"Shh," Powell ordered softly. "You'll startle her." He cocked his head as he spoke to her, studying Starr's scared, horrified face as he noticed her watery eyes. He glared at Todd. "It took you five minutes to make her cry," Powell scoffed in disbelief. "And you- why do you let him affect you so greatly? Time to grow that backbone."

"Powell, what are you doing?!" Marty cried, in the same state as Starr.

"Answer her, Powell!" Todd thundered, in just as much of an uproar as the women over the sight of his grandchild in Powell's arms.

"Maybe she's mine," Powell said with a smirk shrugging.

"No she's not!" Starr screamed hysterically, thrashing against the ropes like crazy. She had been through absolute hell, more times than she could count, but Starr had never known worse terror than what she felt at this moment. "That's Hope; what are you doing with her?!"

"Rebecca brought me a little surprise," he told her calmly, undisturbed by the state of chaos the three of them had quickly deteriorated into.

Oh, of course; Kyle, that little bastard, had been at the lab the night they'd had Hope's DNA tested to back up Natalie and Jared's story. That was what he'd told his sister about Todd that had gotten Rebecca so worked up, that was why she'd gone rushing out of the house- to kidnap this poor defenseless baby whose only crime was having Manning blood in her. Starr bitterly decided she was going to kill Kyle if she didn't die tonight.

"And I must say, Starr, I'm surprised you can even recognize her after the way you threw her out without a second glance."

"Powell, what are you doing with Jessica's baby?!" Starr shrieked again.

Powell suddenly inhaled sharply, his head whipping around to gaze at Starr, and the look in his eyes made her fall silent, swallowing roughly as a chill raced through her; she had a feeling she had just said the worst thing possible.

"Whose baby, Starr?" he asked, his voice deathly quietly.

"Powell, Starr and the baby don't-"

"Todd, I am asking your daughter a question, and she needs to answer me right now. What did you just say, Starr?"

"I…I asked what you were doing with Jessica's baby," she repeated softly, unable to tear her eyes away from Hope. To her relief, the little girl didn't seem frightened.

"I thought so," he choked out, shaking his head. "I should have known better than to think there was any more of a chance for you than your father. A little whore too, just like your mother- you got the worst qualities from both of them, you've always been a disaster waiting to happen."

"Shut your mouth, Powell," Todd hissed. "I swear to God, if you touch one hair on Hope or Starr's head, I will kill you- as slowly as humanly possible."

Powell ignored him, turning to look to the other woman with a sympathetic, strangely protective gaze.

"Can you believe this, Marty?" he demanded.

"What are you talking about, Powell?" she asked slowly, trying to placate him.

"The Mannings have no right to ever go near your family, but you and Cole gave this one a chance, you let her in and trusted her, far more than she ever deserved. And then, she got pregnant, and she was carrying your granddaughter. The first grandchild you ever got to have. This baby shares it's filthy Manning blood with yours- it was their chance for redemption, a far greater gift than they deserve. And what did Starr do with that chance, that gift? She threw it away! She gave the child to the first person who would take it. And then, when Jessica, another Todd in the making stole the child that is rightfully yours, Starr let her."

"You know nothing about this situation, you psychotic bastard," Todd spat.

"Hmm, well, I know I left out the best part, Todd. You were going to kidnap the child to further the sick, sick lie you were living with Marty, and going to just let your own daughter think that her baby was dead. Looks like you're the one who's insane."

"Rich, coming from you."

"Fair enough; I guess it runs in the family. Victor and Powell Sr. spawned a whole new generation of nuts," he remarked, glancing between Todd and Starr. "It's too bad, though, that you'll never get to know whether this little one got the crazy gene, too," he murmured, patting Hope lightly on the back.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Todd demanded as Starr emitted a strangled gasp of terror. "What the hell do you think you're going to do to her?!"

"Oh, now you care about this baby? Don't want anything to happen to her? I bet Starr felt that way when she was pregnant- didn't you, Starr?"

"Yes!" Starr instantly told him, her voice panicked. "And I feel that way now Powell, please!"

"But you didn't care about that, did you, Todd?" Powell asked in a voice cold as ice, tuning out Starr. "You were going to steal her and just use her like you do everyone in your life; she was just a solution to you, a way to start your own little family with poor Marty, so don't suddenly pretend you actually care about her now, it's far too late," he spat. "This baby was your final chance at redemption, Todd, and surprise surprise, you threw that chance away and spit on it."

"You can give me that chance back, Powell," Todd pleaded. "Just untie me, and give me my granddaughter, and we can just talk about-"

"You actually think I'm going to let you touch this child ever again? What did I just say, Todd? You're too late. This baby was going to be your salvation…but now she's mine," he murmured.

"Powell, please don't hurt her, please. I haven't done anything to you, and I am begging you for just this one thing, please," Starr sobbed. Powell looked at her sharply.

"You haven't done anything to me personally, no, but you're from an innocent in this situation, that much has become obvious tonight, Starr, and I owe you nothing," he hissed.

