Missing

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 33 (The Guardian's Release)

Andre poked his head into the basement, he was breathing heavily and soaked in blood. Downstairs, he could see the three criminals that had been waiting in the kitchen. Hector, Jeremy and Ralph were aiming their guns on the cell door, waiting for Jesse to open the door. "So fucking close." Andre looked towards the pistol he grabbed off Leonard's body and felt the blood in his body pulsating in swift rivets.

"I am going to die today, not her." He removed his gun and stepped fully in the doorway, aiming down at the three men. "I picked a fine time to run out of blow darts." He pulled back the hammer and aimed for the strongest looking man. "Three shots…all I need…"

Without hesitation he pulled the trigger and watched as an explosion of blood burst from the back of Hector's head. Ralph and Jeremy spun around and began firing shots. On instinct he leapt to the side, but felt a stinging sensation in his gut. He pressed his back against the wall and pushed his hand to his right side, groaning as fresh blood rushed through his fingers.

"Son of a bitch that hurts!" He clenched his teeth and screamed out. "Motherfuckers!" He turned his head to the side and brought his gun up to his chest. "Ralph! Jeremy! Ceasefire immediately! It's over, the mansion has been taken."

"It's not over by a long shot!" Jeremy screamed. "We're ordered to stand guard. If Holly falls, we're to kill the captive. Plain and simple." He removed his belt, then his shirt, working fast to press it against the gunshot wound. He then wrapped the belt around the shirt and his stomach, and pulled it as tight as he could.

"You're making a big mistake guys." He leaned into view and fired another shot into the darkened basement. Ralph dropped his gun and let out a powerful scream. "Oh I'm sorry, did I shoot your ass?"

"Kill the bastard, Jeremy!" Ralph bent over to grab his gun and Jeremy fired another shot. Andre bolted out of sight just as the bullet rushed past his hair. His heart began pounding and all the wounds on his body left over from his fight with Leonard were now pumping fresh blood. He didn't have long before he bled out.

"This is the end of the line for you two. You're the last ones left, everyone else on the list has been apprehended. You've lost, the fight is over." He stepped into view and fired another shot, this time striking Jeremy in the crevice between his collarbones. Jeremy collapsed to the floor, his hand flew over the wound and his body began convulsing.

Ralph leaned up and fired another shot. Andre felt a burning pain in his right leg, and his right knee started to buckle. "Shit!" He stepped out of the way and sucked in through his teeth while looking down at his wound. The bullet wasn't embedded, but it tore a small chunk of his leg from his body. "Come on Ralph. It's just me and you now. You should know backup is coming, and you're going to die. Do you want to die, Ralph?"

"I'm not going back to jail." Ralph began ascending the stairs, which was exactly what Andre wanted. He took this moment to flee the kitchen, which wasn't easy to do with a bad leg.

"I'm afraid you don't have much choice. Neither do I."

"Where the hell do you think you're going?"

His eyes flew to the window of the front room. He could see Jade with her back turned, she was talking to the officers that surrounded her. Beck was standing in front of her as well, nodding to whatever it was she was saying.

A wave of guilt and nostalgia struck him, and his muscles started to relax as he slowly approached the window. "I'm making my final stand, Ralph." The things he'd done were unforgivable, but he'd more than atoned for all his crimes. Still, he killed a man in cold blood, even though it was out of revenge. "I've become a monster. How could I ever face Beck, Jade, or even Tori?"

No, he'd planned this for the longest time. Now with Jade standing where she was, the perfect opportunity had presented himself.

He bent over and ran his hand over the wound on his leg, then hissed as a shockwave of pain vibrated from his touch. Andre turned his head over his shoulder where Ralph was standing with his gun aimed on him.

"You're not going anywhere, Andre. I'll kill you here."

"You haven't earned that right, Ralphie." Ralph raised an eyebrow as Andre's head rolled to the side and his lips stretched into a smirk. "You've not earned the right to kill me-however you have earned the right to go to hell. See you soon."

"Wha-" Andre twitched his arm up and aimed the gun to Ralph, pulling the trigger without hesitation. Ralph's eyes widened and he fell against the wall. Blood pumped out of the man's right cheekbone.

