Two months had passed. Juliette loved having the apartment full of children. While she loved her children as an extra precaution she got on the pill. She wanted more someday but not anytime soon. As much as Juliette hated to admit it Rick was a great father. It was clear to her that he loved Nick. They alternated weekends on who would get him. Juliette was excited. John was flying in soon. He was going to be there Thursday through Sunday. Juliette and Lexie were in the kitchen. They heard crying on the baby monitor. Lexie reached for it and handed it to Juliette.
"Thank you." Juliette said. "I know he's awake I'm going to get him right now." She went upstairs.
The front door opened.
"Hello?" John said.
"Daddy." Lexie said running to him. He picked her up.
"Hey sweetie." "Where's mommy?" Lexie pointed upstairs.
"Nick up."
"Oh."
"Hi John." Juliette said coming down the stairs with Nick in her arms.
"Hi." When she got to him they kissed. "Hi buddy." He said looking at Nick. "Did you have a nice nap?"
"How was your flight?"
"Fine."
"Hungry?"
"I'm starving."
"Wanna order a pizza?"
"Sure."
A few hours later it was time to put Lexie to bed.
"Ok Lexie time for bed." Juliette said.
"No." Lexie said.
"Alexandria you do not say no to mommy." John said. Lexie climbed up on the couch with John. She hugged him.
"Daddy."
"Want daddy to do it?" She nodded. "Ok." He picked her up. "Give your mommy a kiss." Lexie kissed her cheek.
"Goodnight Lexie." Juliette said. "I love you."
"Love you mommy." Lexie said. John took her upstairs and her to bed.
As Juliette was cleaning up downstairs, John was putting away some clothes in the dresser drawers that Juliette had cleaned out for him. He took the ring box out of his bag and hid it under some clothes. He was planning on proposing sometime this weekend. When Juliette came up about ten minutes later John was laying in bed. She laid down next to him.
"My poor baby." He said. "You look exhausted."
"I am."
"Let's take the kids to the park tomorrow." "It's supposed to be nice."
"Ok that'll be fun." "For now…She snuggled up to him…I just wanna go to sleep." They kissed. She closed her eyes.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight John I love you."
"I love you too."
The next morning Juliette woke up. John woke up a few minutes later.
"Good morning." He said.
"Good morning."
"You look a lot more rested then you did last night."
"I feel a lot better."
"Good."
"I'm surprised Nick didn't wait up in the middle of the night."
"He did." "I fed him."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." They kissed. John started kissing her neck.
"Honey."
"Hmm."
"What, mmmm, are you doing?"
"Well I haven't seen you in three weeks." "You tell me."
"We can't right now." They kissed.
"The kids."
"They're sleeping." As soon as John said that Nick started to cry.
"See?"
"Nick I love you buddy but give stepdaddy a break."
"Aw." Juliette got up to get Nick.
They all had a nice day at the park. When it was getting dark John decided to go to the gym. By the time he felt it was dark. He was putting his gym bag in the backseat when suddenly something metal hit John in the back of the head hard. It knocked him out.
John awoke to having cold water dumped on his face.
"Rise and shine asshole." Rick said. John had to blink his eyes a few times. He saw he was in a basement. His head was killing him. He was tied to a chair.
"You." "I knew you were crazy."
"Crazy?" "No John I'm not crazy." "I just want my family back." "The family you took from me." "Before you came back Juliette and I were happy."
"If you hurt her I swear-
"Hurt her." "I'd never hurt Juliette." "I love her." "You on the other hand." "I'm going to hurt you." "I'm going to kill you." He said smiling evilly.
"You sick fuck."
"Now that's not nice." Rick punched John in the face. "Damn that felt good." "I have a place for you." "I have it all picked out." "First I want to have some fun." "I was going to kill you quick but I decided you don't deserve that." "You deserve to be killed slowly, painfully." Rick hit John in the face until he saw blood in his mouth. "See after you disappear I'll be the one consoling Juliette." "We'll be a family again." "Me, her, our son and our daughter."
"Alexandria is mine." John said looking at him angrily.
"Not for long." Rick picked up the hunting knife and jammed it as hard as he could into the side of John's shoulder.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" John screamed out in pain.
"Did that hurt John?" Rick said smiling. "Good." "Let me know if this hurts more." Rick took some salt poured it in his hand and rubbed it in John's knife wound.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!
"That hurt to?" "I'm going to bed now but tomorrow the fun starts up again." "Oh and you can scream your head off." "This basement is soundproof." "No one can hear you."
"Fuck you."
"Have a good night." "This will be the last place you ever see alive." "I'll have fun waiting for that last breath." Rick went upstairs. John heard the door lock.