Chapter Three-Hundred-Seventy-Four
Sarah stood there completely awe-struck as she realized the black cape figure happened to be Josh dressed in his Batman suit. He was just grabbing each of the girls one by one and shoving them away like it were nothing – like he were really Batman fighting crime and saving the day. Only he wasn’t just saving the day, he was saving his girl. How romantic! The anger that Sarah was feeling toward her now ex-friends and especially toward Dakota for starting this huge mess momentarily slipped away as she watched Josh in action and gushed over it.
“You leave her alone! Come on now what are you thinking? She’s four!” he yelled at them angrily when he had them all shoved away from Dakota and he placed himself between them.
“Boy you really have changed a lot, Joshua Lee. That didn’t used to matter much to you before” Meagan informed feeling put off that she’d been stopped.
“That’s right, I’ve changed. I’m not that same kid I used to be an’ I would appreciate it if you stayed away from my girl!”
“Your girl?” Hillary asked and she roared with laughter and the other girls joined in. Josh paused then suddenly frozen in his spot and his entire body became tense. Did I just say that? Crap! Josh stole a peak toward Dakota to see what her reaction was and saw that she had completely stopped crying and was lying behind him propped up on her elbows gazing up at him in surprise, her little eyes wide and round – wet, but wide and round nonetheless. What does that mean? Is that a good reaction, or a bad? he pondered. Too late now though, I already blew it. Go with it now and deal with it later.
“Yes, that’s right. My girl” he repeated, suddenly standing up straight and crossing his arms over his chest. “Any of you wanna mess with her you’ll be dealing with the wrath of Batman. Does anyone want to test me on that?”
“She started it!” Alicia insisted. “She attacked Meagan first and she is not getting away with it! I’ll make sure of that!” and with that, she turned and stormed off toward the Orphanage. Hillary and Meagan followed suit and Josh scowled and turned and reached his hand out toward Dakota. Dakota took it and allowed him to help her up.
“Well Batman, you’ve saved Dakota from the superficial freaks, any idea how you are going to get her out of the big trouble she is in? They are right you know. We don’t have much time, I’m sure Marcus saw the whole thing and is getting daddy.” Josh gazed at Dakota with caring eyes as he studied her bloody nose and the bruises that are beginning to form on her body. It seems like a shame for her to get into trouble for this – yeah, she started it and broke some rules, but in his opinion its about time she showed those girls that she isn’t going to take their crap.
“They can’t punish her if they can’t find her...” Sarah raised her eyebrow.
“And just exactly how do you plan on hiding her?”
“I’m not. She is going to hide us,” Josh insisted making eye contact with Dakota and giving her a look. “The one person in this whole building who knows it better then even Brooke does.”
“You better go now then,” Sarah insisted. “I can’t stress that you don’t have much time enough.”
“Aren’t you coming? You are going to get in trouble too. You slapped Monica pretty good.”
“I’ll take it,” Sarah shrugged. “I’m the oldest it’s my job. And anyway, someone has to be here to talk Daddy out of his anger and get him to reconsider.” Josh looked at her as if she was crazy for a moment, and then he grabbed Dakota’s hand.
“Come on Kota, where do we go? Hurry.”
“Don’t say it near me, I don’t want to know where you are. They might threaten me with everything I own if I don’t tell but I can’t if I really don’t know where you are.” Josh nodded.
“Come on Bat Girl, we must fly!” Josh demanded, and Dakota made a mad dash toward the building while Sarah turned her back on them so she couldn’t see where they were going.
“We haves to avoid the cameras,” Dakota informed as they ran.
“How do we do that? They’re everywhere!”
“Just trust me! Like you said I knows this place better then anybody’s.” Once they reached the side of the building, Dakota turned so her back was up against it and Josh copied her. Her eyes darted to the camera near by and just as she hoped, they were standing just a tad bit out of its radar. If they moved forward just a step they would be back in it. She knows security isn’t stupid though, the camera moves constantly.
“Whatever you do, don’t moves away from this wall and be quick! That camera could point at us any minute” She whispered before beginning to move sideways and Josh followed relying entirely on her to get them to safety. If they manage to make themselves invisible successfully, he will be convinced that they would make a very good team and will go out and buy her a Batgirl costume himself. Well, with Brian’s money that is. They moved silently and quickly along the orphanage wall until suddenly the reached the end of it where the corner is. Dakota peered around the corner at the outside entrance to the basement and she shuddered at the sight of it. She has not been down there since Thomas had pulled her down there and molested her. She had never planned on going down there ever again if she could help it, but she knows she has no choice. Especially since the Orphanage door just opened and she heard people running out. Not taking the risk of turning to see whom it is, Dakota eyed the camera. When she saw that it was facing the opposite way she grabbed Josh’s hand and quickly inched around the corner, her back still up against the wall. When they both made it safely around the corner she darted for the basement entrance in the wall.