"Sorry man, but like I said, the fight is over."

He took a deep breath and made his way to the window. He cocked his gun and closed his eyes. There was only one way he was going to achieve his final goal of the day, and it was by force. Trina was safe now, as was Cat, so his job was finished.

"I'm coming Dad. Tell Miles, Louie, Mom and Olivia…Grandma too…I'm coming."

"Forgive me for this." He used all his strength to push himself through the window, startling all of the officers present. His left arm swung around Jade's throat and he extended his gun out to the others. "Nobody fucking move!" Jade's hands flew up to his arm and Beck's jaw fell open.

"Andre? Andre what are you doing?"

Andre pointed the gun to Beck and narrowed his eyes. "It's been a long time, Beck. Not a day has gone by I haven't wondered how you've been doing." Beck cleared his throat and brought his left palm up while hovering his right hand over his gun.

"Andre, let my wife go. It doesn't have to be like this, man."

"The hell it doesn't." He knew what would happen after this, and he didn't want to give Cat the pain and anguish of having to see him go on trial. "You don't know what shit I've done, the shit I'm capable of. Murder, robbery-I was even the one that killed Robbie. Gunned him down on the spot." He feigned a malicious sneer and narrowed his eyes. "You think I won't do that right here? Right now?"

"He's bluffing!" Jade screamed. Andre rolled his eyes and shot a glare to the woman.

"Please tell me you haven't become the optimistic one over the last nine years." The Jade he remembered would be telling Beck to shoot him. He knew Beck wouldn't do it willingly. "Now shut up and be a good hostage." He didn't need her trying to persuade Beck not to pull that gun. The other officers started making motions with their own weapons, so he aimed the gun on them. "None of you make any movements. This is between me, and my former best friend."

Jade turned her head up and tried to kick back, but Andre had his legs spread apart so she couldn't strike him. "Andre, why are you doing this? You don't need to do this, we can help you."

"Jade. Shut up. Now." He growled out his words and tightened his grip around her neck. He mainly wanted to keep her quiet, hurting her was the last thing he wanted. "All that matters is the two women in there are safe. Now, Beck, you'd better shoot me. If you don't shoot me, I'm going to shoot your wife."

He was thrilled to see that the two were married now, of course he saw it coming years before. Beck removed the gun from his hip and Jade screamed for him to keep it holstered. She wanted to talk him out of this insanity, but his mind was made up.

"Beck please, he's not going to do it. He isn't going to do it, I know he won't. Just talk to him, please talk to him and keep your gun lowered."

"What part of you makes you believe I'm not capable of killing you right now?" He began to pale and turned his eyes down to the two bullet wounds on his body. "I've lost a lot of blood. Jesus."

"I don't want to shoot you," Beck spoke with a soft urgency in his voice. Andre's gaze shifted to him and his lips pulled back into a deeper frown. "Please Andre, let her go. We were friends once, I don't want or need your blood on my hands."

"I'm going to die one way or another, Beck. I'm a sick dog, and there is only one person in this world I want putting me down. That's you." He watched the lump in Beck's throat fall, then narrowed his eyes. "I've been shot in the stomach, and in the leg. I've been cut, throttled, and somehow I still stand. Whatever part of you thinks I'm not going to kill Jade right now, I'd like for you to forget it."

"It doesn't have to be like this!"

"It does, Beck. You don't understand. It does." Of course he wouldn't kill Jade, but he needed Beck to believe he would. Andre pressed the nozzle of the gun to Jade's left temple and swept his finger across the safety in a way he hoped nobody would see him clicking it on.

"Andre don't!" He could see the sweat trickling down Beck's face. Beck's chest was moving erratically and a vein was bulging from his neck. "Let her go, please!" Jade held her breath and closed her eyes.

"Hey Beck. You remember the Saturday night before I went away?" Beck furrowed his brow and Andre started to smile.

"Yeah. We went to that festival with Tori, and you said you wanted to find the girls."

