Hey guys! Time for another chapter of JOTN! It's time to see what happens for the boys. Albert's not doing so well, Russell's climbing to danger, with Gabe on his tail, and Rudy on his. This is pretty much the final battle between the boys and the bad guys. And what is Bella going to do? And why did she turn over a new leaf so soon? All will be revealed. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.

Chapter 16: Down with Everything

It hadn't been long since Bella had called the cops. As soon as she got confirmation that they were on their way with an ambulance, she tended to Albert's wound, wrapping his stomach with some scarves she had... much to the confusion of the other boys.

"I don't get it... why are you helping us?" Harold asked.

"Yeah... you were so mean to us... now you're being nice..." Bucky added, "What changed, Miss Bella?"

The woman sighed sadly, "I guess... I allowed myself to be influenced by Gabriel's demeanor. I was never this bad, honest I wasn't. True, I have had run in's with the police, had my share fair of legal trouble, but I've tried to change myself for the better... but I end up relapsing... then I met Gabe... and we tried to have children... but come found out I'm infertile..."

She then looked away to wipe away some tears, "And... I guess I was so devastated and destroyed, I'd do anything to have children of my own... and that's what started all of this. I didn't want to do it at first... but the more Gabe convinced me and the more we took children... it programmed in my mind that... what I was doing was for me... when really... all we did was hurt families for our own selfish reasons... I was forced into this... crime..."

"Couldn't you have left your husband?" Bucky asked, "It seems like he's the real bad guy, and he made you follow him..."

"I... couldn't... I feel like Gabe truly loves me, and wants to give me what I desire... but... he's going about it all the wrong ways... and I fear that if I left and opposed... he would do something truly awful..."

The boys weren't so sure how to feel about all of this. This woman, who kidnapped them, aided her husband in beating, torturing them, and even raping one of them... was feeling remorseful... and they didn't know if they should believe her...

"But after we took Russell... I started to think to myself... what gain would we be getting from abducting children..." Bella continued, "What would we be doing that would be good...? Nothing! Nothing we've been doing has been good! We tore children away from their real families, and pretty much traumatized them... we traumatized you, boys..."

More tears started to fall as she looked down, "I... I feel so ashamed. I allowed my desires and Gabe's domination control my actions... and as a result... your friend here..." She gestured to Albert, "Is seriously hurt... and Gabe is now trying to kill the little one... I feel so... awful... I... I want to say... I'm sorry... but I know it won't be enough... you boys will need time to recover... I know you will..."

Harold, Bucky, and Mush looked at one another, before looking back at Bella, as Harold spoke, "Well... you're right... it is gonna take us all a while to recover from this... Rudy especially... but... we're glad you're seeing the error of your ways..."

"We believe you..." Bucky added, "Forgive you? Not quite... but hey, that might come through..."

The woman wiped her tears with a small smile, "Um... thank you... for understanding... but don't think that this is all Gabe's fault. I share some of the blame too. I could have stopped, but I didn't..."

"We know..."

Albert, who had remained silent, coughed a bit and looked up at Bella, "Miss... you are really courageous..." He spoke softly.

"Courageous... how?" She asked in confusion.

"It takes a lot to admit to your crimes and take responsibility for them. Not a lot of criminals are willing to do that... you're rare..." The large boy explained, before coughing up more blood.

Bella shushed him, "D-Don't talk... just rest..."

Soon, they all started to hear sirens in the distance.

Bella sighed, "Well... it's time to face the music..."

Meanwhile back on the bridge...

Russell was climbing as fast as he could. He wasn't sure what to do once he got to the top. Where was he going to go from there? It's not like he could jump from one part of the bridge to the other. He'd fall to the water below, and it wouldn't be painless.

The child looked below to see the madman slightly catching up to him, making him climb a little faster. Behind Gabe was Rudy, although he was a little farther behind than he would have liked. But he had to save Russell. He still didn't know how, but he hoped that in the end, it would work.

As for Russell, he finally made it to the top, and once he looked over, his heart completely dropped. He had to be at least a fifty feet high... and he was afraid of heights. Looking back at Gabe, he quickly moved to the other side... which he quickly learned was a mistake, as he found himself dangling over the side of the bridge.

"No! Help! Help! Somebody help!" he called, holding on as tightly as he could. By then, Gabe reached the top and grabbed the boy by his arms. Either he was trying to pull him up, or drop him into the water below, Russell didn't know, but either way, he was terrified.

