Derek

It was a waiting game now, as they went through all the calls trying to find the right one that Layna was talking about. Every second felt like thousands as we sat in the meeting room. Humphrey and Justin had joined us, and we all sat in a tense silence waiting for the go-ahead to find Layna.

Allan rushed into the room, an excited look on his face. "We got it! We found the call and we traced it, and I've sent officers ahead of me. If you guys are ready, lets bounce."

We all got up at once, following Greene into the locker room where he distributed some bullet-proof vests to us and we loaded our weapons. We then got into his SUV and started to journey to the location of the accident.

It took about an hour to get to the site of the car accident. Since it was still dark, the officers on scene had set up lights around the perimeter to light up the area. As we got out of the vehicle, we spread out at the crime scene tape, waiting for Greene's instructions. As it wasn't our jurisdiction, and we were only consulting, we had to be respectful to the lead detective.

We had an officer come over to us, "Hello Detective. We've gone through the scene, and there isn't that much to go by. We found some blood on the road but other then that the car is clean, so we're going to tow it and clear up the area."

"Go ahead; we're just going to take a look around."

"That's fine with me. We've done the pictures and everything so you're good to go."

I took a look around the road. It was a small, two lane road with not a lot of traffic. It was surrounded by woods on either side. It was just on the outskirts of Toronto, in one of the more rural areas.

"She must have come out of the woods, and that's when Michael hit her. She was lucky because it doesn't seem like a very populated area," Amelia said.

I snorted, "Yeah, lucky is the word for it."

"Guys, I think I found something," Justin called from where he was looking around in the trees. "There's some broken branches over here."

I made my way over to where he was standing, and I could hear everyone following behind me.

As I looked through the small pathway, I noticed something hanging off one of the branches. Blowing softly in the light breeze was a piece of long, curly red hair.

Ignoring the sick feeling in my stomach I turned towards Greene, "Its her hair."

*** We made our way through the path in the trees, accompanied by the officer that had met us when we first showed up.

It took about fifteen minutes of walking, but finally we came up to an abandoned house. I glanced over at Greene, who was looking at the house with an unreadable expression on his face.

"How do you want to do this?" I asked him. It was important that we did this quickly and quietly so that we wouldn't tip Timothy off.

"Lets double up, and start at the main floor and move up. Stay quiet, unless we find them, and you have the upper hand. Our main priority is getting Layna out safe and sound. Understood?"

There was a chorus of quiet yeses, and then Greene opened the door and we split up. I partnered with Amelia and we slowly made our way to the room just off from the front door, our guns drawn. We were able to quickly clear the first floor before we made our way upstairs.

The second room we went to was the problem, because as soon as I opened the door I saw Layna lying asleep in the bed. Her face was swollen, and covered in bruises and it made me sick to my stomach to see her like that; I couldn't begin to imagine the pain that she had to be going through right now. Sitting next to her stroking her hair back from her face as she slept was Timothy. His back was to us, as he watched Layna sleep, so he didn't notice that we had entered the room.

"Timothy Thornton, I'm going to need you to stand up, put your hands on your head and turn around to face me slowly." I said quietly, my gun pointed towards Timothy's head. The hand that had been in her hair stilled, but other then that there was no reaction.

"Do it now." Amelia said from behind me, and he chuckled.

He got up, doing as we told him, with a stupid smirk on his face as he looked me over. "Of course it would be you, Derek."

"Amelia, call the others and tell them that we found them." I said, ignoring what he had said, but not taking my eyes off of him. I could hear Amelia walking out of the room behind me, and calling them to our location.

"Derek?" Layna whispered groggily from the bed, and I looked down meeting her gaze.

That split second that my attention was away from Timothy was enough; in the blink of an eye he had grabbed Layna by the hair, pulling her out from the bed, and pressing a knife to her throat. She didn't fight him, the drowsy look in her eye leading me to believe that she had been drugged.

"Its nice to see you," Timothy said, a gleam in his eye, "You going to punch me again?"

"If I have to," I said and he laughed.

"Take a step closer to me and I slit her throat."

"Let her go, Timothy. Its over," Greene said from behind me. "You have nowhere to go."

"She's not yours! You can't have her!" Timothy roared, pressing the knife deeper into her neck, until a drop of blood slowly trickled from the open wound. "She loves me! Isn't that right?"

"Of course I do Timothy," Layna replied with wide eyes, staring at me.

"If you love her, why are you hurting her? Look," I said, pointing to her throat, "she's bleeding."

Timothy looked down, and closed his eyes slowly. "I can't move it; daddy says I'm not allowed."

"But you're hurting her. Why would you want to hurt her?" He stared at me, and I breathed out a sigh of relief when I saw he loosened his hold just a bit.

"I didn't do it for you," he spat.

"Timothy," Layna said quietly, and he looked down at her, "Is your daddy still here?"

