let them in and knew immediately that Jeff was going to kill him if he didn't give him some answers.

"She had an...attack...of sorts," Joe explained. Jeff sat down on the armchair while AJ and Sabin took the sofa.

"Looks more like you had the attack, kid," Jeff said, eyeing Joe's scratches and bruises. "What exactly happened?"

"She fell asleep and had a nightmare," Joe answered. "I went to wake her up, and she panicked. She thought I was one of the men who hurt her."

Jeff puffed out a sigh, "Dear God..."

"I'm sorry," Joe immediately said. "I should've known that was going to happen."

"So, where is she," Sabin asked. "Is she better now?"

Joe swallowed hard, dreading to tell them the rest. "I don't know."

"WHAT," Jeff nearly yelled.

"I mean," Joe clarified quickly, "She's asleep in the bedroom. As for if she's better, I don't know. In her panic, she grabbed a knife and then tried to...jump from the balcony. She locked me in the room, so I broke the doors and grabbed her somehow. She'd already jumped, but I miraculously caught her hand." He decided to finish the details when he glanced up to meet Jeff's eyes, and saw the horror reflecting in them. "She became a little warrior," he said. "I had to pinch her Vagus nerve to sedate her. It hurt her, and I don't want to have to do it again," he added, reaching up and rubbing his eyes and then his temples. "She hasn't woken up yet."

Jeff was silent for a long moment, reeling from the fact that his niece had turned to suicide for relief. "Do you need me to take her home?"

"No, Jeff," Joe said. "I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but I can do this. I know to be more careful with her. She hates me, and she thinks I hate her. It's going to take some time to win her trust back."

"You don't get it," AJ finally spoke. He still held bitterness in his eyes from New Year's Eve. "She doesn't hate you. She's still as in love with you as she was when she was a kid. But she's afraid of you...of what you'll say or do to her next."

"AJ," Jeff started warily, a warning in his tone.

"No, he needs to know this," AJ cut him off, and turned his glare back on Joe. "She was so distraught after you left the patio that night, she fainted. Jeff had to literally hold snow against her neck to shock her awake."

Joe turned away and scrubbed his hand down his face, puffing out a long sigh. "You're right," he said finally. "I needed to know that." He gulped over the lump forming in his throat. "I keep trying to punish myself. I think about how loving she's always been to me, and how I treated her that night. It hurts like everything, but it's not enough. I deserve way worse than that for what I did to her." He turned around to face them again. "Thank you, AJ," he said sincerely. "Really. Nothing I've thought of hurts me nearly as much as that does. I deserve that."

They were all silent for what seemed like minutes. Joe finally spoke again and tried to change the subject. "How's the move going," he asked, settling himself on a dinette chair.

"Okay, I guess," Jeff answered, rubbing his face. "We've gotten about half of her things moved in so far. I'll get them arranged in her room tomorrow." He looked at Joe then. "Before I forget," he placed a sack on the end table next to the sofa. "There's Ella's medications. Don't let her take the anti-depressants until she is off the pain pills."

Joe nodded, "I'll remember."

"I also put the Glock 22 in that sack—along with a box of ammo."

Joe nodded again, "Thanks."

"No problem. Also, the police called, and wanted to know how Ella was, and if she would be able to tell them about what happened. I told them she was out of the hospital now, but that she wasn't remembering much of anything." Jeff shook his head in frustration. "They said they still want to meet with her and get any details from her."

Sabin scoffed. "She's got amnesia. What do they really expect to get out of her?"

"Exactly," Joe agreed. His gaze moved back to Jeff. "Do I need to take her to the station?"

"No. They're coming here. Actually, they could arrive any time. I also found out that the reading of the will is tomorrow at two o'clock."

Joe noticed how truly exhausted Jeff seemed. He knew the older man was putting on a show of being strong, but his blue eyes gave him away. Joe said nothing, however. He knew Jeff needed to feel he was in control, for Ella's sake as well as his own.

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Jeff nodded, "Yeah…I think so. Ella needs to be there also, and I think she'd feel more secure if we're both with her."

"NO!"

They all heard Ella cry out from the bedroom, and stood to their feet in a hurry.

"Wait, please," Joe said softly. "Let me see if she'll be okay with me. I'll bring her out here to see you guys."

He turned then and entered the bedroom to find Ella sitting up in the bed, fear in her eyes. Her chest heaved with the effort to breathe.