“Watch that camera there!” she whispered and Josh looked up at it and jumped to the side out of its view. Dakota pulled the door open and she turned and looked at Josh in hesitation.
“Whats the matter?”
“Go in first…please?” Josh noticed how frightened she seemed to suddenly be and just then remembered what took place in that basement. Without saying another word about it he went forward and gently moved her out of the way before opening up the window. Just as he did, an alarm went off.
“Crap!” he cursed, before jumping into the basement and turning around. He grabbed Dakota and pulled her in with him before setting her feet on the ground. He grabbed her hand and spotting exactly where all of the cameras are she pulled him through the basement in just the right areas that would keep them hidden.
“A sense of where we are going would be good Dakota!” Josh whispered loudly enough for her to hear as they darted behind each object in the darkest areas. Dakota didn’t answer she only continued to move forward dragging him a long so fast that Josh was having a hard time keeping up. He didn’t know such a little girl could move so fast. When she made it across the basement they were standing next to a desk. She gave him a look and instantly understanding what she wants, Josh climbed up on top of it, grabbed her hand and pulled her up so she is standing next to him, and he lowered himself allowing her to get up on his shoulders. She did just that so she was standing and she opened up the air vent and quickly climbed through before reaching down for him. He took her hands and she heaved him up into the vent a long with her – Josh being heavier then she expected landed on top of her causing her to fly backward onto her back. Josh closed the vent and as he still lay on top of her and the two of them peered through it just on time for Marcus and AJ to come flying into the basement and look left and right eagerly.
“Dakota Ann, and Joshua Littrell! We know you are hiding down here somewhere! Did you really think we would leave that door unprotected after the history that went on down in this basement?” AJ lectured. Josh lay there breathing heavily from the adrenaline. He feels like a criminal running from a huge crime that he had just committed – and really, if this were the real world, if he wasn’t just six years old, it would be a crime. He is…what Detective Stabler taught him…harboring the fugitive after all. But this isn’t just any fugitive, this is Dakota Ann and he would move heaven and earth to make sure she doesn’t get in trouble.
“Someone is breathing. I hear breathing,” Marcus informed while looking around down in the basement in the dark shadows. Dakota’s hand quickly flew to Josh’s mouth then instantly causing him to stop. Just then Josh noticed AJ’s head turning toward the air vent and just before it turned completely around, Josh was quick to pull his cape over him and Dakota sheltering them both completely. And since both his cape, and the basement was dark it made it impossible for him to see anything.
“We should really move somewhere else,” She whispered quietly in his ear so that only he would hear her.
“Any movement we make they will hear,” Josh whispered back just as quietly.
“Come on Kota, come out from hiding” AJ pleaded after awhile when neither him nor Marcus could find them anywhere. “You and I both know that you don’t like it down here…surely you won’t stay hiding down here forever.” Dakota scowled and tightened her arms around Josh. How dare he use her fear against her? Josh rested his forehead against hers and gazed into your eyes.
“You know I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered so quietly that if Dakota hadn’t been reading his lips she would think he hadn’t said anything at all. She believes that. She believes he would go through great lengths to make sure nothing happened to her. She trusts him.
“Maybe they aren’t down here after all…” Marcus trailed off.
“No I know they are.”
“How? We’ve searched all over Aje.”
“But you’ve heard them breathing.”
“I could’ve been imagining things…”
“How do you explain the alarm going off then?”
“Maybe they quickly ran out of here before we got here?”
“No,” AJ shook his head. “My niece is quick, but not that quick.” Marcus shrugged his shoulders not knowing what to do and the two of them stood there in silence for a couple of moments, until AJ got an idea and smirked.
“Well…maybe you are right after all…maybe they aren’t down here.” Marcus raised his eyebrow and AJ gave him a look causing him to suddenly catch on. “Maybe we should go help the others search the building. I know Dakota…she wouldn’t hang around in this dark and scary basement.”
“I knew you would see it my way. Come on, I’m sure they just managed to run out of here before we got here” Marcus replied playing a long. The two of them began to walk up the stairs making sure their footsteps could be heard and a few moments later, they heard a door shut and all was silent. Josh looked down at her curiously and Dakota rolled her eyes.
