Matt came home and told the girls that Brian was indeed in love with a mystery woman. Kate couldn’t help but cry. Val held her tightly and smoothed her hair. Matt clenched his fists and paced around the room. Val raised her eyebrow and sent Kate to the bathroom to freshen up.

“Matthew Charles Sanders, what the hell is going on.” Val whispered. He sighed and pulled her into the kitchen.

“Look, all I can tell you is that Brian isn’t in love with anyone.” Val rolled her eyes.

“Yeah I figured that much Matt, but something else is going on I know it.” Matt shook his head.

“I’m sorry. That’s all I know.” She sighed angrily and went into the bathroom to check on Kate.

Matt sat down at the table and put his head down.

Kate was drying her face off with a towel when Val walked in.

“Honey, it’s alright. If you want you can stay with Matt and I.” She said. Kate smiled softly and shook her head.

“Thanks Val, but I don’t think I’ll be able to stay here knowing that Brian is in love with another woman-“ She cut herself off and put her hands over her mouth. Val smiled and hugged her.

“Honey it’s alright. I know you have feelings for him. I think he has feelings for you too and I think he’s gonna realize it when it’s too late.” Kate smiled and hugged her back.

“You won’t say anything right?” Kate asked. Val nodded.

“I promise.” They pulled apart and Kate looked in the mirror.

“Well, I guess I should go back to Brian’s and figure out what to do next.” She said. Val nodded and they walked out of the bathroom.

Matt was in the living room waiting. He stood up when the girls entered the room.

“Matt, could you take me to Brian’s?” He nodded and picked his keys up off of the coffee table.

“Sure let’s go then.”

Kate opened the door and she and Matt got into his truck and they drove to Brian’s house. Matt was silent the whole ride. Kate didn’t mind. She didn’t really feel up to talking anyhow. When they pulled into the driveway, Matt shut the truck off and looked out at the house. Kate sighed.

“Do you think he’s home?” She asked. Matt shrugged and opened his door.

“Let’s find out.” Kate followed him and he walked up to the door. He opened it and looked around.

“He’s not here Kate, he probably won’t-‘ TWACK! Matt was cut off by something hitting him on the head.

Kate screamed as he fell to the floor. A man with a mask over his face pulled him in the house then held a gun to Kate.

“Come here. NOW!” He shouted. Kate started crying as she walked over Matt into the house.

The man shut and locked the door behind her, then pointed the gun back at Kate.

“Don’t fucking move.” He said harshly. His voice was deep and scary. Kate hugged herself and cried silently.

The man kicked Matt hard in the ribs, then pulled him by the foot into the kitchen. He grabbed a chair from the kitchen and dragged it into the living room. On the floor was a black bag. He opened it and took out a roll of duct tape. He then walked over to Kate and grabbed her roughly by the arm. Kate screamed as he threw her into the chair. He put both of her hands behind her back and wrapped the tape tightly around her wrists. When he was finished, he ran his hand from her wrists, up her arms to her neck, then to her face. When he reached it, he slapped it. Hard. She let out a scream and he roughly clamped his hand over it.

“Shut your damn mouth.” He said. Then he tore off another strip of tape and put it over her mouth.

Tears were pouring from her eyes as she struggled in her bonds. The man went over to the sliding door and locked it then went to look for another one. Kate looked at Matt who was just lying on the floor motionless. She screamed loudly, but the tape on her mouth muffled them. When the man came back, Kate closed her eyes and hung her head.

“Awe baby, you know I hate it when you look away from me.” Kate’s eyes shot open.

Standing in front of her was Scott. He had changed his appearance since the last time she’d seen him. His soft brown hair was now black and he had gained quite a bit of muscle in the last few months. He smiled darkly when she looked at him.

“You’re not the only one that can have a makeover Kate.” She swallowed hard and tried to get free. He chuckled.

“You’re not going anywhere Kate. I’ve got you all to myself. I made sure of that.” He said. Kate looked over at Matt then back at him. Scott nodded.

“I don’t just mean him either Kate. I made sure that Syn would be busy too. I think we need to be alone, don’t you agree?” Kate shook her head and started to cry again.

“Kate don’t cry. Besides, Syn knew this was coming. He just didn’t want to tell you.” Kate stopped crying and looked up at him.

