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: None this chapter
Chapter 20
Jacques Fournier—finally satisfied with the fatal toxin he'd concocted—loaded it into a syringe, and placed it in his refrigerator. He had worked for days on the poison and was delighted with its results. It of course wasn't perfect but for such short notice, it would most definitely do. He stared at the rat he'd used as a test subject and grinned at the sight. The large rodent could no longer be recognized as a rat. The poison—similar to an acid—had eaten through the creature's organs as well as his flesh in a matter of seconds. Nothing more than a pool of blood and gore remained. Red would not only die, he would writhe in agony while doing so. And the beauty of it was, an autopsy would be pointless. The stuff wasn't detectable. It would leave any medical examiner completely baffled.
The planning stages of Red Miller's demise fully under way, Fournier began working out other details. One thing was for certain, he would be the one to kill the hit man. So far, everyone he'd hired in his mission to have Ella had failed. He was no longer taking any chances.
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, he thought bitterly as he searched online for some disguise ideas. Once he'd ordered some brown contacts, a wig and figured out ways to alter his trim frame, he began hunting down some blueprints to the hospital Red was staying at. He knew he'd need to have his route ingrained in his mind to pull off the kill.
He printed the blueprints out and studied them for a while before shifting his train of thought over to new plans on how to finally get his hands on Ella Roberts.
Patience is key, he thought.
}i{}i{}i{}i{
For over a week, Ella was watched like a hawk. Her loved ones were determined to make sure she ate and slept. Even little Kayla and Jennifer nagged at her to rest when they saw her so much as stand up. She did have to admit, with several days of rest and proper nourishment, she felt a little better. Not to mention, she had a better frame of mind.
They all discussed the note from Fournier. Having momentarily forgotten about the note, Ella was frightened all over again. However, her family managed to assure her that they were all safe. Jeff was also giving the note to the authorities to examine and keep as evidence.
It wasn't easy, but Ella knew she had no other option but to stay with her family. She had no money—yet. Not until her parents' will completed the probate process. She had no job, and while she had inherited her parent's house, her childhood home would not be safe. Fournier would look for her there. For the time being, she had no other choice.
The day finally came when Joe felt she was ready for the next step in their relationship. He informed her of a big surprise he'd planned for her, and asked her to be ready for a date at eight o'clock that night. He'd also instructed her to wait for him in her room.
"But… A date," Ella had asked. "I mean—I'm excited, but how are we going to pull it off with Fournier—"
"Don't worry," Joe cut her off. "It'll be fine, I promise. We're just going to be here at the house. Jeff's going to take Nina and the girls out to eat and to a movie so we can have some alone time. You know I wouldn't do anything to put you in danger."
She'd nodded, with a slight smile. "Yes, I know." Her eyes brightened as she began planning her outfit. "Hmmm… What to wear, what to wear?"
Immediately Joe's mind went into overdrive and he pulled her close to him. "You'd look gorgeous in sackcloth, baby girl."
"Well, I think I can do better than that," she laughed.
"Can't wait," Joe replied, leaning down and brushing his lips over hers. "Love you."
Hearing those words from his mouth was still so surreal to her. She sighed softly, and gazed up at his handsome face. "Love you."
Now, in her bedroom, Ella nervously looked into her mirror and applied the finishing touches to her makeup. He's sure going to a lot of trouble to surprise me, she thought. An overjoyed smile flashed across her face as she spread some sheer lip gloss over her mouth. She looked at her reflection to check out her handy work. The bruises on her face were, at last, all healed and she actually looked like her old self. Except for being paler and—although she had managed to gain some of her weight back—she was still a little too thin.
Leaving her dark hair down because she knew Joe preferred it that way, she fluffed the soft waves and gave herself a last glance before looking at her clock. It's only about five more minutes till Joe comes for me, she realized. I need to get dressed. She hurried over to her closet and began searching for an outfit to wear. Her eyes instantly fell on her favorite dress; a pastel turquoise, knee-length, off-the-shoulder one that hugged her slender frame and flowed out from her hips, swirling around her whenever she turned. The long sleeves were like a second skin on her slender arms. She smiled at the thought of Joe's reaction to the dress, and grabbed it off the hanger. Quickly changing into the soft garment, she then scooped up her silver strappy heels.
No sooner than she'd put the shoes on, there came a knock at the door.
"Ella?"
You could set a clock by him, she thought, chuckling. Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, she walked across the room to her door and opened it.
