A Family Stolen

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: This double thing isn't going to be frequent, but with the last chapter being a slight moment away from the big stuff and with my training over the next few days in my security job, I want to give you this chapter. since I'm not sure when I'll get the next chapter out this week. It provides a little more insight and investigation as well as some concerns that our Private Investigator and rookie cops might have.

Chapter 5 (Unwelcome Speculation)

"Andre's not going to be too thrilled," Beck said with an attempt for light humor in the tense time. Jade followed him along the sidewalk to a simple one story home. Her lips were pursed and her gaze fell to the door. "We have to remove ourselves from the victims, but learning about them and realizing how little we know…"

Jade took a shaky and deep breath, moving her eyes to the solemn expression gazing out the house window. The man was around her age, had deep, dark blue eyes and brown hair that seemed to mirror Beck's. "How come Tori never trusted us with this? How come she didn't tell us she had a guy she was with now?"

"Jason seemed to imply, as well as Tori, that there's a lot that may have happened in the past that Tori would want to shut out."

She understood that, for she dealt with that feeling herself; if it wasn't talked about, then it didn't happen. One could only pretend for so long before the past opened up to swallow them whole.

"I understand why Trina wouldn't be trusting, and I get why Jason might not trust us; but why would Tori?" As much as she didn't want to wrap her brain around it, she knew in her heart what the reason was; and she didn't blame Tori one bit.

Her shoulders fell and she bowed her head as an exhale pushed away her lips. "Who am I kidding? If I were in her situation, I suppose I'd be petrified. All we ever seemed to care about was performance arts and stuff, so we did occasionally make fun…but that can't be the whole reason."

"It isn't." Beck pushed his hands to his waist, his jacket sliding up a bit as his gaze came to rest on the door. "Jason said there was tragedy, trauma, in their past. He won't specify much more than a few bad boyfriends; but maybe Tori just wasn't ready to tell us."

"Plus she did kind of come across as clinging." Looking into the whole psychological evaluations that her counselor taught her to, she begun trying to analyze and profile Tori. It wasn't easy, but she had been mapping up the personality traits of her friend with the hope that maybe they could find out what was going on.

From what she was gathering, Tori had a desire to be accepted and agreeable when it came to her friends. That she didn't tell them about events of her past suggested a fear of either judgments or disdain.

There was likely to be more, but she still had research to do. Trina, however, was much harder. There was a side to her that Jade knew nothing of, and it seemed only Jason and her family saw. How she was on the outside, high strung and acting like a diva everywhere; but maybe that was the face she wanted people outside to see.

The only way to know or understand was to get Jason to open up, but he was unlikely to unless there was a connection made somewhere.

Ian Dennison, the boyfriend Tori never spoke of. The only reason they were here now was because Jason let them know about him. The man stepped outside, closing the door carefully and leaning his back against it. His expression was full of worry and confusion, his muscles twitching and his breathing was heavy.

"What do you guys want?" His words stopped her in place. She had to catch her breath. Beck continued his approach, stopping just short of the patio. Ian scratched his nose and closed his weary eyes. "Sorry, I don't mean to sound hateful, I'm a bit stressed."

"I can understand that," Beck replied calmly. Jade smiled politely and remained quiet. She always considered him to be the one with the knack for talking to people because he was a better listener than most and kept as calm a head as possible. "I take you know who we are."

"Yeah." Ian's eyes opened partially and his frown deepened. "Tori never told you guys about me, she was always paranoid that you guys would make fun of me or try and talk her out of being with me." Jade winced and moved her hand to her stomach, emitting a subtle groan. Ian crossed his arms and crinkled his nose. "I'm not one for all that theater and song stuff, but at least I tried to get her to keep holding fast to her real passions. She was always indecisive, letting everyone else make her decisions for her…We were always trying to get her to have the confidence to make her own choices."

"When you say her real passions, what do you mean?" Ian pushed himself from the door with a sigh and moved to a patio chair.

"I mean…" He grasped the edges of the chair's armrests and studied Beck closely. "She loved animals, she loved all things scientific and wanted to become a veterinarian." He pressed his lips together, forming small lines that seemed to float away from his mouth. "This singing and acting stuff was a hobby for her. Something she enjoyed doing in her spare time. You guys come along, and all of a sudden we're all gone. Sherwood, myself, her friends…what little friends she had."

"So you two were separated for a while?"

"We didn't start dating for about a year after she left Sherwood, but we were friends for a while. She had other friends too, not many though." Ian rolled his head to the side. "It was like she threw us all away once you guys came in. She wanted so badly to be accepted by you, but was afraid she'd be ignored if you guys knew anything about us."

