Brian’s POV

It was hard for me to see Emery like this, she wasn’t herself, she was more closed off than I had ever seen her before. She wasn’t the witty princess anymore, she was just a shell, she didn’t sleep, didn’t eat and almost didn’t talk.

The few sentences I got out of her, were the most she spoke in days. I was worried, but I was afraid to show her. Afraid I would make her feel even worse, when all I wanted was to make her feel better.

I was slowly losing my ways and was out of ideas, I ordered her favorite food, she didn’t even try, I knew she was just pretending to eat, but mostly her fork was just shifting the food from one side to the other.

When I was watching her closely she tried to smile and sipped on her water, but that was it. What if she wasn’t going to come out of this state? What if I wasn’t the one able to help her?

How could I make her see, that she had to come back to me, that I wouldn’t let anything ever happen to her again, that I loved her, that I finally opened up, but I told her now a couple of times, the three big words, the words I never said to anyone else, but Emery, she just stared ahead without acknowledgement.

Not that I blamed her, no never… who I blamed – me. I was the one who let her get captured I was the one who wasn’t in time… I was the reason she got violated, I was the reason she got –

I couldn’t even think the sentence complete not sure, what had really happened to her, the evidence was pretty obvious in the state I found her, had it been the first time? Had she gone through that over and over again? Why couldn’t I have been a couple of minutes earlier, a day? Or two?!

How could I let any of this happen to the woman I loved, I was a selfish hardhearted bastard who always thought about himself first, that was why! And I wouldn’t let that ever happen again, Emery was coming first now, Emery and my friends, and I was on the backburner, I wouldn’t let anyone ever get hurt again under my watch, not as long as I lived!

I looked at Emery, she had another nightmare and this time it was even harder for me to pull her out, I tried my best, but she was fighting against it, it made it obvious just how bad a shape she was in.

“I know you’ve been through a lot and I wish I could take it all away, babe,” I whispered in her ear, I tried a new technique was now singing to her or humming every now and then “Just know that I will never let you go… not now, not ever again. I love you, Em.”

I couldn’t keep those words in anymore, had kept them in for too long. It felt good to say them, it felt like I had to… It was like a need, like an addiction, at one point she would finally hear me and she would finally react.

Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but I would make sure she heard me. And once I said those words the night I brought her back, I knew it was right. It had felt right, without a thought of doubt. This was what I had missed, what I had tried to push away, when it was making me feel whole. I was a fucking idiot and this was my torture, but I would get through it and I would make my princess feel again, whole again, and if it was the last fucking thing I would do.

Emery froze in my arms and her breath caught in her throat. I could hear it, I frowned, had she registered what I said? She pulled away just a little to look into my eyes, her mouth opened and closed but she wouldn’t say a thing. as She blinked a few times, and then I heard her voice “W-What?”

I cupped her face with my calloused hands “I love you, Emery,” I said softly, pressing my forehead to hers, my gaze growing in intensity. “And I wont let anything happen to you ever again. You don’t have to be afraid.”

Emery looked like she was terrified, I didn’t know if she was still with me or if she had zoomed out again already, but whatever it was, she couldn’t seem to utter the words that were on the tip of her tongue, she looked anxious, exhausted, happy and then back to fearful all in one moment, and I had no idea how to pull her out of it.

“Em?” I asked with a light frown. “What is it?”

She opened her mouth again, her head shaking lightly as if she was debating with herself on what to say. I longed to hear her voice, and longed even more to hear those words back, but I would push her, no way, if she was ready, hell yes, if she wasn’t I would wait… until she was. I would be with her no matter what it takes.

“Talk to me, Princess.” I was practically begging, afraid she was back to her nightmares “I’m here for you. I mean it.” I was afraid of what she would say, what if she was too disappointed in me, what if her feelings had changed, what if I misinterpreted the whole thing, what if she hated me now?! “Please say something—”

“She’s awake! She’s awake!” Zack’s voice yelled, causing both Em and I to turn and look at him.

