A/N: So, I'm pretty much stupid. I made a mistake with a rewrite, so I went back and replaced the chapter 2 that I should have posted, so if it didn't make sense to you, then it was my fault and you should reread it now. This is by far the longest and most action-packed chapter, so buckle your seatbelts!
Meanwhile, back in Echo Park, preparations were in full swing for the party later that night. Morgan and Alex were helping put up the twinkle lights in the courtyard, Chuck and Devon were moving tables and chairs out into the space, and Ellie, Sarah, Lisa and Clara were busy cooking in the kitchen. While they were working, someone new entered the courtyard. Lisa just happened to look out the window at this point, and she stopped at what she saw.
"Who's that?" She asked her cousin, Clara.
"That would be Dylan Hart. You know, you two used to play together when you were little. Whenever mom, dad and I would visit, you two would be inseparable. He's cute, right?" Clara said. Lisa silently agreed.
"Hi, Dylan." Lisa heard Alex call.
"Hi, Mrs. Grimes. Do you need some help with that?" He asked, using his extra height to help Alex string a strand of lights higher up on the wall, "You guys are having a party out here? What for?"
"Lisa's back, dude." Morgan said, "Don't you watch the news?" Dylan's eyes grew wide.
"She's…back?"
"Yeah, she's in Chuck and Sarah's apartment helping with the food right now." Alex said. Dylan went immediately to the door and knocked on it.
"Go get it." Clara said to Lisa with a smile. Lisa smiled back, and went to open the door. As she did, Dylan's eyes widened. Standing in front of him was the one and only Lisa Bartowski, back from the (presumed) dead.
"Lisa…is that really you?" He asked, still not entirely believing it.
"Well, last time I checked, yeah, it's me."
"Dylan, hi!" Sarah exclaimed, coming to the door, "Are you going to come to the party tonight? I sent your mom an invitation."
"This is the first I'm hearing about this party," Dylan said, "And the first I'm hearing about Lisa being back. This is great! Remember how we would use to play together?"
"Actually, no I don't." Lisa said, "Somehow, getting away from my kidnapper, I lost my memory. That's why I haven't been home the past ten years. I just needed a bit of a memory boost to remember who I was."
"Oh, well, I guess that beats the alternative. Everybody thought you were dead, you know."
"Yeah, I've been told." Lisa said. As she said this, a woman came out of an apartment on the second floor of the complex.
"Dylan, your father and I are going to get some dinner before the party. Want to come? Oh, hi, Sarah!" The woman said.
"Hi Kayla!" Sarah called, "So you did get my invitation?"
"Yeah, I did. Where is she?" Kayla asked.
"Right here!" Lisa said, stepping forward, into Kayla's field of vision.
"Well, just look at you! All our prayers are answered! We're off now, but we'll talk at the party, dear." Kayla said, turning to come down the stairs.
"See you at the party, Lisa." Dylan said, following his mom out of the complex. Lisa turned back into the apartment with a sigh. Clara gave her a smile.
"Someone's got a crush…" Clara chanted.
"No I don't! It's just…"
"You know, if I do remember right, you two got play-married when you were younger." Sarah said. This elicited an 'awww' from the rest of the women.
"See, Lisa, it's meant to be!" Clara said, "Two childhood lovers, torn apart by the cruel hand of fate, only to reunited by the same hand, but years later."
"Wow, are you an English major?" Lisa asked. Clara nodded.
"I had hoped she'd go pre-med, but what can you do?" Ellie said. They got back to work, and ordered in some Bamboo Dragon for dinner.
It finally became the time for the party. Lisa was wearing a dress for, as far as she could remember, the first time. Being a nameless orphan, she couldn't very well go to public school, but was instead taught by tutors that were hired by the orphanage, so there was no chance for any dances, or dating for that matter. The romantic realm was entirely new territory to Lisa, and it scared the wits out of her. She had felt butterflies in her stomach the moment she had first seen Dylan, and they hadn't left since, knowing that she would see him at the party. The dress was extremely girly, not exactly Lisa's style, but she felt like a princess wearing it. It had a poufy skirt, and was floor-length. True to her inner self (and perhaps showing exactly whose daughter she was), she had chosen to wear a pair of matching Chuck Taylor converses with the dress instead of stilettos. She was never one for heels anyway. When she was done getting ready, she looked at herself in the mirror, and, adjusting her dress, stepped out into the courtyard where she was met with much oohing and aahing. She met many people she didn't remember, and some that were important enough in her lost childhood that brought back some memories. For example, Jeff and Lester were there, and Lisa remembered enough to know to try to avoid them. There was also a girl that she used to call 'Auntie Carina', that her mother explained was a good friend from spying days. However, Lisa stopped when a gruff-looking, tall military-looking man walked through the crowd. The strongest memory since she first came back came to her, and she cried out:
"Uncle Casey!" She said, walking up to the man and giving him a hug. Sarah had explained to Casey that Lisa had lost her memories, so he was taken aback by the gesture.