"Ella? Honey, you okay?" He wanted to go rushing to her and pull her onto his lap. But he knew that wasn't the way to go. Not yet.

Ella looked over at him, and seeing the cuts and bruises adorning his face and arms, she broke down into sobs. "Oh, my God...I'm so sorry, Joe." She rose from the bed and went across the room to him. "I was hoping it was just a nightmare. I'm so sorry!" She was hesitant, but she reached up and touched his face.

Joe felt like he'd entered heaven when her fingers brushed his cheek. "You remember what happened?"

"Sort of," she answered softly. "When you first came to me after that initial nightmare... I saw Mom getting shot. I felt the bullet enter my shoulder. And then I was on the ground. Two men tried to grab me. And then, I heard your voice trying to wake me up. I was okay then. I was scared but I was okay. When you were holding me, it... I had a recollection of someone holding me down. They were scaring me—hurting me. Saying terrible things. After that, when I looked at you, you'd shift into one of those masked men. I...was so scared. But I didn't mean to hurt you, Joe. I'm so sorry."

Joe had stayed quiet to that point, letting her get the ordeal off her chest. But he couldn't stay quiet anymore. "Do you remember jumping from the balcony," he asked softly.

She swallowed hard. "Y-yes."

Joe took a deep breath and blew it out, "Did you know you weren't dreaming at that point?" Ella looked down, but Joe tipped her chin up and made her look at him. "Did you?"

She shook her head, "No, I thought I was dreaming. But..."

"But what?"

"I was wishing it was real. Not the part where you grabbed my hand. Just...my jump."

Joe stared into her eyes for a moment, trying to collect himself. Ella was confused by all the emotions that swam through his gaze.

"Don't do that to me. Ever again," Joe told her in a whisper.

"Why? What would it matter," she asked. Pain reflected from her blue-eyed gaze. "You could've died saving me. How long till you start regretting it," she threw at him. She turned to go into the bathroom. "Come in here and I'll clean your cuts."

He gently took her shoulder and turned her back to face him. "I'd never regret saving you. And I sure wouldn't regret dying for you." With that, he captured her mouth with his in a short, but soul-deep kiss. He pulled back, satisfied to see a dazed look on her face.

"Your uncle's here with AJ and Sabin," he told her. "You should come and see them."

He turned around and returned to the living area, giving her the time she needed to compose herself.

}i{}i{}i{}i{

Ella walked into the room minutes later, and went straight to her uncle.

"Uncle Jeff…is everything okay," she asked.

Jeff pulled her into a hug. "Everything is fine, pumpkin." He hesitated before speaking again. "Some detectives are on the way over. They want to talk to you about what happened." He felt Ella tense up in his arms, and patted her back.

"We'll all be right here with you," he said comfortingly.

Ella nodded. "I know." She walked over and hugged AJ close, and then Sabin. "It's so good to see you guys again."

"It's good to see you too, sweetie," AJ said. "I'm so relieved you're up and about. I kept you in my prayers the whole time."

"Me too! Me too," Sabin added, obviously proud of himself.

"Yeah, and it's a wonder you didn't have an immediate case of spontaneous combustion," Joe muttered sarcastically.

"Joe, be nice," Ella scolded as she gave Sabin another hug. "Thank you both for the prayers. Prayer is what brought me through, I know it." She let AJ and Sabin lead her over to the sofa then and sat down amongst them and Joe.

"The reading of the will is tomorrow," Jeff informed her, "It'll be at two o'clock."

"They can't put it off for maybe a week?"

Jeff shook his head, "I'm sorry, sugar. We need to get this done as soon as possible. The sooner it's all done, the sooner you can begin to heal emotionally."

Ella nodded uncertainly. "I know…It's just…It's just all happened so fast." Tears welled up in her eyes. Joe put his arm around her shoulders. She tensed momentarily, but forced herself to relax under his offer of comfort.

They all heard a knock at the door then, and Ella jumped in fright as Jeff went to look through the peephole. "Who is it," he asked.

"Detectives Smith and Yandell," came the answer.

Ella sighed with relief and shook her head. "Gosh, am I going to be scared like this my whole life," she thought out loud.

The three guys had no idea how to answer that question. AJ reached over and patted her arm, feeling the need to provide her some sort of comfort, no matter how small.

"Hold your badges up to the peephole, please," Jeff said through the door.