And again we were interrupted and I knew I was so close to getting an answer or at least something from Emery, I was almost begging, just to hear her say something in return, but I knew I had to stay patient and no matter in which directions her answer would be going I would be working with it. I could make her love me too, I could show her I wouldn’t let anything happen to her again. She was mine!

Em was constantly sitting on Jo’s bed, at least as long as Matt allowed her, since her sister woke up.

Emery was making slowly progress, since Jo had finally started to talk again, Emery was slowly feeling better, and I couldn’t hide the relief I was feeling with all this. She wasn’t really back to herself, but at least she was talking and attentive, she was trying to take care of her sister, while she finally started eating again too.

Matt wouldn’t let Em and Jolie alone for long, and I didn’t do that either, but we kept out distance to let the girls have some private time at least. But the need to stay close to Emery was deep inside me, so I wouldn’t dare leave her completely.

Shads and I agreed on stopping any activities on the outside parameter for now, only Zack was up and about every other day, to act like we were on normal business, and Jimmy was still collecting the debts. So it looked normal, even if our life wasn’t anything like normal anymore, at least it felt that way.

I mean, how could I ever think that it had felt the most normal before the kidnapping happened, before the girls were gone and had to go through all this shit. Before that, with Emery and me… It was normal, I had felt normal, if I would have just admitted earlier what I felt for her… Damn me, and my pride.

This little princess has rocked my world probably from the first moment I saw her in that club, and from that on it was just me not realizing what I had in her, what I could have with her.

Shads and I were talking about the conditions of the girls, but it was for both of us a tough talk, because… as far as I was concerned, I didn’t know where Emery was standing. And Jolie was only recovering, maybe she couldn’t even remember it all, and maybe… she would soon?! I had asked Matt about it that much, to be honest… afraid that it wasn’t any better than Emery’s.

“I don’t know what to do to help her…” I admitted, it was to no avail to keep hiding my feelings, and I didn’t care what Shads or any of the guys thought about it. I loved that woman and I would do anything for her. If I could take her pain away I would, I could have suffered instead of her, I would in a heartbeat, but I couldn’t and that made this a living hell. Knowing it’s my fault and I couldn’t do anything about it to help her.

“Give her time,” Matt shrugged. “It’s all we can do, especially when we don’t know what those bastards did to them besides beat them to a pulp.” I saw Matt clench his fists at the thought of what they did to the girls and I could only agree.

“Oh, Jo…” Emery’s cry sounded, interrupting our conversation. My heart beating a mile a minute now, squeezing painfully in my chest at that sound, so both Shads and I turned toward the girls on red alert, my heart jumping nervously in my chest. The two girls were holding onto each other, tears pouring from their eyes.

“I’m so sorry…” she whimpered. “It-It was all my fault… I-I didn’t follow directions and-and they-they made you pay…” I almost jumped up wanting to hold her and comfort her, tell her that she was all wrong, that nothing was her fault but only mine, but instead her sister hugged her just closer “None of it is your fault, Em.” They silently cried together and I couldn’t pry my eyes off them.

“And Jolie wasn’t able to say anything? I mean, does she remember?” I asked Matt silently and he sighed a little, his eyes also directed at the girls “We haven’t really talked about it yet, I mean… I was just too happy that she was back, that I didn’t want her to think about all the bad things… but I guess, soon we will have to, she will asks questions and-” Matt was interrupted from the phone in his office ringing.

He looked at the office door but didn’t move a muscle to stand up, instead his eyes were back on the girls and a small smile on his lips as he watched Jolie.

“Shads?! You phone, it’s not fucking stopping since days. You need to pick up” Johnny yelled and I rolled my eyes “It’s Pagano” He said a little quieter and stood in the doorway of the room.

