Noah's wrists were raw from squirming and untangling the ropes. But he'd done it, his hands were free. He watched Richard as he paced. Noah was like a hawk, patient, eyes never leaving its prey. Richard had put him through hell and back. He'd set up Elle with that rapist. He'd taken Elle's family away. Noah was done, he's had enough. He had to be careful though, he couldn't let his anger take full control, he had to stay calm. He couldn't look at Elle. If he saw what Richard had done to her just now he might snap. He made eye contact with Lee. Noah nodded his head in Richard's direction, then to his freed hands. Lee nodded in response.

~*~

Lee saw the look in Noah's eyes. Lee shifted closer to Rachel, ready to dive in her if need be. He looked over to Elle. She smiled at him, one sweet, genuine, smile. Lee had missed her so much. Seeing her after all this time made him ten times more nervous than he was, back at the house. He looked back at Noah. Noah had begun untying Elle's hands. They were folded neatly in her lap-the ropes creating red lines on her skin. Noah's free hands made quick work of the ropes. He loosened them just enough for her wrists to relax. If Elle wanted, she could break free of them at any time. Richard was still pacing, he looked angrier than he had been before. He was stressing. What Elle had said about the nine-one-one call had him unraveling. Any minute he could go off. He was like a ticking time bomb. Sirens sounded in the distance, Richard turned his mad gaze on Elle and started walking.

~*~

Elle saw the moment Richard decided to kill her. His eyes said it all. She felt Noah stiffen beside her. Richard was marching now, his pace quickening. His arms were raising slowly, he was going for the kill. He had almost reached Elle when Noah pounced.

"Noah!" Elle shouted as she stood, the ropes falling from her hands. Noah had Richard by the throat, but Richard's fists we're fast to Noah's ribs. Richard rolled on top of the distracted Noah and began punching. Richard's gun slipped from his waistband onto the ground. Elle quickly grabbed it, shooting into the air as she went. Richard stopped, he slowly turned around to face Elle. He stood, his eyes never leaving Elle's. His men ran to the now standing Noah.

"You know what I'm going to do?" Richard moved slowly, taking little interest in the gun Elle was holding.

"I'm going to take you back to Boston, and I'm going to make you my slave." Elle noticed Richard's men knock Noah down. They began thing his wrists with rope. She couldn't think about that now, she fought back the tears and the urge to run to him and focused on Richard.

"I will make you wish you'd never been born. You will bath me, serve me food, you will clean up the dead bodies. And when the night's get cold, I'll make you mi-" Elle pulled the trigger. Richard was on the ground, crying out in pain. She'd shot him in the leg. Richard's men looked up from Noah's unconscious body. She pointed the gun at them as black police SUV's pulled up.

"Get away from him!" She cried as she walked toward them.

"I will shoot you in your goddamn face if you don't back up!" She shouted at Richard's men.

"FBI put the gun down!" Shouted a man in a suit. He leapt from his car, gun at the ready.

"Elle, I'm Special Agent Martin of the FBI, drop the weapon, we are not here to hurt you." A few other FBI agents gathered around Richard's men. Elle looked to Noah, an EMT was kneeling beside him. Her vision blurred with tears.

"Elle please, put the gun down." Agent Martin begged. Elle let the tears she'd held back fall. As soon as she lowered the weapon, agents put Richard's men in cuffs. An EMT tended to Noah and his family. Agent Martin walked toward Elle. She felt dizzy and faint.

"It's okay Elle, you're safe." He whispered. Elle let out a sob and fell to the ground." Agent Martin knelt down and tried to hold her, Elle flipped. She scrambled back on the ground, leaving the gun she'd had by him.

"Please don't touch me." She whispered as the tears fell. Her head pounded.

"Elle, please come with me. We have some questions to ask you, and you need medical attention." That was the last thing Elle heard before she faded to blackness.