Can't Outrun The Past {Book 3}

Chapter 17: Stefan

*Noah's POV*

"This is fun." Grace giggled. "They're so clueless it's laughable."
"Now don't be rude, Gray." Jemma said with a devilish smile. "That's my job." I swear she was eating popcorn as well. "Now if you would." The curly redhead gestured at the knife lying next to Jasper on the desk. "Make one of them bleed."
"Which one." Jasper picked up the knife flipping it around in his hands.
"How about the annoying brunette." Jemma laughed.
"Which?" Grace pondered.
"The blue eyes one. Mack's daughter." How is she Man's twin and by that my big sister?
"You're completely psycho, you b-"
"Nancy!" I clapped my hands, cutting her sentence off. "Ellis is here."
"Right, sorry. I have a question, though," Nancy started. "Why?" Nancy pressed. "Why us? Why our families?" She was holding Lis and something told me the little blonde was the only thing keeping her grounded.
"I can answer that one,"
My head whipped around to where a figure leaned against a column. Not just any figure, but Stefan's.
"Stefan?" I whispered.
"Good afternoon, Noah." Stefan pushed off the column and strode toward Grace and Jasper. "It's nice to see you alive."
"What do you mean alive?" I echoed. "Tell me what's happening!"
"Gladly." Stefan grinned. "You see you were played." He had his arm wrapped loosely around Grace. "Nori let me close to her when in actuality she shouldn't have."
"Wait what?" Nancy butted in.
"Yes, you see, the day of the accident your father, Phillip, had figured it all out. It's a shame I always liked Lip from the time we were kids, really I did. But he approached me that day before you left, and told me he knew everything. He planned to take you lot and move you far away." Stefan shook his head, chuckling slightly. "We couldn't have that, now could we? So that afternoon a buddy of mine was payed to fatally wreck into him on a backroad. The only thing I hadn't planned on was you, Noah. I didn't know you were in the car."
I choked back a sob. "You had my father killed! You watched us suffer for the past two years. Why?! Why would you do something like that?" I paused. "You were my parents friend. They trusted you completely."
"The worst thing in the world was watching you after what had happened, but it had to be done."
"But-" Jasper cut me off. "That's quite enough now, Stefan, you're upsetting our niece."
"Our niece!" I exclaimed. "Gosh what is going on?" I was getting more upset by the minute. I had almost forgotten Nancy and Ellis were in the room.
Jasper sighed. "Take them back down. I think the girls could use some rest." He ordered Jemma, who was silently watching from a corner.
"No!" I stated loud and clear, a sort of tone there that even scared me. "I want the truth, and I want it now."
"Noah-"
"Let me finish, Jasper. You've kept us here for two days now. Let Nancy and Ellis go. Ellis is only five-years-old she doesn't need this. And Nancy," I glanced back at them. "Nancy is the best secret keeper I know. She won't tell a soul about this."
"And if I do this?" Jasper questioned.
"I'm all yours. You can do whatever you want with me." I wasn't bluffing and that was very obvious. "I just want the whole truth."
"I'll tell you what, Noah. I'll let them go with one exception."
"What's that?" Nancy demanded.
"You give them a message for me." He was looking directly at Nancy now.
"Which is what?" She asked.
"We're here, and now we're coming." He made a hand motion and within seconds Jemma was waiting at the entrance. "Can you do that, Nancy?"
Nancy nodded.
"Then you may leave. Jemma will take you home."
I went over to them and kissed Lis' forehead. "I love you, little one, never forget that."
"I love you too, Noah." Ellis wrapped one arm around me in a hug and Nancy with the other.
"You take care of my little girl." I whispered into Nancy's ear.
"I will." Nancy kissed my cheek. "Be careful, N, come home to us."
I laughed. "I don't know if they'll be a home left to come home to."
With that Jemma was pulling them out of the room.
I took a deep breath, wiping away the tears that had fallen, and turned back to the three adults. "Now," I smirked. "What do you mean 'our niece'?"
"I mean exactly as it sounds. Our niece."
"But I'm not related to Stefan?" I said in a questioning tone.
Stefan took a step forward, extending a hand to me. "Stefan Niklaus Bates. It's a pleasure to properally meet to you, Noah." Suddenly, as if naturally, he had a British accent one that mirrored Mum's. "You can call me Nik."
It hit me like a ton of bricks. "But Niklaus died years ago in his sleep. Plus you say you're twenty-five and Mum is thirty. Niklaus was her twin brother." I was in disbelief.
"Yeah I died, just like your father died of an infected cut in his side when he was fourteen." Stefan-I'm just going to stick with Stefan for now-laughed bitterly. "Things aren't always black and white, Miss Hendrixs."
"If you are Nik then how are you alive?" I was slowly believing this.
"It was faked, of course, Jasper had someone make a corpse, and then took me to England with him and a couple other guys." Stefan answered like it was the most normal thing in the world. "So for awhile I lied low and watched everything from afar. That is until I got old enough that I didn't look as Nori remembered. Then I made my grand reappearance as Stefan the diner boy and local drugdealer."
"So the day Jasper came by the apartment? That was arranged?" I inquired. Things were starting to click and make sense.
"I knew he'd want to meet you, and I also knew he had a day away from prison so I called him. Told him I had a really important thing to show him."
I nodded, taking it all in. "What about Caleb?" The words tumbled out of my mouth. "He's your nephew."
"Yeah Kaileigh's, our sister, kid."
"I have another aunt?" This was all a little to much.
"Yeah Kaileigh, but her and Ellie never got along." Jasper cut in. "She's a year younger than myself, and the only clean one in the family." Jasper walked over to where I sat. "You know, Noah, I saw the same thing in you that's in all of us."
"And what would that be?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Darkness." The one simple word struck a cord inside me. "I knew it all those years ago when we first met. You have the same look in your eyes that I have. That your mother has, whether she'll admit it or not." Jasper sat across from me. "Connor doesn't have it. That's why we didn't bother with him." He held out a hand. "Join us, Noah, and I promise your siblings and friends will be spared."
I gingerly took his hand in mine and shook it. "It's a deal, Uncle Jasper." I said with a small smile.