People find comfort wherever they are able: some find it in a clean and well maintained house, some in the arms of a lover, and some in the depths of a bottle. There comes a time in everyone's life though, when the comfort we have come so accustomed to possessing suddenly disappears and we are forced to face the world, bare of the securities we once held.

Evelyn leaned back against the front door to her house with her head in her hands. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, something in her was broken. The events of the night had taken their toll on her and she was lost as to what to do next. She didn't bother turning on any of the lights in her house, rather she slid behind the couch in the living room and clutched tight to the stolen shotgun.

Mike Delfino yawned as he pulled onto the street. It was very rarely he got late night calls and when he did they nearly took all of the energy out him. He was nearly asleep behind the wheel when the reflection of the red and blue lights in the windshield caught his attention. He quickly pulled into his driveway and then spotted Orson shaking hands with the police. "Hey Orson what's going on?" Mike asked as he walked up the street and the police got into their cars and left. "Someone broke into our house" Orson said rubbing his forehead and placing his arms across his chest. "Jesus, do they know who it is?" Mike asked.

"No, they took Bree's shotgun and used the throw in the living room to bandage some sort of wound, but other than that nothing is missing. They left all of the silver and all of Bree's jewelry sitting on the dresser. I really hate to think of some sort of criminal running around our neighborhood with a loaded shotgun".

"I am sorry man. I hate to say it was probably some kid trying to…." Mike stopped talking when he saw a small red drop on the concrete. "Did the police see the blood over here on the street" Mike said looking down. "I don't think so" Orson replied as he moved closer to where Mike was standing. "There's another" he said taking three or four steps forward.

Mike and Orson followed the drops of blood across the street to the Scavo's front porch. "Do you think they're in there?" Orson asked leaning down and whispering to Mike. "I don't know, but there is one way to find out". Mike pulled his wallet out of his pocket and slid out a credit card. He placed it in between the door and the frame and popped it open with ease. "Why do I get the feeling you have done this before?" Orson asked looking at him skeptically. Mike just shot him a glare and quietly entered the house. They silently entered into the kitchen, and crept through the living room. He looked down and rolled his eyes when he saw the orange plastic bat in Orson's hand. "Where did you get that?" Mike asked. "I found it on the porch, they could be armed". He just shook his head and took a few steps forward nearly hitting the floor when the solid double barrels came out from behind the couch. "Step Back" Evelyn said moving the shotgun forward a few inches. "Whoa, whoa, whoa" Mike said doing just as she asked. He noticed the shotgun was shaking violently and followed the black iron all the way up to its carrier. "Evelyn?" he asked in disbelief, all he could see in the dark was a pair of shadowy green eyes.

There was another moment of silence and nobody moved. Orson seemed to lose all fear and casually stepped forward, "Evelyn did you break into my house?" Mike put up his hand to stop him from saying anything else. "Evelyn it's me, it's Mike, just put the gun down and sit down and we can talk okay?" She still didn't move, so he hesitantly shifted a couple inches closer and latched his hand around the barrel and held it away from his face. "Come on Evelyn let go, its okay".

"Mike" Evelyn said wearily in a clear moment of recognition and she let the gun fall loose from her hands and drop to the floor. She fell into Mike's chest and grasp tight to the sides of his shirt. "Evelyn what the hell happened" he asked pulling her away from him and taking a good look at her body. There were small cuts all over her face, and a huge bleeding gash in her shoulder. Mike couldn't tell whether her chest or stomach was bleeding because she was covered in thick dark blood. It was also caked on both of her knees and her bare feet were covered in dirt.