"I know, I know!" she assured him frantically. "I'm sorry."

"This baby doesn't have to pay for our mistakes, Powell," Todd cried.

"A mistake? Running away with Marty and this baby would have been a mere mistake? You are so sick, Todd, you consider that a simple mistake while I feel ill everytime I think of what you tried to do- run off with the two people who couldn't remember the past. It would have been like it never happened, wouldn't it? But it did happen. Right here in this room. You had the power then. You told me what to do to Marty and I listened. And I lost everything. My freedom, my sanity, my life, all because of you. But now I've got the power, Todd. Right here. In this little girl."

"You're right, Powell. I did have all the power back then," Todd agreed.

"You admit it?" he asked in surprise.

"Yes, and I used it to control you, and I ruined your life," he continued, desperate to say anything Powell wanted to hear.

"So what? You think that's going to save you?" he asked irritably.

"No, nothing can save me now, just like nothing can save you or Zach," Todd sighed.

"We only did it because of you," Powell reminded him defensively.

"Right. So punish me. Do whatever you want to me, but leave that baby alone, please."

Powell gazed at him heavily, his eyes dark as he continued to lightly bounce Hope against his hip, rubbing her back; the sight of him touching Hope made Starr want to claw his eyes out.

"I don't believe you," he finally replied.

"What?"

"Not that I don't enjoy hearing you beg, but there's something about the way you're saying it, I just… I don't buy it," he informed him simply, flashing an almost apologetic smile as he shrugged.

"Powell! Damn it, don't do this -- don't do it like this! Don't use Marty or Starr or Blair or Tea or that child to get back at me!

"This has nothing to do with getting back at you, Todd!" Powell yelled. "Not everything is about you, hard as that may be for you to believe! All I intend to do with this baby is make sure she can't be ruined by this family the one that one has been," he sat, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder at Starr. Starr shivered, recognizing around her fear for Hope that it wasn't good Powell had decided she was 'ruined.' "I would never hurt this child. The only reason you thought that is because it's something you would do," he said, voice dripping with disgust. "And that makes it very clear that you're right, Todd. I can't save you. Nobody can be saved," he remarked sadly, shaking his head with great disappointment.

"That not true," Marty spoke up softly, forcing herself to gaze at Powell with warmth in her eyes. "You saved me."

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't that what you were trying to do all those years ago, Powell -- you were trying to save me? Isn't that what you're trying to do right now?"

"No, stop it, stop, Marty," Powell requested, wildly shaking his head about as he took a breath. "This is between Todd and me, and I'm doing this for you!"

"I know that, I know," she cooed. "And he made you hurt me back then, but you've fixed it now. You fixed it, you saved me."

"I hurt you, I can't save you," he disagreed miserably.

"You already did!" she insisted. "You already did; I got my memory back, all of it. And it would never have happened without you. I remembered everything tonight, and it's all because of you."

"Me?"

"Yes. You brought me here. And seeing all of this, it… it triggered something.

"You remembered what we did to you in this room?" he asked in shame, bowing his head.

"Not just that," Marty said quickly. "I remembered everything. My whole life came back to me, all of it. My son…you gave that back to me. And for that, I thank you," she told him, pasting a smile onto her lips."

Powell swallowed roughly and took a deep breath, gazing at Marty emotionally.

"Marty? I never meant to hurt you," he told her weakly.

"I know," she replied quietly.

"For so long, I've been wanting to make it up to you. I'd do anything for you- anything," he said forcefully, his voice trembling.

"Okay, okay… then give me back the baby, please. Give me my granddaughter, Powell," Marty pleaded, her voice gentle and sincere. Powell shook his head, tearing up and Todd and Starr watched the exchange with baited breath. "You want to make it up to me? If you want to make it up to me, you can do it right now. You gave me back my life- let me share it with my grandchild, please. You're right, she is rightfully mine, so just let me have her, please."

"I'm sorry," he told her, his rocking motion growing rougher. Hope wrinkled her face, beginning to cry, and Starr furiously tugged at the ropes again. "I'm sorry."

"I know, I know, and it's okay now. It's okay," she repeated her reassurance several more times.

Powell slowly walked over, kneeling beside Marty, and fished the knife out of his pocket, balancing Hope in the other arm. He opened the blade, cut through the ties on one of Marty's arms, then carefully transferred Hope to her. Marty protectively cradled Hope to her chest with her free arm, slowly exhaling as Powell stood up and backed away. Todd and Starr both seemed to crumple with relief; they were not in the clear yet, but Hope's safety was all that mattered right now.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Powell wept to Marty again, his body tense as he seemed on edge. Marty kept her attention on Hope, pressing a kiss to her granddaughter's forehead as she murmured to her quietly, trying to comfort the still crying child.

"It's okay, everything's fine. It's okay, sweetie, you're safe."

"Thank you, Powell," Todd said weakly, his shoulders sagging.

"Thank you so much," Starr chimed in.

Powell inhaled sharply, the tears abruptly drying up as he glanced back and forth between Todd and Starr with cold, narrowed eyes.

