A month has gone by, Ace and Graham are growing closer, but still don't realize that they are neighbors. She is on her bed, "are you ready for school on Monday?"

"I am, how was your first long weekend here in the states?"

"It was fun, spent time with my family."

"So are you telling me Mel and her Mum are family now?"

"Shh, yes I am. Just don't tell anyone."

"I won't." Graham can hear yelling on the other end of the phone in stereo. "What is going on?"

"What do you mean, I am talking to my best friend."

"The yelling."

Ace stops to listen for a second; she hears three voices, one she hoped to never hear again. "I got to go Graham. I'll call you later." She hangs up as Graham is calling for her, while Ace is running to Liam's room grabs a bag that he keeps packed and Liam.

"Where are we going with the bag with my special headphones, and why is Mum arguing with Dad and Momma."

"We are going next door."

"Why?"

"I am joining you in the game we used to play." Ace's voice is panicked.

"I need Ace," Liam runs and grabs his lion and Ace picks him up knowing she won't be able to do this much longer. As she gets to the backdoor she knocks on that. When it opens she is greeted by one of her favorite faces and squished in a hug.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Graham who was at the door," a woman with short hair comes, "Ace and Liam, I am assuming the yelling is coming from your Mum and Dad."

"And Zoe."

"Come in."

"Liam, after we are inside, put on your headphones."

"What about you?"

"I need to talk to Sarah Jane, John and Graham."

"While Ace talks to my Aunt and John, how about I show you to my room."

"Ok."

"Thank you Graham."

"Are you ok?"

"I think the first time my Mum is involved I will be."

"Come in before anything can happen." Sarah Jane says, "John code UNIT."

"UNIT?"

"Something we made up." After John comes back from setting up their security, "do you want to sit down Ace?"

After she slumps down, "I can't believe this. I was just starting to feel totally safe."

"You are safe, the police have been called."

"They barely cared back home until Gabriel Chase, and them finding Liam in the corner holding his arm crying and I am over my Mum's body after knocking her out for hurting Liam. What did I do to deserve this?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," Graham says as he comes down the stairs. "You are strong, loving, smart."

"Zoe told me this the night I started school."

"She's right then," he sits next to her. "You are Ace."

"How's Liam?"

"Worried about his sisters."

"Mel," Ace goes for her phone, "I forgot it on my bed."

"Want me to." Graham starts to get up.

"No, you will not. No one else will be put into danger." She grabs his hand as Liam comes down.

"Dotty."

"Yes Li."

"My headphones aren't working."

"Come here." She can only see the little boy right now as he runs to her and sits in her lap.

"Do you guys want anything?" Sarah Jane asks. "John, can you help me?"

"K."

"Hey little man, how are you doing?"

"Wondering why Dotty and I are playing a game we haven't played since we moved here."

"Remember last month I said we would get back some of the things that happened back home?"

"I do."

"This is me keeping my word."

"What about Graham?"

"I thought it would be nice if we thought of more people to join, Mel might be later."

"Okay," Liam settles down more.

"Ace," Graham says her name.

"Mhmm."

"Can I put my arm around you?"

"You can." He puts his arm around her and she puts her head on his shoulder.

Across the street Mel is trying to sneak down and out from all the yelling. She looks in Ace's room, sees her phone and puts it in her pocket.

"Don't you raise your kids to come down when people are over?"

"You need to leave Audrey." Harry demands, trying to stand in front of the stairs.

"Not until I see my kids.

"They stopped being your kids when you started hitting them," Zoe says.

"Where is my daughter, my boyfriend has a friend for her." Mel turns around.

"Well she has a friend that cares for her and her family."

"Mel, go," Harry says as Audrey raises a hand before anything can happen; she is against the wall.

"You already hurt your own daughter and son. You will not hurt mine." Mel runs out never seeing her mom like this.

As there is a knock on the Ace freaks out, Graham drags her back to the couch. "Only a few people know about that door."

"Does anyone know a redhead?" Asks a voice from the kitchen.

"Mel?"

After Mel makes her way into the room she finds the scene on the couch. "Graham?"

"Sarah Jane is my Aunt."

"Got it. I may have said something to your mom, Ace."

"What happened?"