“Oh yes. I heard him and that one talking this afternoon. Syn knew I was in town but he just wasn’t going to tell you. So I knew I had to act fast. I wasn’t planning on running into you for a few more weeks but since you’re thinking about leaving, I decided to visit with you first. I wanted to tell you how much I missed you!” He said as he struck her in the face. Kate cried out but could do nothing to dodge the hit.

“I thought about you all the time Kate. Even when your bastard father had me locked up. I couldn’t wait to see you again. I wanted to apologize to you, but then I found out you went on tour with these assholes-“ He struck her again, then walked away.

“And I saw that you were going all over the country trying to run away from me, well Kate that just pissed me off!” He shouted. Kate flinched and closed her eyes.

“LOOK AT ME!” He shouted at her. Kate opened her eyes and looked up at him.

“So then I watched your movements. When I found out that your last stop would be here, I decided to come out here to find you. At first I thought it would be hard until I saw Syn and Shadows on the beach today. What a blessing isn’t it?” He said with a twisted smile. He walked over to Kate and grabbed her by the hair.

“Now it’s just you and me. Kate I just don’t understand. We were in love, what happened? You were the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. And you threw it all away, why? Because you can’t mind your GOD DAMNED BUSINESS!” He shouted, hitting her each time for emphasis.

Kate cried out as much as she could and tears were flowing from her eyes. Scott jumped when he heard a noise from the kitchen. He thought he saw Matt getting up. He rushed into the kitchen and kicked him again. Kate flinched and cried harder. Scott walked back to where Kate was, then looked out the window. He was getting nervous now. Matt could wake up at any moment and Brian could come home.

Kate pulled on her bonds to try and get free. She looked over at Matt and saw his eyes were open. She started to make a sound but he shook his head and brought his finger to his lips. Blood had come up from his stomach as was dripping out of his mouth. Kate closed her eyes and turned back toward Scott. Matt reached into his pocket slowly and pulled out his cell phone. He sent a text message to Brian and to Val. He told Val to call the police in one hour if she doesn’t hear from him and to Brian telling him to get home.

Brian was pumping gas when he got the text message. Somehow, his bike had ran completely out of gas so he couldn’t go home. He pulled out his phone to read the text.

“Oh shit.” He said. He finished pumping and jumped on his bike. He was about 15 minutes from home. He hoped he wouldn’t be too late.

Back at the house, Scott pulled his gun out and started whispering something to himself. Kate almost had her left arm free when Scott noticed. He glared at her and tucked his gun back into his pocket.

“Now Kate, you don’t wanna do that.” He said. He yanked on her hair and leaned close to her ear.

“I’m not letting you get away this time.” Kate shuddered and closed her eyes. He tore another strip of tape and wrapped it tightly and around her wrists.

Scott kissed her temple and walked in front of her.

“Oh Kate. Do you remember when we first met?” Kate nodded.

“It was fate. You just had to get on the wrong bus. You looked so beautiful. Your hair was brown and shorter and you were wearing that jean jacket and black skinny jeans. I knew right then I wanted to know you.” Kate closed her eyes for a second to remember. When she opened them, Scott had an angry look in his eyes.

“But you threw it all away. You couldn’t even forgive me, or even hear me out! I was sick Kate! And you didn’t help me. You even tried to put me in jail Kate. JAIL! Do you think I belong in prison? I just needed help. But I did learn something in all of this. I learned that I’m in love with you. And I’ve decided that if I can’t have you Kate, No.One.Will.” He finished slowly. Kate’s eyes grew wide and she swallowed hard.

Scott pulled the gun back out and pointed it to Kate’s head. He smiled sickly at her as he cocked it back. Kate started shaking. He tears poured out of her eyes and she was breathing heavily. Just as Scott was going to pull the trigger, he heard a noise behind him. He groaned and turned around.

He saw nothing. He furrowed his brow, and took a step towards the door. Behind him, Brian had emerged from the basement door. Kate was both relieved and scared. Matt had made eye contact with him and Brian silently told him to stay put. Brian crept up behind Scott. He picked up a baseball bat from the basement and raised it to him. Just as he was about to swing, Scott turned around. His eyes flashed red and he charged at Brian. Kate screamed and Matt started to stand up. Brian and Scott struggled for a few seconds before POP!