Matt gave a loud sigh and rubbed his hand over his eyes “I don’t fucking think I can handle that now.” He said in a really low voice, and when I looked up I met his eyes, and understood what he meant, when my eyes returned to Em’s still crying form on the bed, I didn’t think I would be either, but someone had to, we had to do something to keep him off our back.

“Christ, get Vee and tell him to get his ass into Shads office now.” I said and when Jimmy walked past the room I stopped him with my hand to his chest “Rev, you gotta watch the girls for a minute. If anything happens, or they need us, you tell us immediately, no matter what.” I demanded and saw Jimmy grin wildly, “Yes, Sir Gates, Sir” He saluted and I rolled my eyes.

I dragged Shads behind me, while my feet also felt heavy leaving Em and Jolie alone, but I didn’t want to interrupt their talk, Jimmy took Matt and my place in the chair off to the side, and hopefully we would be back sooner than they even noticed that we were gone.

The still ringing phone was like a jackhammer to our nerves. Zack entered the room and looked at Shads with question in his eyes “What’s going on?” He looked at the ringing phone and he must have known already what was going on.

“I’ll handle it” He took a seat in Matt’s boss chair getting a lifted eyebrow from Matt and while Zacky grinned, he then pushed the button to take the call.

“What the fuck took you so long, to take the goddamn phone call Shadows! Can you fucking tell me that?! I have been calling you nonstop since days, and you wouldn’t fucking pick up! I was about to send a troop to your hideout and get you fucking out!” Pagano yelled before Zack could even say something.

“Well Hello Pagano… I’m sorry to interrupt your rant, but this isn’t Shadows but Vengeance.” Zack replied evenly and I tried to calm my nerves, I turned towards the door in hope to see if Emery needed anything, but I still couldn’t look through doors or walls so my attempt was without success.

“What the fuck? Where is Shadows?! I am not talking to his servants!” He spat and Zack rolled his eyes, “How about you shove that attitude up your-” Zack started but Matt cut him off with a move of his hand.

“Listen, Shadows and Gates are currently investigating on a new trail to find your girls, that is why he isn’t available much lately… So should I tell him to call you or-” Zack asked all diplomatic but was rudely interrupted again.

“If he would fucking hear the messages I left him, he knew that he should call me!” Pagano continued not even really listening to what Zack was saying, on the tip of my tongue were the words that he could go fuck himself, but I knew I had to control myself and by the way Shads was gripping his leather chair he was just on edge as I was.

“I want information where Shadows is and what fucking hint he is after now! I want to be part of the investigations and not be left out! Fucking hell! Has this anything to do the Gold Vipers whip out?!” Pagano asked and both Shads and I sat up straight. Of course, he had heard about that, who didn’t?!

“Yeah, it has” Zack said and both Shads and I glared at him, what he was about to say?! We should have talked about this beforehand, but now it was too late. Shit!

“So?!” Pagano asked, we heard his fingers tapping on the table. “So, I cannot tell you much about it. As you pointed out, I am just a small peasant instead of the boss man himself. All I can say is, they went after that trail and checked the scene out. As it looks the Vipers are no more, but the girls weren’t there either. At least not that we could find them, and now all the work with what happened and why is starting, but I don’t have any authorization about saying more about that” Zack finished and who would have thought that Vee was so good with the talking.

I looked at him and saw his elegant smirk on his face when he saw me and Shads give him the look of approval. Not bad, Vengeance, hopefully Pagano was buying this, and we could buy us more time.

Jo’s POV

I was glad when I was able to sleep in Matt and my room again, on his bed, and not the makeshift hospital bed they had put me on before. I was slowly getting better, or better yet to the surprise of the doc I was getting better faster than he expected.

I still couldn’t remember what happened all, I remember Matt finding me but after that it was all bits and pieces and I didn’t really recall on how Em and I got out of that hellhole, but the only good thing I knew was that we were both out.

