Welcome To The Family

Okay?

Emme was down in the kitchen helping Jenny when we came to the house. Emme's eyes were bright red as if she had been crying all night. I could see the gauze poking out from under the sleeve of her sweater. Her head was hanging low as she was cooking eggs in the pan. Jenny was smiling and embraced us in a hug when we came inside. Jared raised his arms and Jenny picked him up in her arms.

We ate breakfast without Emme saying a word. She kept her head hanging low as she picked at the food on her plate. A wave of nausea had hit me that morning, so Gabe did not say anything when I did not eat much food. He just gave me a kiss on the forehead and patted my stomach before going outside with the rest of the men.

Jenny had Emme sit at the dining room table as we cleaned up breakfast. I noticed that Jenny had been actively trying to keep Emme away from the knives. Once we were finished, we made tea and sat next to her at the table. Emme did not raise her head until Jenny put her hand on her arm. Emme looked up with her red-rimmed eyes.

"How was your night, sweetheart?" Jenny asked.

"It was awful," Emme said. "How can you two be happy here?"

"You will see soon enough that this is where you belong," Jenny said. "We love you."

Emme looked over at me and my chest tightened.

"You're happy here too," she said. Not a question, but a statement.

I nodded.

"I am happy," I said.

Jared ran out of the living room and came across the kitchen to the dining room. He had his teddy bear in one hand and his thumb in his mouth. He climbed up onto my lap. I ran my fingers through his dark hair and planted a kiss on top of his head.

"I am very happy," I said.

Emme placed her hands over her stomach and worry flashed across her face.

"What if I am pregnant?" she asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"That would be wonderful!" Jenny said.

Emme shuddered. I tightened my arms around Jared and he squirmed in my grasp.

"Being pregnant helped me realize that I love Noah," Jenny said. "I'm sure that Lindsay would say the same."

Finding out I was pregnant with Bonnie was scary, but it helped me see how much Gabe cared for me, especially during the beginning days when he would fuss over me. He even took care of me after Bonnie's death. He hated to see me upset.

"I loved being pregnant with my babies," I said.

"Babies?" Emme asked.

"Lindsay is pregnant again," Jenny said quickly. "This is her second boy."

Jenny was trying to hide the truth about their daughters. I can understand why. I was upset when I found out and I was comfortable here when I found out. A big part of me prayed that Emme and I only ever had boys.

Emme opened her mouth to say something, but there was a pounding on the door.

"Help!" a girl screamed. "Help! They're going to kill me!"

Emme rushed to the door, her chair tipping over as she stood. Emme tried opening the door, but it was locked. She banged her fist on the door.

"Get out of here!" Emme screamed. "They kidnapped me!"

Jenny hurried over to Emme. She grabbed her arms and pulled her back. Emme stumbled as she fought against Jenny's grip. I picked Jared up and held him on my hip as I walked toward them. Jared buried his head in my chest to stop from watching them fight.

"Emme, get away from the door," Jenny said.

"No!" Emme screamed as she ripped her arm out of Jenny's grasp. "Get out of here!"

There was a scream on the other side of the door. The door burst open, and Dylan had a fistful of a girl's hair and was pulling her into the kitchen. Gabe and Taylor came in behind him carrying a woman who was kicking and screaming. Noah followed carrying an unconscious girl over his shoulder.

Emme screamed and charged forward. Jenny grabbed her and pulled her back. She scrambled to try and get out of Jenny's arms. Taylor sighed, rolled his eyes, and dropped the legs of the girl they were carrying. Gabe kicked the girl's legs and made her crumple to her knees. He placed his knee on her back and pinned her down over the drain.

Taylor grabbed Emme's arms and ripped her away from Jenny. He pulled her to his chest. She pounded his chest with her fists, but he was unfazed. She screamed and tears were rolling down her cheeks

"Taylor, you need to quiet her," Noah said.

He dropped the unconscious girl next to Gabe at the drain. The girl Gabe was holding down screamed louder when she saw the girl was bleeding from her temple.

Dylan held the girl he was holding down in a chair Jenny pulled out. Gabe grabbed a coil of rope from the drawer and helped Dylan tie her to the chair.

"You're going to kill them?!" Emme screamed. "How can you? You're monsters!"

"Mom, can you get the needles?" Taylor asked.

Jenny nodded before hurrying up the stairs. Jared covered his ears as he kept his head buried in my chest.

"Please!" the girl tied to the chair cried. "Please, don't hurt us."

"Dylan-" Noah started.

"I'm on it," he said.

He grabbed the dish towel and tied it around the girl's mouth. She flinched as Dylan brushed her hair off of her forehead. He looked over his shoulder at Noah.

"She's pretty," Dylan said.

"Don't get any ideas," Noah said. "We may have made an exception for Gabriel, but you are way too young."

Dylan scowled before straightening his back. The girl threw her head back and sobbed.

Jenny came back down the stairs with a little black case in her hands. She unzipped it and pulled out a syringe. I watched as she filled it with a solution as Emme flailed in Taylor's grip. Once she was finished, Taylor threw Emme down onto the floor. He pinned her down as Jenny lifted the hem of Emme's dress. She injected the substance into Emme's leg.

Gabe pulled his knife out of his pocket. I watched as he buried the blade deep into the girl's throat. He dragged the blade across her neck and blood sprayed out onto the tiles. The girl tied to the chair screamed louder as she watched her friend be killed. Emme threw her hands over her mouth as she gagged.

Noah grabbed another chair from the dining room. Taylor picked Emme up off of the floor and carried her over to the chair. He sat down and placed her on his lap. Emme was still fighting, but I could see that her movements were slowed down.

Gabe stood. Blood was swirling down the drain from the girl's lifeless body. His hands were soaked in blood, and he wiped them on his jeans. He walked over to the sink to wash his hands.

Emme's eyes were barely open as she leaned her head back against Taylor's chest. She was fighting to stay conscious.

After Gabe had cleaned himself, he walked over to me and took Jared out of my arms. Jared still had his hands up over his ears. He moved his hands when Gabe held him. He sucked his thumb, leaned his head against Gabe's chest, and looked at the bloody scene unfazed. Gabe took a look at the crimson covered tiles before looking back at me. The girl's muffled cries and screams seemed so distant.

"Are you two okay?" he asked.

I chewed on my bottom lip as I nodded my head. He reached out and wrapped an arm around me. He pressed his lips against my forehead. I took in a deep breath and listened as the girl's screams intensified before turning into a garbled mess.