Jade had to wonder if this meant Tori had some kind of problem with paranoia. Anyone that went through enough trauma could. "Why would she be so afraid of rejection?" Beck and Ian turned towards her, causing her to tense up for a split second. "If she has such a need for acceptance and approval, could there be something to cause it?"

"I'd say so. I'm the only guy she's gone out with that hasn't cheated on her, and I don't plan on it. I'm also one of the few friends that hasn't turned their back on her; so Tori's no stranger to betrayal and rejection."

If she had brought her notepad, she would have written this down. So it was pleasing to see Beck remove his pocketbook and start jotting down the information. The news of Tori's past was huge, at least for forming a profile of her.

"Can you tell me the people Tori dated besides you?"

"Danny for one." Ian scowled and Jade watched his fists and muscles tighten. Her eyebrows went up and Ian growled. "Bastard cheated on her, then went to mess with her by using one of her friends." She groaned, recalling the incident between Cat and Tori a few years back. "Then that Stephen guy who came between her and that internet celebrity up north."

"What about friends? You said she's been hurt by friends in the past. What happened?"

Ian was quiet for a moment, his eyes seemed to fade and he slowly shook his head. "Something you should know about girls." He raised a hand over his mouth and leaned sideways. "They're both slowly coming out of their shells." Jade furrowed her brow and leaned against one of the support beams on the patio.

"What does that mean?"

"The way they act in public, versus the way they act in home. They both put on a front. Trina's the tougher one, she always has been. She's never been this girly diva she portrays herself to be…because after Ross, she stopped. What he did to her, it changed her. She believed it was because she let people see the tomboy side of her, she stood up for herself and was tough and she always blamed herself for what he did-so she acts like a diva thinking maybe that'll change things. It was never her fault what happened."

"What happened?"

"It's not my right to say." Jade's heart started to sink and she exchanged a sorrowful look with Beck. Even if Ian didn't say and Jason wouldn't, the sickening feeling in her gut gave her the sense of what could have happened. "As for Tori, it's all the same. When she was a kid, she was just as tough and stood up for herself just as much. She wasn't a tomboy, but she was-" He stopped, his eyes glazing over with moisture. "She was a bit out there."

Pursing her lips, Jade dropped her gaze for a minute before looking up. "What do you mean 'out there'?"

"She was into things that other kids thought were weird. She didn't play with dolls, unless it was throwing them around. She was always playing in the dirt, watching bugs and picking them up; so she was usually ridiculed for her behavior. Trina was always the one to stand up for her, though." He cracked a smirk, laughing as though recalling a fond memory. "It was the whole 'I can pick on my sibling, but no one else can' thing."

Jade smiled as the visual came to her brain. "Wow, I would love to have seen that." Ian chuckled once more and wiped away a stray tear.

"Yeah." His smile faded and his gaze dimmed. "She had a few really good friends in elementary school, but when they started getting older they stopped inviting her to sleepovers and wouldn't hang out with her anymore." She cupped her hands over her heart and felt the aching thumps beneath. "She would always try to get their attention, always ask why she was being left out but never got an answer." His breathing shook. "Finally they gave her an answer, in front of everyone, telling her how weird she was and how terrible of a person she was."

"Oh my god."

"Some of the things they said to her-it hurt her so much that she didn't speak to anyone for so long." She could only imagine that kind of rejection and how difficult it would be to pick oneself off their feet, especially after the two boyfriends Ian mentioned.

He snapped his fingers and took a deep breath. "Oh, I forgot about Jerome." Jade shook her head and started rubbing her temples with her thumb and forefinger. "First guy she dated. I didn't really care for him, he was kind of creepy since he was a couple years older than she was…eventually they figured out he was playing both the girls."

"Yeah, that can't be good."

"Not at all. Tori's 'friends' at the time learned about it and started making fun of her for it."

Jade had a fairly good idea of the image the two sisters bore. The bullying and rejection that changed Tori, and whatever happened to Trina that caused her a great deal of pain. Both girls had a serious meltdown at one point that changed them, an event or multiple events that they never wanted anybody to see.

"I see why she didn't trust us." Jade took another deep breath, stumbling briefly as she tried to move away from the support beam. "It wasn't so much a lack of trust as it was fear of rejection. Fear of going through more of the same pain."

"You can imagine how their parents were. Tori was planning to move away with Trina, and was talking about how Trina wasn't sure she wanted you guys around as much whenever that happened." Jade nodded gently and looked to Beck, who was dutifully writing the notes down.

