Everyone took cover, some under tables and some hid behind their hands, hoping to somehow block bullets.
Chelsea stood a ways away from the group, holding up her handbag as if it was the one to use the shot. She smiled as security ran over to her. She hadn't thought to blend in and take cover or scream. She was too pleased with herself that she just stood calmly in the middle of a stampede of scared people. Chelsea was tackled to the ground as she had her purse taken away from her. Inside they found a small, snub-nose pistol that had been disguised to look like a clutch bag. She scoffed as they handcuffed her, "You can't charge me with anything!"
"Actually, we can." An officer spoke, "You're in possession of an illegal firearm. It's less than 24 inches in total length, and it's disguised as another object. If you were aiming at someone in particular, which we have tapes to prove or disprove, the maximum sentence you'll get is life imprisonment." Another officer picked her up and carried her off as she continued shouting.
Lindsay felt her phone vibrate in her purse and picked it out. It was Savana on the other line. She answered.
"Lindsay! Oh my god, is everyone okay? I saw what happened on TV, and there's breaking news on it and Michael and I are freaking out." She shook on the other end, trying to calm herself down.
Lindsay took a breath, "Everyone's okay. They caught Chelsea and she's headed for life in prison. She broke a lot of laws just by having the gun."
Savana laughed slightly on the other end, "I don't give a damn about Chelsea. I'm just happy you're okay. I'm happy everyone's okay."
"We're all in one piece, Sav." Harry helped Lindsay out from under the table, "We'll be home later."
"Stay in one piece, Linds. Sierra, too." Savana sighed, "To hell with it, if one of you comes home with some form of scratch or injury, I will kill you. I'll see you when you get home."
"Alright," Lindsay said, "Hey, how's Elise doing?"
"She's teething and has a little ear infection, but other than that, she's good. She's been sleeping for a while, and will not let Mikey or I put her in her crib. I think it helps her ear infection when we hold her."
Lindsay giggled slightly, "I'll give you two a break when we get back. I'll talk to you later, bye." She hung up and put her phone in her bag. Niall came running up shortly after. He looked Lindsay up and down, checking for any noticeable injury.
"Sweet Jesus, I thought you were hurt." He wrapped his arms around her tightly and pulled her close, "I thought I hit you, a-and I wouldn't know what to do with myself."
Lindsay pulled away with her hand on his cheek, "I'm alright, Ni. I'm completely safe and sound here." She smiled, "But I think you were in the middle of something down on stage." She spoke matter-of-factly.
Niall smirked and got down on his knee, "Lindsay Renee McWhorter, would you do me the absolute pleasure of becoming my wife?"
Lindsay's smile beamed as she nodded, "How could I say no?" Niall quickly pulled out a small blue box with silver foil-pressed stars on top. He opened it to reveal a silver and gold ring with, what looked like, a sun on top. Lindsay smiled, "Wait a second, is this-"
"It's a Disney collection one," Niall answered, "Rapunzel, your favorite." He whispered as he slipped it onto her finger. She admired it before jumping into his arms for a hug. She smiled before kissing him passionately, as if she'd never done it before.
Later on in the night, everyone returned home to see Savana making food, and Michael holding Elise and rocking her in front of the TV. Lindsay offered to help, but Savana figured they'd been through enough for the night and deserved to sleep. Michael agreed, asking if they would mind watching her tomorrow for them to have a day away.
Sierra agreed as she hurried into the back bedroom to sleep.
"When is Elise going home?" Sierra asked as she took out her earrings. It wasn't that she didn't like the child, she thought it was only for a few weeks.
Lindsay shrugged, "Maybe her parents called Savana and asked to watch her a while longer. She was telling me that a lot of the parents in this program are pretty well-off. I wouldn't be surprised if Savana became Elise's full-time nanny."
"I think Savana might become a second parent to her, honestly." Sierra joked as she took her hair out and laid down, falling asleep almost instantly.
Lindsay smiled, walking into the bathroom to wash her face. Savana's voice pulled her away from it, though. "Oh, yeah, um, okay. Okay. Well, is there any way that- No? Th-They're really? Yes, okay. I understand. No, it's not a problem. We-We'll be okay. Thank you, so much." She saw Savana from down the hall, and she held her phone in disbelief.
Michael walked over with Elise, "Who was that? Is everything alright?" Savana put her phone down and brought her hand to her mouth. Michael wrapped his free arm around her and held her against him. "Hey, what happened?"
"Elise's parents killed themselves while they were away." Savana said shakily, "A-And they listed me as her next-of-kin, so I'm-"
"We're her parents now?" Michael interrupted her. He stopped the slight bounce he had to calm her.
Savana nodded, her tears streaming down her cheeks. "I guess, yeah. We're her parents now." Michael stood completely still as Savana took Elise from him. He brought his shaky hands up to his hair and ran his hands through it. They didn't know how they were going to do it. "Michael. We can't tell anyone until we're both ready, and I-I don't think I am just yet. We've got to wrap our own heads around being her parents before we have ten other minds to wrap around it."
"Do you really think we can?" Michael stressed in a whisper, "I mean, I love you, but we've only been dating for, like, four months. I have to go on tour this summer, and you have your channel to keep up with. I-I don't know if we can be parents, yet, babe."
Savana walked over to him and turned, exposing Elise's face to him, "You've loved her since the minute I brought her into this house. You did amazing things as a caretaker, and you'll do even better things now that you're a dad. We love her, and she's ours now. She's our daughter and we'll treat her as if she's our own flesh and blood. She'll never know any different." She took a short deep breath, "We don't have to tell anyone about it, okay? Frankly, I'm not comfortable with everyone knowing just yet. I love you, and I want you to be a part of this. We can do it. If not for us, we do it for her."
Michael nodded and kissed both Savana and Elise, "I'll do it for us and her. I love you both and there's nothing that can take you two away." He hugged them.
Lindsay covered her mouth to conceal her excitement as she walked into the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and whispered to herself, "Don't tell anyone."