The two froze, eyeing each other's appearance. Ella was taken aback by the sight of Joe in a pair of black slacks, and a deep sapphire blue dress shirt. The vivid color seemed to enhance the darkness of his hair and eyes.
Joe was also stunned upon seeing Ella in her dress. She literally took his breath away. "Wow…" he finally managed, reaching up and touching her face. "You look like an angel."
A flush stained her cheeks and she smiled at him. "Thank you. And might I add that you look incredibly handsome."
He grinned and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Well, thank you. Now come on. Let's go downstairs." He took her hand and led her down the staircase, and then paused as he looked back at her. "Here, get in front of me, and I'll cover your eyes with a scarf."
"Just don't let me trip and fall," Ella said softly, as Joe tugged her in front of him.
"Never," he spoke softly in her ear as he tied a red silk scarf loosely around her head. Certain she couldn't see, he put his hands on her shoulders and slowly nudged her forward. "I've got you. Just take it slow. I won't let you fall."
After what seemed like several minutes, Ella felt Joe urge her to stop, and then begin untying the scarf. "Ready?"
In the next instant, the scarf came off and she gasped with delight at the sight in front of her. Joe had led her to the patio outside the party room. It was decorated with numerous lit candles. And the white lights from New Year's still adorned the railing. On the table, lay several types of sushi and two beautiful place-settings. Chilling in a bucket of ice was a frosty bottle of sparkling grape juice.
"Oh, my gosh, Joe," Ella cried softly. "It's so beautiful." She struggled to control the instinctive tears burning her eyes.
Joe's black eyes scanned over her, committing to memory the priceless look on her beautiful face. "I wanted this to be special because I remember you saying the stages of our relationship were happening out of order…so, I wanted us to have our first date before we get married, instead of after."
Ella's gaze shot up to his, "What? Married? But—I mean... I know we're planning to get engaged soon, but... There's still plenty of time for us to have many dates."
Joe smiled and winked at her. "Well, it seems your uncle is happy with us being a couple and wants us to marry now. Or as soon as you're ready to. And I am, of course, completely okay with that." He smiled, watching for her reaction. She didn't disappoint.
Ella couldn't stop the happy giggle that bubbled up from her throat.
Joe reached into his pants pocket, and pulled out a black velvet jewelry box. Then he was kneeling down on one knee. He looked up into her face and smiled softly, his dimples appearing. "Giselle Symone Roberts…I hope you'll make my life complete, and marry me. Let me love you in every way, forever."
Ella's hand went to her mouth as Joe opened the black box and revealed a white gold engagement ring. The band was lined with tiny diamonds, and in the center of the ring, was a larger heart-shaped diamond.
"Joe…"
He chuckled, "I'm really hoping you say 'yes' soon. You're kind of leaving me hanging here."
"Oh, my God! Yes! Yes, I'll marry you, Joe—whenever you want!"
With that, Joe pulled the ring free of the box and put it on her left ring finger. "Well, we can't get married when I want, because I want to marry you right this second, and unfortunately there's a waiting period. So, I'm thinking we will get the wedding license applied for tomorrow. And by the time the three-day waiting period is over, it should be right at Valentine's Day. What better way to celebrate the holiday, than to get married?"
"I agree," Ella giggled, as Joe rose back up to his feet and tugged her close against him. She pulled his face down to hers and pressed her mouth against his. "Oh, my God…we're really engaged," she cried happily.
"The only day that will make me happier is the day I make you my wife," Joe replied softly.
Ella nodded happily. "Me too. And also…" she flushed and shyly shifted her gaze downward. "Al-Also the day I give you a baby."
Joe's breath caught in his throat. For whatever reason, he'd not paid much thought to their having children. He was mainly just eager to bind Ella to him in every way possible as well as being concerned for her safety.
Children, he thought wistfully. He loved the idea the more he thought of it. And the thought of having children with Ella was simply…
There's no word, he thought in amazement.
Ella, on the other hand, interpreted his thoughtful silence as a bad sign. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have said that. I just thought—"
Joe's finger pressed against her mouth, silencing her words. "Ella, I swear if we were married right at this moment…" He faltered slightly, raw emotion thickening his throat. "I wouldn't hesitate to give you a child," he said, his voice husky. "I can hardly wait to make you a mother."
He watched as her eyes widened and heard a whimper escape her lips. He removed his finger from her mouth, and replaced it with his own mouth. Immediately, his tongue slipped past her lips and tasted the warm sweetness of her mouth. She moaned softly, as she brought her arms up to encircle his neck. He pulled her closer and gripped her slight frame against his, groaning in a mixture of passion and frustration. He placed another soft kiss to her mouth before pulling away. "I want you so bad, honey. But we have to wait. I want you to be completely mine on our wedding night." He said it with more conviction than he felt. Please let the next few days go by quickly, he thought. I don't know how much longer I can wait.
