I really want to thank everyone for their understanding and sympathies during this time. So many of you reached out to offer support and sympathy it was truly appreciated.

I hope you enjoy this last chapter not only for this story but for short story month. I will return January 4th but will be doing some plotting and possibly some Christmas shots. I hope you all have wonderful holidays.

Ch. 4 Hellbent and Dignified

(CLARE)

"Clare can you stay for a minute I need to talk to you," Drew requests when we end the student council meeting Wednesday afternoon.

"If you don't like my plan for…" I begin but he cuts me off.

"It's not that, your plan was great. It's Vince y…"

"Ugh not this again," I huff with annoyance cutting Drew off this time.

"I know you think he's changed Clare but people don't change," he asserts.

"You did," I comment. I stop packing my stuff to look at him. "If you hadn't changed I never would have fallen in love with you last semester. When you first came to this school I couldn't stand you because all you did was play sports and chase girls. I didn't even know you were Adam's brother until everyone found out he was FTM and you became protective of him. But I have watched you grow and change Drew and working so closely with you this last semester I saw just how much you had changed and I fell in love with you."

"You fell in love with me?" Drew questions with disbelief and a hope mixed in his tone.

"Yeah I did but what does it matter now you think you were nothing but a rebound and I'm with Vince now," I respond with a biting tone. There's enough venom in my tone for Drew to flinch back. The words and my tone are wounding, more than I intended them to be but I don't apologize. Anger over his meddling and the building annoyance with him is pushing away my kindness and decency. I grab my stuff and quickly leave the student council office. I only take a few angry steps into the hallway before I slow down and bite my lip. I almost go back to apologize but pride and self-determination keeps my feet moving out to my car.

By the time I turn out of the DeGrassi parking lot I've already worked out a proper and humble apology for Drew. I'll catch him tomorrow morning when he gets to school. When I get home I grab a snack from the kitchen and go up to my room to start on my homework. After a late night with Vince last night I overslept and didn't make my bed this morning. I hate having an unmade bed so I set my stuff down and start making my bed. While I'm tucking the sheet under one side I feel something that doesn't belong, something rough and metal. I lift the mattress to see what it is but a gun and a knife that's covered in blood are the last things I expected.

At first the sight is so shockingly unbelievable I think I'm hallucinating, why would there be a gun and a bloody knife under my mattress? When I am certain that I truly am seeing these weapons under my bed the shock is nearly paralyzing and then fear takes over. I gasp falling back and letting go of my mattress which sends of gust of air in my face as it hits the box spring. My heart is pounding and my breathing quick and frantic. My mind races for an explanation as to why there's a gun and knife under my mattress, how could they have gotten there and when? Then the light bulb goes off it was Vince! It had to be Vince but why would he hide weapons under my mattress? At least one of which has been used and then I realize that's why he hid them there. Fear turns to ire, I grab an old cotton scarf grabbing the gun and the knife with the scarf then putting them in my purse. And then I get my phone and call Vince, the little voice in the back of my head says to just go to the cops. That little voice is drowned out by fury and my selfish need for an explanation, and hope that Vince has a good explanation and wasn't hiding murder weapons under my bed.

"Hi Spicy what's up?"

"Where are you?" I inquire doing my best to keep the anger out of my voice.

"At a little hang out we have."

"Give me the address I want to come see you, it's been a long day," I tell him.

Vince tells me how to find them and I leave my house getting back in my car. I find the "hangout" Vince spoke of, it seems to be an old storage room for the now condemned restaurant it's attached to. I knock on the door and a Hispanic boy opens it and grins at me like I just delivered myself to be his sex toy.

"Move," I say pushing him aside to get to Vince. The room has been turned into a man-cave of sorts. There's a bar, a pool table, a large screen TV some beanbag chairs, bar stools and a small sofa. "Vince we need to talk," I demand with a hand on my hip.

"Ooooh," his friends tease and a couple make the sound of a whip being cracked. Vince looks angry about being teased and shoots me a look. His face calms after a moment and he gets up and comes over pulling me to him and holding me tight before giving me a forceful kiss.

"What is it Spicy?"

"Alone," I stipulate.

"Sure thing Spicy let's step outside, we'll be right back," he tells his friends putting his arm around me, "unless Spicy here wants to go back to my place for some sexier alone time," Vince adds as we walk out and his friends laugh. "What is so important?"