"Leave me alone!" He cried.

"Oh, I'll leave you alone, once you're dead!" The villain snapped.

Suddenly, Russell nearly felt himself slipping. He screamed as he dropped before holding onto the bridge again. He was somewhat out of Gabe's reach, but the man still tried to grab him.

Rudy, although he couldn't see, could tell what was going on, and it only made him hurry to the top faster. He could hear Russell's terrified screams and cries for help, "Don't worry, Russell! I'm coming to save you!" He called.

The rich boy made it and stopped behind Gabe, who was still trying to reach the smaller boy. He started to ponder how he was going to do this. One wrong move could get him killed.

As he tried to think... he started to hear sirens... and a helicopter. The cops might be here. And while they're here...

Without really thinking, Rudy somehow jumped on top of Gabe, distracting him a bit. He scrambled off of him, positioned on a beam of the bridge, before nearly falling. The man growled, "You little shit! You'll pay for that! I don't mind killing you both!"

Rudy, with a new sense of courage, glared at the man who raped him, "Oh yeah. Not until you pay for this!"

Suddenly, Gabe found a pink boot in his face. The force of the kick was enough to knock the man back, sending him all the way back to the bottom of the bridge. Rudy smirked, "Go fuck yourself, Gabe..."

He then turned to see Russell, "You okay...?"

The small child nodded, tears streaming down his cheeks, "Yes! Please, help me, Rudy!"

"D-Don't worry... I got ya..."

Rudy tried to reach for his friend, but it near difficult, "Take my hand!" He said.

"I'm scared... I might fall if I do!" Russell sobbed.

"I'll catch you... I'll pull you up... I promise..."

At this moment, and for the first time in a long time... Russell started to trust Rudy. So with a nod, Russell let part of the bridge go with one hand, and reached upward to grab Rudy's hand. With all his strength, the older boy pulled him up... and into a hug.

"I got you, Russell..." He whispered, attempted to sooth the frightened child... I got ya..."

"T-Thank you..." Russell replied, his face buried in Rudy's vest.

By that time, a helicopter flew by, with an officer on a ladder, "You boys need a lift...?" He asked with a smile.

Both boys nodded, and so, the officer grabbed Russell and held him in his arms, while Rudy grabbed onto the ladder below the officer. In a matter of seconds, they all made it to the ground, where more officers, witnesses, the other boys, and even their parents were waiting for them.

The officer set Russell down, as he ran into the loving arms of his mother. Rudy did the same. The rest of the gang cheered, as their friends were safe and sound. Gabe was restrained and handcuffed. As for Bella... she was speaking with another officer.

"Man, we're glad you guys are okay..." Harold sighed in relief.

"Y-Y-Yeah... w-we thought you w-were goners..." Donald added.

Russell, after spending a few minutes hugging his mother, walked over to the older boys, "Rudy saved me. He kicked the bad man down and helped me back up.

"I sure did..." Rudy added, "And... I had to do something... after all, I owe something to Russell, especially after the stuff I did last summer..."

Well, that was understandable. But now there was another question?

"So... what happened to Fat Albert?" Rudy asked, "Is he gonna be okay?"

Harold nodded, "They're taking him to the hospital, but the doctors say that they're gonna do everything they can to help him. But they say he should survive... Bill too..."

Russell frowned in confusion, before Rudy explained, "When you were climbing up the bridge, Bill tried to stop the madman, but got knocked out. He was bleeding... sorry, Russell..."

Immediately, the little boy began to cry. His brother was hurt AGAIN! He was knocked out AGAIN! He was potentially going to be in a coma AGAIN! The thought was not only devastating but infuriating. But before he could say anything, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"But I'm sure he's gonna be okay..." Rudy assured him, "And this time... we're gonna get justice..."

Well, the day is saved. Bella explains everything to the boys. I know you may think her change in attitude might be quick but think of it as a slow realization she has. But anyways...

Rudy and Russell are safe on the ground, and the wicked couple has been caught. But both Albert and Bill (yet again) are in critical conditions. Will they pull through this time? I think it's likely. Next chapter will be a skip forward, as we get another aftermath and a bit of the trial and court day. We'll see what consequences the couple will endure for their crimes. And we'll see how the boys feel about it. Until then, I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you!