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Chapter Four-Hundred-Forty-Seven


“Daddy,” Ellie spoke up while walking up to Kevin and Kristin who sat on the floor in the playroom, Kristin lying with her head in his lap and he was idly playing with her curls.


“Yeah baby?”


“What is wrong with my Kota?” she wanted to know and she looked over at her best friend who was lying in Sarah’s arms cuddling with her on the bean bag. “She won’t talks to me.” Kevin sighed softly. He really didn’t want to get into this with her – he would have really liked it if she hadn’t known what her father’s latest scheme was but he doesn’t want her to hear it from an angry Dakota.


“She’s not really talking much to anybody right now Princess…”


“Why not? What’s wrong?” Kevin hesitated for a moment and deciding there was no easier way to tell her, he went on but spoke very carefully.


“Angel has just been taken by Sean…and Dakota had to watch the whole thing happen before her eyes.” Ellie’s eyes instantly filled up with tears upon hearing this and Kristin sat up and gazed at her with concern.


“No,” She insisted and shook her head. “He wouldn’t! He didn’t! He promised me daddy, he makes promises that he wouldn’t hurts anyone anymore!” Kevin wound his arms around Ellie’s waist and pulled her near and he planted a kiss on her forehead as he fought back his own tears. He only just heard about Angel’s kidnapping himself and is trying his very hardest to hold it together for the kids. He knows Nick is falling apart right now – he’s heard it from everyone else but he’s been given kid duty and hasn’t even gotten the chance to go comfort his youngest brother. And if things weren’t already bad enough…his own sibling was currently missing in action. He just wishes there was a way to get her to understand that Sean just says things to get her to cooperate. But he knows that will only break her heart even more.


“I want Uncle Jerry,” She told him after a long moment and she looked up at him tearfully. “Where is he?”


“He’ll be here soon,” Kevin reassured her as well as himself and he hugged her closer to him. Ellie stood there with him for a few short moments and then walked off in the direction of Josh who had arrived not too long ago. Kevin watched as she leaned on his back lazily and rested her head against his shoulder as he sat there playing cars with Chris. He loves it that he doesn’t even mind her hanging on him like that. He has never been more grateful for Josh then he is this very moment.


“Could you not get a hold of him?” Kristin asked concerned and Kevin shook his head. “I’ve called him at least a dozen times or more and he just doesn’t answer. I hope Mr. I’m-all-about-my-niece-and-she-always-comes-first knows how much she needs him right now.”


“I’m sure if he did he would come running,” Kristin reasoned and she took Kevin’s hand in her own and squeezed it gently. “He probably got caught up in spending time with Hope and isn’t by his phone at the moment. I haven’t known him for very long but it’s not hard to see that he is very dedicated to her.”


“I know but this storm isn’t going to go away anytime soon, it’s just getting started. As soon as we have all of the kids in the auditorium and the building set for a hurricane and it officially starts I may not be able to get a hold of him – and it terrifies me. Ellie isn’t the only one who needs him right now…” Kristin slid her arms around Kevin’s neck and rested her head against his shoulder.



“I’m sure he’ll be just fine honey…I know he will – Jer seems like he knows how to take care of himself.”


“He better,” Kevin replied softly. “If I lose him…well it will just be very bad. I can’t function without my older brother.” Kristin rubbed her hand over Kevin’s back soothingly and stared into his green eyes as they met with her blue ones. “He’s going to be fine sweetie…just think positive okay?” Kevin sat with her in silence for a few moments just letting her comfort him, and then he tucked a strand of her blonde hair back behind her ear and brushed his lips lightly over hers. When he pulled back he got to his feet and walked onto the other side of the room before pulling out his cell phone, hitting the number 2 speed dial button and placing it to his ear and he hoped to god Jerald would finally pick up.



~*~*~*~*~


Meanwhile upstairs in Nick and Ashley’s apartment, after going to see and talk to Kori on Q’s orders when she got back Ashley and Marcus walked in to find Nick sitting on the couch with his face covered in his hands. She stood there staring at him for a few short moments as tears fell from her own eyes and then she quietly went over and sat next to him and she slid her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder. At her touch Nick turned to face her, wound his arms around her waist and he buried his face in her shoulder and he began to sob for all it was worth. Ashley quietly tightened her arms around him and she rubbed her hand over his back soothingly as she just held him and let him cry on her like all the times he’s let her cry on him.


“I’m sorry honey…I’m so sorry…” she told him after a long while when he was beginning to calm down some.


“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Nick insisted while hugging her closer and he kissed her forehead softly.


“Believe that if you wish…but it doesn’t change the fact that I am. You don’t know how much it hurts to see you hurt.” Nick rested his forehead against hers and arched his eyebrow at her and she went on before he could comment. “I’m your girlfriend I’m allowed to be sorry that you are in pain.”