"Thank you? Thank you? You think I did this for you?" he asked, his voice quiet with rage as he positively seethed, his shoulders beginning to shake violently. Starr shrank back against the chair fearfully, realizing she and her father had just made a huge mistake.

"Take it easy," Todd said quietly, averting his eyes submissively, even as it killed him to do so. "No, I don't think-"

"You can't be happy, neither of you. You can't be happy, not about this, not about anything!" he roared, exploding with fury as he snapped right before their eyes, his calm, unnerving control disappearing. He waved the knife around wildly as he spoke, and Todd watched him carefully.

"Put the knife down, Powell. It's over!"

"It'll never be over!"

"No, you ended it. You just did the right thing."

"Why do you get to decide what's right?" he hissed.

"Powell, it's over because you've made up for everything you did all those years ago!"

"Oh, so I just leave and you get to run off and live happily ever after with Marty, with your grandchild, and Starr gets to learn that just like her daddy, she'll never face any consequences for the stunts she pulls?!" he demanded, stalking over to the bed, gripping the knife so tightly that the blood disappeared from his fingers. Starr's heart leapt to her throat as she watched with wide, terrified eyes.

"No, that's not what I'm-"

"Neither of you gets to be happy about anything!" Powell roared, dropping to his knees beside Todd on the bed. "Not ever, not after all that you've done! Not about Marty, not about the baby, nothing! You're right," he hissed, raising the knife. "It's over."

"Powell, no!" Marty shrieked as Powell raised the knife, seconds before he brought it plunging down into Todd's chest.

Starr's scream was earsplitting, and Marty's was not far behind; between them and Todd's own shout of pain, Hope screeched and cried even louder, and the noise in the room rose to deafening levels.

Powell pulled the knife out as the girls continued screaming at him desperately. Starr could see the blood pouring from her father's chest as his body went limp, and her heart felt like ice as it dropped to her stomach; her head pounded frantically with panic. Powell raised his hand as if to stab him again, and Starr snapped, losing all inhibition or sense of control.

"Powell!" Starr yelled as cold tears splashed down her cheeks; she found herself completely unable to tear her eyes from her father's bloody, unmoving form, and it made her cry harder, scream louder. Powell turned to face her, his eyes dark but face expressionless. "You bastard!" she wailed. "What is wrong with you?!"

"Starr, don't!" Marty cried. Powell climbed off the bed, slowly approaching her, the knife still covered in her father's blood dangling from his fingers. "Powell, stop!"

"My father has to pay for what he made you do? That's bullshit!" she screeched furiously. "You are no better than him, Powell! He didn't force you into anything, you made a choice! What the hell is wrong with you and Zach?! My father has done horrible things, but at least he acknowledges it, at least he doesn't try to pin it on someone else like you!"

"Oh, and that makes him so much better than me, right Starr?! You're trying to justify the unforgivable, like father like daughter! I should have known you would be just like him," he spat. "I should have known you were every bit as heartless as your dad when you gave up Marty's grandchild to the woman who stole her, just so you wouldn't have to grow up! Just like your father!" he yelled again, slamming his hands to the arms of the chair and getting in her face. "You can have the fun but you won't face the consequences!"

"You have no room to talk about consequences!" Starr shot back, standing her ground and ignoring Marty's cries for her to back down. "You have spent your entire life since that night passing the blame so you don't have to face the fact that you're even worse than my father, so you don't have to shoulder any responsibility!"

"I will not be lectured about responsibilities by the girl who gave that poor child, her family's only shot at redemption, away to a deranged, psychopathic woman. God, you just accepted that she kidnapped your child and signed the papers to make the abduction permanent! What is so wrong in your head that you think that's okay, Starr?! You are seventeen- how are you already so severely damaged?!" he shouted in infuriation, before slowly taking a deep breath, beginning to return to his controlled state.

"I truly wanted to save you from your father, just as I want to save Marty, but I'm afraid it might be too late for you," Powell sighed. "You might just be broken beyond repair after everything this sick bastard has done to you. I don't know if this…" he brushed his hand across the top of her head. Starr shuddered, vaguely aware of Marty yelling at Powell not to touch her. "is fixable."

He smiled sadly, looking like an uncle gazing at his favorite niece as he twirled the knife in his hand, lightly singing to himself.

"And all the king's horses and all the king's men…you know the rest," he finished softly. "I don't think I or anyone else can put you back together again, Starr. But I can't just…let you leave," he informed her, lightly resting the blade of the knife against her forearm. Starr could feel the cold steel even through the sleeve of her shirt, and shivered violently, trying to swallow her terror. "I didn't come here to rid the world of Todd Manning just so his offspring could grow up to be him and start this disgusting cycle all over again. Your mother is a selfish, cruel, irresponsible little slut as well- you never had a chance, did you? You were destined to end up this way- your very blood is tainted," he hissed, slowly pushing the blade deeper to her arm and dragging it downwards.

