Missing

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Abil you're right, but I wanted Andre to go out in his best friend's arms-which was why I had Beck and Jade present. However, my intentions probably would have called for a shot in a different area, but I could have had Andre simply bleed out as well. There are many ways that scene could have gone indeed. Without further ado my readers, enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 34 (Reuniting Mother and Daughter)

The backseat of the van felt crowded, as Tori was in the back between Cat and her sister. Trina's head was on her shoulder and her hand was clutching hers firmly. She'd never seen Trina so traumatized in her life, but she was happy to finally have her sister out. "We're almost home Trina. You'll get to see Victoria soon." She put her arm around Trina's shoulder and kissed the girl on her temple. "You know who else you're going to get to see?"

"Who?" Trina's eyes darted up and she smiled sadly.

"Monica." Trina looked up with confusion while Cat raised an eyebrow. "Your birth mom." The woman's jaw fell open and her head rose sharply. "She and Dad met up a few weeks ago, they're really hitting it off."

"I can't believe it. I…I never thought I'd get to see her." Trina's head bowed and tears lined up at her eyes. "Cat was the one trying to tell me to be optimistic. I didn't think you, much less Jade, would be trying so hard to even look for me." Tori chuckled softly and glanced to the middle row of seats in the van. Beck, Jade and Jesse were seated there.

Jade twisted partially and hung her arm over the chair. Her eyes were misty and her face long, very likely the girl still wasn't over having been used in Andre's death. "I should ask why you think I wouldn't push so hard to find you, but I understand." She reached out to Trina and waited for the girl to take her hand. When she did, Jade smiled reassuringly and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry for the way we were in high school, Trina. Believe me when I say it's good to have you back."

"Thanks." Trina pulled her hand away and turned her head to the window. Tori looked in the rearview mirror with a confident smile, their van was blocked by squad cars in the front, back and either side of them. The news vans were out of sight. "Congratulations on your marriage…About Andre, he was a good guy. We wanted him to make it out too." She bowed her head and closed her eyes. "I don't want him to be remembered as a bad guy. He did everything he could to protect us."

"We will try to remember him that way," Tori answered, "I can't say the same about the news media. I imagine we'll tell them he was responsible in our finding you." In a way, Andre was responsible. If Rick and Jesse hadn't followed Holly to the mansion, the phone call from Andre would have told them exactly where to go regardless.

"There will be a lot of activity for a while," Jesse remarked with a shrug. Trina looked up as he turned back to her. "Social media, the news…of course this reached national. Just like those girls back in 2013." She was going to do everything she could to protect Trina from the throes of the media, especially social media.

"Facebook is long gone now, but of course there's a new thing that replaced Facebook and Twitter. A networking site called Wallspeak, but for the record Trina, I'd personally like you to stay off of it." Trina pursed her lips and Cat jerked her head back in surprise. "If you get on a networking site like that, the people will start bombarding you and intruding into your life just because you've made national attention."

Trina's nose crinkled and she shook her head from side to side. "Ugh…Maybe you're right, I don't want a bunch of people I don't know asking me questions. I remember Facebook from years ago…I wonder if my account is still active."

"Doubtful." Facebook shut down about five years ago, many inactive accounts were purged. "Even if it was, I would suggest deactivating it." She didn't want to start regulating and pressuring Trina, but some stability in her life would be important right now.

"Well, regardless of all that, I just want to see my little girl right now." Trina pulled her knees up and hugged them against her body. "I've been without Victoria for too long." Trina inhaled slowly and turned back to Tori. "You know, Gary's the reason Victoria survived." Tori opened her mouth in surprise and saw her father look back from the front seat.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean that when I was pregnant with Victoria, Holly wanted to kill her…She didn't want me to complete my term." Tori's heart broke as she listened to her sister's trembling voice. "Gary did everything he could to convince Holly that I should have my baby. After that, he and Andre were the ones that ended up making sure Victoria survived everything. She's alive because of them."

"Seems like we could have helped them," Beck muttered, "At least Andre. We could have gotten him some help." The thoughts going through Tori's mind were against Andre, as grateful as she was that he did what he could to help Trina and Cat, she didn't feel like he would have made it out of that mansion and into a life of freedom. He would have gone straight to prison, and most likely he would have received a life sentence.

She leaned her head back against the seat and let her shoulders fall. "Maybe he didn't want you two to deal with watching him go through trial." Cat and Trina turned their heads to her. "He may have had a hand in saving the two of you, and you're emotionally connected to him for that reason, but the law and media would have torn him apart."

Even though they finally rescued them, it was understandably difficult for everyone to be thrilled or excited. Nobody had dry eyes, and everyone was happy, but the gravity of everything was still sinking in. They went in with the intention of arresting all those involved, but those that died weighed heavily on them, and of course Andre's death hit them the hardest.