“Fine, but you are in no way at all entitled to be sorry for things that are just downright ridiculous. You are not entitled in any way to blame yourself for something that was far beyond your control. Do you hear me?”


“Well that’s just too bad because I’m going to blame myself whether you give me permission to or not.”


“It wasn’t your fault.”


“Like hell it was,” Ashley snapped somewhat and tears rolled down her face as she stared at him seriously. “It is me he wants Nick – and once again, he went after someone that I love instead!”


“He went after Angel because she is my sister, and because I chose to stand in his way and protect the love of my life! You don’t get to take claim on what is supposed to be my punishment do you understand me?” Nick asked in a raised voice.


“If it weren’t for me he wouldn’t even be punishing you in the first place!” Nick gently cupped her face in his hands and looked her in the eyes.


“Again baby, you don’t get to take blame for my actions, I am done letting you. It is high time you realized that I made my bed and here I am lying in it! I chose to let myself fall in love with you, I chose to stand in Sean’s way and protect you and because of those decisions Angel is gone! The only person to blame here is me! Angel is gone because I wasn’t strong enough to protect her and I’m never going to forgive myself. Okay? End of the discussion, case closed!”


“No it’s not okay!” Ashley cried and she pulled herself away from him and hugged her legs to her chest. “I should’ve just drowned at the bottom that pool and died and then you wouldn’t have met me, you wouldn’t have fallen in love with me, and then none of you would’ve gotten sucked into this mess in the first place!” Nick looked at her for a couple of moments, and then gently grabbed her into his lap making her straddle him and he again cradled her face in his hands forcing her to look at him and he spoke very gently.


“And then I would’ve never gotten the chance to meet my Soul mate and would’ve still been miserable like I was before you came along for the rest of my life sweetheart.” He gently brushed away her tears with his fingers and rested his forehead against hers. “You are my whole world baby…its high time you realized that.”


“What kind of soul mate brings danger into their lover’s life that causes him to lose his baby sister who means so much to him?” Ashley asked softly.


“It was not your fault. Again…it’s a result of my actions and it was a result of me not being strong enough to get her away from him without him shooting her. It had nothing to do with you.”


“Except the one detail that who he really wants and won’t stop until he gets it, is me.”


“Well he’s not getting you. And I am going to get Angel back so you just stop it already will you?” Nick asked tearfully.


“Yes he is getting me,” Ashley insisted and she reached up and wiped away his tears. “Because I’m surrendering to him and ending all of this right now…it will be me who gets Angel back for you.” Nick tightened his arms around her waist.


“Go ahead and try it – I dare you.” Ashley arched her eyebrow at him and he tilted her chin up and brought his lips forward so they were just inches from hers. “You of all people shouldn’t be underestimating our relationship. You can try, but I’ll know what you are doing before you do it and stop you.”


“I just hate feeling so responsible for everybody’s pain…”


“Then don’t.”


“It’s not that simple. I constantly feel like my very existence is dangerous…a mistake. I love Doctor Johnson for saving me…he’s my hero. But sometimes deep down inside I can’t help but feel frustrated with him for it too.”


“I’ve said this many times throughout our relationship…and I will keep saying it until I finally have it drilled into your brain. Your very existence is the best thing that’s ever happened to me – and if you were to not exist anymore I would die right along with you.”


“But—“


“—All you ever do is put yourself down. Think about all of the good things you’ve done since Doctor Johnson gave you another chance. You made me a very happy man, if it weren’t for you knocking some sense into me Dakota would have a completely different set of parents, she wouldn’t be as happy as she is now, Sarah wouldn’t be as strong as she is getting every single day and Bella wouldn’t have her mommy who means the world to her. Howie…maybe would’ve gotten through to Ryan eventually, but not as quickly as he had with your help and Ellie wouldn’t have anybody firmly in her corner like you are.” Nick rubbed his nose over hers for an Eskimo’s kiss before kissing her lips softly. “And I wouldn’t have my best friend in the whole wide world to hold me while I cry my heart out when things get turned completely upside down. Face it baby, whether you want to believe it or not you are important around here.” Ashley opened her mouth to argue, but Nick foreseeing what she is going to say cut her off.


“Brian, AJ, Howie, Kevin, the rest of the gang and I all chose to protect you because we love you and need you in our life – that is our own fault not yours. If anything happens to us it’s because we brought it all on ourselves – and if we had to do it all over again, we sure as hell would – in a heartbeat. So stop taking credit for our faults.”


“Angel didn’t sign up for this though. She only came around here because she wanted to be with her brother.”