Evelyn tried but she couldn't speak. Her clothes were soaking wet and the cold had settled in every inch of her body. Mike grabbed a blanket off the couch and threw it around her trying to quickly warm her up; he walked over and sat on the couch, pulling her so close she was almost on top of him. "Orson, why don't you call the police back and tell them that we need an ambulance." Mike gently pulled her away and grabbed her face. "Evelyn look at me, tell me what happened, did John do this to you". She took a deep breath as if to steady her pounding heartbeat. "No it wasn't John" she muttered not unlocking her eyes from Mike's stare. "Who was it then?" There was a few moments of silence between them before Orson walked back into the house and began turning on the kitchen lights to illuminate the once dark home. Evelyn frantically jumped up off of the couch and began slamming light switches down. "We have to keep the lights off or else Sam will know were here and he will kill us just like Dad killed Joey". Orson and Mike exchanged worried looks and Mike jumped off the couch and slowly approached her in an attempt to calm her down. "Evelyn who is Sam?" Orson asked from behind Mike. "He is going to kill me because I made dad kill Joey" she said wiping the perspiration off of her forehead. Evelyn quickly walked over the window and opened the curtain a few inches then slammed it shut running for the gun that was still sitting on the floor. "Evelyn you are not making any sense right now, you're not thinking rationally, so just give Orson the gun…."

"I am not giving Orson the gun Mike he is coming".

Orson slowly walked up next to her. "Sweetheart nobody is coming tonight, Mike and I are here and the police are on their way, just give me the gun and tell us what happened". Evelyn looked towards the window contemplated her next move then surrendered the gun for the second time. Orson placed it on a nearby coffee table and turned back towards her as she began to pace the living room floor. "I went to see my dad while he was in town on business. I drove down to the Carlton to meet him for dinner but he never showed. He said he had business in the casino next door so I went to go find him and I ended up in this warehouse". At the point Evelyn began to sob. Mike walked up and kissed her forehead and held her close to his chest, he could feel just how hard her heart was pounding and how bad her body was shaking. "My dad and this guy Joey were beating this young guy with this pipe. All I could hear was his screams and they wouldn't stop"

"Then what happened?" Orson asked. "My dad saw me and I ran. I ran out of the building and into the parking lot and that's when Joey caught me on the shoulder. My dad was right behind him and shot him in the back, he died right in front of me. Then I took off into the woods, you know the ones that lead to the freeway. They sent this guy Sam after me and they got a hold of my dad, I don't know what happened to him."

"It's okay" he said not letting go of her. "I am sure he is fine".

Evelyn slowly stepped back and turned to Orson. "And I am sorry Orson I broke into your house, I just knew Bree had a gun and I didn't know what to do, I was afraid and wasn't thinking I am sorry".

"No, no it's okay" Orson said as he gave her a reassuring hug. "Everything is going to be fine" Orson gave Mike one more unknowing look before the police cars once again made their way back down Wisteria Lane.

***

Lynette was totally and completely exhausted. The party had been beautiful and the food exquisite, although she didn't expect anything less from Bree and Katherine. It was a little early to be heading home, but two dances in and she was done. It seemed that any outside activity combined with the chemo thoroughly exhausted her. She rested her head on the inside of the car window until the line of neighbors and the ambulance on the road caught her attention. "Lynette I think that's our house" Tom said as they pulled further down the street. "Oh my god it's probably one of the kids" she said opening the door and jumping out before Tom could even stop the car. "Lynette wait!" he yelled but to no avail. A million different thoughts ran through her mind as she raced down the street. If something horrible had happened to one of the kids while she had been out partying she never would have been able to forgive herself. She plowed past the ambulance and before she could see who was inside she was stopped by a pair of strong arms. "Lynette wait!"

"Is it one of the boys? What happened?" she asked trying to look past Mike. "Lynette its Evelyn, she went and saw Vincent" Lynette froze and immediately stopped struggling. "She got into a fight or something with a guy he works with and she's pretty banged up. Her heart rate and blood pressure skyrocketed and they had to give her a sedative" Lynette couldn't stand there and listen to him anymore. She squirmed out of his and grasp ran around the ambulance not in the slightest bit prepared for what she saw. There was Evelyn, but not her beautiful sunny eyed daughter. Her face was pale and lifeless and she was staring out at nothing. "Oh…baby what happened? You're covered in blood. " Lynette said running her hands over her cheeks and down her arms. " Evelyn can you hear me? I'm here baby, I'm here" Lynette said as her voice cracked didn't acquire any reaction out of Evelyn. Lynette looked at all of the bandages and then grabbed her hand; it was ice cold to the touch. "Good god" Tom said running up behind Lynette. "What the hell is going on?"

