"You're looking so much better now, more healthy," Charlotte tells me as she sits beside me on the porch facing the backyard.

"I'm starting to feel better," I chuckle as we watch her kids plus Oli play soccer, or more like Oli and Wren are rolling the ball towards the twins. It's been three days since I was released from the hospital, my body is still in recovery not to mention I need to pick up on my eating since I lost so much while I was in a coma. Yesterday they started questioning Cora and surprisingly she complied with the police. I think she realized that she went too far with attempted murder and her life was over, the rest of it will be spent in jail.

"And you were questioned the day before your release right?" she asks as she holds out her hands for one of the twins.

"Yeah since they already charged them and started a trial last month and their number one witness happened to be asleep," I chuckle.

《 Flashback

"Our key witness is finally awake," Nash announces as he walks inside my hospital room.

"Your such a work-a-holic Nash. The first thing you ask someone who wakes up from a coma is how they are doing?" I hear an exasperated Natalia say behind him. "Victoria how are you?" she asks stepping around him.

"I'm doing good Natalia, slowly getting there," I chuckle.

"I'm so happy to hear that," she says as she stops beside my bed.

"I was going to ask her how she was after, you just interrupted," Nash says rolling his eyes.

"Uh-huh, sure you did," she replies rolling her eyes back at him.

"Stop fucking around you two, you have work to do," Jason orders from the foot of the bed.

"You got it chief," Nash replies as he pulls out a tape recorder from his pocket. "Since you're still healing, the next trial you don't need to be present but I think for future ones they'll probably tell you to come."

"Got it, let's get to it," I tell him. "But hold on, wasn't your hair red the last time I saw you? Or is my brain playing tricks on me?"

"It's not playing tricks. It was red at that time because I was doing some undercover work while working on your case," he explains. "I changed it back three weeks ago, the amount of comments got that red looks good with dark skin was endless."

"Please, you didn't even lift a finger. Who's the one who spent her day off doing that for you? It sure as hell wasn't you," Natalia sasses.

"Fine, fine, I'll get you dinner sometime soon but for now let's focus on this," he negotiates. Natalia grins, a victory for her and I hold back my laughter from their antics. "Okay, the time is eleven-thirty in the morning and I am Officer Nash Hendrix and alongside me is Officer Natalia Sanchez. We are here to question Victoria Marshall about the events on March thirteenth. Please state your name and everything you can remember."

"My name is Victoria Marshall. On the thirteenth of March, I was driving to Jason's house with Oli, we were at a friends house, Charlotte Dawson," I start off. "We had to police officers tailing us since they were assigned as bodyguards and when we reached the house there was nothing that raised my suspicion that something was out of the ordinary." 

"The two of us entered the house and I turn on the entry lights while I asked Oli to turn on the lights in the living room and kitchen, we were planning to watch a documentary. I asked him if he turned the television on yet but he said he was waiting for me. I thought it was strange since he doesn't like to wait for things."

"And that's when you found Eiichi Yamazaki in your living room correct?" Nash questions.

"Yes, he had four men alongside him and Oli was standing at his side. I had a gun for protection but I wasn't able to use it," I continue.

"And do you know the reason why he was looking for you. Our other notes say you haven't had contact with him for at least a decade," he points out.

"It had to do with my tattoos on my back. Before my arrest back when I was a teenager, his mother took me to get a tattoo. I assumed it was a quote but turns out it was something entirely different was written. He told me I was leaving with them and I begged to have Oli dropped off at Charlotte's house. Jason wasn't coming home early because there was chaos going on in the city and it turns out it was Eiichi's doing."

"The only reason why he found me was because of a shooting at a bar I used to work for. The owner was shot and I helped in saving his life. It turns out Eiichi deals with the owner of the bar and asked who it was that saved him. The owner gave him my name and description and that's when everything started," I sigh, my fingers on my left hand grazing my cast.

"Is there more?" Nash asks, his eyebrow raised in question.

"I reported an assault from a worker at the bar and he was killed by one of Eiichi's men. He was under orders to keep an eye on me but decided to get a little handsy. My stepmother that I saw back in February for the first time called him the day I was at the bank. Even though I despise my dad, he didn't go to Eiichi to tell him about me and had no part in what happened after," I continue. I'm still surprised my dad decided to keep our encounter from Eiichi and not sell me out, maybe it's his version of atonement for our fallout. 