“How dense do they thinks we are?” she spoke quietly in Josh’s ear so only he would be able to hear her, even when the whole basement below is suddenly silent.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“I can’t believe she did this!” Nick grumbled, as he was knelt down and cleaning up Meagan’s bloody nose. She had gone crying straight to Nick who Marcus was already informing about the fight he had witnessed on the cameras.
“In all fairness daddy, she hasn’t exactly been herself” Sarah insisted, lightly placing her hand on Nick’s shoulder.
“Yeah?” Nick asked in a somewhat snappy tone. “And what’s your excuse Sarah? Marcus has a nice shot of you slapping Monica in the face and she has your hand print on it to prove it. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Do you really wanna knows daddy?”
“Yes I would because I know for a fact that both of my girls know better then to harm other people – no matter what their justifications are.”
“I’m guilty daddy an’ I’m not sorry. An’ your not going to get me to say I’m sorry either because that would be a lie. Monica had it coming to her,” She insisted while glaring over at her ex-friend. “She said lies about my sister an’ you know I don’t take that from anybody an’ you can’t say that they weren’t to blame for any of this either. It’s bad enough that Kota started the fight but they didn’t need to gang up on her either. She is just four years old, much littler then they are, and they were hurting her. Therefore they should be punished too.”
“Yes, but the punishing should be left up to me Sarah Lynn, or another adult. No matter how strong your need to protect your sister is.”
“I’m not sorry for what I did daddy an’ you can’t make me be sorry.”
“Fine then, go to your room and stay there.”
“What room?” Nick started to lecture her about being a smart-ass when it hit him that her question wasn’t a smart one, it was a real honest to god question. She doesn’t have a room at the Orphanage anymore at the moment. Nick sighed in frustration and rubbed at his temples causing Ashley to gently move his hand and begin to do it for him.
“Sarah honey just go into Brooke’s office and sit on the couch until your daddy goes in to talk to you.” Sarah shrugged.
“No matter how much he talks to me he’s not gonna get anywhere,” She insisted before turning around and storming off to Brooke’s office.
“I’m not used to this Ashley. I don’t even know where to start…I normally don’t have to deal with my kids acting up like this. They know better then this.”
“I know honey but Sarah was right about one thing. Kota is not being herself. Its uncharacteristic of her to just start a riot…especially with people who are older and much bigger then she is.”
“So what are you suggesting? I should just let her go because she hasn’t been able to sleep well at night? If I do that then she’ll just do it again some other time…what will be her justification for it then?”
“No you shouldn’t let her go, but I think we should take her home and make her stay in her room for the rest of the day. We’ll take all of her toys away so that all she’ll be able to do is lay in her bed and hopefully she’ll take a nap.”
“And then what?”
“And then when she wakes up you have a serious conversation with her - When she’s not being an emotional wreck.”
“That’s a very good plan baby, but at the moment we can’t even find her can we?”
“If they are down in that basement then they are hiding themselves very well,” AJ replied as he and Marcus suddenly joined them.
“We looked for them everywhere and couldn’t find them. AJ even tried reverse psychology but they still didn’t come out.” Nick rolled his eyes.
“You both should know by now that my daughter is immune to reverse psychology.”
“We also know that she wouldn’t hang around in that basement for very long so it makes me wonder if the two of them managed to run out just before we got there,” Marcus replied.
“She knows this building better then anybody, she could be anywhere” Brooke spoke up for the first time.
“Maybe you managed to get them on camera while they were down in the basement. Why don’t you go and check?” Ashley suggested.
“We did for a split second – right when they jumped through the basement window but then they disappeared. This is Nick’s daughter we’re talking about, she knows how to be sneaky” Q replied while joining them also.
“Are you sorry that you ever taught her how to cover up her tracks like a pro yet Nick?” Brian asked slightly amused by this whole situation. The funny thing about the whole thing is that he could see Nick doing the same thing as a kid.
“I’m getting there, yes.” Nick answered not finding the humor in this at all. His headache is killing him. “I’m gonna go see if I can get an answer out of Sarah. She has to know where they are.”
“Why don’t you let me do it baby?” Ashley asked gently while leaning down and kissing his forehead softly as she continued to stand behind him. “You need some ibuprofen and some time to cool down. It’s not going to help the situation any with you stressing out.”
“I will go get you that Ibuprofen Nick,” Doctor Johnson offered, and he walked off toward the hospital wing.
“And I’ll deal with these girls,” Nick announced while looking at the girls of his fan club.