Starr screamed as he drew blood, barely able to hear Marty's hysterical shouts, begging and threatening all at once, around the pounding noise in her ears, as the terror she'd been trying so hard to contain came rushing out in a great wave as she saw the red liquid trailing down her skin.

"Get away from her!"

Powell abruptly jerked away from her, straightening up and stumbling back as all three of them quickly looked to the doorway at the sound of the new voice, and Starr's jaw dropped at the sight of Jessica and Brody barreling into the room. Brody, the one who had called out, had seen what was going on first and already processed, but Jessica suddenly froze dead in her tracks at the sight of Starr, bleeding and tired to the chair, John unconscious behind her, then glanced the other way and gasped in horror at the sight of Todd, now also unconscious and rapidly bleeding out, and finally, her baby, wailing in Marty's embrace.

"Who the hell are you, and what the hell are you doing with my baby and the rest of my family?" she hissed, as Brody dashed across the room to Starr's side, quickly falling to his knees in front of her so they were eye to eye.

"Jessica, that's Powell Lord- he's been behind all the murders in town, he brought my parents here tonight because he wanted to kill my dad!" Starr cried. Jessica's eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh, God," she murmured softly.

"Starr, you're bleeding; what happened, where are you hurt?" Brody asked urgently, keeping her attention on him as Powell and Jessica began screaming back and forth about the family's wrongdoings and who Hope belonged with. He kept a protective stance in front of her, though he also kept turning to keep a watchful, worried eye on Jessica and Hope.

"Um, my arm, I think it's okay, it doesn't hurt so much anymore," Starr stuttered nervously, unable to take her eyes off of her cousin.

"And John?"

"Just knocked out; he's breathing fine, I checked."

Brody quickly pushed her ripped sleeve up, examining the cut she was bleeding from, and Starr swallowed roughly, shooting him a wild eyed gaze.

"Brody, I don't understand what's going on, what are you and Jessica doing here?" she whispered.

"We went into Hope's room to check on her only to discover that she was gone," Brody replied quietly, his shoulders tense as he recalled that heart-stopping moment.

He slowly clenched his fists, rage creeping into the corner of his mind as he thought about how the man responsible for the kidnapping of the child Brody considered his daughter in all ways but blood was right behind him, threatening and spewing hateful words at the woman he loved. He slowly took a breath and forced himself to shake it off; giving into rage had never done him any favors, and Jess could handle herself- one of the many things he loved about her. Starr needed his help more now.

He quickly shrugged his jacket off, tearing off a sleeve, and wrapped it tightly around her bleeding arm as a temporary bandage before continuing the explanation.

"Thank God we noticed a car speeding away from the house in time to follow it. We lost it a few times but managed to find our way here, and we saw the car parked out front and knew Hope had to be here."

"Oh, God, Brody, Rebecca- um, the girl who kidnapped Hope- is still in the house somewhere," she told him frantically. "What if she-"

"She's not a problem," Brody told her, smiling tightly as he finished tying the sleeve. "She attacked us when we first came into the house and Jess knocked her out."

"Did you guys see Schuyler when you were coming in too?" she asked desperately, scared that she hadn't seen any sign of him yet.

"Who's Schuyler?" Brody asked in confusion.

"Nevermind," she mumbled, disheartened as she anxiously continued to watch Jessica and Powell.

She realized after a moment they were both edging towards Marty, and thus, Hope, and swallowed nervously, frightened tears piercing her eyes. She had no idea if Schuyler and her mom were okay, Powell didn't seem done terrorizing them yet, and her dad…oh, God, her dad. Her eyes flickered to him reluctantly, and a sob tore from her lips as she saw the blood pooling around him, how still he was; Starr gasped for breath as her tears began to spill more rapidly and she realized she was starting to lose it again.

"Hey, Starr, it's okay," Brody murmured reassuringly, misunderstanding her panicked behavior. "Jessica and I are not about to let anything happen to Hope, and you're gonna be fine, the cut's shallow, okay? I just-"

"No, Brody…my dad," she said weakly. Brody nodded in grim understanding, not making her any false promises that Todd would be okay.

"Alright, I need you to listen to me, Starr," he told her, pulling out a pocketknife and sawing through the ropes. Starr sighed in relief, flinching when she saw she'd rubbed her skin raw, and cradled her injured arm to her chest. "Jessica and I are going to take care of Powell; while we're handling him, I need you to get to your father and try to stop the bleeding, alright?" he asked, handing her the pocketknife so she could cut Todd loose.

"Okay," she said quickly, accepting it as she sniffled and pulled herself together. "Oh, Brody, listen, Powell knocked John out with his gun and then threw it aside, it's gotta be somewhere by John still- in case you need it, or he starts to go over there, you know what he's doing."

"Got it," he said, nodding, as they both turned their attention back to Powell and Jessica.