"So…" Beck's eyebrow rose and he lifted his head. "Why did they want to get away from their parents? Jason told us they could be overprotective." Ian's eyebrows bounced and he looked off to the side.

"Overprotective might be a bit of an understatement. David threw Ross's ass in prison, much against the wishes of the man's father. I think Ross's dad was Mr. Vega's boss back then." Beck jotted down the notes and Jade pulled the corner of her lip back into her cheek, humming softly. "Then Mrs. Vega, Tori says her mom's deathly protective but never told me how much. I think she's afraid of saying something that would scare me off…as if I would run from her."

He sniffed and rose from the chair, his words breaking as he struggled to retain a sob. "Sorry, I…I need to go back inside." Ian walked to the door, stopping in front of it. Bowing his head, he placed a hand on the knob and choked on his breath and tears. "Please, find her. I don't know what I'd do…"

Upon their return to Sikowitz's office, Jade was still trying to regain her composure. Her cheeks were stained by tears and she could hardly speak as Beck relayed the information to the others in the group as well as Mr. Sikowitz.

"Sir?" Beck looked towards their former teacher and current employer, confused as to the man's silence. Sikowitz was leaning sideways in his chair, holding his right hand over his jaw, with his forefinger tapping his upper lip. In his hand was Beck's notebook, his eyes were staring down at the bottom of the page and his head was slowly shaking from side to side.

"David threw his boss's son in prison?" Sikowitz trembled and closed his eyes. "That's no reason to suspect anybody of anything, but it would be suggestive of a motive…"

"Do we question the guy?"

"No." Beck jerked his head back and Jade started to protest, but Sikowitz's calm and unflinching gaze kept her quiet. The man's shoulders rose and his chest expanded slowly. "Not now. It's too dangerous for you guys; if that's the case. Even now, to make such an accusation…the names here, the people involved…If these people had anything to do with what happened to the Vegas, then we're in the deepest shit possible."

"What are you talking about?"

"First off." Sikowitz tossed the notebook onto the desk and sat up straight, dropping his hand to the arm of his chair. "Samuel Ross was thrown in prison five years ago for charges brought against him relating to aggravated sexual assault." Jade froze and an eerie silence came over the room like a dark cloud. "His father was the then Assistant Deputy Chief of Police, Hank Ross."

"Oh…" A lump swelled within Jade's throat, choking her as the tendrils of fear swept through her body. Seeing the concern growing over everyone, it was likely they all knew and understood the gravity of such an accusation. "You can't be serious."

"Yeah." The man grumbled and swept his heavy brow with trembling fingers. "I wish I was, and I wish that were the worst. For our sake, and maybe for the sake of the Vegas, we need to hope they have nothing to do with this."

That was five years ago. Currently Hank Ross sat at the highest level of police ranks; the Chief of Police.

"There's just one problem." He cleared his eyes moved to the notepad. "Miss Puckett called and confirmed that, in fact, the order to ignore the Vegas' disappearance came from someone up top…someone in those highest administrative ranks, along with the threat of termination for anyone caught investigating."

"We need real help," Robbie muttered, "But how much?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not sure how much we can do without being noticed, and if we are noticed…what could it mean? If Ross's father is somehow mixed up in all of this, which I hope the man isn't; but if he is-" Sikowitz tapped his fingers anxiously on the desk and growled out in frustration. "I can't put you all at risk. If you choose to pursue this, then know it's being done against my better judgment and wishes. I'll still help, but I don't know how much I can protect you."

For now this was all hearsay, or at least it had to be; which meant the evidence couldn't be used in a court of law. It wasn't much, and certainly not enough for Sikowitz to petition the government-whether that was the governor, senator, congressmen, or even the President himself.

The Vegas, if they were still alive, had to be short on time; and if the Chief of Police was somehow involved, that time could be much shorter than initially thought.

"You said it was worse," Jade remarked with a stuttering voice, "how much worse?"

"You should see for yourself. I just finished analyzing the Vegas' security footage." His face grew heavy and he pulled his laptop from the brown leather briefcase beside his desk. "This was a planned, coordinated attack. Trina and David did their best to fight off, but the large number of attackers suggests a criminal organization or group of some sort…Ian mentioned a gang member, but that's again information that's speculative. So, I want you to watch this video and you tell me if it looks like the work of a gang."

So Ian gave a lot of cryptic information it seems like, and it looks like Sikowitz revealed the bombshell. They may have a lead suspect, but is it just one suspect or multiple? Are the Vega sisters targets, or is David being targeted? If the Chief of Police really is somehow involved, how involved is he? The next chapter will pit the reader in the eyes of the security footage "the silent witness". Give your thoughts, give your input. What can be done?