Ella realized they must have complied because her uncle opened the door a second later, and two men, who appeared to be in their mid-thirties, entered the room. They both wore dark suits and ties and had similar hairstyles, though one was blonde, and the other brunette.

"Thank you," Jeff said as he let the men in. "I'm just being extra careful since one of the men had gotten away."

"We understand completely," the dark-haired detective said. The two men looked over at the sofa at Ella, Joe, AJ and Sabin. "You must be Ella," the blond said to the young woman. The detectives nodded toward AJ, Sabin and Joe; a silent greeting meant to indicate that introductions weren't necessary. They were there to speak with Ella. No one else mattered. "I'm Detective Smith, and this is my partner, Detective Yandell," he motioned to the cop standing next to him. "We've been assigned to handle your kidnapping case, as well as your parents', murder cases."

"Hello," Ella said, appearing rather nervous. She felt Joe take her hand and allowed it. She needed strength, and he was offering her some. She had to accept it.

"Why don't you have a seat," Joe asked the two detectives, motioning to a couple of chairs positioned at a makeshift dinner table.

They nodded, looking puzzled at the cuts on his face, and pulled the chairs over, sitting down in them. "I'd like to start off by saying we're truly sorry for your loss," Detective Smith said to Ella. "And we are even sorrier that we have to make you relive your ordeal. But unfortunately, we really need to find out what happened from your perspective, so we can figure out how to handle the investigation. Let's start with you telling us everything that happened after the New Years Eve party at your uncle's house." The cops both pulled out tablets to jot notes down on.

Ella took a deep breath, and fiddled with the hem of her long-sleeved t-shirt as she spoke, "I'm afraid I won't be much help at all. I have a case of amnesia that's preventing me from remembering much of anything."

AJ and Sabin remained silent, not wanting to interfere with the interview or cause Ella to lose her train of thought. But they showed no signs of leaving either. And for that, Ella was grateful. The more support she had, the more secure she felt.

"It's all right, Ella. Just tell us what you do remember," Detective Smith said softly.

"I remember the party itself," she said, rubbing her temples. "I also remember having to leave earlier than expected, because my dad received a call about a heart that was found for one of his patients. So he needed to leave for the hospital to prepare for surgery."

"Do you know who called and notified him of the heart," Detective Yandell asked, scribbling on his tablet.

Ella shook her head, "I assume it was an organ bank or something."

"Okay, go on," the detective said as he took down some notes.

"Right after that, I remember talking to AJ and my uncle—saying goodbyes. And that's all I remember toward the end of the party. The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital."

"Do you remember seeing anything suspicious at the party? Anything that would help explain why this all happened?"

Ella shook her head, "No. Nothing at all."

"Okay…And do you recall anything at all about the murders and the attempt made to kidnap you?"

"No, not really. I only recall a couple of things. The first, is Jacques Fournier's name. He's the one behind the murders and my kidnapping attempt." She paused to collect her thoughts and continued. "I think the memories are slowly coming forward through my dreams, but I don't think I remember anything that would help with the investigation yet…"

"Tell us anything you remember," Detective Smith said, "Anything at all." And you're sure about Fournier? How do you know he's the one?"

"Because I do recall my Daddy's voice warning Uncle Jeff over the phone. He gave Fournier's name."

The detectives nodded as they wrote down the information.

"And what was the other thing you remember?"

"I had a dream, but it was a real memory, because I actually do remember it now. It was how I got shot in the shoulder. A bullet went through…" she swallowed hard at that point and managed to finish, "It went through my mother and hit me." She fidgeted with her fingers and added, "I remember a man telling another man to grab me. He said I needed medical attention."

"That was Fournier," Joe recalled.

"How do you know," Detective Yandell asked, turning his attention to Joe momentarily.

"Because I was there at the time, and I remember it." He cracked his knuckles then. "Shortly before that, Ella was…she was shot a second time, because I-"

"Joe, don't," Jeff cut in. "It wasn't your fault."

Ella looked between the two, confusion creasing her forehead. "What are you talking about?"

"Joe was hit by a bullet too," Jeff told her. "It made a gash in his side, and then went into you."

"Joe," she questioned. "You got shot because of me?"

"No, Ella," he answered immediately, and cut Jeff a slight glare. "I wasn't actually shot, it just nicked me. And it was definitely not because of you."