"Powell, look," Jessica began softly, apparently having decided to switch tactics. "Right now, you're screwed, you have to see that. You're not getting away with this one, Powell. And when the cops show up, you're going to jail for numerous attempted murders and even more successful ones, several kidnappings, and probably a ton of other smaller charges- you're going to die in a prison cell, and you won't have changed a thing, you won't have helped anyone. But if you just walk away and leave us alone now, we can all forget this happened and you can get away; you were just trying to help, we know that, we can let you go. Please, Powell."

"You're right- I am trying to do the right thing, which is why I will never let you touch this baby again," he hissed. "You only have this child because you had a psychotic break and abducted her- what makes you think you have any right to her after that?"

"I am her mother, Powell. The way she came to me is awful, I'm not denying that, but we have bonded, and she knows me as her mom; we love each other, we're a family, and you have no right to interfere in that!"

"You have no right to pass your kidnapping victim off as your baby! Marty is the only one who deserves this child, and I will never let this family steal Hope from her again!"

"Powell, I know you're trying to protect me again, and I appreciate that so much, but I don't want you to do this," Marty told him gently, trying to appeal to his softer side. She had to speak up to be heard over Hope's crying, and Starr could see how it physically pained Jessica and Brody to see their daughter so scared and be unable to do a thing about it. Powell looked to Marty in confusion, a conflicted look in his eyes. "Jessica isn't my enemy, she's my friend, and I know she's a good mother. She can't help what her alter did, anymore than you can help what you did to me that night, but she loves her now, and she's all Hope knows. Please, understand that you're not helping me by trying to tear them apart."

"Marty…Marty, no!" Powell cried, cradling his head as, to Starr's shock, tears suddenly pierced his eyes. He looked back up with a manic glint in his eyes, and Starr knew there was no doubt Powell had officially lost the last little bit of sanity he'd been clinging to. "You're better than this! How could you let them fool you? She's not your friend, she's just manipulating you, and you're letting her, just like you let the Mannings! I want to help you, Marty, but you won't let me! And you obviously can't be trusted with her if it's Jessica's best interests you have at heart!" he spat, abruptly closing the distance between them and yanking Hope away from Marty.

"Get your hands off of her!" Brody exploded as Jessica screamed in outrage as well; Brody leapt up to stand beside Jess, and Starr took advantage of the moment to bolt to Todd.

She carefully climbed up beside her father, trying not to jolt the bed so she wouldn't cause her dad to move and make the blood spill out more rapidly. Her knees were instantly soaked in the blood that had already poured from the wound, and Starr felt a lump swell in her throat as she choked back her horror, the sounds of the other four in the room completely fading away as Todd became the only thing she could focus on.

She took a deep, steadying breath and carefully moved his jacket aside, locating the exact spot where he'd been stabbed; her stomach churned as she found it, and a sob once again escaped her as she forced herself not to look away. She didn't really know what to look for in this situation, but she noticed the wound seemed straight and narrow enough, clean, not jagged or rough; she prayed that meant something good.

"Dad," she whimpered as she pressed both of her hands tightly against the wound. She could feel his blood pulsing against her skin, and she cringed, biting her lip in frustration as small trails of it seeped through her fingers. "Dad, please wake up, please, please don't die," she begged. "Hold on for me, okay? And if not for me, for yourself. You're better than this, and you know it, you know this isn't how you want to go out- don't you dare let Powell win and get what he wants, please."

Suddenly, numerous shouts, a terrified cry from Hope, and the sound of bodies hitting the floor as a scuffle began broke through Starr's wall of concentration. Careful to not let her hands move the slightest bit, Starr awkwardly managed to crane her neck enough to see what was going on. Powell and Brody were rolling on the floor, locked in an intense struggle, and Jessica was hugging Hope tightly to her chest, crying tears of relief as she frantically kissed Hope over and over again, repeatedly telling her daughter how much she loved her and how scared she'd been. Starr realized Brody must have lunged Powell, forcing him to release Hope, and Jessica had caught her in time.

Brody managed to pin Powell beneath him and slammed his fist hard to his face, and Starr turned back around, assuming it was finally coming to an end. Jessica hurried over to Marty's side, still holding Hope tightly in one arm, and began to fumble with the ties around her other arm.

"Starr, how's Todd?" Jessica asked urgently.

"I…I don't know," Starr confessed tearfully. "He's not waking up and it seems like he's bleeding so much, and I'm so scared, Jessica."

"Hey, we're gonna get the paramedics here and he'll be just fine, sweetie, don't freak out; you're doing good, just keep it together."

Jessica managed to get the knots undone a minute later, and Marty looked at her gratefully, massaging her sore wrist for a second before grabbing the pocketknife where Starr had dropped it and cutting Todd loose. Jessica gave a tight smile and just nodded as Marty thanked her, hugging Hope tight once again and nuzzling her shoulder, breathing in her scent deeply.

A moment later, a door downstairs slammed loudly, and the three women startled, exchanging a tense, fearful look until a moment later, a voice called out.

"Starr?!"

