{Hayden's POV}

I knew taking Ashley here was a bad idea! I knew it as soon as she asked, but I suppose it would have needed to happen eventually too. Hailey said certain things could trigger memories, and if Ashley only recalled getting home, then it goes blank until the night she saw me at Fantasies, then it stood to reason she figured out on her own that coming to her old house might trigger what happened. The only question was what did she remember to make her panic like this? At the moment, I was holding because I felt that it was all I could until she calmed down to talk to me. I was rubbing her back, trying to console her. Finally, after fifteen minutes, Ashley's cries began to lessen, and she sniffled a bit while pulling off my chest. Ashley wiped her eyes, and I handed her a tissue from the glovebox. Ashley blew her nose, sniffling still.

"S-She…sold me to him," Ashley managed in a cracked tone. I looked at her carefully. I tensed a bit; is that what she remembered? "Did you know?"

"I knew. Virgil told me the night I found you. I hadn't known before that, I swear," I informed. Ashley lowered her head.

"Take me home, please?" Ashley asked.

"This is your-," I began.

"No. This is not my home; I want to go to your house. That is home to me because I'm with someone who cares and protects me. Can we go home, please, Hayden?" Ashley said softly.

"Of course," I replied then started the car, and we drove away. Getting home ten minutes later, I parked in the driveway, and we exited the car to get inside. Ashley sat down on the couch as I moved beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"I don't see how I can be right now, Hayden. My mother…sold me to Virgil to cover her debts! How could she do that to me?! What happened to me, Hayden? Please…Tell me; I need to know." Ashley pleaded.

"Ash, I can't tell you what happened because I don't know. I wasn't there that day, but I can tell you things from my point of view," I offered.

"Do it, please?" Ashley asked.

I sighed. "You were taken a little before your seventeenth birthday, on a Friday in 2012; I think it was the 20th. I know you were at work originally because I was too. I knew something had happened to you because you sent me a text message saying that something was wrong, and CPS took you; that you were headed into the city. I replied to you, but never got any response. I still have that text, I took a screenshot of it, and sent it to dad; he began looking into it. We checked with CPS, and they said they never started an investigation regarding an Ashley Hofferson, nor did they issue a child removal. Dad and I went to your mom, and she said you ran away. Of course, we didn't believe it. After that, you were considered a missing person, and we've been looking for you, following any leads we got. And then I went out with our friends last April and found you at Fantasies. I saw you on stage and asked how I might be able to have some time with you. The waitress told me to ask for you from Kyle. So, after the show, I did that and got fifteen minutes with you. I'm sure you remember the rest from there," I explained.

"Yeah. I got told it was time to work because someone wanted me to comfort them about me looking like their dead fiancé named Ashley," she mentioned.

"Sorry about that. It was all I could come up with on the fly to see you," I admitted.

"I'm not mad about it," Ashley sighed.

"Ashley. I need you tell me what you remembered, please?" I asked.

"I left work early, and went home…" Ashley began. I listened intently to her tell me about the day she was taken from her old house. I understood now why she never replied; they found her phone and threw it out the window. My blood boiled hearing how she found out from those people that her mother sold her to Virgil. Ashley told me how she was locked up, and feeling nothing but anger and betrayal because of what her mother did. "And that's not everything I remembered," she sighed.

"Will you tell me?" I inquired; I didn't want to push her too much.

"I remember it all, Hayden. Everything from that day until you found me, I remember," Ashley stated. My eyes widened a little.

"I won't make you, but I want to help you through this, Ashley. I promised you that I would, and you know I don't break mine," I tried.

"I-I don't know if I can talk about it, Hayden. Gods, they did so much to me," Ashley began to cry again.

"Alright, ssh. It's okay. We'll get through it together, and we can take our time too. Do you want me to call your therapist? Would that be easier?" I offered.

Ashley shook her head. "N-No. Hayden…why didn't my father stop her?"

"What?" I asked.

"Why didn't my dad stop mom from selling me to those people? He never would have allowed it," Ashley questioned sadly.

"Y-You don't remember what happened?" I looked at her.

"I-I guess not. It must be something else that I…don't want to remember because it's painful. I feel…sad when I think about him. Why? Please, Hayden? I want to remember everything, and I know you know. Please?" Ashley begged.

"Ashley. Your father passed away in March 2011," I said as her eyes widened.

"N-No…that…can't be right," Ashley tried.

"It was a drunk driver, and it hit him head-on. Your father died from the impact," I continued. Ashley started crying again, against me this time. I held her because what else could I do. It seemed that with me telling me, she remembers that her father passed away a year before she was sold to Virgil. "I'm so sorry, Ashley," I added.

"I-It's not…your fault," Ashley sobbed.

"I'm sorry because I know it hurts you, and don't like to see you upset. It hurts me, Ashley, and I'd do anything to take the pain away from you," I stated. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I called. The door opened revealing our friends; I checked the time and noticed it was 2:45 pm.

"Have we missed something?" Hailey asked.