"I thought you lost your memories. How can you remember me?"
"I guess some things are too important to forget." She said.
"Like your little husband?" Casey remarked as Dylan Hart made his way through the crowd.
"How can everyone else see that I like him?"
"Well, you're both the same age, cute childhood backstory, it's kind of required, isn't it?" Casey said. Lisa rolled her eyes.
"We'll talk later, alright?"
"Ok. Go have fun, you crazy kid." Casey said. Gertrude Verbanski, his date for the night, looked at him with a smile.
"Hi, Dylan." Lisa said as she walked up.
"Hi, Lisa." Dylan said shyly. Clara, in the corner watching them meet, walked over to the DJ, who since the party started had just been playing generic background music, and whispered something. The DJ nodded. Clara walked away with a smile.
"So is being here with people from your childhood helping your memories at all?"
"A little bit. You see those two guys over there? The Indian dude and the older man that's going bald? That's Jeff and Lester. Don't go near them."
"I know those two," Dylan said laughing, "I think I'll be fine. I'm not a girl."
"Maybe you're right!" Lisa laughed, "But the thing is, I can't remember anything from our childhood."
"Well, maybe I can help remind you." Dylan said. Just as the words exited his mouth, the DJ came over the loudspeaker.
"Alright all you lovebirds, get on out there on the dance floor." He said. A slow, romantic song started playing, and all the couples were starting to dance. Lisa saw her father take her mother's hand and lead her out on the dance floor, as well as Morgan and Alex, Ellie and Captain Awesome, and Casey and Verbanski. Dylan awkwardly stood there, looking down at the floor.
"Would you like to dance?" Lisa asked, hoping to take the pressure off of Dylan.
"Sure." Dylan said with a smile, "Was it so obvious that I was too nervous to dance?"
"Maybe just a little bit." Lisa smiled. They took each other's hand and walked on to the dance floor, "Just so you know, I don't know how to dance."
"That's alright, I can help you. If I can learn to do it, you can learn to do it." He said, taking Lisa in his arms to dance. "1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3…" He counted off as the two waltzed. Lisa was a natural at dancing, and picked it up fast. As the song when on, they spun around the dance floor. Lisa's parents watched from their somewhat stationary position, and smiled. They knew it. Dylan's mother, Kayla, was watching and smiling at them too.
"So if you don't mind me asking, where's your father?"
"Probably at work. He's always at work. I barely get to see him. He said he was going to be here, but he always does that. He always makes promises that he never keeps.
"Oh, I'm sorry…" Lisa said, feeling a little embarrassed.
"It's alright. I'm used to it. It's nothing compared to what you went through."
"The thing is, I know that this really scary kidnapping happened to me, but I can't remember any of it."
"Perhaps that's a good thing. You don't want to keep old ghosts from your past. They never bring anything but trouble."
"I couldn't have said it better myself, young man! Dylan, isn't it?" A voice from above shouted over the crowd. There were screams from the crowd, and the most fearful memories yet came back to Lisa.
"Dylan…that's him! That's who kidnapped me!" Lisa said. Dylan instinctively took a protective stance in front of Lisa. The mysterious man jumped from the roof of the complex into the courtyard. Chuck and Sarah came forward.
"What do you want, Shaw? You've already caused our family enough pain through the years. Where do you stop?" Sarah said. Shaw sneered. He jumped down from the roof and he stared Chuck and Sarah straight in the eye.
"Your choice. I can either take your daughter away from you again, or you two can come with me and she can stay here with her little boyfriend." Shaw said.
"Fine. We'll come with you." Chuck said. Sarah nodded her agreement.