“For your information, Angel loves you very much and she would – in her words I quote ‘do whatever it takes to make sure my sister in law doesn’t die before my brother gets a chance to marry her’” Tears flooded Ashley’s eyes upon hearing these words and it only made her feel frustrated and even more angry at Sean. Not Angel…not Nick’s sister. If he kills her, she swears she will avenge her. He is not going to hurt Nick in any way and get away with it. She sat there as anger and dark thoughts filled her mind about how she would avenge Angel and Nick who seemed to notice the change in her lifted her chin so he could see her face. “Baby?” She gazed up at him in silence and one look into the beautiful face that belongs to her lover only motivated Ashley even more. She got up then and without so much as a single word she stormed out of the room. Nick and Marcus exchanged confused looks and then Nick darted from the couch and the both of them hurried after her. They followed her downstairs and into the lobby and Brooke, Doctor Johnson, Q, Laney, and Raul who all stood at the security booth discussing important things eyed them curiously as they noticed Ashley seemed to be on a mission. She continued on walking as if they weren’t even there and they instantly went to the TV screens and looked for her on camera to see what she is up to. When she got to her destination, Nick and Marcus discovered that it was the basement. She opened the door and stormed down stairs and she went straight up to the Sean-like dummy and to their surprise she began kicking and punching it with all the strength that she has in her.


“I. HATE. YOU!” she shouted through sobs. “I HATE YOU SO MUCH YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH! IT IS BAD ENOUGH THAT YOU’VE TORN MY LIFE APART BUT NOT MY LOVER’S YOU WON’T, YOU STUPID MOTHER FUCKER. YOU DON’T GET TO DESTORY HIS LIFE TOO, I WON’T LET YOU. I AM DONE LETTING YOU. YOU DON’T CONTROL ME ANYMORE!” and with that she back handed the dummy so hard across the face that it flew backward so it was lying on the floor – much like the way he used to treat her. She stared at the dummy with so much hatred in her eyes for a long moment like she might want to take a knife and stab holes in it all over until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She turned and buried her face in Nick’s chest where she continued to cry and he gently rested his hand at the back of her head and held her close as she did.


“That was amazing baby…you don’t know how good it felt to watch you do that. To take control of yourself…”


“He’s not taking Angel away from us Nick. Not her…for his sake he better hope he doesn’t cause his fate lies in my hands.” For the most part…she knows she’s going to have to take it up with someone higher then Detective Stabler, but still. As far as Detective Stabler’s opinion goes, it’s all up to her.



“We’re going to get her back baby,” He promised her as well as himself and he reached up and wiped his own tears away. “Aaron and Detective Stabler are working on it right now and you know better than anybody that Detective Stabler is great at what he does. He’s promised to call me as soon as he figures out where he is keeping her and then I’m going to go help rescue her. I just hope it happens before this storm starts…she can’t stay gone during this storm…I’ll lose my mind.” Ashley looked up at him and placed her hand to his cheek before reaching up with her other hand and brushing away his tears with her finger before allowing her fingers to dance over his cheek in a gentle caress.


“I love you,” she told him softly. “And I will do anything for you Nicky I swear to you.”


“I believe you,” Nick told her while hugging her closer. She faced her fear and beat up the very Sean-Like dummy that she’s been afraid of since the moment AJ brought her into this basement and showed it to her with Nick as her motivation. The proof that she loves him doesn’t get any clearer than that. “I love you too. You are my whole world and I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect it – because I want to and I choose to,” he added and he leaned down and brushed his lips lightly over hers before lifting her up so he is cradling her and without another word he carried her out of the basement with Marcus following. When they were out in the lobby, AJ who had been called over to the cameras by Brooke just before Ashley started beating the dummy got to see and hear the whole thing and he looked at his sister with a look on his face like he has never been as proud of anyone as he is of her right now. He went over and wrapped his arms around her as Nick remained holding her and he hugged her close to him and kissed her cheek.


“You don’t know how proud of you I am right now.”


“I love you Alex,” Ashley replied softly and she slid her arms around him and hugged him back. “You are the best big brother ever.”


“I love you too.” He stood there hugging her for a few moments longer and when he pulled away from her Nick kissed her forehead softly.


“I’m taking her upstairs…I want to be alone with her. Marcus don’t follow us...”


“But—“


“—Please. I need sometime alone with my girlfriend she is the only thing keeping me from cowering in a corner and breaking down right now.” One look into Nick’s miserable red eyes and Marcus sighed and nodded in defeat.


“Fine…” he said and with that being said Nick carried Ashley up the stairs to their apartment. When they got up there and inside he kicked the door shut, carried her into their bedroom where there aren’t any cameras and he kicked that door shut, locked it, and brought her to the bed. He lay her down at the foot of it and wasted no time in kissing her and getting lost in her comfort. Time is too precious to waste and he loved on her with that very thought on his mind.