"Well, if you have nothing else to add, Ella, I think we have all we need. We got the rest of the story from Mr. Seanoa here since he was with you during the end of the ordeal", Officer Yandell said, as he and his partner rose to their feet.

Ella nodded again. "Okay. I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"Don't worry—we have enough evidence and statements to know that Fournier is definitely the one we should be going after. We just have to find him."

"But what do we do in the meantime," Ella asked. "What if he comes after me again, and hurts…" She trailed off and looked from Jeff to Joe, to AJ and Sabin. "Oh, God… He will, won't he?" She stood to her feet and faced the detectives then. "I have to leave. Please—put me in protective custody or something. I can't endanger my family and friends like this."

"We can do that if you wish—" Detective Yandell started.

"No," Jeff interrupted, fire lighting up his blue eyes. "There's no way you're going somewhere when you need your family and friends. And there's no way you're going somewhere and leaving us all to wonder if you're okay."

"But I could get you killed," she pleaded. "For whatever reason Fournier has for wanting me—he means business."

"You won't get us killed," Joe put in his two-cents. "We can handle ourselves." He stood up by her side then. "And he may want you, but he's not going to get you."

Ella exploded suddenly, tired of Joe's facade. "How can you say that? How do you know?" She pulled away from him as he reached for her. "Stop it! This is not going to get better, Joe. Not ever. I have never in my life been violent, but all I want to do is get a gun and go find him—the man who destroyed my life! The only one who managed to live after taking everything from me," she screamed, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. "Those men killed me too! You don't know the hatred I have in my heart now! I'm not the same, and I never will be! I want Fournier dead! I want him to suffer!"

Appalled at such horrid thoughts coming out of her mouth, Ella felt bile rise in her throat. She ran for the bathroom, covering her mouth with one hand, and pulling her hair back with the other. She reached the toilet none too soon, and melted into the floor as her stomach expelled what little it had to empty.

She could hear Jeff's voice and then the bathroom door closed behind her. The sound of running water could be heard, and then Jeff handed her a wet washcloth. She took it and wiped her mouth. She watched as Jeff sat down on the tub's edge. Guilt riddled her heart when she saw the fatigue on his face. He was not having an easy time either and she had just made it worse.

"I'm so sorry, Uncle Jeff," she said softly, avoiding his eyes. "I didn't mean to upset you."

He got down in the floor with her, "Darlin', it's okay. You don't need to apologize. You've gone through something I can't even imagine. You have every right to be angry."

"Yeah, but…I shouldn't have lashed out like that. And I'm not the only one who lost someone. You lost a sister."

"Yes, I did. But you are an eighteen-year-old girl who's lost both your parents. No one should have to deal with that." He gulped back some tears and managed to finish his thoughts. "And like I told Joe, my sister may have died, but I am blessed to have the last piece of her."

Ella sobbed and reached out to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I miss them so much!"

"I know, baby," Jeff said, rocking her in his arms. "I miss them too."

Finally, they rose to their feet and headed back out to the living room. Ella sat back down on the sofa and Joe looked over at her; worry evident in his dark eyes.

"Are you okay," he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah."

The swiftness of her answer did not convince Joe in the least.

"So you've not figured anything out," Sabin asked the detectives. "I mean, was this guy planning to kidnap Ella for ransom, or what?"

"We really don't know much right now other than Fournier is the one we need to arrest. We're still working on running the blood sample we discovered through our databases to make sure he doesn't have a previous record," Detective Yandell assured her. "We've not heard anything yet. Sadly, going through databases can take weeks."

"Let us know if, and when you do find anything out," Jeff told him.

The detectives nodded and stood to their feet. "We'll be in touch. Thank you for your time, Ella."

She nodded and looked up at the detectives. "Please… Please, just find that monster."

The officers nodded in return. "We certainly will, Ella," Detective Yandell said, and then he and his partner headed out the door.

After they were gone, Jeff, AJ and Sabin also got ready to leave.

"I'll see you in another day or so," Jeff told Ella.

She nodded as he hugged her close.

"I love you, darlin'," he said softly patting her back.

"I love you too."

Sabin and AJ gave her a hug as well before they stepped out the door.

"Call me if you need anything," Jeff told her, seemingly reluctant to leave her.

"Okay, I will. But I'll be fine, Uncle Jeff, really," she reassured her uncle.

"I know you will," Jeff said, glancing at Joe, a twinkle in his eye. Then he stepped out into the hall and walked away along with AJ and Sabin.