Everyone was still. Brian and Scott looked at each other briefly before falling to the floor. Kate was sobbing. Matt jumped up and ran to Brian.

“Brian! Brian look at me!” He shouted.

Brian’s eyes slowly opened. He blinked a couple of times then he tried to push Scott off of him. Matt pushed and rolled Scott on to his back. There, in his chest was a pocket knife. Matt looked at Brian, who just shrugged and closed his eyes. Matt checked Scott for a pulse and found none. He sighed and looked at Brian. He was bleeding badly from his stomach.

“Shit.” He whispered.

“Brian hang on man. The police are coming.” He said. Brian just nodded. Matt ran over to Kate and put his hand on her cheek.

“Brian’s been shot.” He said as he pulled the tape from her mouth.

“How bad is it?” She asked. Matt shook his head.

“I don’t know. It looks pretty bad.” He said as he ripped her wrist restraints.

Once she was free, she ran to Brian and fell to her knees beside him.

“Oh God Brian.” She said through tears. She picked up his hand and held it tight. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

“I’m…sorry…” He said slowly. Kate shook her head.

“Shh, it’s alright. Everything’s alright now. Just hang on okay?” He nodded slowly and looked up to the ceiling.

Kate looked at Matt who was standing outside waiting for the ambulance and the police. A few seconds later, they arrived.

The paramedics rushed in and went straight to Brian. They pushed Kate out of the way and started assessing him.

“We need to move quickly! He’s bleeding out!” One shouted. Kate’s hand flew to her mouth and she cried.

Matt was put into another ambulance and they both headed to the hospital at top speed. A detective walked over to Kate.

“Kate, my name is Dan Jackman. Your father informed me that something like this was going to happen. I’m gonna give you a ride to the hospital and I’ll take your statement after we find out if everyone’s gonna be alright.” Kate nodded and they got in his car and went to the hospital.

Val, Jimmy, Johnny and Zacky were all there waiting. Val was in tears and Johnny was comforting her. When Val saw Kate, she ran to her and hugged her tight.

“Is Matt okay? They won’t tell me anything.” Kate nodded.

“Val he’s gonna be fine. He probably just has a few broken ribs.” She said. Val broke down and cried harder. Kate pulled away and sat next to Zacky.

He put his arm around her and pulled her close.

“Kate, what happened?” He asked. Kate sighed and shook her head.

“He found me Zacky. He was gonna kill me, then Brian come out of nowhere and saved us. He and Scott fought over the gun and Scott shot him but Brian had a knife on him and stabbed him.” Zacky’s eyes were wide.

“Is Scott…dead?” He asked. Kate nodded.

“But Brian was hurt bad. He was barely conscious when the paramedics came. Zacky, what if he…” Zacky cut him off.

“Don’t think like that Kate. Brian needs us to be strong for him. He’ll pull through. He has to.” Kate nodded and rested her head against him.

About 20 minutes later, a doctor and Matt came out of a room. Val cried and hugged him gently. The doctor told her that he had broken 5 ribs but he was gonna be okay. When the doctor left, Matt and Val came over and sat by Zacky and Kate.

“Have you heard anything about Brian?” He asked. Kate shook her head. Matt sighed and took Val’s hand.

Four hours had passed and still no word about Brian. Johnny had gone for coffee and Jimmy was calling Brian’s parents. Kate had gone to the bathroom to freshen up. The right side of her face was bruised, her lips were red from the tape, and her wrists were bruised from being bound so tight. She filled her hands with water and splashed face with it. Twice she did this before looking at herself in the mirror. It helped a little. She didn’t look as red anymore. She sighed and closed her eyes. The image of Brian lying on the floor of his living room bleeding haunted her mind. When she opened her eyes, she noticed she was crying again. She slid down onto the floor and covered her face with her hands.

“God please, please let him be alright.” She whispered.

She cried for a little bit longer before she heard someone walk into the bathroom.

“Kate, there you are.” It was Val. She knelt down beside her and put her hand on her shoulder.

“The surgeon just came out. Brian’s gonna be fine.” She said. Kate looked at up her with a look of surprise.

“Are you serious?” She asked. Val smiled and nodded. She helped Kate to her feet and they ran out of the bathroom.

