The air was cold. Justin felt it freezing his skin through his jacket, but there was nothing he could do to get warm. The place they were in didn't give him those amenities.

"Why are we here?"

Jeremy paused for a moment, gave a sigh, and turned to him. "Anne's father came back. I'm not sure what he wants, but he insisted on seeing us."

"Do you think he knows about Anne and me?"

"Probably."

"We should have warned Detective Clarke. This is stupid. We'll only put her in danger."

"Listen to me," he said stopping abruptly. "No matter how stupid this is, he needs help. I can't just leave him like this after what he did for me."

"But..."

"My, my. Little Justin has really grown up," John said coming up to them.

"Hi, John. Have you been well?" asked Jeremy cautiously.

"Oh, yeah. My wife died and your family left my daughter on the street. Of course I've been wonderful."

"John, you know it wasn't like that."

"You think I'm an idiot? I entrusted her life to you and you threw her out on the street."

"You left her in the town on her own! Did you think the police wouldn't intervene? There was nothing we could do but turn her over to them."

"Shut up!" his eyes were red with anger. His personality seemed to almost fade behind a slight psychotic haze.

"You need help. Please stop this silly chase and come with us. You'll be able to see Anne again and..."

A wry chuckle escaped the man's lips. "You're still the same, but this time it won't be so easy for you to save your ass. I'm one step ahead of you. Get in," he motioned toward the wooden shed behind him. Jeremy and Justin obeyed.

The place was damp and dark. It was hard to make anything out without a light source. The brunette felt the danger vibrating on his skin. All his senses were alert.

"I ran into an old acquaintance the other day," John's voice could be heard like a muffled echo. A light bulb suddenly turned on and revealed an unconscious man tied to a chair. He was dirty and beat up, as if he had been enduring physical torture for a few days.

"Shawn?" asked Jeremy.

"You remember him, don't you?" he smiled. "Why don't you tell little Justin who he is? No, wait! I'll do it," he pulled a gun out of his pants and started fiddling with it. The Biebers instinctively took a step back. "Years ago, when our business was having complications, your father met this man. He said he was a simple accountant and would help keep us from going bankrupt," he scratched his chin with the gun before continuing. "In reality, he was working with some gangsters and we were forced to let them use our business as a cover to launder money."

"John, this isn't right. It was all settled a long time ago. You need to let it go before they come after you."

"Silence!" he pointed the gun losing his temper. "This man and your father left me vulnerable to those murderers. They left my family in their hands and took everything I had."

"It's not like that..."

"You know why I wanted to see you so badly, little Justin?" he smiled. "Because I found a way to return the favor to your father," he said and shot the man in the chair.

***
Anne watched from the doorway as the Biebers played with little Jason in Justin's hospital bed. She felt oblivious to the scene and, at the same time, had a sense of being part of the picture, as if that family laughing in there was her family too.

"Anne?" Dr. Frank called out to her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She stepped away from the door and smiled at the man. "Hello, Dr. Frank."

"You're all set. It's time for us to get you ready to go into the operating room," she nodded distractedly and let him lead her in. "Since we have a few minutes, I'd like to tell you..."

"That's not necessary."

"It is. You can't stay mad at her your whole life, not without knowing her side of the story," he sighed. "She and I met in high school. We dated for a while, until I moved away to attend college. We were very close, regardless of our romance," he was silent for a few seconds waiting for some response from the girl, but there was none. "When things started to get dangerous for both of us, she contacted me and asked for my help to escape. Your father was beginning to show signs of delirium and she feared he would hurt you. The gangsters he had been involved with had beaten him so badly, it formed a huge trauma in him. He believed they were after him and wouldn't leave him alone. It was like a kind of schizophrenia that he refused to treat. When your mother tried to leave, he kicked her out and locked himself in with you. He escaped before we could get you out of there."

"You...you guys are in a relationship?"

"Yes. It happened some time after your mother became a protected witness. We needed a cover for her."

"Protected witness?"

The man paused and watched her for a few seconds. "Your father murdered the leader of the gang he had done business with. Things got so bad that even the Biebers had undercover guards with them at all times. When the state took you under their care, your mother couldn't do anything because it meant risking you even more," he put a hand on her shoulder trying to give her comfort. "Anne, she has been struggling the last few years with this situation just to get back to you. She had to watch you from afar all the time and watch you suffer alone, it was terrible for her. She even snuck away as a nurse when you gave birth so she could be with you."

"What?"

