Safe at Last--a HTGAWM fanfic

Safe at Last, Part 3

Annalise always had good intuition. It was one of her many gifts. It was what helped her win many a case. It was what made her realize what an awful man her husband truly was. If only she'd listened to it. Now it was what help her in her most important mission yet—saving Wes from the other monster in her life. Frank. His presence is one of many problems in her life that was caused by Sam. It was like he was still causing problem for her—for them—from beyond the grave. If Frank was going to go away, she'd have to make him go away. She's not a killer, but she is a mother. Technically. Wes was her son, and the only good thing in her life right now. She ruined his life, and hated herself for it. But he inspired her to be a better person. All the men in her life had let her down. Nate, Sam, Frank and even Wes. But that was partly her own fault. Wes was the only one she could really trust. Even when she made him insane, he was the beacon of hope in her life. She had to protect him. Had to! Especially if what Nate said was true. I hate Nate. I hate him....

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"Thanks.", Frank muttered at the cashier. He left the store and walked towards the garage across the street. His car was parked right in front of the store, but he still seemed to move further away from it. He went to meet his old pal, Dino. Dino was the man who helped him dispose of Rebecca's body.......twice. He's also the one who provided Frank with the drugs needed to get rid of Levi, Rebecca's brother. The kid was a constant irritation. In his mind, Rebecca was trouble. She, and another person, ruined his perfect existence. Life was good until those brats came in the house. Then everything went to crap. He got to all sorts of fun, twisted things before them—robbing people, plant false evidence, screw a bunch of nameless women and even kill someone once. Frank was a psycho, though he kept it well-hidden at first. Particularly from Laurel, who was possibly the first woman he'd ever actually loved. But then 'golden child' took her away from him too. Now he, Boonie and Annalise had to spend all their time getting these brats out of trouble. One brat in particular, Annalise's golden child. The Puppy.

"Yo, Dino. You got something for me?", Frank said in a hushed tone.

"Right here." Dino gave Frank a large grocery bag. Frank peeked inside of it, and flashed his friend a creepy smile.

"Perfect."

Then Frank left. It was time to put the puppy to sleep.

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Wes and Connor were never friends. They called each other that on occasion and so have other people. But friends like each other. They support each other, look out for each other. But the only reason he and Wes are ever in the same room was because of the murders. Particularly the first murder, when Wes just had to save his princess Rebecca. He was just too stupid to realize that Rebecca was no good. It would've better if he just let the skank die. Waitlist just ruins people lives'. Everything bad that's happened to them was his fault. His and Annalise's. No wonder they liked each other so much., Connor thought bitterly as he sat in the bar.

Of course, most of this isn't true. They could've gone to the cops at any given moment, but they all chose not to. They took the coward's way—blaming others for their bad choices. Connor never truly cared for anyone but himself and now Michaela. Michaela would be furious if she knew where he was. Drinking more shots, steeling his nerves. He felt like throwing up. He didn't drink much at the clinic party. He wasn't suppose to be drinking at all. Ever since Murder Night 1.0, he refused to drink around Oliver. His beloved still believed that he was a recovering drug addict. He did until that day. Now Oliver was closer to discovering the truth. Maybe it would actually help their relationship. Connor couldn't tell it was the shots, the nerves or a mixture of both that cause him to feel on edge right now. But he didn't leave. He needed to do this. Waitlist and Annalise have ruined his life, and they needed to pay for that. Especially since he was on the verge of getting Oliver back. He didn't want either of them to mess up his life any further.

Connor knew how close "The Snake" and Annalise were. They were probably together right now. Even if they weren't, he knew where Wes lived and obviously Annalise. He knew that Annalise never locked her doors, and that a ten-year-old could easily pick Wes' locks. That place was only a ten-minute walk away from both residences. Even less than that by driving. He had the weapon, gloves and everything needed to minimize the chance of leaving D.N.A evidence. Try as he might, he won't risk making the same mistakes that got him in trouble before. Now all he needed was an alibi. And maybe a second weapon in case they fought back, which they probably would. Connor eased up when his alibi finally arrived. He was in a white van. There were tons of white vans in Philadelphia. Perfect! His alibi was quite handsome. Time to be charming Connor.

Connor smiled and said "Hey".

"Hi. You look good enough to eat, young man."

"Thanks, Thomas."

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5:00 p.m.

Annalise was passed out drunk in Bonnie's bed. Good. It would give her some time. It pained Bonnie greatly to see Annalise, her mentor and friend, in this condition. But Annalise wasn't always like this; she rarely allowed herself to get this drunk. It was those damn kids—the Keating 5. In her mind, they were "the destructive Five". Ever since these....students..came into their lives, it's been one disaster after another. They killed Sam, the man Bonnie had loved for 10 years. For reasons beyond her, Annalise continued to protect them. Why would she do that? Why is protecting these little bastards?, Bonnie wondered as she cut some lemon. She knew that Annalise was a self-destructive person. So was she. And Frank. But Annalise and Frank were her family, the only real one she'd ever known. Annalise really was a good person who just wants to help and fix things. Maybe she didn't do it in the best ways, but she did. She helped Bonnie and Frank. Figuratively speaking, they saved her from hell. That's exactly where Annalise was. They were killing her, can't they see that? Killing her when they should be thanking her. In the past, Annalise would work with 4 students for a semester or two. Afterwards, those students would be gone. Be lawyers, stay-at-home parents. Whatever.

All of those students combined didn't cause Annalise nearly half the trouble that the Keating 5 had. Not even close. But them, they'll never go away on their own. Drinking tea usually calmed Bonnie down. All the thoughts would wash away for a while. Not this time. The Keating 5 had even managed to ruin her calming down ritual. Thoughts of them had been racing through her mind for hours, even since Annalise arrived on her doorstep drunk. She learned—or at least feared—that the police were investigating her again for murder. After weeks of sobriety, Annalise had fallen off the wagon. And it was been of them. Particularly one, Wes Gibbins. All of this happened because of his pathetic little crush on Rebecca. You're not supposed to get involved with your clients romantically. Anyone with half a brain would get that! He did, and now their lives are irreparably destroyed. Bonnie thought getting rid of Rebecca would end their problems. It didn't. It just created even more. It was a mistake.

Bonnie slammed down her now-empty teacup. Annalise and Frank were her family, and there was only one way to protect them. Annalise would be undoubtedly furious, but she'd eventually realize that it was the right thing to do. They had to get rid of them all. It was a huge step, but it was the only way they'd get their lives back. So Bonnie tiptoed upstairs to check on Annalise once more. She was sound asleep. Bonnie quietly retrieved her purse and jacket from the closet and left the house. She made sure to lock the doors, so Annalise could leave and try to stop her. As soon as Bonnie stepped into her car, her cell phone was blaring. It was Frank.

Relieved, she answered. "Hey. Did you get it?"

"Yeah. Where are you?", Frank asked her. "She's asleep, right?"

"She is. I'm on my way."

Then she headed to the Motel 8 to meet Frank. They were gonna protect Annalise, and they'll start with Wes.