"She probably is going to be unresponsive for a little while, we had to give her something before she went into shock" a young woman said as she jumped out of the back of the ambulance. "She is freezing" Lynette said as she rubbed one of Evelyn's hands in between hers. "She will be fine; we will give her some extra blankets on the way to the hospital". Lynette just stared in disbelief at the EMT's nonchalant attitude. At that moment it was as if something in Evelyn awakened. "I'm gonna stay here" Evelyn said groggily. "I don't think that's a good idea" she heard the woman say. "Nothing's broken but we need to take you in just to have a doctor check you over". Evelyn weakly grabbed her mother's hand and said in a panic "Please mom I just want to go to bed I'm okay, I don't want to go to the hospital." Lynette quickly grabbed hold of her daughter and ran her hand over her back until she could silent her worries. "Is it really necessary for her to go to the hospital tonight? Can't we just let her sleep and take her in the morning". The EMT looked at her with a look of annoyance, but her demeanor changed when she saw the distressed look on both of their faces. "I can't tell you not to go, but I can't force you all to go tonight either" Lynette looked over at Evelyn contemplating whether to take her inside or make her go. She looked so weak and so tired and decided it would be best to keep her home tonight.

Evelyn didn't remember much of what happened in between then and now. She vaguely remembered Tom picking her up and carrying her into the house. She remembered him setting her on the couch and covering her up as he went into the kitchen. She felt Bree's lips touch her forehead and she remembered her mother's warm hand not leaving hers until there was a knock on the door. She awoke feeling tired and undeniably sore, she looked around and it took a moment for her to register that she was back home. She could hear Mike, Bree, Tom, her mom and a man's deep voice talking in the kitchen and it brought her comfort to know they were all here. She wanted to get up and go to them but she just couldn't find the strength. Quietly she shifted over her onto her side and closed her eyes.

"We got a pretty good description of this…Shelly" the detective said pulling a small notebook out of his pocket. " With all Evelyn told the police when they got here and the help from Mr. Delfino we will do our best".

"What does that mean, do your best…. your gonna get him right?" Tom asked leaning against the counter with his arms folded across his chest. "We as the police for the county are going to do our best. As we speak the cops are going through the last of the casino and the adjoining hotel. It appears we are dealing with a skilled bunch of criminals as there is no trace of anything." Lynette quickly turned and laid her hands on the sink, quietly looking out the window. "Shelly has disappeared, along with Mr. Antonelli, Joey and the John Doe they beat up in the warehouse. We've placed a cop car outside the house and I think it would be best not to let Evelyn go anywhere alone at least for a little while. Here is my card" the detective said as he placed it in Tom's hand. "Call me if you have any information or if you need anything at all, I'll do the same" he said nodding to them all and walking out the front door. "Good God" Bree said dropping her head into her hands. "I should have known she was going to go look for him, I should have said something to her about it earlier" Lynette claimed as she walked and sat down at the table. She felt Tom lay both of his hands on her shoulders but she didn't bother moving. "None of this was your fault Lynette, don't blame yourself. That stupid son of a bitch knew exactly what he was doing when he invited her to dinner" Tom said with a serious look in his eyes. The room suddenly fell silent. There wasn't anything for anyone to say, this was the kind of stuff people saw on television, not something that ever happened to your own family. The silence was suddenly broken though when a disheveled Evelyn walked into the kitchen wrapped in a blanket from the couch. If she were completely lucid and alert she might have been bothered by everyone's stares but she didn't notice. The blood suddenly felt very prevalent on her skin and she felt every muscle in her body go weak, it was then she realized maybe she should have gone to the hospital. Noticing the little color that was left drop from her face, Mike quickly ran over and caught her before she hit the ground. "Come on Lynette, put her in the car, we should have put her in the ambulance before they left" Tom said reaching for his keys. "No" Lynette said, her voice slightly cracking. "She just needs to sleep" Lynette said walking towards her. "Mike will you bring her upstairs?" Mike nodded and followed Lynette. "Lynette this is crazy, she needs to see a doctor" Tom said from the bottom of the staircase. "She's exhausted and she wants to be home we can take her in the morning just let her sleep in her own bed tonight" Lynette just looked at Tom and he recognized that pleading look in her eyes. He just turned around and looked at Bree, he wasn't going to argue with her on this one.

