New family, New Love

Chapter Twenty-Three

*Ellis' POV*

I woke up and rolled over to cuddle Nick, only to find him gone, I sat up and I looked around our room, the kids were still asleep and the shower was running. He was showering. I breathed a sigh of relief. After everything we've been through, I get scared when he isn't with me.

I got up and I went to cook breakfast, I decided to check on Keith beforehand. I knocked on the garage door. "Keith?" I said, it was silent for a minute until I heard him. "I'm here El, I didn't turn." He replied, I opened the door cautiously and he didn't turn, and he actually looked okay. No fever, he wasn't pale. He just look exhausted.

"Just to be safe, we'll keep you in here for another little while, I'll bring you food and water, and maybe a bucket or something for your bathroom needs. But I can't risk you coming out of the garage just yet, just because you haven't turned doesn't mean it won't happen later in the day or night. I'm sorry Keith but I need to protect Nick and my kids." I said, sadly he sighed and nodded.

"That's okay El, I understand. You're just trying to protect your family." He said, I nodded and smiled a little, he chuckled and he was staring at the ground. "I had a dream about mama, she was meeting the kids and Nick, she seemed very happy." He said, I sighed. "Where is the base? I want to go get her." I asked, he looked thoughtful for a minute.

"It's a few miles from the little town we're near. I can't remember how long it takes to get to and from there, but it's this base, a few miles down a long abandoned road. There's guards in front, on the bridge of the walls, and inside. All around the base is protected with guards who treat people like slaves. I wish now that I had let mama go first instead because then, we both would have escaped." He said, I nodded taking in the information.

"Okay, I'm going to go get her, I'll be back." I said, walking into the house, locking the garage door, I went and cooked quickly for the kids, Nick and i and also Keith. Nick had woken up the kids, had them bath and he brushed Ellie's hair and let her hair down. Ever since we separated from Ro and Coach, she hasn't had her hair done. Ro would Braid her hair or do something to it, but since we aren't with them anymore, nobody can actually do her hair.

Nick fed Henry his food, while Ellie was eating her breakfast. After Henry was done, I began carrying him around, bouncing him a little because he became cranky. He calmed down and I smiled and he giggled as he put his hands on my face. I kissed his forehead as I put him in his swinging chair and put a kids movie on. His focus was on the tv, until he fell asleep for his nap time.

Ellie had finished, then I washed the dishes, and dried them. I then start getting ready to go and get my mother. I don't want to take Nick because he can't leave the Kids with Keith, and I'm sure as hell not about to take them with us on a dangerous trip.

Nick walked into the room and I had just put a pistol in the holster on my thigh. He frowned, looking confused. "Where are you going Hun?" He asked. I sighed. "I'm going to the base, and getting my mother out. Keith had told me where she is, so I'm going to get her out of there and being her here. I need you to stay here with the kids, we can't leave them alone and who knows if Keith is even going to turn or not. So please babe, I need you to stay here with the kids. Lock the doors and Windows, you can't be too sure of anything." I said, he sighed and he looked worried.

"Hun can't this wait? Why can't you wait until we're sure about Keith being safe around any of us? If you wait, you could take him with you if he's okay. I don't want you doing that alone." He said, I shrugged and I looked around the room before making eye contact.
"Baby, my mother is in a base, probably the same one that you and Ellie were in. They treat people like slaves in those bases, my mama has done so much for me and I want to save her from being treated like a slave. I want her to come here, meet you and the kids. I want to save her Nick. And I don't want to wait any longer to do that. I'm going to do this alone, it is safer this way. I'm sorry my love, I get that you don't like this plan but it's the only one I have right now. I can't wait for Keith to be safe, I can't let you leave the kids here alone with him, and I can't let the kids come. It is safer this way darling. I'm sorry, but I'm going to get my mother." I said, he sighed and looked at his feet.

"Fine. But I want you to be careful babe. Those guards are assholes, they don't care if they kill you. They beat Coach up really bad because he didn't do his job right. I thought they were going to kill him. They work the people like slaves, and if some one doesn't do their job like they're supposed to, they beat them until they're almost dead. If they catch you they will keep you and beat you, or even worse actually kill you for lurking around. You need to be quick about it." Nick said, I nodded. "I'll be careful darling, I promise." He sighed and looked up at me.

"I love you Ellis. Please make it back in one piece I cannot lose you. Ellie and Henry can't lose you either, we need you El." He said, his voice breaking and tears filled with his eyes. I walked over to him and hugged him tightly, my shirt felt wet, his tears were getting on my shirt, getting it wet but I didn't care.

"I love you too Nicholas. I will come home to you and our kids. I'll be careful, I promise." I said, I then kissed him passionately and I walked downstairs, I went to say bye to the kids, it'll probably be a while before I come home.

"I love you kiddo" I said, kissing Ellie on the forehead and I hugged her tightly. She looked worried. "Where are you going?" She asked, sounding a little sad and worried. "I'll be back Hun, don't worry, I'll only be gone for a little while, in the mean time I want you and your daddy to stay here and be careful. Okay?" I replied, she nodded and hugged me once more before letting go.

I walked over to Henry and I picked him up and held him in my arms, I kissed his cheek and put him back into his swinging chair. I walked over to Nick, who still had tears in his eyes, I kissed his cheek. "I'll be back my love, promise." I whispered, he nodded as tears fell from his eyes. I wiped them away and smiled sadly before walking out the door, closing it and hearing him lock it. I sighed as I walked down the porch and on the road.

It was time to go save my mama.

*Nick's POV*

Ellis left, and I couldn't feel anything other then worried. He was going out there alone, and none of us knew how long he would be gone. I could tell that Ellie was scared too, she watched tv but she kept fidgeting. Ellis was the second best thing to another dad, he cared and loved her the way I did. She saw him as another dad and she grew on him immediately.

I moved her closer to me and held her. "Ellis will be okay Sweetie, okay? He'll come home and it'll be okay." I reassured her, she nodded and leaned her head on me. "Daddy?" She said, I looked down at her. "Would Ellis be my other dad? He's your boyfriend so is he my other dad?" She asked, I sighed.

"Honey, if you want to call him "dad" too, you can. That's only if you want to, and only if you feel comfortable to. I'm sure Ellis wouldn't mind but what matters if it's what you want to do. You can call him "dad" if you want, but you don't have to if you don't want to." I explained, she nodded.

"Okay. It won't be too confusing will it?" She asked I shrugged. "I'm sure we'll figure something out honey." I replied and she mumbled an 'okay' and after 20 minutes of watching the movie, she got up and walked away. She came back with her books and crayons and she was drawing and using the crayons to colour in whatever It was that she drew. It's something that she loved to do, so whenever we go out looking for supplies, I try to find more books and crayons for her too.

She was focused on whatever it is, that she was drawing I smiled and I sat on the couch watching a different movie, Henry was taking a Nap, Ellie was doing something in her book and Keith was still in the garage. We left him in there longer just to be safe.

I sighed, the house was a little too quiet without Ellis here. I hoped he would be safe, and make it home okay.

A/N:Okay, so I have an idea to have Ellis, be kept in the base when he tries to get his mother out, and it turns out that it was the base that Nick was previously in. He finds Coach and Rochelle in there as well, and they plan an escape because Ro and Coach are now fed up with how the guards treat the others and themselves like slaves. But there's another twist, would that be good idea for the next 2 or 3 chapters? I think it would be!