AN: Hey, thanks for all your reviews. Tis kind. I just watched the finale. Hell, why the cliffhanger? But hey, the buffy reference made up for it all. Come on, hands up who knew Ashley was a Whedonite?? Ok, part 2, enjoy. Have a good christmas.

Part 2

Paula Carlin stood in the dry, hot LA air waiting for the ambulance to arrive. It was her first case of the day. When it pulled up she did the usual run through of updates from the EMT's but she soon realized the girl on the trolley was Ashley. She didn't recognise the girl with her. Probably a 'girlfriend'. Either way she just continued like she was any other patient.

Kyla had been put in a private waiting room and two police officers were taking her statement. She felt useless again, she couldn't tell them anything, just give them a description of the guy.

Still they'd made her explain everything she'd seen so it was at least an hour til they left her alone.

Kyla sat staring at her cell. She should call Ashley's mom. She was out of the country but she'd want to know. Hitting call she waited only to be told the number was without service. She kept trying but it wouldn't work.

Who else? Her mom. She wanted her mom. But that wouldn't help though. She needed to call someone. Why couldn't she think of anyone! Her sister was in hospital because of some guy in her house and she had no idea what happened to Ashley before she got there. And she had just thought 'sister' for the first time and truly meant it.

"Aiden." She said to herself before calling him. He'd been calm and made her feel better instantly. He said he'd be there in 20 minutes top and that she was to just wait. She could do that. Just sit and wait.

Aiden rushed through the hospital to find Kyla. She'd sounded so freaked out on the phone, he hadn't even recognised her voice. He finally found the waiting room and saw Kyla sitting with her head in her hands. He rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug. She didn't say anything for a while but eventually his own worry got the better of him.

"Is she ok?"

Kyla pulled back but kept her hands on his leg. "I don't know. No one's told me anything yet."

He sighed. "Is Spencer on her way?"

Kyla's eyes widened, "I haven't called her. I'm an idiot."

He gave her another quick hug. "Your not. I'll call her now, its ok."

Spencer was watching Clay and Glen fight it out as a overly toned ninja and a wolfman on their PS2. She'd called Ashley earlier to let her know she'd told her dad but it'd rang out. She was just sure Ashley had left her cell in her car while she was out but it was getting late and she hadn't heard back.

Then her cell phone rang, smiling she took it from her pocket but was disappointed to see Aiden's name on the display.

"Hey Aiden."

"Spencer. Something happened. You have to come down to the hospital. Just don't panic, I'll explain everything when you get here."

Spencer felt her heart beating violently in her chest. "Is she ok?"

Aiden paused for too long. "I don't know, no one's told us anything yet."

"I'll be there soon." She said as she let the phone drop from her ear.

Clay looked at his pale sister and knew it was bad. "Spence, what happened?"

She didn't flinch then she was up and out of the living room in a second. "Dad! Dad!!"

Arthur came running from the kitchen. "What's the emergency?" he asked intending it to be a joke but it clearly wasn't.

"You need to take me to the hospital. To Ashley."

He took his keys from his pockets and led his daughter out to the car leaving.

Aiden and Kyla were doing the silent waiting when the doctor came in.

"Mrs Carlin." Aiden said as he recognised the blonde in scrubs.

"Hi Aiden."

"This is Kyla, Ashley's sister."

She smiled a hello before getting straight to business. "Ashley is just being put into a room. She's still unconscious but she should be fine in a few days. We had to staple the wound closed but she was lucky."

"She's really ok?" Kyla asked.

Paula nodded. "Yeah. You can go and see her soon. A nurse will come by and get you."

Aiden spoke since Kyla seemed to be taking it all in. "Thanks Mrs Carlin."

Paula then left, narrowly missing Spencer. Arthur had gone to find Paula to tell her what had happened and to see if she could find anything out for them.

Spencer stopped dead in the doorway as soon as she saw her friends. Aiden was clueless but Kyla caught on. She looked down as her clothes and saw the two smears of blood. Ashley's blood. She hadn't seen them earlier. It made her squirm but right now they had to deal with Spencer.

Kyla held up her hands in a 'stay calm' manner and took a few steps towards the blonde. "She's ok. We're gonna go see her soon. She's gonna be fine." she promised.