Mike looked down at the beaten and bruised woman lying in his arms and wanted to wake her up and tell her just how sorry he was. Sorry for not seeking her out after he hadn't seen her in a couple of days, sorry for not realizing just how nervous and anxious she was when he met her outside and sorry for not asking her about John or meeting her father for the first time. What a good friend he turned out to be. "Don't look so sad Mike, I'm not dead" he heard her say startling him out of his thoughts. Mike smiled as he trailed past the master bedroom and up the attic stairs. "I can walk its okay" she said and Mike set her down keeping his arm around her and helping her to a love seat that sat next to her bathroom door. Lynette didn't look back as she walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. "That's my cue to go" Mike said as he gave her one more sorrowful look and turned around. It was Evelyn's voice that stopped him in his tracks as he turned to see her standing, obviously in pain. She walked up to him and slowly slid the arm she could move around his neck. "Thank you Mike, thank you for everything" she said as he wrapped his arms around her back, burying his face in her hair. "I am glad you are okay Evelyn, I wouldn't have known what to do if…"

"I know" she said nearly in a whisper, not wanting to think about what could have happened any more than he did. They stayed like that for a couple of short seconds and Evelyn pulled away just as her mother re-entered the bedroom. "I started the shower for you, are you going to be okay?" Evelyn nodded and forced a hint of a smile as she walked into the bathroom and slowly shut the door. Lynette let out a deep breath and walked over and sat on the bed. Stillness filled the room for what seemed like forever until Lynette broke the silence. "What am I gonna do Mike, I don't even know what to say to her" she said looking up at him with a fear stricken face. Mike walked over and sat on the love seat, "I don't know Lynette, she is in way over her head…we all are at this point".

Lynette sat silent for another moment and a sad smile fell over her face. "When Evelyn was born I was only twenty three years old. Everyone said it was plenty old enough to have a baby but I wasn't ready. I never wanted children and even after she was born I told myself I didn't want any more, one is hard enough. I was just out of college and was going to get my masters, and take the advertising world by storm, who had time for a baby?" she said throwing her arms in the arm and letting them fall in her lap. "When I first found out I was pregnant I…" she stopped as if she was about to reveal her deepest secret. "When I first found out I didn't want her" she said and dabbed her forehead and her cheeks with the back of her hand. "One of these days you're going to have kids and I am telling you Mike they will turn your whole world upside down. I was at the hospital, by myself because I didn't tell my mother I went into labor and who knows where Vincent was. Thirteen and a half hours after I got there, they brought her to me and put her in my arms and I can't describe it". Lynette looked up with tear filled eyes, "at that very moment I had never been in love with anyone or anything more in my whole entire life. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and I promised her then I would do anything for her and anything to protect her."

"How the hell did I let this happen?" she asked him looking at him as if he held all of the answers. "Lynette none of this was your fault, you had no idea Vincent was going to come back and no idea what kind of person he was, Evelyn doesn't blame you so you shouldn't blame yourself either" Lynette looked out over the bed room and took a deep ragged breath. They both turned when they heard the shower turn off and Mike reassuringly squeezed Lynette's hand and walked down stairs.

***

Evelyn could feel the cold concrete on her bare feet as she ran…

She turned around and Joey was right behind her. The look on his face revealed he was visibly intent on killing her. The wind was blowing hard towards her and her long dress kept getting wrapped around her legs, making it difficult for her to keep going. The gun shots rang loud in her ears and she had to cover them while running to keep from collapsing to the ground.

She heard her father call her name but it wasn't enough to stop her, nothing was at this point, except for the loud gunshot that hit Joey in the back. She turned around and realized she stopped much too short and Joey's lifeless body fell right on top of her. She closed her eyes for a split second trying to get out from underneath his enormous body but upon opening them, found it was her mother not Joey that had her pinned to the ground. She was completely unconscious and blood was quickly staining the white dress she was wearing.

"Oh my God" Evelyn managed to get out before she dropped to the ground. "What did you do to her" she screamed loudly at Vincent but she looked up and there was no one there. "Mom please wake up! Mom "but there wasn't anything anyone could do. She just let the blood cover her hands and clothes as she rocked her mother's lifeless body.