"I thought I had a lead. Turns out I did. Holly forced me to kill, some of the killings I enjoyed doing. The criminals that I've killed in the last month? I enjoyed those. I just killed Leonard for what he did to my sister-enjoyed it."

"Andre…"

"I'm not the same person I once was, Beck. I can't live with the guilt that I have over the things I've done. I know they won't keep me in prison long because I was forced to do a lot of shit. Seeing you again…I remember all the things we used to do growing up, but I also remember a lot of negativity."

"Man, it's over. It's in the past."

"I don't know how we got away with half the shit we did." He laughed bitterly and winced as his leg started to grow numb. "Lying to Trina's dad several times over the years, even lying to Tori. We didn't respect that family, and Holly took advantage of that fact. She thought we hated Trina as much as she did, but none of us did. I-I made sure Cat wasn't forced to do anything. Cat did nothing, she's clean-she's pure, perfect."

Beck's eyebrows meshed together and Jade bowed her head.

"I love that woman, man. Trina and Victoria too. They deserve happiness, they don't deserve a constant reminder of the pain they've suffered-and that's all I am to them. All I would be. You'll have to kill me, Beck. Please."

"Andre, I'm not going to do that."

"It's what I want!" Beck flinched as his voice bellowed into the open sky. Beck pressed his lips together and Andre's glare sharpened. "I'm not asking permission. I'm telling my best friend to do this. I know it's not easy, and I swear to god, I will kill your wife if it makes you shoot me."

"He's still bluffing," Jade muttered.

"Oh for god sake shut up, Jade." Still with the safety on, he pushed her down to the ground and aimed the gun at her. Her eyes widened and her hands flew in front of her face.

"Goddamn it!" Beck rushed forward and wrapped an arm around Andre's neck. Andre looked into Beck's eyes as his friend pulled him into a one armed hug and pressed the nose of the gun to Andre's chest. His body flinched as a bullet tore through him. "Why Andre?" Jade trembled and a sob broke from her quivering lips. "Why did you make me do it?"

"Because you were my best friend. My only friend, the last person in this world I had left." He dropped to his knees and fell onto his back. Beck knelt beside him and Jade pulled herself up to bury her face into her husband's shoulder. "I love you man…thank you…"

A smile grew on his face as Beck dropped his head and let the tears flow. He heard a startled cry echo through the sky and turned his head sideways. Cat and Trina were standing in the doorway with Jesse, Sam, and Tori.

Cat ran to his side, crying his name and throwing her arms around him. His hand moved to her back and her eyes met his. "It was always going to end this way, Cat. Don't cry for me. Be strong."

"I-I need you Andre. I should have told you before, I'm pregnant. Andre please…" His heart flickered and he let out a soft groan. He wasn't sure that information would have changed much, he still would likely have gone to prison either for a short term or the rest of his life.

"Be a strong mother then. You're safe, and that's all that matters…I'm sorry." He saw David walking out with Holly and a few officers. Holly was in a wheelchair, her hands were cuffed and her face was bent downwards, letting her hair shroud her face.

For a moment, he thought he saw his parents, siblings and grandmother standing nearby. They were waiting to take him to the other side. His hand moved over Cat's, and he smiled at the girl.

His wish to see Cat and Trina safe had come true, and with that, he closed his eyes to relish in the final moments of his life.

Show of hands who saw that coming? Yeah, I didn't think so. I'd like to point out to the anon reviewer whose only comment was "there is no bade in this, btw": Don't be an idiot and try reading-not only are they the supporting characters, but the story in itself is obviously not meant to have full blown romantic moments. Beck and Jade are a married couple who love each other, they have two kids (and will have a third on the way). A story like this, moments of love are constantly present with couples but they're made up of those subtle moments such as cuddling, holding hands, and so on. There's plenty of "bade", and as much as is needed for a supporting married couple!

Now, aside from that, this chapter was about Andre. The girls are finally safe, and he has made true his final wish, the last thing he saw was their being safely led out of the mansion. This chapter was intense, he took on the role of the judge, jury and executioner for so many including himself, and of course he has a guilt complex. It's a bit of a sad chapter though

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