"Mom! Dad! No, you can't do this! Let me go with him. I've been through this before." Lisa begged, "I just found you again, I can't lose you."
"We feel the same way. We lived ten years thinking you were dead, and now we know that you're safe. We want to keep it that way. We couldn't bear it if anything happened to you, especially when we could have prevented it." Chuck said. Shaw drew a gun and pointed it at Chuck and Sarah.
"Alright, let's go." Shaw said, following Chuck and Sarah out of the complex, leading them with his gun. As they left, tears welled up in Lisa's eyes. She turned to Dylan, who wrapped her in a kind embrace.
"I just found them…now I've lost them…" She sobbed into Dylan's shoulder. Ellie walked up to Lisa and put a hand on her shoulder. Lisa looked up into her brown eyes and saw that she was crying, too, "What should I do, aunt Ellie?" She asked.
"We have to go after them." Ellie said.
"It's my fault they're gone, and now I have to get them back." Lisa said, wiping her tears.
"You won't be alone, Lisa. Shaw is dangerous, and he's caused our family more than enough pain through the years. This time, we won't let him get away." Ellie said, "Come on, there's something I should probably show you." Ellie said. They walked out to her car and drove to the Orange Orange.
"My parents have been taken by a madman and you're taking me to get frozen yogurt?" Lisa asked.
"Just bear with me. I think you'll like this." Ellie said, opening the door to the frozen yogurt shop. She walked into the freezer. At this point Lisa thought her aunt had gone completely bonkers. What could there possibly be in the freezer of a frozen yogurt place that could help her find her parents? Ellie messed with one of the lights to the side of a door, and an interface popped up. Ellie put her hand on it.
"Identity confirmed- Dr. Eleanor Bartowski-Woodcomb. Access granted." An electronic voice said. The door slid open to reveal a stairway that led down into what seemed like a bunker. Ellie let Lisa go first down the stairs and discover the Castle for herself. She immediately pegged it for what it was.
"Is this…my parent's spy base?" Lisa asked. Ellie nodded. Lisa began exploring.
"Here, for one, you're gonna need this." Ellie said, handing a watch to Lisa.
"A watch?"
"Not just an ordinary watch. This helps you keep in touch with us. It's also equipped with GPS, so if you need help, we can find you." Ellie said, fastening it to her wrist, "Now, let's try to find Chuck and Sarah." Ellie continued, typing at the main computer, "Let's see, Sarah activated her tracer right when they turned onto the 401, and they're still moving…they're turning off at Burbank boulevard…they've stopped. They're only two blocks away!"
"Alright I have to run. Wish me luck!" Lisa said, heading toward the stairs.
"Wait, wait! You need one of these!" Ellie called. Lisa turned around and saw her aunt holding a gun.
"Don't you think it's a little much? I mean, I don't want to kill anyone…"
"Don't worry. It's only a tranq gun. It's the only kind your dad uses." Ellie explained. Lisa took the tranq gun, a Velcro strap, and strapped it on to her thigh underneath her dress. With a nod to Ellie, she picked up her skirts and went up the stairs. She ran the two blocks, her skirts gathered up in her hands, to a dark abandoned alley. Shaw turned around slowly. A menacing grin crossed his face.
"I thought you might show up. I hoped you might, actually." He said, "See, with you here, I can kill both you and your parents in one fell swoop. Kill two birds with one stone, as it were." He explained.
"I don't know what kind of weird, screwed-up, crazy vendetta you have against my parents, but it has to stop." Lisa said, "See, I believe that all people are essentially good at heart. I'd like to think that when I was seven, looking at you with scared eyes, you actually felt some pity for me. Don't you see how much pain you've caused my family? How much pain you've caused me? Doesn't that affect you in any way?" She pleaded, looking into Shaw's eyes. All she saw staring back at her was pure blackness, both of color and of spirit.
"No." Shaw said coldly. He drew a gun and pointed it at Lisa. Chuck and Sarah, bound and gagged and sitting in a corner of the alley, started to squirm and protest. Lisa drew her tranq gun and pointed it back at Shaw, "Ahh, I see you're a weakling too, just like your father."