Timothy looked into the corner of the room and then nodded. "I'm not allowed to let you go, I'm sorry."

"Its okay, Timothy. Do you know when he's going to leave?"

"No, but I want him to."

"Timothy, Layna's hurt. She needs to go to a hospital so they can make sure she's okay."

He looked down at Layna, who was quietly watching both of us, and then he looked over to his 'father' again. "Daddy said you only want her to go so you can take her from me. You love her, and you want to take her from me!"

"I don't love her," I said softly, not able to look at Layna while I did. "Even ask her; I left her."

"It's true," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"It's not true, Layna, don't believe it! I'm lying!" I think to myself, but I know she can't hear me.

"I love you, Timothy," she continued. "I want to stay with you, spend the rest of my life with you," very slowly, I could see him gently lowering the knife, until it was resting on his thigh.

"We can leave together," Layna whispered, "we'll leave your daddy behind, and all these officers, so it's just you and me, no one else would be there to bother us. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Timothy slowly closed his eyes, almost like he was imagining it in his head. His eyes snapped open a couple of seconds later, and he glared at the space where 'daddy' was. Then he looked down at Layna.

"You're lying," he whispered, and in one quick motion he slit her throat. He said something into her ear, before dropping her body to the floor. I could hear the crack of her head as it slammed against the corner of the bed and Timothy looked down at her in horror. "No! Layna!"

In that moment, I lost control. I don't know how it happened, but one minute I was across the room, and the next I had tackled Timothy to the floor and I had my hands around his neck, chocking him with everything I had.

"Derek!" someone yelled, and then there were hands pulling me away form Timothy, as he lay on the floor unconscious. I thrashed around trying to escape the people holding me and get back to Timothy.

"Derek stop it! This isn't the way and you know," Through the haze of rage that had overcome me I could hear Humphrey, and that snapped me out of it real quick. I slumped against him as the energy left my body. I didn't want to look at the area where Layna had fallen; I was too scared.

"Go be with her," Justin said. "They're taking her to the hospital. Amelia's with her right now."

I looked up at their faces, and both of them wore twin masks of sympathy. I nodded at them, my heart falling to my stomach as I turned and walked outside.

Layna

Everything was spinning. I didn't know where I was or what was happening, but I could feel my body being moved, and it was nauseating. I tried to sit up, so I could see what was going on, but my body wasn't responding to my brains commands.

Finally, after what seemed like hours everything stopped moving and I looked around me to find that I was in an ambulance. The lady who had come in with Derek was sitting on one side. On the other side someone had taken my head and I looked only to find Derek sitting there, a small smile on his face, "Hey there, angel."

I tried to say something to him, but I choked on my own blood, and started coughing, spraying his face in the process.

"Shhhh angel, don't try to speak. You'll be okay, just stay quiet alright," I closed my eyes at his smooth voice, so happy to hear him again.

"What I said back there, Layna, I lied. I do love you; I always have. I shouldn't have left you and I know that now. I'll regret that decision for the rest of my life."

I nodded my head, as tears slowly leaked from my eyes. I stared into his eyes, wanting him to know I felt the same way.

I love you, Derek. I'm sorry.

"Just stay alive okay? Fight for us. I promise I will never leave you again, never. I'm going to stay with you for so long that eventually you'll get bored of me."

I would never be bored of you Derek.

"We can move to Florida together, how does that sound? I'll buy you a house on the water, with our own private beach where we can stay all day in the sun. Just you, me, the sun and the ocean. I'll even cook you anything you ask."

I tried to laugh, but it came out as a gargle.

"Your right, I can't cook; I'd probably burn down the house. How about this: I'll order any food you want me to."

I nodded my head again my eyes slipping shut. I was so tired and everything hurt...

"But you have to fight Layna," he whispered, his voice cracking, "Stay with me, okay?"

But I couldn't open my eyes again. I was surrounded in darkness. I couldn't hear his voice anymore, and it broke my heart.

Derek....where are you?

Don't....leave...me...

...you...promised...

Derek I couldn't move as I stared at Layna's limp hand in mine. Blood started leaking from the wound in her neck at a faster speed, and the gauze that they had been secured there was soaked.

The ambulance screeched to a stop, and the back doors flew open where there were a horde of doctors waiting.

As they pulled Layna's gurney out, one of the doctors jumped on it and started pressing on Layna's chest "Starting compressions," she yelled, as they pushed the gurney into the hospital.

I stumbled out of the vehicle, my knees buckling as I slid to the floor. This couldn't be happening. No.

Amelia came down beside me trying to pull me up from where I had fallen, but I couldn't move.

It had to be a joke or something right? Any second, Layna would walk around the corner, totally fine and laugh in my face.

But as I waited, barely feeling the cold concrete against my legs, I knew it wouldn't happen.