The couple finally managed to clear their heads of the fantasies of their wedding night and shakily sat down at the table to eat their dinner.
}i{}i{}i{}i{
Jacques Fournier checked his reflection in the hospital's bathroom mirror as he went over the plan in his head again. His eyes—now an extremely dark brown thanks to the contacts he had ordered—were a drastic change from his natural, ice-blue ones. His black wig also looked very natural. Of course, for the price he paid for the piece, it should look remarkably natural. He eyed his usually thin figure, making sure the thick padding he wore was not bunched anywhere or that it appeared unbalanced. He had also grown some facial hair. He planned to shave it off as soon as he got home. He would need to get out of the disguise as soon as possible when the deed was done.
Everything has to be perfect, he thought. There's no room for errors.
He adjusted the cop uniform and then ambled out of the bathroom as if he owned the place. He had to act natural, and look as if he belonged there. He had even practiced a southern accent till he had it down perfectly.
Approaching the front desk, he smiled warmly at the volunteer. "Hi, I'm Officer Jacobs," he drawled. "I'm supposed to guard Mark Miller in his room tonight. May I have his room number?"
"Certainly," the older woman answered, as she typed in the information on the computer. "It looks like he's in the prison ward, room 517, officer."
"Thank you," Fournier replied, and headed for the elevators. He looked around him to make sure no one was watching and then darted into the stairwell. He had no wish to be seen on the elevator's surveillance cameras.
Being in good shape he had the few flights of stairs climbed in mere minutes. Then he was on the fifth floor and headed down the long hallway. He reached the room and greeted the officer on duty. "Hey there. I'm supposed to relieve you of duty tonight."
The other cop eyed him for a moment, and Fournier briefly worried he wasn't buying the story. However, he had noticed no one else in the hallway within sight. If he had to, he'd kill the cop too.
Luckily, however, the cop stood from his chair and stretched a little. "Thanks pal. Thought this shift would never end."
"No problem. Enjoy your night."
As the cop walked away, Fournier passed through the open door of the hospital room without touching anything. He looked back out the door and saw the cop stepping into an elevator. Once he heard the door slide shut, he pulled a pair of latex gloves out of his pocket, and tugged them on. Then he closed the room's door and approached Red's sleeping form.
You won't be asleep for long, he thought, as he pulled the enormous poison-filled syringe from his pocket. In the next second, he had the cap off, and had plunged it into the IV port and shot the liquid into the tubing. Then he pulled out a huge syringe filled with saline, to flush the poison through his bloodstream faster. Then, careful to leave no evidence behind, he recapped the needles and then pocketed them.
A few seconds passed and nothing happened. And then suddenly Red's eyes shot open. Fournier darted forward and clamped his hand over his mouth. "This will teach you to lay your hands on what's mine," he hissed. Then Red was screaming into Fournier's hand, but it was all for naught. Jacques grabbed the pillow behind Red's head and pressed it over his face to further muffle the animalistic howls that ripped from the hit man's throat. Red struggled, however he was in such excruciating pain it amounted to no more than writhing around on the bed.
A lot of good fighting me would do anyway, Fournier thought. He's dead now, no matter what.
The evil Frenchman watched as blood began oozing through Red's hospital gown in large torrents. The man's struggles lessened as he bled out and his screams of agony quieted down to mere whimpers, till finally he stilled completely.
Fournier eased away from him and listened at the door for voices out in the hallway. At hearing nothing, he quietly opened the door and peeked out.
All clear.
Pleased with how easy this was going, Fournier darted down the hall and entered the stairwell again. He ran all the way back down to his level in the parking garage and located his vehicle.
Minutes later, he was driving inconspicuously out of the garage and onto the city streets.
}i{}i{}i{}i{
Jeff slowly awoke to the sound of Garth Brooks' Friends In Low Places, and had trouble gaining his senses. It finally occurred to him he was hearing his cell phone's ringtone.
Ugh, he groaned inwardly, you ought to know I finally start getting some decent sleep, and then the phone rings.
"Babe, you want me to get that," Nina asked groggily, turning over to face him.
"No, darlin'. That's okay. I've got it." He reached over to his night table and grabbed the phone, pressing the 'Talk' button. "Hello?"
"Mr. Jarrett?"