"What the hell are these?" I demand taking the scarf out of my purse and pulling the scarf back a little so he can see the weapons. "Why were they hidden under my mattress? Did you hurt someone with these? Kill someone with them?"

"It was just a little problem I had to deal with," Vince shrugs.

"When you came to my house the other day and said you were hurt because you were trying to get out was that the truth?"

"I just told you I had a problem to deal with," Vince respond.

"You lied to me," I growl putting the weapons back in my purse, "Drew was right. Everyone else was right." I take a few steps starting to walk away and Vince grabs my arm squeezing hard.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I warned you what would happen if I found out you were lying to me," I reply pulling my arm from his grasp.

"You are not going to the cops," Vince snarls grabbing me by the throat and slamming me against the wall. I hit with a thud and it knocks the wind out of me, his hand isn't pressed to my throat but I'm still gasping for air after hitting the wall. "Now I really like you Clare so I'm giving you choice. You can pretend that this never happened, give me the weapons and go back to being my spicy sexy girlfriend. Or you can try to go to the cops and see what happens," Vince tells me in a threatening tone.

I have to think fast. I'm sure as hell not going to go back to the way things were and be his girlfriend, pretending like nothing had happened. But if I try to leave there's no telling what he'll do to me. I need a way to survive this and still get to the cops. What he said earlier about going back to his place gives me an idea. I've never been very good with the whole seduction, flirting thing but I know that if a guy is thinking with his dick he's not thinking with his brain.

I bite my lip and put my finger at his clavicle caressing the bone lightly, "I wasn't going to go to the cops. I know what I said and I was angry at finding the weapons but honestly the whole gangster thing is kind of hot. Is it wrong that I'm picturing you in a pinstripe suit and a fedora? I know it's a different gangster but it's still hot. Maybe we could go back to your place?"

"You really think it's hot?" Vince questions taking his hand from my chest and putting his hands on my hips.

"Totally, don't you know girls love outlaws? I really am hot and dying to get you back to your place. I bet you could a great Al Capone accent," I say crawling my fingers up his chest and biting my lip again.

"Mmm you would look pretty hot in a flapper dress I'll have to pick one up later. Right now let's go back to my place," Vince says picking me up and tossing me over his shoulder. He takes me to his car and sets me in before getting in the driver's seat. We're not far from his apartment so we get there in just a few moments. Tiny isn't there and I was kind of hoping he would be. "I'm going to rip all of your clothes off the second we're in my room," Vince grins as he starts pulling me back to his room.

"Hang on I have to call my mom she's expecting me home. I'll tell her that I'm having dinner with my dad and staying the night, she hates my dad she won't ask any questions," I tell Vince. He watches me and stays with me so I can't just call the cops but he doesn't know who's on my speed dial so I call the one person I'm sure I can call for help."

"Clare?" Drew questions when he answers.

"Hi Mom."

(DREW)

"It's Clare," I comment looking at my ringing phone.

"So answer it moron," Dallas remarks and I click accept.

"Clare?"

"Hi Mom," she says.

"She called me mom," I whisper to my brother and Dallas.

"She's in trouble," Adam tells me.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

"I'm having dinner and spending the night at Dad's," Clare replies.

"She wouldn't be worried about being at her dad's," Adam comments.

"Are you with Vince?"

"Yeah that's right and staying the night."

"Has he hurt you?"

"Yeah I know Mom," Clare answers.

"I'll be there in ten minutes and we'll call the cops," I assure her.

"Okay bye Mom," Clare replies and hangs up.

"I'm headed over there Adam call the cops and give them Vince's address," I tell him and give him Vince's address.

"I'll go with you, you might need backpack," Dallas tells me getting up.

We run out to my car and I drive as fast as I can to Vince's place if a cop tries to pull us over he can follow me up to Vince's apartment. I park at the apartment building and Dallas follows me as I run over to the building. I start calling random apartments to get us in before someone comes out and we run through the door. I get up to Vince's place and bang on the door.

"Delivery," Dallas calls through the door since Vince doesn't know his voice. It works though Vince opens the door, when he sees me he tries to close the door but Dallas and I force it open.

"You asshole where is she?" I growl punching Vince in the face.