"He only found out where I lived because of Cleo, Charlotte's sister-in-law. She's related to Eiichi, first cousins and he broke into her house threatening to kill her family since a situation like that happened in the past and so she told him where I was staying. After Eiichi took me from Jason's house, I was knocked out for a good couple of hours and woke up in the back of the car."

"They took you down into that secret hideout in the cabin correct? We found traces of your blood there. Do you remember what happened down there?" he questions.

"He beat the, pardon my language, shit out of me. He was planning to keep me and pass me between his men as if I'm a piece of meat." I see Jason scowl, his fists tightening and I wave him over holding out my hand to hold. "I lost consciousness at some point but when I woke up again in the car it was night, they bandaged me, and they had no one watching me. So I checked the glove compartment and found a gun and even though I wanted to pass out, I left," I tell Nash, squeezing Jason's hand in mine.

"I didn't get that far before they reached me and I shot the first couple of people in the legs and arms. Eiichi ordered his subordinate Daisuke to finish off the people I shot, no need for witnesses since the police had found us. He took me and his subordinate if I'm not wrong named Kane to a car to escape and he decided that he was going to crash the car in the lake that was nearby with me in it," my voice tightens when I say that part, Jason's thumb brushes the back of my hand slowly. "After that, I don't remember what happened."

"As soon as they saw the car going underwater, a handful of police went to save you. Eiichi and his friend didn't reach far, there was a small shootout since they tried to resist. His subordinate was killed but Eiichi was shot in his side plus leg but survived," Nash tells me. I let out a breath of relief that he was apprehended and I honestly doubt he'll be getting out of jail anytime soon. "Alright, that concludes our interview with Victoria Marshall, time is twelve-fifteen." Nash turns off the recording and pockets it as a hand is placed on my arm.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that Victoria, I wish we found him sooner," Natalia tells me, her face filled with anguish.

"I'm thankful you guys found me in time, I can't blame you for anything. By the way, did you find his mom?" I ask the three of them.

"We did and she's been arrested too. The top charge right now for Andjela Yamazaki is the murder for hire plot she attempted," Nash tells me.

"And his dad? I forgot to mention his dad has alzheimer's disease, I doubt he'll remember whatever he did in the yakuza," I tell them.

"Well this is pretty big and besides working with police in Quebec, we're working with the police in Japan to see if they still have ties there," Jason tells me.

"And what are the chances of the rest of the members finding me and coming to finish the job? Because I can honestly see that happening," I point out.

"We were going to have you start wearing a disguise. Maybe colour your hair, wear contacts or glasses while this is still going, use a different name in public," Nash tells me as he moves to stand up.

"Let me help you with dyeing it, I know the perfect colour that will look so nice with your skin, you'll look gorgeous," Natalia offers. "Besides, look how good I did with his," she says pointing at Nash's head.

"I'll take you up on that and as for the glasses, I'm probably going to need those. After everything that happened, I noticed I was having a problem with my vision the other day. Nothing bad but enough for me to notice and have to get tested," I tell them.

"You'll look sexy with the glasses," Jason whispers in my ears. I roll my eyes but I smile as the other two move towards the door.

"We're going to get going Victoria, chief. Call me when your back home and we'll get your hair coloured. Chief, I'm taking the day off that day," Natalia says with a sweet smile.

"Fine, fine," Jason says with a wave of the hand.

"Sweet, see you Victoria," she says happily. Nash nods his head as he steps out behind her, and I hear her asking him to take her out for lunch before going back to the precinct.

"Is there something going between them?" I ask leaning back against Jason.

"I don't even want to know," he sighs as I chuckle. "You're getting out tomorrow, I'm pretty sure you're tired of being stuck in the hospital again."

"I am. I miss seeing Oli and I miss sleeping in your arms," I say, tilting my head back, a cheeky smile on my face.

"It's been lonely but things will go back to normal," he says leaning down to kiss me, and right now I just feel like the weight has just been lifted, but just a bit.

End of Flashback 》

"And that's why you look like this?" she says pointing to my chesnut coloured hair.