My sister and I were both out and even though scars were left behind, we made it and were back. Emery may not have that many physical wounds and scars as I had, but hers were lasting in deep.

I had felt it the first time we were able to speak, or rather that she was able to speak to me, while I was mostly listening, not yet having enough energy to keep up with everything around me.

But now it was finally the day I was allowed to get out of bed on my own, only small steps and not far, but I was getting there. Each day a little more, and I would soon be back to my normal self… well with more scars… but that was just the shell right?!

Still sometimes when Matt wasn’t watching I would lift my shirt and look at the gruesome scars on my belly. The cuts weren’t all that deep, only a few, but there were many who left little scars behind, and two bigger ones which had to be stitched together, where I had lost too much blood.

When I began asking Matt those past two days about what happened and what was going on, he wouldn’t really give me an answer, he was probably trying to shield me from more pain, but that the missing memories and the missing closure was hurting me even more, he didn’t realize as it seemed.

“How are you feeling today?” Em lie on the bed beside me, her head resting on the pillow, she had turned on her side and looked at me with her big blue eyes, dark circles underneath them telling me, she still wasn’t sleeping well again.

“Em,” I lifted my hand and lit run through her blonde her, I had always loved the color of her hair and it was so different from my own.

“Yeah?” She lifted her eyes to meet mine “How are you today?” I asked again and she sighed “Okay, I guess… I-I mean…” she looked away and I touched her cheek. “Nightmares?” I asked and Em closed her eyes, a small tear escaping her left eye and running down her nose tip.

“Sometimes” She whispers more than she says and I decided to finally ask her what had been weighing on me the entire time “What did they do to you?” I asked and Emery pressed her eyes firmly together. A small sob escaping her, her mouth opening and closing a strangled sound escaping and then it suddenly rushed all out.

“They left me alone in a room with this slimy guy. He gave hints about it all the time, he wanted to make me beg, wanted to me to fight him, that would turn him on more” She sobbed and my eyes filled with tears too, please no. “God Em!” I whispered “He undressed me, I tried to fight him, he taunted me, touched me, god.. it was… I cannot…” Em stuttered a little, then her blue eyes filled with tears met mine again “He was about to, almost, I could feel him already, when Brian killed him. He fell on top of me, and Brian saved me… but I still feel his hands, I still see his face, I know he is dead, but-” More tears streamed down our faces and I hugged my sister close, couldn’t imagine what horrors she had went through.

“I’m so so sorry, Jo.. I didn’t mean to put you through all this, I should have listen, I shouldn’t have tried to fight them I-I” Her sobs got louder and I lifted her face up to look at me “None of this was your fault, Em. Remember, we are both still here. I am here, with you. We made it. Don’t let these tainted memories ruin everything. We didn’t do anything wrong, you know. I had a lot of time thinking while I was out sleeping… I’m sorry it took my so long, baby sister” I winked at her, a tear running from my face landing down on my sisters hand.

“I wish I could take all this pain from you, Em. I wish we could rewind and go back to before all this happened…” I said and Em suddenly looked at me “I need to know what happened, Jo. I always imagine you in the room, I always have nightmares, I need to know what is real and what is not…” She whispered and I nodded “I remember, being questioned, they were trying to get information out of me. They hit me, they taunted me with a knife. I wouldn’t give them any information so they got more violent, especially this weird guy Barry. He wanted to know everything about Avenged and their headquater, security passes and well, when I wouldn’t give anything to him, he began slicing me, until I pissed him off too much and he wouldn’t stop, I only remember coming in and out of consciousness.” I shrugged, I saw all this more like a distant memory with missing pieces, that was all I could give my sister really.

“They didn’t try to-” Em asked her voice shaky and I shook my head “No, they didn’t. I’m so sorry you had to go through this, Em.. I wished-”

“No, don’t worry. I will… we will make it, right? We will heal and it will go back to normal, right? Jo?” Em asked looking at me hopeful and I gave her a smile and patted her hair. “It will”

“Babe?” Matt’s voice sounded from the door and I lifted my head “Can I finally start to walk?” I asked with a small smile, Matt was trying to pamper and baby me all the time, not wanting me to get up or try anything, before he was sure I was ready.

