AN/
So happy everyone's enjoying it so far! Yes it def started off chaotic, but that's a good thing, right? Tysm for reading and reviewing! Liz in the next chapter!
P.s. I can't tell you if Michael lives or dies but I do hope you enjoy and continue regardless of the outcome :)
-End of AN-
"Ava, Avery, there you are!" Nikolas exclaimed having found them by the back of the house after looking for a little. Seeing the ambulance and police and not much else he was worried, but he could tell that physically both of them were okay.
Ava had sat down on the back steps of the house so she could hold her daughter in her lap. While she missed the days where she could pick her up, now-a-days this was as close as she could get as it felt like every day Avery was growing. She held Avery closed whispering soothing things in her ear, hoping she would calm down. She knew the skirt she was wearing was totally ruined from the dirty scratchy steps, but she didn't care. Avery was what mattered.
"Nikolas." Ava breathed feeling relief, feeling less alone.
Avery peaked out from the crook of her mother's neck to see Nik had arrived.
"Are you guys okay?" He asked, sitting down beside them on the step, concerned. He reached over and placed a kiss on Ava's cheek seeing how shaken she was as she held onto Avery who seemed out of it but mostly confusion and concern crossed her face. He placed a hand on Avery's back to try and help comfort the young girl.
"I think so." Ava told him, but he could tell things were more complicated than that. He realized she couldn't talk to him about what happened with Avery right here.
"You, okay, Avery?" Nikolas asked her directly and calmly, hoping the girl would find comfort in another familiar face.
The little girl nodded hesitantly. "Mommy said there was an accident but we were safe."
"Yeah." He told her. "Yeah, you're safe I promise."
"Avery, sweetie." Ava spoke, turning Avery on her lap to look at her. "I think the best thing would be if Nikolas took you to school."
"I thought you were gonna take me?" Avery asked, only getting more confused.
"I know sweetie but there are some things-grown up things- that mommy has to do and I think it'd be best if you could be at school where you can learn and play while it's happening. Does that make sense?" Ava told her.
As much as Ava wanted to just hold her daughter and never let go, she knew it was best for Avery to be as far away from the house and all of this as possible. The more she saw the worse it would get for her. Not to mention the talking that would go on. She'd be confused at certain things, but what she could understand would be enough to scare her. In this case ignorance was bliss.
"I've never gotten to take you to school without your mom." Nik told Avery. "What do you say, Avery?"
"Okay." Avery said as she stood up off of Ava's lap.
Ava grabbed her once more and placed a long kiss on her daughter's temple. Michael was someone's child just like Avery was her's and it was just a reminder of all you could lose. Something she lost before. Something she held dear.
Nikolas held his hand out for Avery to take, making sure he'd guide the young girl there to best avoid anything alarming. He looked over his shoulder at Ava where she mouthed a 'thank you'. He returned it with a look telling her that he needed to fill her in next time they spoke. She nodded, knowing she'd need someone to talk to about it anyway.
She walked behind them, watching them leave, before forcing herself to go back to the situation. Her daughter was safe, she could at least let go of those concerns.
She walked back into the house through the back door she'd taken avery out of earlier and through the kitchen into the living room. It was packed with people. The guard, the paramedics, and the police all gathered.
Detective chase stopped her as she was walking farther into the room. "Miss Jerome, we need to take your statement, would you be willing to come down to the station with us?"
Just as she was about to agree she heard it from the group of paramedics. The word's making her freeze up and block out the rest of the world. The one paramedic had just said the word's "Time of death." and she felt like she'd been hit by a truck.
She had never cared deeply for Michael, but she'd known a lot of people who had. Kiki, her beautiful daughter, may she rest in peace, loved him. Morgan, one of the craziest loves she ever had loved him as well. Not to mention Avery, who's heart would surely break at the news. The girl has lost too many siblings in too little time, especially so young.
The only thing to register her out of her daze was a shriek of pure terror. She looked up and realized Carly had arrived back at the house, only to be met with a whirlwind of horrors.
Ava kept her distance and watched. She almost felt like it was a privacy violation, but it was like a trainwreck; you couldn't look away. The calling for him to wake up, the crying, the screaming, and the true grief you could just feel radiate into every corner of the room.
"What the hell happened?!" Carly screamed out standing up from where she kneeled by her recently passed son.
It took Ava a moment to realize that Carly's screaming was directed at her. "Excuse me?"
"I said what the hell happened?!" Carly screamed out again, stepping closer. "I leave my son here and he's fine. You come around and now he's dead."
"Okay, I understand that you need to blame someone, so i'm gonna ignore that and i'm gonna go down to the station with Detective Chase...I'm sorry, Carly." Ava offered as she motioned for Chase to follow her out the door so they could leave.
Suddenly her arm is yanked and she's pulled back as she tries to pass Carly. She's met with eyes filled with rage and not hurt, clearly redirecting her emotions onto an easy target in Ava.
"If I find out you had anything to do with this I will make you pay." She seethed.
Ava pulled her arm back violently and looked at Carly. She wanted to be a bitch, but it wasn't worth it. Not now. "My daughter was here too, you know. You don't have to like me, I don't like you either. But leave me out of this."