"Oh, God," Starr choked out, crumpling as a wave of relief overwhelmed her as she finally heard her boyfriend's voice. Starr realized from the fear and panic in his tone that the sounds of a fight and the sight of Rebecca's unconscious body had to be worrying him, and she quickly responded, desperate to see him and desperately needing his help. "Schuyler! Schuyler!" she shrieked hysterically, waiting for him to just follow her voice.

"Schuyler?" Jessica asked slowly, furrowing her brow. "As in Joplin? What is your biology teacher doing he-"

Jessica was suddenly cut off by a loud thud from behind them, and the trio all whipped around to see that Powell had managed to kick Brody off of him. Before Brody could recover, Powell seized him by the neck and violently slammed his head into the metal leg of the desk.

"Brody!" Jessica wailed.

She quickly started to hand Hope back to Marty, intending to rush in and help, but Powell was already scrambling to his feet and moving. He scooped up the knife from where it had been flung during their struggle, lunged for the bed, and, before any of the women could do a thing, seized a fistful of Starr's hair and yanked her towards him. Starr screamed, both from the pain and seeing her father's blood begin to flow again as Powell tore her away, but abruptly went quiet as Powell placed the knife to her throat. She pressed her lips together tightly, crying silent tears of dread, knowing it would only take Powell a split second to kill her now.

"You know what? You're right, Jessica- I probably won't get away with this. But I can make sure you all pay for your crimes before I pay for mine."

"Powell, no, don't do this!" Marty cried desperately. Powell grit his teeth and simply shook her head.

"I have to do this…and it looks like I'll be starting with Todd's mini-me."

He started to push the knife harder against her throat and Starr braced herself in terror, waiting for the pain as she heard Jessica and Marty shriek, and, to her horror, instantly recognized the sound of Schuyler's terrified, infuriated, and hysterical voice as he arrived in the doorway and could only bellow 'No!' in response to what he was seeing. Oh, God, Schuyler shouldn't have to see this- he couldn't.

As it turned out, there was nothing for him to see, for Starr to be so afraid of; just as she tightly screwed her eyes shut, and she felt the blade pierce her skin and draw blood, a gunshot suddenly rang out. Starr's eyes flew open as the weight of the knife and the pressure on her hair disappeared, and she whipped around to see Powell lifeless on the floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound, and Brody, standing near John and holding his still smoking gun. Starr's hands flew to her neck, and she frantically felt her skin, releasing a shuddering, tearful breath when she felt that Powell only had time to draw the tiniest pinprick of blood, that she was okay afterall.

A split second later, Schuyler came dashing over, gently swept her off the bed, and crushed his arms around her in a hug tight enough to crack some ribs. Starr quickly threw a glance behind her at her father, saw Marty had taken her place, holding her hands over Todd's wound, and allowed herself a moment to just crumple into Schuyler's embrace and cling to him for dear life.

Schuyler was rambling frantically but between how quickly he was speaking and the current noise in the room, with Hope screeching again, Jessica and Brody speaking to each other rapidly and loudly, and Marty desperately trying to get Todd to wake up, Starr could barely understand a word of it- she only managed to catch 'I'm never leaving you again', several 'I love yous' and numerous death threats directed at Powell.

He pulled back slightly after a moment to look her over, and froze, appearing horrified, worried, and enraged all at once by the sight of the blood caking her jeans and the bloody fabric wrapped around her arm.

"Starr, what the hell did he-"

"It's not mine, most of it's not mine," she said quickly, still frantically feeling her throat up and down. "This is why I was screaming for you; Schuyler, it's my dad," she choked out simply, nodding to the bed. Schuyler peered around her and inhaled sharply, his eyes dark, and he turned back to Starr with a focused, urgent look.

"What happened?"

"Powell stabbed him!" Starr cried, wringing her bloody hands. "And he was bleeding for a while before I could get to him and try to cover the wound, it looks like so much came out, and he's completely out, and I don't know what to do for him, so you have to do something, Schuyler, please! I know you have every reason to hate him and want him dead, I don't blame you for that, he completely deserves that for what he's done to your family, but he's my dad and I love him, and you almost became a doctor so you actually might know what you're doing, and I just need you to try to help him, please," Starr begged as she rambled frantically, cradling her throbbing head. Schuyler pried her hands out of her hair, looking at her intensely.

"Hey, you don't even have to ask, you should know that," he said quietly, before turning his attention to Todd, carefully climbing onto the bed beside him. "I need a credit card."

Brody, who had been staring at Powell's limp body with a strangely conflicted, heavy expression, snapped to attention and quickly fished one out of his pocket, handing it over. Marty scooted away from Todd and off the bed over to Jessica, and both women shot Starr a mystified look, though Marty's expression was hardening as she recalled what Cole had told her about Starr and Schuyler.

Starr cautiously clambered up next to Schuyler, ready to assist if she was needed, and watched curiously as Schuyler held the credit card over her father's wound instead of using his hands as she had; she saw that it eliminated the problem she'd had with the blood escaping through her fingers.

"Smart," she said softly, nodding to the card.

