Unusual Behavior

"Where is she?" Jonathan asked walking through the front door.

"She's in the living room with your dad and Uncle's," Nick replied.

Jonathan walked into the living room, their Uncle's in deep discussion, Hope was sitting next to their dad, her right leg bouncing up and down. He cleared his throat as he walked in, he kissed her on the forehead and sat down next to her.

"Why wait three years?" Oliver asked.

"I truly don't know, it just doesn't make any sense. If it were me in this position I never would've sent the flowers and just set up a kidnapping since everyone's guards were down. Maybe it's a copycat?" Slade stated.

"It's not," Hope said focusing her eyesight on her now chipped nail.

"How do you know?" Jonathan asked gripping the same hand focusing her to look at him.

"It's his handwriting, it's him. He's coming and no one is going to stop him. I, I need a minute, excuse me," she stood up and raced up the stairs to their bedroom.

"Nick," Oliver called him over. "She can't give up. John, Slade security increases on everyone, especially here. Nick, go speak to your wife, give her hope, she's going to need it need it now more than ever."

Nick nodded in agreement and left the room and up the stairs to their bedroom. He walked in and saw the bathroom door close and walked over and before he could knock he could hear her retching. He walked in and rubbed her back as everything in her stomach came up. When she was done she leaned back into his chest.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I will be," she said hoarsely. "Help me up?"

"Yeah," he did and watched her go to the sink brushing her teeth.

"Hope, we're going to find him before he gets a chance to do anything, okay?"

"I know, I just don't want anyone to get hurt. Why couldn't he just die? Why couldn't this have ended three years ago?"

"Honey, I don't know but right now, I need you to be the badass I know you can be. You can't let him mess with your mind. You need to show your strength."

"I know."

"Now, I want you to wash your face and join us downstairs, okay?"

"So demanding," she joked.

"You love it," he said sensually making her blush.

"You do realize my father, brother and Uncles are downstairs and would destroy you right?"

"Hey, that's not what you were saying last night," he said winking at her.

"I'm going to hurt you. I'll meet you downstairs in a little bit."

"Okay," he left her alone and went back downstairs where the conversation had gotten heated while he was gone. "Hey, what the hell is going on here?!" Nick yelled

"Jon, you need to sit your ass down right now. We have more experience at this than you do," Oliver said as he shoved him back towards the couch. "All ideas are on the table, the most important thing is Hope's safety. Until we find him I, the Pahkan and your father say that everyone is on lockdown," Jonathan went to protest. "Don't Jon, don't. Nick, Hope?"

"She'll be down in a minute, "he said sitting down. The room was silent until she walked in a lot more composed.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked sitting between her father and brother. For the next forty five minutes they went through every plan and strategy until they finally settled on one. Once the new security had arrived her Uncle Slade went to debrief the men and get ready for his first overnight with her. He father, bother and John soon left too.

"Good night, Uncle Slade, help yourself to anything in the fridge, you know where everything is."

"Good night my love, sleep well, both of you."

Nick and her went upstairs to their bedroom and locked the door behind them. Nick undressed and got into the shower where Hope soon joined him. Her right hand was over his heart where his Bratva tattoo was. Her nails digging into his chest a little, he pulled her close. Her hands roamed, cupping him in her small hand. His head fell back as his eyes closed as she moved her hand, making him moan. When he had enough he moved her to where her back was to the wall.

She bit her bottom lip as he began to kiss her down her body. He lifted her left leg over his should and licked her wet heat. She gasped and shuddered, he was relentless and soon she was shaking around him. He stood up and easily lifted her up, her legs wrapping his waist. Her hands gripping his should as he slid home.

It was passionate, she shook around him again as her nails dug into his shoulder. He didn't stop, he wasn't ready to release yet. His hips pistoned faster and faster and she swore she was going to break. When she came again he came with her as she bit down on his shoulder not to scream out. He stayed in her until he went soft and slowly let her down.

