The command center was for once completely empty and clean I might add.  Harley must have had one of her cleaning meltdowns since I could still smell the after effects.    Even the ever present Hacker had turned in for the night, the fumes must have gotten to him.  I have to say it was nice for once to have the silence that was not common in a house over run by bikers.

Taking a seat, I glanced up at the screens to see if any progress was made in deciphering the password. And after several days we were still fucking stuck. Now Albert was doing what Albert did best and we were stuck waiting.

I didn't like waiting...the unknown was killing me.

What was on this flash drive? Who was it from? My guess was Ian. But then again these were my albums not his, but who else would send them to me? Dawson? He was a choice, but the man has been dead for a while and from the date stamp, they were sent after his death so that didn't make any sense.

Leaning back in the chair, I sighed as my head hit the back cushion. Waiting sucks.

Closing my eyes briefly I let the silence of the room comfort me. If one more person either asked me how I was doing or gave me that look that seemed to be prevalent on everyone's faces...a cross between pity and sympathy, I was going to kill someone.  And I mean that literally.

It was like they were waiting for me to breakdown and go hysterical...well they were going to be disappointed. For one I rarely breakdown, I was trained not to, something that has been so engrained into my brain, I honestly didn't think it was possible. And as for crying...well I only did that in private and only recently in the arms of Mac as he held me in our bed.

The release was necessary, according to Mac, and honestly I didn't even have a smart ass reply because the man was right. I always felt better afterwards.

But now after having some time to process, I have moved on from the shock and moved right into pissed way the fuck off and determined to end this fucking nightmare.

Now these emotions I had no problem processing.

Turning at the sound of the door opening, I watched as Harley made her way towards me before she pulled out the chair right next to me, plopped down into it and tossed her feet up onto the desk.

"What's up bitch? Can't sleep?"

"Nah, and neither can you apparently...Harley I am fine, I don't need a babysitter."

"Oh I know you are fine chica...not sure why all these badass bikers are treating you with kid gloves. I figured the shock has worn off, you cried your pathetically brief tears in Mac's arms and then got some and you are now out for blood. Girl you are many things but you are not a procrastinator. You process shit and move on. Now you got anything?"

God, I love my girl. And she knows me so well it was sometimes scary. But that was Harley. When she let you in, she let all of you in and she paid attention.

"Nothing. And that is also pissing me off. What I don't get is if you go through the fucking trouble of getting this to me wouldn't it be smart to provide the fucking password as well?"

"Well maybe they did." Harley said then hesitated.

"Go on."

"I don't know exactly but something was bugging me. The photos are just that...photos so I don't think there was anything in there, except that you are in a dress and just because all this shit is going down, don't think for a second I am forgetting about that."

Laughing I punched Harley's arm before she shot me a wide ass smile as she got up and dug around in the box before coming back to her seat with the folded piece of paper.

"Now this..." she says as she holds it up, "this confuses me.

Glancing at the piece of paper I wasn't catching on to what she was referring to. It was just a list of dates that at one point in my life meant something to me, but now they were just random numbers that held little meaning. I was a different woman than the one that jotted down those digits. That woman still had romantic ideals about the world and the life she was handed, she was a bit naive and innocent on what the world was actually like out there.

Those ideals were shattered beyond recognition along with her innocence.

I guess after you have killed as many bad people as I have over the years I debated not only my mental stability, at times, but also my emotional one as well. It was like a switch was flipped and all my emotions disappeared. They only began to filter back in after Harley entered my life and now Mac.

"It's just a list Harley. Dates I felt important...a diary of sorts. Even the emotionally handicapped like myself can get sentimental at times. What's hard to believe about that?" I asked as I handed the piece of paper back to her.

"I know...it was almost like you were...a girl at one point!" She whispered while holding in her laugh. Then she lost that battle and burst out in hysterics.

Ticked off I punched her in the arm. "You bitch...I thought you had something, but you are just busting my balls because of some stupid list."