Sleep was not on the top of the list for Lynette, after Evelyn got out of the shower and crawled into bed without saying anything Lynette knew things were going to get worse before they got any better. So at 4:55 in the morning she sat in the living room drinking coffee and watching the rain fall over the lawn. Tom was asleep on the couch next to her and she wished her mind could have settled enough to do the same. The silence was shattered though when she heard Evelyn's deafening screams coming from upstairs. Lynette knocked Tom on the shoulder and ran as fast as she possibly could up the stairs nearly falling as she rounded the corner to attic.

"Mom!" she was screaming as loud as she possibly could when Lynette came through the door. The tiniest bit of relief swept over her when she realized there was no one there and it was just a nightmare but her heart still raced as she ran over to the side of the bed. Lynette crawled over the twisted covers and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Evelyn wake up your okay, it's just a dream" and Evelyn's eyes opened and she sighed when she realized she was safe. She leaned forward and pressed the top of her head against Lynette's chest as she tried to catch her breath. Tom looked in through the door shaking his head in disgust and letting them have a moment to themselves. He knew whatever Evelyn had seen had tainted her forever and he hated Vincent for giving someone so young such a burden.

Lynette ran her hands down Evelyn's arms just as she had done earlier, "Take a deep breath, your okay". Evelyn looked up at Lynette and her heart shattered. Evelyn's eyes were broken, jaded and red from all the tears that had fallen. Lynette leaned against the backboard of the bed opening her arms and Evelyn crawled into them nearly sitting her lap, just as the sobs began to rack her body. Lynette wrapped her arms around her daughter and felt her head fall onto her shoulder clutching tight to her arm, just like she had done when she was a little girl. "Oh Evelyn …its okay" and Lynette knew that was a lie the moment the words left her lips. In truth she really didn't know if everything was going to be okay but for her sake she had to make herself believe it, at least for one night. "I am so sorry. I should have listened to you." Her sobs grew quiet until she was barely whispering. "I can't stop thinking about it, I can't get it out of my head and I am so tired but I can't sleep" she said. Lynette frantically stroked and kissed her hair in an attempt to calm her down as her own tears began to fall. "You can sleep Evelyn it's okay. Just lie here and we'll think about something else, I'm not going anywhere." Evelyn slid down and placed her head in Lynette's lap pulling the covers tightly around her. Lynette pulled her long hair out of her face and gently smoothed it down her back. "Do you remember when you were little?" Lynette asked her voice a tired whisper. "Whenever you would have a nightmare you would bolt down the hallway in that apartment in Riverside and fly into my bedroom".

"Yeah" Evelyn said her voice still unsteady. She turned so she could look straight up at Lynette. "I think I almost gave you a heart attack a couple of times". Lynette leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and smoothed back her bangs as she talked. "I used to sing and sing and wouldn't stop until you fell back asleep, it worked every time".

"If I think hard enough I can still hear your voice echo off the hardwood floors" Evelyn said as she took in a deep breath. She heard her mother sniffle slightly and heard her tired voice sing:

Fly like a raven
Black honey into the night
Soft like the air beneath
A swan in her flight

Evelyn looked up at Lynette and closed her eyes causing a tear to fall from the edges down the side of her face. She reached back and grabbed one of her mother's hands and turned on her side, resting her cheek upon her palm.

Then return back home to bed
Bring the dancing stars
Sleep and dream of a white wolf howling
And know that I am near

Lynette reached over and turned off lamp and held back her own sobs as she continued trying to soothe her daughter as well as herself.

Shh
Close your eyes
Don't ask why
Let's dream together you and I
Oh, close your eyes
We will fly
Dreaming together you and I

Even the strongest of men and women need comfort every now and then. Whether we like to admit it or not, it's the little things that keep us going, like the hug from a neighbor or a lullaby from a mother. Sometimes people tend to lose sight of the things that mean the most and it takes a truly traumatic event to remind us… that we are never really alone.

Authors Note: I do not own any of the above lyrics; they are written and sung by the amazingly talented Jewel Kilcher. I had about five different lullabies in mind when I wrote this but thought hers was absolutely beautiful. She really is amazing. As always thank you to all of those who continue to read this story. You guys are awesome and, it really means a lot.