"Yes?"
"This is Detective Smith. I'm sorry to wake you so early, but I have some information you need to hear."
"What is it?" Jeff, now wide awake, sat up on the edge of the bed.
"I'm afraid Red Miller has been murdered."
Jeff could not speak at first.
"Mr. Jarrett?"
"He's d-dead?"
Jeff felt Nina sit straight up beside him in the bed. He motioned that he would explain when he got off the phone.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. We're positive it was Fournier, but…"
"'But', what?"
"There's no evidence. Not yet anyway. No fingerprints, no murder weapon, nothing."
"How was Red killed," Jeff asked.
There was a brief silence.
"Detective?"
"We're not exactly sure. An autopsy will have to be performed. All I know is…Red Miller's no longer recognizable as a human being. We got called to the crime scene, and all that's left of him is a pile of flesh, some unrecognizable organs, bones, and a tremendous amount of blood."
"Dear God."
"Yeah."
"What should I tell Ella?"
"Honestly…I don't think you should tell her at all. This isn't something she needs to think about right now. She needs to concentrate on getting well and getting her life back. This could send her right over the edge.
Jeff nodded, "Okay. Uh…Is there something I should…I mean, should I take the family away from here?"
"Well, I can't tell you to go or not go. But I would like to know where you go and how to reach you, if you do leave.
"Well, Joe and Ella are getting married on Valentine's Day. He's going to take her away to—"
"Don't tell me any locations over the phone," Detective Smith cut him off. "And don't tell me where Joe and Ella are going at all."
"Right," Jeff caught himself. "Anyway, just use our cell numbers if you need to reach us." His actual plan was to send Nina and the girls away, but he wasn't going to reveal that over the phone either. He made a mental note to go to the police station and explain the actual situation.
"Okay," Smith said. "I'll let you go now. I'll be in touch."
"Thank you for calling," Jeff replied and hung up. Then he turned to Nina. "Red Miller was killed. I've got to tell Joe. Keep this quiet around Ella, okay?"
Nina nodded, horrified at the newest turn of events as her husband stood from the bed and went to get Joe.
}i{}i{}i{}i{
Ella rode next to Joe in silence as Jeff drove them to the courthouse to obtain their marriage license. She could sense something was wrong. Jeff and Joe seemed very tense, and quiet as well. She'd asked several times if anything was wrong, but Joe simply kissed her and said everything was fine.
She had no choice but to accept his answer, because clearly, Joe and Jeff weren't talking.
Time seemed to fly as they parked in the parking garage, and headed into the building. Within twenty minutes, Ella, and Joe presented their identification, and then Ella signed her portion of the application. She passed the pen over to Joe with a delighted smile on her face.
Joe couldn't help but smile back as he took the pen. He could not let the recent developments regarding Fournier destroy the happiness he and Ella shared. He had to focus on her. He knew their wedding was only a magistrate's ceremony, but he wanted everything else to be perfect. He planned one day to give her a real wedding to make up for their lack of one then. But for now, he had to push aside his worries and focus on making her happy.
Joe was signing his signature when Ella lifted her gaze to the small television playing in the corner of the office. It was on the news and she saw a flash of Fournier's picture along with Red Miller's.
"Mark "Red" Miller was murdered in his hospital room early this morning, shortly after midnight. The cause of death is undetermined at this time, however, the county coroner suspects that a type of acid was put through Miller's IV, due to the condition of his body. Jacques Fournier, the man wanted for the attempted kidnapping of Ella Roberts, is the prime suspect since Miller would testify against Fournier upon his capture and trial."
At Ella's sharp gasp of horror, Jeff and Joe glanced up at the television. With all their attention on the application, they'd not realized the news was on. They instantly realized she had just found out exactly what they'd attempted to hide from her.
"Oh, God… We've got to get her out of here," Jeff uttered. "The media… If she was spotted coming in here…"
"News travels too fast," Joe said softly, hating that Ella had heard about Miller in such a way.
"Oh, my God! You two knew about this," she accused. "When were you going to tell me?"
"Honey, I'm sorry, but probably never," Jeff answered honestly. "You've got enough on your mind right now." He didn't give her a chance to reply, and turned to the clerk. "Are they done here?"
The clerk nodded, "Yes, sir. There is a waiting period of three days, but they will be able to get married after that."
"Thank you."
He and Joe then guided Ella toward the elevator, momentarily ignoring her glares. There would be plenty of time to deal with her wrath.
I just hope she still wants to marry me after all this, Joe thought worriedly.