Zacky was waiting for them.

“Come on, they just put him in a room. We can see him now.” He reached out and took Kate’s hand and led her to his room.

She stopped just before entering. Zacky turned around and put his hand on her shoulders.

“It’s alright. He’s okay Kate.” She took a deep breath and they walked in.

“I was trying to get the gun off of him when he fired it at me. I had a pocket knife on me so I pulled it and stabbed him. I knew if I didn’t, he would’ve killed Kate.” Brian was talking to Detective Jackman when they walked in. Brian saw Kate walk in and he smiled a bit. She smiled back and a few tears slipped from her eyes.

“Alright Mr. Haner, thank you for your cooperation. Everything seems to back up your story so we probably won’t be charging you with anything.” He said.

Brian nodded and Detective Jackman left the room. Matt and Val were sitting in the corner and Jimmy and Johnny were on the other wall. Zacky walked in and stood next to Johnny and Kate just stood near the door.

“I’m not gonna bite Kate.” Brian said. She smiled and walked in a little closer.

The truth was, Kate hated hospitals. They reminded her of when her mother was dying.

“I think we should go and wait for your parent’s to get here.” Val said. They all agreed and started to leave.

“Kate, can I talk to you?” Brian said. She nodded and stayed behind.

Once everyone had left, he patted the space beside him and Kate sat down. Brian was hooked up to an IV and a heart rate monitor. His left arm was lying across his stomach and his right was behind his head.

“Are you gonna be alright?” She asked him. He nodded.

“Yeah I’ll be fine. I’ll have a sick scar though.” He said with a smile. Kate rolled her eyes and looked towards the door.

“Kate, look at me.” He said softly. She turned her head and he saw the tears that were falling from her eyes.

“Brian you could’ve been killed tonight.” She whispered. He sighed and took his right hand from behind his head and touched hers.

“But I wasn’t.” She nodded and wiped her eyes.

“He told me you knew he was here.” She said quietly. Brian closed his eyes.

“All I knew was that your dad thought he was here. He told me at your birthday party. He also told me not to tell you.” He said. Kate gasped and shook her head.

“He knew and he didn’t tell me?” She said. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently.

“Kate he was trying to protect you. He thought if I could get you out of here in time you’d be safe. But I failed.” He said. Kate shook her head.

“No you didn’t Brian. You stopped him just in time. He was going to kill me right before you came home.” She said. Brian closed his eyes and sighed.

“I was so worried about you Kate. Matt texted me and told me you were in trouble and I thought I wouldn’t make it in time. I thought for sure when I got there you’d be dead. I would never have been able to forgive myself.” He said. Kate half smiled and touched his face.

“Shh, don’t think about that now. Everything’s gonna be alright. Because of you, I don’t have to live life in fear that he’s gonna find me and finish me off.” She said. Brian smiled and touched her face as well.

“Kate I would’ve done everything in my power to keep you safe you know that. Even if it meant dying.” A tear slid down her cheek and into his hand.

“Brian I-“ He cut her off.

He sat up slightly and gently pulled his face to his and pressed his lips to hers. Fireworks blasted off in her head. She leaned in and kissed him back harder. When they pulled away, Kate was blushing and Brian was smiling. Someone cleared their throat from behind them.

“We’re not interrupting are we?” It was Suzy, Brian’s step-mother. Kate blushed harder and Brian chuckled.

“Nope, we’re finished. Come on in.” He said. They laughed and came in.

“I’ll leave you guys alone.” Kate said. Brian went to protest but she was already gone.

They guys and Val had gone home so Kate was alone in the waiting room. Detective Jackman walked over to her and sat down.

“We had people come in and clean the house which was easy since the floors are wooden. The doctors said they’re keeping Brian over night so if you like I can take you home when you’re ready.” Kate nodded and went in to say goodnight to Brian.

His parent’s had left and he was looking exhausted.

“Hey.” He said when she walked in. She smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Detective Jackman is gonna take me back home.” He nodded and tried to hide a yawn. Kate giggled and touched his face.

“Goodnight Brian, I’ll be back first thing in the morning.” She said. He nodded and stroked her hand with his thumb.

When she was about to leave, he pulled her hand so she was in front of him and he kissed her again. She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek before she left.