After a while they finally got out of the shower and dressed. She dressed in her black sleep shorts and purple tank while he dressed in his gray pajama pants. He did his nightly check and when he got into bed next to her, he noticed she was already asleep. He just smiled and shut off the light.

-Two Months Later-ish-

She awoke cold and uncomfortable, she opened her eyes and reached for her glasses. She felt achy and sick. She sat up and the motion made her sick, she covered her mouth and ran to the bathroom and quickly emptied her stomach into the toilet. She was sick, Hope Leonhardt was totally and irrevocably sick.

"Hope?" Nick yelled. She was afraid to open her mouth so she just moaned, her head resting on the toilet. "Oh honey," he said kneeling next to her. "You're burning up."

"Nick, move," she said throwing up more. He got up and got a cool wash cloth and placed it on her neck.

"Hope, you have a fever can I help you get in the shower?" she just nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'm going to start the water and then I'm going to get you."

He did just that, undressing himself and then her and stepped into the cool spray of the water, her head finding its place on his chest. She was still burning up and she pushed him back to throw up again. She swayed and he saw her eyes flutter, grabbing her before she could crash. In the three years he had married to her he had never seen her like this.

He got out of the shower with her in his arms, wrapping her in a towel and placed her on her side and picked up the phone as he threw some pants on.

"Yeah," John said.

"I need you now, Hope's really sick and just fainted."

"On my way, Slade with me," he heard him say. As he hung up the phone, both men slammed the door open, John placed a bag down ad got to work. He put out a forehead thermometer and rolled it across her forehead and frowned.

"Shit, 104.5, Slade we need a bus. Nick in my bag, left side, there's a vial with a green label, I need that and a syringe. Grab that and hand it to me, you need to get dressed and a go bag, "John said placing a cold pack on her neck.

"Bus is five minutes out, I'll call Sara and have her prepare."

Nick rushed into the closet and quickly changed and grabbed a go bag and rushed back into the room. Slade grabbed the go bag as Nick carried her downstairs with John and Slade hot on his heels. Quickly they boarded a large almost RV looking vehicle which took off towards the Queen Mansion. Nick thanked God he bought a house really close to her parents, scratch that Oliver made him.

The front gates were open and the front doors were wide open. Nick scooped her into his arms, a wild eyed Oliver met them leading them to the med room. He stood back while John and Sara did their thing over her. Nick couldn't breathe, Oliver dragged him into the hallway pinning him against the wall.

"What the hell happened?" Oliver asked through gritted teeth, anger radiating off of him.

"I went and made breakfast, came aback and found her throwing up. I got her in the shower where she fainted."

The sound of fast paced heels on tile hit them and Oliver let him go.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Sara and John are working on her now," Oliver ground out, his focus never leaving Nick.

"Nick, what happened?" she asked putting a calming hand on both obviously agitated men. Nick retold the story and she listened intently. "Has she been sick this week?"

"She went to bed early yesterday, she said she had a headache so I didn't think twice," he said.

John came out and asked Felicity to come into the med room. Oliver and Nick said nothing to each other. The door opened and Felicity walked out and pulled her cellphone out dialing a number. Both men watched her intently.

"Hey, I need your help. Sara and John can't do anything." She paused listening to the other person. "Yeah, no she's stable for now. High fever yeah, that's what John said. Okay, we'll see you soon," she hung up and sighed heavily.

"Felicity, what's wrong?" nick asked.

"We believe her appendix burst, John and Sara can't do it."

"Why not?" Oliver asked.

"Oliver, until we know for sure, we can't."

"And why the hell not! That's our daughter in there," he yelled.

"First of all you need to calm the hell down and remember who you are talking to. Second of all, we are running blood work to see what comes back. There's a chance Hope may be pregnant." Both men took a deep breath. "We won't know for sure but there were signs Sara noticed when she began her exam.