Then Spencer burst into tears.

Kyla felt the lump in her throat rising as she looked at her sister's girlfriend completely distraught. She took the few steps and hugged her.

Aiden, not sure where to put himself wrapped his arms around them both as all of them let the good news sink in.

Spencer eventually sucked it up. Breaking down wasn't productive, she had to see for herself that the girl she loved was ok. Breaking apart the three teenagers all gave each other silent encouragement.

"I need to find my mum, she can tell us where Ashley is." Spencer said with new found resolve.

"She said the nurse would come get us when we can see her." Kyla told her.

Spencer frowned. "My mum knows Ashley's here?"

Aiden stepped in seeing that this wasn't going to end well, "Uh… She's the one who came and spoke to us."

Kyla continued. "Yeah, I didn't know she was your mom at first but she was the one who took care of Ashley."

Spencer shook her head and let out a choked sob. While Kyla gave Aiden a questioning look to which he shrugged.

Aiden put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Spence…"

"No, this isn't ok Aiden!" She told him as Arthur entered the room with Paula behind.

Spencer saw red. "How could you have known since she first got here and not called me?" She asked with the anger obvious in her voice.

"There was no need for you to be unnecessarily worried." Paula explained calmly.

"Worried? No mom, I was worried when she didn't answer her phone of call me back. I was- I don't even know a strong enough word for how I felt when Aiden called me and told me to come here and that he didn't know if she was ok."

She saw the incredulous look on her mother's face and couldn't hold her tongue.

"My best friend, the girl I love was really hurt and you were spiteful enough to keep that from me. Your hateful and I don't want you anywhere any of us while we're here."

Paula raised her eyebrow. "Love?"

"Love" Spencer said with resolve.

Paula opened her mouth to speak but Arthur interrupted. "Just go back to work Paula. You heard Spencer. Don't come near any of us while we're here. We'll deal with this at home."

The doctor simply left under the stares of the 3 teenagers and her husband.

Spencer threw herself into her dad and he laid a kiss on top of her head. "You handled that well. Right now, you focus on Ashley ok?" Spencer nodded.

"Ok. I'm going to go deal with your mother then get back home and make sure the boys haven't wrecked the place yet. I'll be back later but I'm no use just now." He gave her a final kiss and gave Aiden and Kyla a nod goodbye.

"Call me if you need me." He added as she left.

Spencer took a deep breath and turned back to her friends.

"Tell me what happened." She said to Kyla.

The younger girl nodded shakily and signalled for them all to sit down.

"I don't know much. Aiden dropped me off at the house and I watched him leave then went inside. I grabbed some water from the kitchen and when I was walking upstairs I heard a guys voice. I thought it was the TV or something. Then I realised it was a guy shouting. I couldn't hear what about. I got to Ashley's door and I saw this guy with his back to me standing over Ashley, shouting that he wasn't an idiot. She was sitting against the wall and her hands were behind her back."

Kyla frowned, "She didn't look freaked out or upset, she was just staring him down. Then she saw me and she was like moving her eyes to the left trying to get me to leave but I couldn't move straight away, I just froze up."

Aiden rubbed her back silently comforting her.

"I finally moved and I was trying to be so quiet and get away so I could call the police but then he shouted at me and I could hear his footsteps. I ran down stairs but he caught up with me at the bottom. He grabbed me for a second then he'd let go. Ashley had liked, threw herself at him and she had her arms around his neck. She told me to dial 911 and I did but…" She trailed off not knowing how to say the rest to Spencer.

"He'd thrown her off and she hit her head on the banister stump."

Spencer's face was blank as she tried to take it all in. Ashley had been in the house, tied up by some guy where god knows what had happened. And she'd still done everything to protect Kyla.

"What happened next?" She asked flatly.

Kyla wiped at the tear that had fallen. "Everything just stopped and when I looked at him, he was so freaked out, like he just realised what happened. Then he got up and ran out of the house."

Spencer was silent as she contemplated all the information.

After a few minutes Aiden spoke up. "Spence?"

She blinked. "I can't just now."

He nodded understandingly. They needed to hear from Ashley if anything else had happened. They needed to know if she was really ok and talking about it would just drive them all insane. So the waited until a nurse came by.