"Yeah, I think Natalia did a good job," I say tying back my hair.

"Agreed, and the glasses work with you," she adds as Jason calls my name from inside the house.

"I'll be right back," I tell her as I stand up walking back inside. "Jason, what did you need-" my voice trails off at who I see standing in the living room.

"I'll head back to where Charlotte is so you two can talk, call me if you need me," he says kissing my cheek before walking away from us. I turn back to see Cleo standing in front of me, an awkward look on her face.

"Cleo, why don't we go sit in the kitchen," I suggest no expression on my face. She gives me a small smile as we walk to the kitchen sitting across from one another at the island.

"I came to apologize, for everything I said to you, for telling Eiichi where you lived," she says in a quiet voice.

"You know at first I thought you were a two-faced bitch. You were nice when we met at the beginning but then you just changed when you found out about Eiichi," I tell her, a neutral look on my face. "And then it turned out to be true."

"I know, I'm not proud of it but I am sorry for the way I treated you," she says with remorse. "If I didn't tell him where you were then you wouldn't have been kidnapped, beaten, almost killed, and then be in a coma."

"He told me what he threatened you with and what happened to your dad. I'm sorry for your loss," I tell her. "But I wish you mentioned what happened to you to either Jason or Jax, they could have helped you."

"It's been years since that happened but thank you," she says in a soft voice. "I was so scared to see the same thing happen to my husband or kids. I still remember finding my dad's body after they were finished, it was mutilated so bad I had nightmares for years."

"I can't imagine what you went through and I don't know if I can forgive you. I can't blame you for what happened, even if you didn't tell him, he would have found me," I sigh. "But that doesn't mean that you could have at least spoken up the first time you realized what was going on." 

"Still I'm so sorry for what happened," she says once more. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you? And don't tell me there's nothing, I want to do something."

"I'm not going to expect anything from you, I'll be blunt to you. I'm friends with your sister-in-law because she's not only Jason's best friend and a colleague of mine but she's genuinely a good person that you could be friends with," I start off saying. "But that doesn't mean I have to extend my friendship to you and I don't know if I ever will. I'll be civil with you because as long as I'm with Jason we'll probably see one another." The hopeful expression drops when I say that, she probably assumed that I would let everything go and we could start over with a clean slate. But I just can't let it go. 

"I understand, I'm still sorry for everything," she sighs before standing up. "I'll have to get going, almost feeding time for my baby." I walk her to the front door and we say goodbye to one another before I close it behind her. I turn around to see Jason leaning against the wall watching me quietly before pushing off it opening his arms to me. I give him a soft smile and step into them, my arms wrapping around his waist.

"You guys had a good talk?" he questions.

"We did, it's good to clear the air and set my boundary that I'll only be civil with her for the foreseeable future," I say looking up at him.

"That's good to hear, there's something I wanted to ask you," he tells me, his arms tightening around my waist.

"What is it?" I ask looking at him in confusion.

"Did you want to move in with Oli and me? Officially," he questions.

"Really?" I ask in surprise. This was the last thing I was expecting.

"I want you here sweetheart, with the both of us," he tells me, his arms tightening around me.

"I'd love to," I say to him as I step up to kiss him. "Plus I haven't paid rent for a couple of months so I'm pretty sure they're going to evict me, win-win right?" I grin as he laughs.

"I think it's a definite win, for you and for me," he answers before lowering his head to kiss me again, he pulls me closer to him, our lips moving against one another slowly. My lips pull up into a grin against his, this is the one place I don't want to leave so Jason, hold onto me and don't let me go.

✘✘

A/N You guys already know what this chapter means. The next one is the epilogue. I'm tearing up while I'm writing this, I'm so sad that it's done.

Leave your thoughts of the chapter in the comments, it's time for the epilogue and don't forget to bring tissues.

Also for those of you who have been reading until now, I've changed the description of Nash back in chapter 26, it's minor but it was needed.

ETA: For those of you that have read The Officer, the ending of this chapter between Victoria and Cleo was edited. When I went back and read through the story, I was just like 'What was 2020 me thinking when I made Victoria forgive? This needs to be fixed NOW.' So the ending has been changed, nothing confrontational but Victoria could get her point across. Anyways, I hope you all continue to love the story!!!