"It creates a seal- keeps the blood in but also keeps the air out so we don't risk a collapsed lung," he explained quickly. "Spreads the pressure and the blood out evenly too. Okay, I need to get his chest elevated- Starr, can you support his side and help me sit him up? Lean him towards you once we get him up."

"Okay," she said nervously, doing as he said. Schuyler hesitated once they had him up, looking around the room like he was searching for something.

"What, what's wrong?"

"I'm trying to think of some way we can get him out of the house without moving his body around too much and speeding up the process."

"Wait, get him out?" Jessica asked anxiously, soothingly rubbing Hope's back now that she'd gotten her to calm down. "Why? I thought you were supposed to keep them as still as possible until paramedics came."

"Usually, but unfortunately, we don't have time to wait- there's a gas leak in the basement, and I don't know how long it's been there," he informed them grimly. Jessica gasped softly, looking to Brody.

"You said you thought you smelled something weird when we first came into house, it must have been leaking for a while for you to already smell it from up here. He's right, we have to go."

"The basement? Oh my God, my mom!" Starr cried, ashamed of herself for taking so long to ask about her even though she knew logically it was no wonder, considering what they were dealing with. "Is that where you found her? Did you find her, is she-"

"Your mom is completely fine, Starr, I promise," Schuyler quickly reassured her. "Yes, I found her and Tea in the basement. She was nearly passed out when I got to her, a little roughed up and completely exhausted, but she was conscious and talking when I carried her out and she seemed okay."

"And Tea?"

"Tea…needs to get to a hospital," Schuyler replied hesitantly, not wanting to scare her. "I already called 911, they should be here soon, so she'll be alright. But we need to have your dad waiting for the ambulance too, out of this house," he sighed, looking around once more. He focused in on something, his eyes lighting up with an idea. "We can put him in one of the chairs! I can hold him steady to the chair and keep him from moving a lot less than if we just carried him."

"Good idea," Brody agreed, grabbing the chair Starr had been in and wheeling over. He paused as he reached Powell's side and had to steer around him, swallowing roughly as he looked sick to his stomach.

"Guys…what do we do about them?" he asked quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Jessica asked him in confusion.

"They're not dead yet- Powell and Rebecca. What do we do with them?" Brody asked, his tone deeply conflicted.

"Leave them," Schuyler snapped instantly.

Starr glanced to her boyfriend in surprise. She'd been waiting for someone to ask that question, but she'd been expecting him to take the opposite side from her, to say they shouldn't play God and should take them with them for the police to deal with. Frankly, she was glad he said what she was thinking. Starr was all about forgiveness and second chances most of the time, but she had enough Manning in her to feel that sometimes, people needed to get what they deserved, and the sight of her father struggling for life was proof that being left in the house as the gas leaked out was exactly what these two had coming.

"My thoughts exactly," Jessica snorted, rolling her eyes dismissively. "Screw them." Brody hesitated, appearing uncomfortable, and Jessica softened with understanding, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "Brody, he's not an innocent; you had to shoot him to save Starr, and we just don't have time to waste now saving a murderer, this says nothing about you."

Starr was confused for a moment, then suddenly recalled what Jessica had once told her about Brody's past and gasped, sympathy rushing through her; she knew that after the incident that had caused his PTSD in the first place, Brody had to be incredibly reluctant to ever take another life, even indirectly.

"I just don't know if it's our place to-"

Schuyler impatiently reached out with his free hand and seized Starr's; he pulled it up, showing off her arm bloodied from Powell's attack, her wrists painfully red from the ties, Todd's blood soaking her hands.

"And that's just the physical evidence of what he did. He was going to slit her throat, do you understand that? Leave them," he hissed again darkly. "If we take them with us, I promise you I will kill him myself, with my bare hands, so it's pointless," he spat. Starr looked at Schuyler in slight alarm- he didn't sound like he was exaggerating, not even a little bit.

"Agreed," Marty chimed in, gazing at Powell hatefully now that she no longer had to pretend to feel in debt to him. "It's the least of what they deserve."

Brody nodded reluctantly, and finished pushing the chair to the bedside. Suddenly, just as Schuyler and Brody began discussing the best way to transfer him, Todd emitted a soft groan of pain. They all froze, slowly looking to Todd as if waiting to see if they'd imagined it, but the groan was followed moments later by several hard coughs. Schuyler carefully watched him with bated breath, only inhaling when what he'd been waiting for didn't happen.

"He's not coughing up blood."

"That's good, right?" Starr asked hopefully, watching her father like a hawk.

"That's good; I can't say for sure, but it looks to me like Powell didn't hit anything vital, which is very good. Todd," he said the man's name loudly, lightly slapping his fingers against his cheeks. "Todd, you with us?"

"Dad?" Starr tried as well.

Todd's eyes slowly fluttered open, and he gazed around wearily, spotting Schuyler first; his eyes instantly narrowed, and Schuyler nearly laughed. Even when he was suffering from a knife wound to the chest, Todd clearly wanted to throttle him.

"What the hell…" he paused, gritting his teeth and struggling to breathe, making a painful sounding wheezing noise that brought tears to Starr's eyes. "…are you doing here?"