"CLARE," Dallas calls into the apartment.

Less than a second later she comes running out of a bedroom, she has no top or bra on and I can only imagine what he was doing to her. Clare runs straight to me and into my arms. I hold her tight and Vince gets up reaching for her but Dallas kicks Vince in the stomach and he goes down again. I take off my sweatshirt and put it on Clare. To keep Vince from getting up again Dallas turns him and sits on Vince's back twisting his arm behind him like a wrestling hold. Vince starts yelling to let him up as a couple of armed cops run in.

"That's Vincent Bell a known gang leader on parole. He was holding her captive and I think he tried to rape her," I tell the cops pointing to Vince.

"She wanted it," Vince argues from the floor.

"I think he killed someone too," Clare says with a shaky voice, she gets out of my arms and goes to the bedroom coming back with her purse. She reaches in pulling out a scarf, unwraps it and reveals a gun and a bloody knife. "He hid these under my mattress," she tells the cops.

"You'll need to go to the hospital miss and come down to the station for a statement," the officer tells her while the other one arrests Vince.

"We'll take her to the hospital and then be down to give a statement," I reply taking Clare out of the apartment after giving the officers our names.

We take Clare to my car and Dallas drives while I call Adam. I tell Adam what happened and that we're taking Clare to the hospital and that he should get Dad to meet us there. Adam says he's coming too and I ask him to stop at Clare's house to get her some clothes, and maybe tell her parents what's going on.

Mom, Dad and Adam all meet us at the hospital and we tell them what happened and what's been going on. Clare is examined and then a nurse gets pictures of her bruises. Clare's mom is freaking out and my mom has to take her home because she's upsetting Clare. Mom returns after taking Helen home and we all go with Clare to the police station when she gives her statement but only Adam and I are in the room with her. It takes her over an hour to tell them everything from the night she of the hoe down to the events of tonight. When she's done we can finally go home and Clare is coming back to our house because she doesn't want to be at home tonight.

"You kids should get to sleep," Mom says before she and dad go up to their room.

"I don't think I can sleep," Clare comments. "I'm sorry Drew you were right, I should have listened to you Drew, to everyone. I thought he'd changed, I thought I could change him," Clare says sinking down on the sofa.

"You called us when you knew you were in trouble that was smart. I know you've been through a lot tonight so I'll save the "I told you so" for tomorrow," I comment in a snarky tone and Adam smacks the back of my head. "I'm sorry Clare, I'm not happy that I was right or that you had to get hurt to know that," I tell her before looking back at Dallas and Adam. "Can you guys give us a minute?"

"Yeah I feel like a snack, let's get something to eat Dallas," Adam says and they go upstairs.

"Earlier today, I guess technically yesterday," I comment looking at my phone and noting the time, "you said you fell in love with me last semester. Do you still feel that way?"

She bites her lip and looks away from me, "I don't know Drew. Honestly right now I have no idea how I feel about anything and even if I did I wouldn't trust my feelings. I thought sleeping with you was a good idea and a good way to show you how I feel and I got burned."

"I know I'm sorry for that, it was my fault for listening to Dallas, for not staying with you when you were talking to Eli, for not even trying to talk to you. I am sorry for all of it but I loved making love to you, up until the moment Eli showed up it was beautiful and I screwed it up."

"I also really like Vince, after the first few hours which were all about making you angry I enjoyed being with him. I felt good when I was with him Drew, I liked him, I thought he cared about me, I thought he was different and I got burned again. I don't know how I feel about anything right now and I wouldn't trust my feelings even if I did."

"Yeah I'm sure you need time after everything, it's fine. Come on you'll sleep in my room," I tell her standing up and pulling her up by the hand.

"Drew," Clare says softly keeping me from walking, "I don't know how I feel about anything right now but I would never have called you tonight if I wasn't sure that you'd come for me. I called you and specifically you tonight because I knew that you would save me. I may not know how I feel about anything right now but I knew I could count on you and I know I wanted to come here because I feel safe with you and I know that means something."

She kisses my cheek tenderly and let's go of my hand. She walks to the steps and look at me briefly before walking upstairs. I put my fingers on my cheek where she kissed me and I smile.

"Yeah it means you're still in love with me."

Well that's it for this story replacing it on Thursday, January 28th will be Imitation of Good Faith.