"Let's just say it ended up with my Mom, shoving yours against a wall and me getting out. Here you go," Mel hands Ace her phone.

"Thank you." Ace looks at her phone, "Graham you called and texted in the few minutes it took me from hanging up with you, getting Liam and hauling tail out of there and here."

"Can you blame me, I heard a lot of yelling and your voice panicked before hanging up. Seeing you at the doorstep was the greatest relief I have ever had."

"Seeing you did make me feel better."

"What about me, Dotty?"

"Liam, you have always made me happy," she gives him a hug. "Do you want to connect your headphones to my phone?"

"Ok." Liam quickly does that as sirens are heard.

"Can I say something that I hope won't hurt you," asks Mel.

"What?"

"The two of you are cute together."

"What?"

"His arm around you, your head keeps falling on his shoulder." Mel says with a smile.

"This is the first time I didn't have to do much to protect my brother, but it is still exhausting."

"The two of you are safe. John was a Sergeant in the Army. He moved here to protect me from my Dad if he ever came around. Never needed to."

"I'm glad that it has yet to happen to you."

"I hate it happened to you."

"At least we figured out where we are neighbors."

"That is the only good thing about this. I live next door to my best friend."

"Me too."

"Kids," Sarah Jane comes into the room. "I just heard from your parents, they are heading to the station. They asked for you three to stay here while they make statements." She looks to see her nephew has an arm around Ace who is rubbing Liam's back so he can fall asleep.

"Do you want him to be moved to a bed?"

"No, in the past when something like this happened, and I wasn't there; he would run around until he found me."

"You have been through too much for your age."

"I know, until today things had gotten better."

"Things will go back to how they were before today."

"Hopefully even better," Ace looks over to Graham who smiles at her.

"Oh it's possible, I see and hear a lot," Sarah Jane says as she watches the two teens who like each other. "I know Graham here talks to you often."

"Oh they talk every night for hours," Mel says a little loud which wakes up Liam.

"What's going on," he rubs his eyes.

"Oh just we all know that Ace and Graham should be together."

"You mean they aren't yet?"

"What do you mean Liam?"

"Just the way you act when on the phone with him."

"I don't talk any differently than I do anybody else."

"You laugh a lot."

"Liam is right, you do laugh a lot."

"She has a beautiful laugh."

"Graham."

"It's true." Sarah Jane watches as the two teenagers gaze into each other's eyes.

"Mel, Liam, do you want to help me make dinner?" John comes into the room.

"What's going on?"

"Come with us to the kitchen."

"Ok?"

After they are left alone. "This isn't the time to talk about this," Ace says, sitting up all the way.

"I know that. I want you to be in sound mind when it happens."

"Am I not in sound mind?"

"I don't think so. Right now you are worried about what is going to happen to you and Liam."

"What about my other three?"

"You of course are worried about them too, they just didn't live through what you and Liam did. You are hoping Liam doesn't have any nightmares."

"It scares me how well you know me."

"You're just a great big sister. How about this until you are ready we put a pin in this."

"I can agree to that. I will still talk to you every night."

"Good, I enjoy them."

"Me too."

"Before all of this happened I was wanting to ask you a question."

"What is it?"

"You know the fundraiser that the school is putting on?"

"I do."

"Want to go as friends."

"I would. Besides, I was serious about getting you out more."

"You said that a month ago."

"I know. Come on, we should go see if dinner is ready." They make their way to the kitchen to find Mel helping Liam stir the soup by picking him up.

When Zoe and Harry are done and head over to pick up Ace, Mel and Liam. "How are you Harry?"

"Not good, it is now official that Audrey can never see them again. I know they have you, but."

"Sometimes they will need their Mum."

"Exactly."

"I know I am not their Mum, but I can be Mom."

"You already are. Now let's pick them up." He knocks on the door, it opens slowly.

"Shh they all are asleep." Sarah Jane informs them as she lets them in. Liam on Ace's lap, Ace with her head on Graham's shoulder and Mel on a recliner. Harry goes to pick up Liam that wakes up Ace, she is at first panicked until she recognizes her father.

"Hey Fire Princess."

"Isn't it?"

"It is."

"Ok."

"Come on, I can only carry one of you." Ace sleepily follows her Dad as Zoe wakes up Mel who follows them out too.