"I was with your daughter when we heard the news, I came with her," he informed him calmly, wanting to encourage that anger to keep him awake and in a fighting mood. Sure enough, Todd looked ready to attack, and Schuyler smirked. "You can't kill me if you don't make it out of this alive, right? So I need you to try and stay alert, and do whatever you need to get through this. You're not going to do this to Starr; after everything you've already put her through, you're not going to make her watch you die too, so hang in there," he ordered firmly. "We have to get out of the house, so Brody and I are gonna move you- if the pain gets worse, tell me." Schuyler looked to Starr now, dropping his voice so only she could hear. "Hold the card in place, and try and keep him aware, we're going to move him in a sec."

Schuyler carefully shifted Todd so Starr was holding the credit card down and could support him on her own, then slid off the bed; Starr gently cupped her dad's cheek and turned him so he could see her.

"Dad," she choked out, more tears rapidly spilling over. "I love you so much, okay? You know that, right? I don't care about your past, I love you."

"I love you too," he replied weakly. She sniffed, smiling.

"I know, and I need that to be enough, okay? I need you to fight, for me, promise you will."

Todd simply nodded, taking the hand that was still resting on his cheek and squeezing it tight in his.

A few minutes later, Brody and Schuyler had gotten Todd situated in the chair and were lifting it up to carry down the stairs; Marty and Jessica had gotten John untied and were carrying him between them by his arms and ankles, and Starr was holding Hope, and still holding the credit card in place, carefully walking in step with Schuyler and Brody. Hope had begun crying as soon as Jessica handed her over, and Starr struggled not to let it get to her when she had to focus so strongly, even though she'd be lying if she said it didn't pain her. Starr never regretted letting Jessica adopt Hope, and she knew being a teen mother never would have been the right path her, but moments like this did occasionally hurt her, make her wonder what if for just a fleeting moment.

They finally got outside and away from the house after a painstakingly slow journey down the stairs and met up with her mom, who was sitting guard over Tea's beaten, unconscious body on the lawn. As the rest of the group exchanged frantic hugs and explanations, Starr saw Schuyler wrapping Brody's discarded jacket around her dad, making sure to keep him warm as he attended to his wound and continued speaking with him to keep him conscious, and she felt her heart swell with love to know he would fight so hard to keep a man he despised alive just for her.

Two ambulances showed up soon after and took Starr's parents and Tea to the hospital, the paramedics assuring them the cops would be there soon, along with another ambulance for Starr and John, and so Brody, Marty, Hope and Schuyler (due to his exposure to gas in the basement) could be examined just for safety.

Once they were left alone again, Starr slowly exhaled, finally feeling like she could just breathe and take a moment to think now that the chaos and terror were over. She looked to Schuyler, who just gave her a thin smile and wordlessly opened his arms to her. Starr collapsed into his embrace with a content sigh; the medics had said her family would be okay, they had all made it out safely, and she was where she belonged, in Schuyler's arms, that was all she needed.

"I knew I shouldn't have left you," he murmured, voice thick with guilt as his fingers lightly touched the makeshift bandage on her arm.

"Schuyler, please don't do that," Starr groaned. "I still would have gotten hurt if you'd been there, Powell would have tied you up and knocked you out just like he did to John, and my mom, dad, and Tea would probably be all be dead right now," she reminded him, shuddering at the thought, before glancing up at him with a tender gaze. "You saved both of my parents lives tonight, Schuyler, even after everything my father has done to you, I…I don't even know where to begin, how I could possibly thank you enough for that."

"You don't ever have to thank me, you know that. I would do anything for you, Starr, in a heartbeat."

"And vice versa, for the record," she told him warmly, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck. "Have I mentioned recently that I love you?"

"You may have said something along those lines," he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her hair. "I love you, Starr."

The duo were so wrapped up in each other that neither of them noticed Jessica and Brody flat out staring at them with wide, stunned eyes.

".God. Oh my God!" Jessica whispered to Brody frantically. "Are they…?"

"Well, it definitely looks like they are."

"They are," Marty sighed in confirmation, wrinkling her nose and looking away.

"Starr and her teacher? Oh my God!" she softly cried again in disbelief, shaking her head as she watched them embrace tightly. "Somebody's got some explaining to do…"

End Chapter

Lol, poor John. I've taken his two big hero moments on the show, saving Todd from Zach and Powell, and made him completely useless during them both.

Also, the medical stuff with Todd comes from spending 5 minutes on google/yahoo answers, so I basically have no idea what I was talking about- I didn't think it was a big deal, nobody's reading this for medical accuracy, right? Lol. I can tell you now his recovery time is probably not going to be anymore realistic, but look, on the show itself he gets his freaking throat slit and isn't even speaking with so much as a rasp ten seconds later, so I think that gives me some leeway, hee. Oh, and a quick note- since the basement didn't collapse in on Tea in this version, but she still has her serious injuries, let's just say Powell beat her up worse than in the show and that's how she got so hurt.