“No, you’ll leave that up to me” Brooke insisted. “Why don’t you go check on Bella? We sort of left her lying asleep in her playpen in the playroom. We weren’t planning on leaving her for this long.” Hearing that his youngest girl is all by herself, Nick whirled around and headed for the playroom. If there were anybody that Sean would ever consider using to lure Ashley to him, Bella would be the first on his list. Ashley turned and headed for Brooke’s office, and Brooke stayed and instantly turned into the strict Orphanage Headmistress that the children only see when they’ve done something to piss her off. And that alone doesn’t happen very often, which is why all of the kids have such high respect for her.
“Do you think that maybe Chris would know where his brother is?” AJ asked Brian and Riley as they all moved away from the girls who were currently facing the wrath of Brooke.
“No, I already asked him” Riley sighed. “He would be the first one to rat them out, especially since him and Josh don’t exactly see eye to eye lately.”
“Yeah, I asked him too and all he did was go on and on about the super cool rescue Josh had made - I got the whole play by play. How he had been watching the whole situation from a distance and as soon as Dakota started to falter and wasn’t even fighting back anymore he went running up the slide to the jungle gym, across the bridge, to the monkey bars where he climbed across them. When he was close enough to the fight he swooped down landing swiftly on his feet where he began to pull the girls off of her. He said it was really cool and Batman-like. Something you would see on television,” Brian explained. AJ chuckled.
“Batman rescuing his girl…you have to admit that’s kind of adorable.”
“Oh I know, and I’m absolutely positive that Nick will be laughing about this situation too someday when he’s calmed down.”
~*~*~*~*~
“We need to find something to clean your bloody nose up with,” Josh mused as he gently caressed Dakotas cheek with his forefinger and thumb and he wore a frown on his face at the sight of his Batgirl bleeding.
“If we can just crawl our way to a bathroom air vent we could borrow someone’s washcloth an’ sink,” Dakota suggested as she still lay underneath Josh with his cape covering them. She is highly enjoying this straight out of a Batman Movie rescue that she is experiencing. This will be a fun story to tell the grand kids when they get older – and she knows she and Josh will be telling the story together. If she has it her way anyway. She may be four years old but in words of her Uncle Aaron…she knows what she knows and she can’t get enough.
“Well we better hurry…I bet its really bothering you,” Josh insisted while moving so he was on his knees beside her and he began to crawl through the vents and Dakota got up and followed him.
“I forgots all about it to tell the truth…” she told him quietly and was happy that his back was turned on her so he couldn’t see the dreamy look on her face. But something gives her the feeling that he wouldn’t mind so much. Now that they’ve slowed down and were currently invisible to everybody she has the time to ponder Josh’s heroic words from earlier. That’s right, I’ve changed. I’m not that same kid I used to be an’ I would appreciate it if you stayed away from my girl! he had said. He seemed surprised when he realized what he had said. Had he not meant to say it? Was it a lie? Or was he just embarrassed for thinking his inner feelings out loud?
But then why wouldn’t he deny the whole thing after the other girls laughed at him and started making fun of him like a normal boy would do in a situation like that unless he really did mean it? She really doesn’t know, but what she does know is she is more then willing to be his girl. He is her prince charming and they’re gonna grow up and have a happy ending together, she just knows it. She knew it the very first day that he took her favorite toy from her and called her a spoiled brat. The more he was mean to her, the more she wanted to be near him as crazy as that sounds.
But then, why wouldn’t anybody believe that? She is the girl who’s seen Beauty & The Beast enough to know every single line after all. She smiled to herself and giggled some at the whole irony of it all, and Josh who was down in someone’s bathroom as she sat up in the vent waiting for him, peeked up at her with a raised eyebrow. When he had a wet wash cloth in hand, he climbed back up into the air vent with her help and closed it behind him and they moved where they wouldn’t be heard.
“What’s so funny?” he wanted to know as she sat leaning against the wall as he placed the wash cloth gingerly to her nose and began to clean it for her.
“Oh nothing…” She giggled. Josh narrowed his eyes playfully.
“Don’t make me have to make you tell me Dakota Ann, you know I know how.”
“Its nothing really…I was just thinking abouts how much you useds to hate me an’ now here you are up in an’ air vent withs me fixing a bloody nose.” Josh frowned slightly.
“Is that what you think? That I hated you?”
“You only tolds me so a hundred times Joshy.” Josh gazed down at her face for a few seconds with pain in his eyes at the memory of how cruel he used to be.
“I’m sorry.”
“Its okay Joshy, you wanna know a little secret?” she asked quietly and Josh looked at her curiously.
“I never believed for a second that’s you were really a monster.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
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