When they found the gun Andre had was on safety, Beck and Jade broke down and couldn't stop bawling for what seemed an eternity. Tori herself had very little reaction, primarily because of all her anger at the man. Even now, she was still processing the things that Cat and Trina said he'd done to protect them.

For their sake, she was happy she didn't run into him. If it had been her, she might have shot him without a second thought. It frightened her how close she came to becoming a monster. If she had taken that shot, if she killed Holly, then it very likely would have destroyed her.

"I'm glad to have you back, Trina. I just wish Rick was able to see you." Trina pursed her lips and the others in the car frowned. "He is my boyfriend, and a fellow detective. I was too proud to tell anyone because I'm sick of people butting into my personal life, but…he was going to propose."

"What happened to him?"

"We caught Holly," Jesse answered, "Or at least we saw her and followed her to the mansion. She followed us back, ran us off the road." Tori looked to the side and Trina's eyes grew tremendously. "He's in a coma right now. The doctors say he'll wake up, the question everyone's asking now is 'when?'"

Tori figured she needed to hold out hope. If this experience taught her anything, it was that holding out hope for something positive to happen was better than expecting nothing.

Trina's hand constricted around Tori's and her eyebrows fell flat. "I um, I know Sinjin's moved on, by the way." She raised an eyebrow at her sister, then looked towards Cat as though expecting the redhead to have the answer. "Somehow Andre and Robbie found out. Is he at least happy?"

"As far as I can tell. Yeah." She didn't know for certain, but he didn't seem to question his relationship. "I didn't tell him about Victoria yet, Trina. I don't think he even knows we found you." Trina's jaw dropped and Jesse glanced back with a frown.

"Why didn't you tell him about his daughter or about Trina?" She curled her hair over her ear and shrugged.

"I was going to leave it in Trina's hands. He's engaged to Haley, a woman that was cruel to us back in high school. She doesn't like kids very much, it seems." Trina's eyes fell and her muscles tightened. "Tri?"

"I'd like to talk about this later," Trina replied calmly, "I want to be with Jesse, and I am pregnant with Jesse's baby." Jesse's lips curled up a slight bit and Trina's gaze drifted to him. "I think Victoria likes Jesse because she knows him where she doesn't know Sinjin. Still…I feel like she ought to at least know who her real father is. M-Maybe I should talk to Haley first, though. I don't want to do anything if she's anything like Holly."

"That's understandable." She saw her home down the street and smiled at Monica and Victoria standing in the front yard. Victoria was clutching her grandmother's hand and leaning forward on her toes. "Trina, look in front of us."

Trina moved her hand up over her mouth and broke into a fit of tears when she spotted her daughter. "She looks so beautiful, so happy…"

"She's eager to see you."

The car came to a stop at the curb and the others in the vehicle looked towards Trina. "I think we'll let you three out first," David suggested. Tori rolled her eyes and smiled at him before motioning for Cat to open the door. Cat pushed the door out and was the first to step outside.

Tori scooted over and placed a hand over Trina's. She met the woman's anxious gaze and smiled warmly at her. "Are you ready?" Trina held her breath and gazed out.

"I-I never thought I'd see freedom again. I never thought I'd see my daughter again, much less meet my own birth mom."

"I know. It's a lot to take in, I bet."

Trina reached forward, hugging Tori's neck tightly and weeping into her shoulder. "I love you, sis." The gesture brought her to tears of her own and compelled her to take her sister into her arms.

"I love you too." She leaned back and slid her hands along Trina's upper arms and shoulder. "There will be plenty of time for us to catch up. Your daughter has been waiting for a month now, let's not keep her waiting any longer."

"Yeah…and Monica too, my mother-I was supposed to meet her all those years ago."

"And now you can." Tori motioned for her to follow as she exited the vehicle and stepped to the right. Her heart burst with pride when she saw Victoria's tearful eyes meet with her mother's. The minute Trina emerged, Victoria broke from Monica and ran for Trina, crying joyously.

Trina fell to her knees and caught Victoria in her arms, weeping with the child. Monica walked over and set her hand to Trina's shoulder, earning a quick look from the woman. With that gesture, Trina stood and hugged her birth mom close. Victoria threw her arms around both women, and all three continued to weep.

Tori was moved to tears and looked away in an attempt to keep from an intense cry. Her heart screamed for joy, and the tears were already falling.

There was still more work to be done, and one hell of a trial was coming up. She didn't want to pressure Trina just yet, but she would have to know if both Trina and Cat would be able to testify in court against Holly.

While looking back to the trio, she lamented over the heavy questions she'd have to ask. They could wait, for now she didn't want to ruin such a beautiful moment.

Indeed the story does not end here. There are still many questions to be answered-including more surprises along the way. The trial is also something that must happen.