Two years later (Part 6: A Bright Future?)

"....Just last night, a devastating fire occurred, nearly claiming the two lives: a young woman named Reanna, and a police detective named Thomas.

" According to our sources, the two victims were kidnapped during the week by three known suspects, and-"

Thomas gave a small groan before turning off the TV, and throwing the remote to the side table. He swung himself off the hospital bed, and walked toward the window.

The storm-clouds from yesterday had cleared, and now the morning sun brightened the clear, blue sky.

Though the day was beautiful and Reanna and him were together again, Thomas couldn't shake the awful, unexplainable feeling in his gut. He pinched the bridge of his nose with his bandaged hand -which now sported a nasty burn mark from the fire- and sighed deeply.

Creak!

Thomas shot around, a natural instinct for him after being kidnapped and beaten, however he relaxed when he saw that it was Reanna that had nearly given him a heart-attack.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" he said, rubbing his hurt hand, which had started throbbing again.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Reanna retorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Thomas let out another sigh, but a smile creeped up his face, however it went scarce when he saw the giant bandage that took up nearly a quarter of Reanna's face; the area where she had been electrocuted, and now had a permanent scar.

"I can't rest, not when they're still out there." Thomas responded, forcing his eyes to look away from the bandage; he didn't want her to catch him staring.

Reanna joined Thomas at the window, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, being cautious of any wounds he may have had there. "Yes, my family is still out there, but they probably won't come for us right now, not when there's a whole police force looking for them." she tried pointing out.

"I just have this awful feeling in my gut, Red. They nearly killed me, and they tortured you. What's stopping them from coming back and finishing the job?" Thomas protested, a little harsher than he meant to. Luckily, Reanna didn't take offense.

"We'll be ready when they come back." Reanna comforted.

Thomas nodded, though the feeling in his gut still wouldn't ease up, and that's what worried him the most.

Reanna, sensing the concerned emotion within her friend, hugged Thomas, and said, "I never said thank you for coming back for me, did I?"

"You don't need to, I'm just happy you're alive." Thomas responded, clasping Reanna in his arms. When the last part escaped his mouth, Thomas felt tears welding up in his eyes, however, he managed to keep them in.

Though he knew Reanna was safe, the bad feeling in his gut still showed no sign of easing up any time soon.

_*_

2 weeks later....

Thomas's eyes averted between two police reports before he jotted some notes down; his first day back on the job, and the Captain had given several reports to examine as a welcome back present: Yay.

Things had gone back to normal quite quickly; one week, every news channel was talking about the kidnapping and the fire, the next week, the reporters had moved on to other problems and news.

Thomas's right hand was still bandaged, but it had stopped throbbing, and he was able to use it. Reanna had finally gotten that job she had been working to get a few days before. Everything seemed to have quieted down a bit.

However, the police station was in a buzz, still working on finding the three suspects that had kidnapped Reanna and Thomas, and because of this, the bad feeling in Thomas's gut still hadn't lightened.

After writing the last note he needed, Thomas dropped his pencil, and slumped down in his chair sighing deeply. He looked over at the clock; his shift was coming to an end.

Finally...

Thomas gathered his things, put them in his briefcase, and grabbed the reports, along with the notes, before heading towards the Captain's office to turn them in.

20 minutes later, Thomas found himself hailing a taxi; he had loaned his car to Reanna until they got a public transportation plan together.

He got into the back seat, and set his briefcase next to him, however, the bad feeling in his gut got stronger, so strong that it actually started to physically ache. "Am I sick?" he asked himself.

"Where would you like me to take you, detective?" Thomas tensed up. He knew that voice, and now his worst fears were confirmed.

He looked up towards the rear-view mirror, and found Bella's piercing green eyes looking at him in the mirror.

"Crap," he muttered to himself, and reached towards the door handle. He now understood the unshakable feeling in his gut.

"I wouldn't recommend that." Bella warned, and Thomas heard the faint click of a gun cocking, and saw the weapon in Bella's grasp under the wheel.

Slowly, Thomas moved his hand away from the handle, and waited for her to say something.

"This is how it's going to go, you cause no trouble, listen to what I have to say, and you and my sister will continue to live peaceful lives. Got it?" she "suggested."