"Really you expected me not too? I just can't picture it. Then again I could never picture you in a dress either but here the proof is hitting me right in the face." The loud thump from the album hitting the table echoed in the empty room as she flipped each page making stupid comments about each photo and asking who everyone was. Since it was a small wedding it really only showed Ian's family and Dawson's family.

A little bit irritated and a little bit humored I leaned forward and took in a chapter in my life that seemed a lifetime ago.

"Really Nix...roses...how cliché of you."

"Shut up bitch."

"And who got you to wear a veil? It's like the twilight zone or some shit...oh wait this is my favorite of you shoving the cake in Ian's face, now that I believe. And this one..."

"Wait go back."

Harley flipped the pages back until I stopped her.

The photo appeared to be folded. Only showing me dancing, my hand joined with another that you could not see. Taking the photo out of the protective plastic I unfolded the edge, cutting off Dawson as we danced together. The father-daughter dance if I was not mistaken.

But there were other photos of us dancing, why was this one bent and hidden since the other photos obviously already showed him and I dancing. It was weird as to why the one that had his body half cut from the picture was tampered with.

"Nix look." Taking the photo out of my hands, Harley flipped it over.

Written on the back by the fold as Our Song.

Our song? Ian's and I's song? Or the song Dawson and I danced to.

"Do you remember? What you danced too" Harley asked quietly while still focusing on the picture.

Nodding my head yes I closed my eyes thinking of that moment.

...Ian I am not dancing to Aerosmith."

"But babe it was on the radio the first time I danced with you it has to be our song."

"Fine, I don't want to miss a thing will be our song but I still think it is stupid. Don't they all die in that movie?"

"Babe seriously...I didn't pick our first song it picked us. Just be thankful it wasn't Vanilla Ice or God forbid Garth Brooks." Ian visibly shuttered at that thought. The man hated rap and country.

Dawson laughed at our flirty banter as Mary smiled as another wedding detail was checked off.

"Now what about the father-daughter dance?" Mary asked glancing at her husband.

"Oh no, I have this one in the bag. Just be prepared to have your toes stepped on beautiful!" Dawson joked as he winked at me.

Dinner was over and the band at the small restaurant asked for Dawson to come on up. Grabbing the microphone he cleared his throat be for glancing my way.

"Jules since the day you tumbled into my life or let's be honest the day I caught you stealing my car (everyone laughed) there has been one word to describe you...unforgettable.

And I couldn't forget you. I knew from that moment that my life would forever be changed and I gained another daughter, and one I was thankful not to have experience puberty with. Kidding aside Jules. You have grown from the rough and tough delinquent to a beautiful badass woman. Ian is lucky to have you and so are we."

Reaching his hand out I walked to him grabbing as the band began to play Unforgettable. The singer was no Louis Armstrong but he still sounded amazing and my surrogate father twirled me around the floor.

And not once did he step on my toes.

The memory ended but the impact of it had me up and out of the chair in a flash.

"Nix honey what is it? Stop pacing and talk to me."

Turning to her with tears streaming down my face stopped her from coming closer. Pain gripped me as I remember every second of that dance with Dawson. The way he held me like I was someone precious to him. The proud words of encouragement he whispered in my ear and the words of love that he ended with as the song faded out.

Squatting down I gripped my hands in my hair as I tried to block out all those thoughts all those memories of the man who had a hand in my downfall.

"Albert get Mac." Harley's commanded.

I wasn't really focusing on anything else but the memories I couldn't stop.   They had to stop...it hurt too much. 

Strong arms encircled me as they lifted me into a lap as he sat on the ground and leaned against the wall. "Shh...baby I got you. I got you." He whispered in my ear.

I could hear him and Harley talking. Her explaining what the hell was going on but I didn't pay attention. I didn't care. All I could feel was pain. Excruciating pain. Pain I buried long ago.

I didn't move when the voices died down.

I didn't move when Mac picked me up and carried me upstairs.

I didn't move when he tried to pry me from his arms as he laid us in bed. Giving up he just sat up against the headboard with me still in his arms.

And I didn't move all night long as I slept...safely in the arms of the man I had grown to love.