"I need some air," Oliver said loud enough for them to hear and walked away from both of them.

"He'll come around, eventually. She's going to be alright."

"I, I can't lose her," he said his voice breaking.

"I know honey," she said pulling him close to her.

Thirty minutes later, Dr. Anderson arrived and joined Sara and John in the med room. They sat outside the room, waiting. Almost an hour and a half later Sara walked out of the room. Nick stood up quickly and walked over to her.

"Sara how is she?"

"She's going to be fine. We removed her appendix and cleared out the infection."

"Thank God, what about your previous concern?" Felicity asked.

"Negative, she's not pregnant."

"Oh?" he said the disappointment evident in his voice.

"Hey, you have plenty of time for that. I need to go and find Oliver and call JonJon and let him know." Felicity said squeezing his arm and hugging Sara and walking away from them.

"When can I see her?"

"She's going to be out for a while. But I'll come and get you in a little bit."

"Sara, thank you."

"Hey, I know you're upset about the baby thing but it'll happen."

"I know."

Sara smiled at him and went back into the med room as Nick paced in the hallway. After a while Sara came out with the Doctor and John. He thanked them all again and stepped into the med room. They had put her in a gown and she looked a little pale. He sat down next to her. After a while the door opened and Oliver stepped in.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi."

"How is she?"

"She's doing good, she's starting to get her color back."

"I um, wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier. You didn't deserve that and it didn't help Felicity mentioned she may be pregnant which, my baby having a baby was and is a tough pill to swallow."

"I understand but you need to understand that she is my life and my entire world and you doing that makes me believe you don't trust me with her."

"But I do, if I didn't I wouldn't have let you marry her in the first place. I guess not having any leads on Zaleski has me stressed and I snapped."

"I understand fully. Don't think I'm not stressed, that's my wife here. I was terrified I was going to lose her. I would've hoped you of all people would've understood that," he whisper shouted. Oliver nodded in agreement. "You need to truly understand that yes she is your daughter but she is my wife and my best friend and I will be damned if anything happens to her again."

"Point made and taken."

They both looked at each other for a while and soon settled on watched her sleep. Sara came in and checked on her and switched her IV bags out and changed her dressing. Both men fell asleep in their chairs and Sara in a bed nearby. Her soft groans woke Nick up.

"Hope?" he said leaning over her. Her head moved toward him and her eyes fluttered open. "Hey pretty girl."

"Hey handsome," her voice hoarse. "What happened?"

"A lot of things. I thought I was going to lose you. They had to remove your appendix, your father and I ruffled each other's feathers but everything is good now. How are you feeling?"

"Sore and thirsty, I think I'll survive."

"Let me go get Sara and have her check you out first."
"Okay, could you wake dad up he's going to hurt his neck like that."

Nick woke Olive up who immediately fretted over Hope. Nick woke Sara up and she came over to check her over and let her sip water. After a while Sara gave her more pain meds and soon she had fallen back asleep. Oliver said goodnight went to join Felicity in bed. Sara fell back asleep and Nick sat watching the love of his life sleep.

-2 Months Later –

"Watch your left," John yelled and Nick didn't catch it until she had already kicked him and knocked him down knocking the air out of his system. "Told you."

"Holy crap Nick, are you alright?" Hope asked.

"You're good, I'm just going to stay here forever, "Nick grumbled from the floor.

"Stop being a baby, if John can take it so can you."

"Ugh, I'm up. You're too good at this stuff."

"I have an awesome Aunt and Uncles to thank for that."

Her cellphone ringing and John's phone ringing broke them apart.

"Hello?" they both answered at the same time.

"SHIT! When?" she asked.

"I'm on my way," John said.

"Okay, we're on our way. Love you too," she said hanging up. John hung up and took off.

"What?"

"Jonathan's been taken from Queen Consolidated."

A/N: Life happens trying to get everyone caught up. What do you think?