Finding his voice gone with anxiety, Thomas was only able to give a nod. "Good, give me your phone and briefcase. I don't want you calling anyone." Bella ordered.

Seeing no other choice, Thomas obeyed and handed both his phone and briefcase over to her. After a few, torturous moments, Bella put away the gun, locked the door, and drove away from the police station, and Thomas had to swallow down his fear several times to keep his composure.

_*_

The sun was just starting to set when Bella pulled into the docks, and stopped the car. "Get out, and don't even think about running." she commanded, waving the gun, so Thomas would get the point.

Thomas did what he was told, though it mentally disgusted him to do so, and exited the car.

Once Bella was standing in front of him, the gun still within her grasp, he threw his hands in the air, and said, "Alright, you got me. Now are you going to tell me what the heck you want?"

"Is she okay?" was all Bella asked.

The question caught Thomas off guard, but he could sense the pure concern in her voice, and somehow he knew who she was asking about.

"Yeah, she's fine. We barely made it out of the fire, but she got out just fine." he answered, relaxing slightly, but not letting his guard down.

Bella looked away, and tucked the gun in her belt before covering it up with her shirt. "Good," she sighed, nodding her head slightly.

Thomas remember how Bella reacted after seeing the burn scar on Reanna's face; she was enraged, like she didn't want that to happen. "Where's Jaxon and Harris?" he decided to ask.

Bella looked up before answering, and what she said shocked Thomas even more than he already was. "They're dead, I killed them."

"But they're family, why would you...."

"When I saw that scar on Reanna, I realized what they would do to get what they want; I realized what I did, and when they told me to leave her behind in that fire, they stopped being family. So, the first stop we made, I took one of their guns, and shot them." Bella explained with no hesitation.

Thomas was at a loss for words; all he could do was gawk at Bella in pure shock, and a long stretch of silence followed.

"I just wanted you to know that you and Reanna are safe, and...." Bella's usually tough, fierce eyes started to glaze over with tears.

"And that you don't have to worry about me anymore." she finished, swallowing back the tears.

"I can't just let you go, you're still a wanted criminal Bella." Thomas solemnly pointed out, feeling sympathy for the girl.

"I'm not asking you to let me go, just to give me a head start. After we're done here, I'm throwing this gun to the bottom of the ocean, and I'll leave. I'll never come near you, or Reanna again. You have my word. If I get caught, I'll go without resistance, just give me a a day head start." she explained.

Thomas thought for a moment, and nodded his head. "Fine, you get 24 hours to get out of the city. This time tomorrow, though, the police is gonna get an "anonymous tip" about one of the suspects, got it?"

Bella nodded, un-tucked the gun, which caused Thomas to flinch though he knew Bella wasn't going to shoot him. She turned toward the ocean, and a few moments later, there was a splash.

Bella turned back to Thomas, the gun now at the bottom of the dark ocean. "Get back in the car, I'll take you home, and then I'll leave." she said, walking back to the car.

Thomas, though his mind told him not to follow her orders now that she was without a weapon, followed Bella without question.

_*_

"So, that's it? We're safe?' Reanna questioned; she had just been told everything by Thomas, and she had to sit down on the bed to process it all.

Thomas sat next to her, and answered, "Yeah, Red, as crazy as it sounds, we're safe, and we have Bella to thank for that."

Reanna was silent for a few moments, but a small sob escaped her lips. "Reanna...." Thomas sighed, letting her lean against his shoulder.

"After everything, being framed, getting amnesia, finding out about my family, getting my memories back....it's finally over." she sniffed. Thomas placed, his hands on the back of Reanna's head, her auburn hair lacing between his fingers.

He finally let a few tears slip down; the feeling in his gut was gone, and he relaxed completely for the first time in a long time.

Reanna was safe; she still needed to emotionally and physically recover, but she was safe, and that's all that mattered to Thomas.

Reanna, still hugging Thomas, turned to the window, and smiled. The nightmare was over, and it was thanks to the sister she thought she lost years ago.

Meanwhile, Bella looked back at the city; she only had a few hours to leave. "Love you little sis." she mumbled, before getting into the car, and driving out.

Maybe someday, she could go back and tell Reanna herself how sorry she was for bringing this pain on her.

The End....?