“I don’t like the thought of you getting up already.” Matt grumbled “I sadly have to agree with him, this time” Emery mumbled too and I rolled my eyes at them.

“Would you two shut up, and let the woman do her thing” Zacky stood behind Matt in the room, and behind him Brian “Hey princess, come on over, let Jo train while I have a small surprise for you.” I lifted my eyebrow at Emery and saw her blush, she hadn’t been really talking about her relation to Brian these past days, but something was going on and we all knew it!

Emery kissed my cheek and slowly walked out, I shooed her away when she turned around another time and she gave a small laugh, one that we all hadn’t heard in days, probably weeks even.

“Zack, shut your mouth or I will help you with-” Matt started but I pushed myself up from the bed, making Matt stop his sentence and stumble forward in panic when I needed a moment to gain my footing.

“God damn, babe. Careful!” Matt was at my side in only a few seconds, wanting to grab my arm but I pushed him away. “Don’t. Let me do this! ZACK! Get him out if he won’t let me do this alone!” Matt lifted an eyebrow looking from me to Zack and back “He? Really?” I chuckled and Zack looked offended “I can take him… but right now I’m still in training”

I laughed and even though it felt a little rusty I saw Matt’s eyes shine when I met his. I made a wobbly step forward and another. It worked better than I thought and even though it was exhausting, I made the way over to the kitchen island and set down.

Matt handed me a glass of water and sat down beside me, waving the rest of the guys off to leave us alone.

“I don’t want you to over do this, babe. Take your time, you have all the time in the world” Matt announced and I smiled, looking at him from below. “Thank you, but I want this. I want to be back to normal… Even though, you won’t ever get me back in whole” I said softly. Matt frowned and looked at me stunned.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” He asked and I sighed “I have scars now, Matt. All over me… I’m not the same Jo before… inside… and even more outside.” I lifted my shirt and showed him those bandages and scars, and even though he had seen them before, known they were there, I had to say it out loud.

“And?” Matt’s frown got deeper “You think those scars make you any less beautiful to me? You think those scars make you any less a woman to me? God, babe… I thought you were cleverer than this. I love you not only for your beautiful look, I love you for you. And how badass do we look together now?!” Matt lifted his shirt, showing me the scar of the bullet he got from shielding me, or three other scars on his back and side, from his dangerous life before.

“You mean, this doesn’t repulse you?” I asked slowly and Matt shakes his head without missing a beat “This shows me how strong a woman you are, how much you went through, and how much an asshole I am for not listening to you, and for not keeping you safe. They will be my reminder to respect, love and always cherish you, babe” Matt leaned in and kissed me.

And I this was the first time, I finally felt good again, almost back to normal. Sitting here with Matt in the kitchen, kissing, talking… just one tiny little bit was still missing.

“Do you want to eat something? I could make us some?” Matt pecked another kiss on my lips and then got up and behind the counter. He insisted of cooking and me watching him cook.

“You know, this is like a woman porn, you know that right? You could take off that shirt, and my dream came true, the man I love cooking for me half naked.. that’s what I am talking about” I joked and Matt grinned, he was back to no beard now, so his dimples were on display.

“Don’t talk dirty to me, babe. You don’t know what you are doing” He said and I chuckled, I knew damn well, but I still had to be careful, so the playful times had to wait… just a moment longer maybe.

When Matt set the plate before me, with his self-made dinner I looked at him serious and I think on the look of my face, he already knew what was coming next.

“Babe, will you tell me now finally, what had all happened… how you found me and how we got out of there… You know, I need to know this.”

Notes

Sooo here is another chapter!
Hope u guys like it!
Let us know what u think in the comments :)))