"H-Hayden took me to my old house, and I-I remembered the day I was…sold and taken," Ashley managed to say. "I asked him to take me,"

"And she remembered everything those bastards put her through too. I just…told her about her father passing away because she asked why her dad didn't stop her mother," I informed.

"I-I remember that day now; the two cops coming to the house, a-and the funeral with all of you there to help me," Ashley sniffled a bit as Alicia handed her a tissue.

"Well, of course. Where else would we be but besides our friend in her time of need?" Travis stated.

"I appreciate that you all came out for me," Ashley said gently. "And there's nothing to be sorry for, Hayden. I wouldn't want you to take away how this feels; it sucks," she added afterward.

"What? The pain of losing a parent?" I asked as she nodded. "Ashley, I know what that feels like," Ashley lifted her head up quickly and looked at me. My friends already gasped a little, then looked down because they knew what I meant, and had forgotten that Ashley didn't know.

"N-No, you don't, Hayden," Ashley said. "Y-Your parents are still alive. Your dad is the police chief, and your mom works at the animal shelter," she reminded. I closed my eyes and turned my head the other way. I had forgotten that she was gone when they were killed last January. "H-Hayden?"

"My parents are dead, Ash," I informed as her eyes widened.

"Wh-What?" Ashley asked, wiping her eyes quickly and sitting up straight, looking at me with shock.

{Normal POV}

Hayden got up with a sigh, then he left the room as Ashley look at the friends, not understanding. "It happened three months before Hayden found you at Fantasies," Seth said softly.

"Spencer and Vivian Haddock hit a utility pole after being forced off the road by a truck that lost control; both of them died before rescuers arrived," Roxanne informed.

"It will be a year in January," Travis nodded.

"Didn't you recognize the house you've been in?" Devon inquired as Ashley looked around. It was Hayden's house! The one he and his parents lived in, how had she not noticed that his parents weren't there!?

"In the will, his parents left everything to him. House, cars, money in the bank, etc." Eli stated next.

"Hayden's been living here alone since, and we try our best to come visit him as much as possible because we know he's still mourning, and trying to cope. Finding you in April has kept him pretty distracted, but there are times that it still gets to him," Hailey gave a small smile, but it was clear to see the sadness in her eyes.

"How can he worry about me when he's dealing with his own healing?" Ashley looked down.

"Because he cares about you, Ash," Ford said gently. "Hayden always has, and he always will no matter what,"

"We'll be honest, Ashley. We all thought Hayden was crazy, to keep looking for you when all seemed hopeless. There were no leads, no clues, nothing other than that text you sent him. Hell, the night he found you; we told him that he had to give it up and move on in life, and Hayden refused. That was at the three-month mark of his parents passing away," Roxanne enlightened.

"Hayden blamed himself; he still does because he knew you were in trouble, and couldn't find you. Hayden always says that he let you down when you needed him most. And that's why he searched harder than anyone else to find where you were," Devon stated.

"W-What do you mean?" Ashley inquired.

"Come with us," Hailey stood and took Ashley's hand, then the group led Ashley to the main-level office. "This was his father's office, but Hayden used it too. For the sole purpose of locating you. More so after his parents died," Seth opened the door and flipped on the light as Ashley saw the room. Still somewhat neat, but everything about Ashley's missing person report and the case was on the desk still. Pictures of her, people of interest, all of it.

"Hayden swore on his own life that he would not give up the search until you were found, and brought back. And by the Gods, he kept his word," Seth remarked. Ashley couldn't believe it; Hayden really did do all he could find her. "We tried to get him to move on many times, even that night at Fantasies,"

"Hayden refused when we told him it would get his mind off you. Hayden said that he wouldn't give up on you, and knew you were somewhere," Devon sighed as Ashley's eyes widened a bit.

"And that when he found you, he wouldn't let go," Eli added in.

"Hayden never gave up on you and told us himself that you don't give up on people you love," Alicia chimed in.

"Hayden was a mess when his parents died, Ashley. He took an entire month off from work, and we hardly heard from him. Gabriel told us that he found Hayden in this office, trying to find you. Also, Gabriel confirmed that Hayden said he had to locate you because he needed his best friend more than ever," Hailey reported. "I feel like he strived harder to find out after losing his parents because he was terrified that the next time he saw you; you'd be dead too. And honestly, Ashley, I don't think he could have handled that. Hayden needed you as much as you needed him,"

"I-I need to make sure he's okay. Where is he?" Ashley asked quickly as they left the office, shutting the door again.

"Probably outside with Thornado, Cloudjumper, and Toothless. Give him a bit, Ash. Like we said; he's been pretty distracted with helping you, but there are moments that it hits harder. I think he just needs a little time," Seth offered. Ashley nodded as she glanced outside to see Hayden sitting in the grass with the dragons; they were curled up around him, and Hayden's head was down. Ashley felt like he was crying, and her friends were right about Hayden needing a little time alone because this was one of those harder moments.