"Weakness isn't physical, Shaw. Neither is strength. Strength comes from doing the right thing. So, I guess that means my parents are ten times as strong as you will ever be." Lisa said. Shaw's eyes filled with anger and he lashed out on Lisa. He came at her, not bothering to use his gun. That would too easy of a death for this little brat. Shaw easily overpowered her, and he had her in his grasp within seconds. He closed his hands around her throat, and Lisa had the too familiar sensation of her world going black.
"Get your hands off her!" She heard a male voice say. Her fuzzy vision saw a figure swinging down from a rooftop on a rope, and he kicked Shaw to the ground. All of a sudden the tightness in her throat went away, and she started coughing uncontrollably. She saw a flash of light and heard a deafening bang. Her savior was now lying on the floor, bleeding from his abdomen. Lisa regained her senses and saw that the person that had saved her was the same boy she was dancing with not even half an hour ago.
"Dylan!" Lisa yelled, running to his side. She looked around and saw that Shaw was still lying on the ground, unconscious.
"Go…before he wakes up…" Dylan managed to breath.
"No. I'm not going to leave you!" Lisa said. She went over to her parents and untied them and took out their gags. Sarah took Lisa's hands.
"Listen. You need to run. Get out of here. Take Dylan with you and get him to Ellie. She can help."
"No, mom. I'm not leaving you." Lisa said. She raised her watch to her mouth. "Aunt Ellie, we need help. Dylan's been shot, in the abdomen. He's bleeding, a lot. Come quick!" She said, pressing the button on the side.
"I'll be there soon, Lisa. See if you can find something to stop the bleeding until I get there." Ellie said from the other end of the line. Lisa tore off a portion of her dress and used it as a bandage, wrapping Dylan's torso in the blue rhinstoned fabric. He had gone unconscious, but he was still breathing.
"Touching, really." Shaw said. He had come back to his senses. Sarah quickly took his gun, concealing it from him. "I see you took this opportunity to untie your dear parents." Shaw said, "Go ahead; tell them to go. You should know that I have snipers stationed all around the perimeter. You can't leave this place without me. Alive, anyway." He added. Ellie, on her own comms unit, heard what he was saying. Already on her way, she quickly took out her cell phone. As she ran, she was able to send off a text message to Casey. Everyone in trouble- alley two blocks away from the Orange Orange. Snipers surrounding, no one can escape. She typed.
"I hope you have your phone, John…" She breathed, putting her phone back in her pocket.
Meanwhile, in the dark alley, all seemed lost. Dylan had been shot and was barely holding onto life, and there was no escape for the Bartowskis. Lisa, still sitting by Dylan, started sobbing gently, her tears falling to the ground. A light rain began to fall, and mingled with her tears on the pavement.
"Why?" She asked, "Why do you do this? Why do you take pleasure in other people's pain? Dylan was trying to save me. He had nothing to do with you. And now look what you've done. You're no better than a common criminal."
"I'm nothing like a common criminal. I run a very prestigious espionage organization. Who knows, if you hadn't have run off when you were little, you might have become my protégée."
"I would have never. I'd never be a traitor like that. You, on the other hand…" Lisa said. Shaw swiftly turned on her, grabbing her by the hair.
"Listen here, you little brat. I was never the traitor. The traitor was your dear old mother here. She killed my wife." Shaw said, dropping Lisa to the ground.
"What?" Lisa breathed, giving a horrified look in Sarah's direction, "She wouldn't…"
"Shaw, I told you. It was an assignment. I was a young agent. Naïve. I didn't even know her name." Sarah said.
"And you killed her? Just because they told you to? Mom, I have no idea what kind of messed-up job being a spy is, but I don't want anything to do with it. This is crazy. I'm done. Dylan will be safe with you." She said, leaving the alley in an all-out run.
"Lisa, no! Remember what Shaw said!" Chuck yelled. But it was too late. She had turned out of sight. A shot rang out through the night air, along with a frightened scream.
"Lisa!" Sarah yelled. She started running, but Chuck caught her by the wrist.
"Sarah, what about the snipers?"
"I don't give a damn about snipers. Chuck, this is our daughter we're talking about. I'm going." She said, twisting her wrist out of his grip and running on. Chuck followed quickly behind. When they were out of sight, two shots rang out. Shaw stood there in the dark alley in the gently falling rain, an evil sort of grin on his face. He had finally won. The Bartowskis were dead.