After dinner they all went back to the hotel. Josh and Landon decided to get a room there and John would keep Annie at his place.

Natalie came in late that night. Talking Rex through everything. She had never seen him like that before. So scared and self-conscious of himself. It would have scared her if she didn't realize this was all about how Annie would take it. She knew that Rex already had instant love for her. She saw Annie on the couch, the mattress pulled out and pillows scattered everywhere. She was curled up in a ball with the sheets that were provided for her down on the floor.

Natalie sat her purse down and went to put the sheets on her. She tucked them in under the mattress and pulled them up on Annie. She heard a small whimper come from the teenager. Her face looked confused, scared, and alone. Her eyes flew open knocking the sheets back down and almost hitting Natalie in the face. Natalie quickly moved back.

"Are you ok?" Natalie asked, coming back over to her and sitting on the edge of the bed. Annie's face was pale, her body sweating all over.

"Yeah, I'm just," She sighed as tears streamed down her face. "I keep seeing it all run through my head. The look in his eyes when I put that butcher knife in him. I-I was scared, he was coming after me and-and," She couldn't finish her sentence. She started to sob. Natalie pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair.

"I didn't mean to kill him…I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

Natalie held her tightly, wishing she could take away the pain from her. Annie was so young to have this done to her. She wished she could have killed the bastard herself.

"Sweetheart, your father was a bad man. He deserved what was coming to him." She pulled away from her, looking into her eyes.

"Then why do I feel so worthless? I killed my father I…"

"Annie that man was not your father. Fathers don't treat they're children like he did you and Josh. They don't hurt them, they love them. He just wanted custody of you so that John wouldn't be able to take care of you." She placed her hands on Annie's cheeks. She pulled away from Natalie's touch, not looking at her.

"I wish I never had to go live with him. I wish I could have stayed with John." He heard the whole conversation from his bedroom. Everything up till this point. He opened the door that was cracked all the way and slowly entered the living room.

"I wished you could have lived with me too. If I would have known what kind of a man Joey was, I would have never sent you to live with him and I'm sorry. But then again I'm also not sorry. I am sorry about what you had to go through. But on the brighter side of things, you met your brother." He said sitting on the other side of her. "That was the only good thing that came out of this." He put his hand on her shoulder.

She nodded her head and agreed. "Yeah, you're right, and Landon. I would have never met him if I hadn't gone to live with my dad." She looked up at John; he looked like he was trying to hold back something mean to say.

"Well, lets just stick to you're brother for right now." he pulled her into a hug, putting his head on top of hers. Annie felt Natalie grab her hand.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "I just got this craving for ice cream and Roxy has a big stash downstairs. Want to come?" She maneuvered quickly out of John's grip and stood up.

"I'm up for that. I love ice cream, John you coming?" He smiled at the two.

"I'll be there in awhile, I have a stack of papers that I should get done before the morning and they have my name written all over them. You two go on." Natalie grabbed her hand and pulled Annie out the door.

As soon as they left John sat on the mattress, burying his face in his hands. How was he going to tell Annie that she has an uncle?

XxXxXxXxXxXx

"Oh my gosh! Natalie where have you been hiding this doll face? She's so beautiful!" Roxy had Annie's cheeks smashed in her hands. Annie had a look of pure fear on her face.

"Roxy, don't scare the child."

"I'm not, I was just thinking that she could be one of my models, look at her complexion. Oh boy I bet the boys are fu–" Natalie put her hand over Roxy's mouth from what she was about to say.

"Funny looking….because you're so pretty." She tried to cover up. Annie laughed as Roxy started playing with her hair.

"Can I do something with your hair?" she asked, not caring what her answer was going to be and started brushing it.

"Sure." Annie sat back. She always loved it when people played with her hair. Roxy pulled a hair brush out and started to brush the tangles out. Annie sat there eating her bowl of ice cream.

"So you got a man candy?" Roxy asked.

"Yes, she does." Natalie sat in the chair next to her. "And a fine piece of man candy too." She said smiling. Annie blushed.

"Yeah, he is." She giggled. "His abs are just…oh my lord." She said giggling again. She hadn't had this type of girl talk since her mom passed away. She missed it, more than she thought she did.

"Well I got to meet this hunk a-hunk of burnin love. What's his name?" Roxy asked.

"Landon."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"What are you doing up here?" John asked Landon. He was sitting on the side of the wall, looking out into the starry night sky. When John had appeared, he knew that a manly talk would be coming. He had been waiting for the right time to have it and since they would be up here alone, up there would be perfect.

"Can't sleep, I thought I would come up here and think." He looked away and back into the midnight sky. John slowly came up and sat beside him. He didn't want to have this discussion, but it was going to come up anyways, so he might as well face the music.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked.

"About how to tell you that I love Annie very much and wouldn't do anything to harm her and I'm glad that sick twisted bastard is dead." He sighed. "Ah. That felt better. I've been keeping that in for awhile." John looked at him. Maybe there were more alike than he though. "Look I know that you hate me," Landon started. John held up his hand to silence him.

"I don't hate you."

"You don't?" Landon whipped his head to look at John. He thought that John would agree with him.

"No, I just don't like you." John said with a grin. "You have to prove to me that you love Annie. I know she already knows you lover her, but I'm a whole different story." Landon sighed. He knew there was a trick.

"And what If I do prove that?"

"Well you have already had some. But one wrong mistake with her and you're ass is grass. I love her and consider her a daughter to me. Hell, I helped raise her. I want her with a respectable guy, who wouldn't hurt her in anyway."

XxXxXxXxX

"And he's just so amazing. For my birthday last winter he took me on a carriage ride in downtown Jersey when it was snowing and he took me to the park and we watched the sun set. It was wonderful."

Natalie and Roxy were hunched over the counter, listening to her stories of Landon. They were so adorable. They showed the true meaning of a teenage love.

"Wow." They both said in unison.

"How romantic this Crandon boy is."

"Landon and yes he is. He's my world."

XXXXXXXXXX

LOOK I UPDATED YAY ME!!!! Lol as always reviews are appreciated.