"I know it's really hard right now, but try to give her a chance, okay? We all need a fresh start, especially you."

Dr. Frank opened the door to the room that had been assigned to the girl and stepped away as a nurse began to prepare her for her surgery. A few minutes later, she was in the operating room waiting to be sedated.

Another nurse came over and put a mask on her face. She began to count slowly, as instructed, while feeling her consciousness scatter.

Warm eyes, which looked very familiar, watched her, giving her an almost childlike peace. Her body relaxed and, in a few seconds, she was visiting the world of dreams.

Little Anne watched the people entering her house with some suspicion. She was a very shy child and still didn't understand why the man her father was hugging so happily was so important to them.

Her mother came out of the kitchen to join the greeting and ended up chatting for a few seconds with the green-eyed woman as they walked back to the kitchen.

There was a boy with them who was staring at her fixed on his spot. He made her feel intimidated, so she decided to go to her mother's side to seek protection.

"Who is that boy?" she asked hugging her skirt. "He's looking at me very strangely."

Her mother smiled warmly. "He's Justin, honey. You don't have to be afraid of him," she hugged even tighter, unsure of the words her mother was saying. "Do you want to know a secret?" the woman asked getting down to her level. "No matter what happens in your life, you're always going to be able to trust him."

***

A YEAR LATER.

"Smile," Ryan said pointing his camera. Justin quit making Jason laugh and stood next to Anne for the picture. The baby kept looking at her father, frustrating the blond. "Seriously, can't we get just one picture where that kid is looking straight ahead?" he complained after shot #16. They had been almost 15 minutes trying to take a picture and the baby still refused to cooperate. "All right, all right. One last try."

"My cheeks hurt. Why won't you cooperate, you little troublemaker," Justin said and the little guy grinned at the front stopping his movements.

"Perfect!" exclaimed Ryan taking the picture. "At last, a decent picture!"

"Thank heavens, I thought I'd never be able to get this gown off!" the girl said stepping away from the boys.

"Do you need help?" asked Rose approaching her. They had been working on their relationship and, little by little, it had become easier for them to be together, although there were still times when the girl felt overwhelmed with her attentions, but it was all part of the process.

"It's okay..."

"I can help you with the zipper. Your hair will be ruined if you take it off roughly."

The girl smiled. Her mother was so insistent. "Okay."

"Annie! Congratulations!" exclaimed Pattie approaching them. She waited until the girl was released from the gown to give her a hug. After the girl had been out of surgery, the woman had apologized to her for all the times she had treated her badly and had asked for a chance to make it up to her. Anne accepted. She wanted very much to be part of that family picture she had seen and wanted her son to witness that new scene. "Jason will be so proud of you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Pattie."

"I'm sorry. I'm being too effusive, aren't I?" she apologized letting her go abruptly.

"Mom, are you harassing her again?", Justin approached them suppressing a smile.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I really feel so excited and happy," tears began to fill her eyes. Justin watched his father utter Menopause and couldn't help but laugh, "You better let me hug my grandson, I haven't seen him in a long time."

Little Jason smiled at that and began stretching his arms out to his grandmother. "Mom, you saw him a few hours ago," the brunette joked handing him over.

"I can never get enough of this little bundle of love," she said and pressed a kiss on her grandson's cheeks.

"Why don't we go ahead? Frank's putting the meat on the grill right now," Rose suggested.

"Perfect! My monsters and I are starving," Jeremy said ruffling Jazmyn and Jaxon's hair.

They all started walking to their cars immediately. Their stomachs were too impatient, the graduation ceremony had gone on too long. Anne wanted to follow them, but a hand stopped her. She turned and found Justin watching her with that nervous little boy look she loved so much. It was the same one he'd had when he'd asked her out.

"I have something for you," the brunette said pulling a necklace out of his pocket. A rose charm dangled from it. "I know you don't think of me romantically after everything that happened, but I really hope that one day we can start over and be that little family we always wished we could be."

The girl smiled. "How about starting today?"

Justin smiled. "Really?"

"Will you help me?" the girl asked pointing to the gift. A silent response that only they both understood. Justin shook off his shock and helped her put the necklace on. A flash blinded them for a few seconds.

"Finally, I've waited years for this picture!" cried Ryan looking up at the sky. They laughed as they intertwined their hands and followed the others.

Little Jason started laughing and fidgeting frantically at the sight of them, just as if he knew exactly what it all meant, and somehow he did. He would finally have a family.

END.