Little Misunderstandings [Sequel to Little Steps]

XX’s P.O.V.

“You sure he hasn’t left yet?”

“Positive. Look, they’re watching TV right now.”

“I can’t believe Ri is that fucking oblivious.” Giggle. “We’ve got them both together now.”

“But Jace is going to be leaving soon. We don’t have alot of time.”

“No shit, you smartass. We gotta work quick.”

“No shit, smartass.”

“Quit fucking mocking me.”

“You love it.”

“Sure.” “Hey, now that the kid is sick, we can piss Aria off with the smallest things.”

“Another bullet?”

“Yeah.” “Let’s go harder on her this time.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“Oh, it still involves a gun, of course. Call Cody, tell him to get his ass up here.”

“But I want to do something for once.”

“Fine. I guess you can do it.”

“Sweet.”

“And hey, want a clue ‘bout what you’re going to do?”

“Yeah?”

“I hacked into their security system.”



Aria’s P.O.V.

“Cinderella!” Nicolette guessed as Jace acted something out. Jace shook his head with a grin, trying some different gesture.

“Oh!” Nicolette yelled. “You’re a cow! A cow!”

Jace shook his head again.

Charades with the kids was always a fun one, watching them guess the most random things. Niall gasped beside me, and stood up.

“A movie, right?” he asked. Jace nodded in return. “Cow Bells!”

“Yes!”Jace exhaled.

I gave Niall a strange look. “How did you know about Cow Bells?”

“What?” he shrugged, blushing slightly. “We do have a four year old daughter.”

“Right.” I nodded slowly, unconvinced that it was Nicolette who had made Niall watch the Disney Channel movie. Nicolette wasn’t into Disney Channel movies, but I wasn’t going to push him.

“I don’t wanna play Charades anymore.” Nicolette pouted, clearly frustrated that she hadn’t guessed correctly.

“I’m going to go check on Nate,” I informed quietly, getting up to go check in on my son. He sat in his bed, coloring in one of his many coloring books. His tongue stuck out slightly, as if wanting to get his coloring perfect. I watched him for a bit, at what a perfectionist he was when it came the coloring.

“I see you mum.” Nate giggled, still looking down at his coloring book.

“Aw man,” I faked a pout, stepping into his room. “I thought you couldn’t see me.”

“Mum,” he looked up, speaking softly. “Do you like Uncle Jace?”

I squinted at Nate and came over to him. “Of course I do,” I smiled, hesitating to search his unreadable face. “Why… don’t you?”

“I do,” he nodded quickly. “But daddy doesn’t.”

“Don’t be silly babe.” I smiled, wrapping an arm around his waist as he set his crayon down. “What made you think that?”

“He always looks at Uncle Jace like he’s a bad man,” Nate frowned. “I think daddy wants to give him a time out.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his way of wording his observations, his observations that I had failed to notice.

“I think you’ve misunderstood, babe,” I softly patted his hair. “We all love Uncle Jace, and you have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

“Okay.”

He turned back to his coloring book and didn’t speak another word, zoning me out of his world. I kissed his forehead and left his room, leaving him to his peace. I wondered what exactly Niall had against Jace. He had told me he was over Jace, but according to Nate, he still gave my practical brother dirty looks.

I swear to god, if Niall still thought Jace was behind the targeting of our children, I would go ballistic. Absolutely ballistic. I thought Jace had well enough proved that the was worthy of some trust from my husband.




Niall’s P.O.V.

“Let me try!” Colette yelled, trying to grab the frosting covered spoon from Jace. I smiled slowly and placed the freshly made brownies on the countertop, slipping the oven mitts off my hands.

Jace chuckled evilly as Colette tried to get a taste of the chocolate frosting he had whipped up. I had to admit, ladies would totally dig his cooking skills. Even I was jealous of his abilities. Jace, Colette and I were planning on surprising Aria with a plate of brownies since she had been so exhausted over to past few days. Last night, she’d woken up, gasping at the claim of a painful tightness in her stomach. I had spent nearly two hours holding a heating pad to her lower abdomen until she’d fallen asleep. It was extremely hard for her to handle a sick child and a visitor, so the least we could do was make her brownies. From the corner of my eye, a tiny movement captured my attention. I turned to see my son tiptoeing towards the plate of brownies.

I smirked and got behind him just as he reached up to grab ahold of one. I grabbed his sides and tickled him, causing a startled scream to erupt from his mouth.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I smirked, picking Nate up from the floor. He looked down, ashamed at being caught.

“I just wanted a brownie.” he shrugged softly. “I smelt them from my room but mum would be mad if I left so I hadda be quiet.”

“Oh,” I gasped. “I’m telling mum.”

“No don’t!” he yelled with pleading eyes. “She’s gonna be mad.”

“Fine, let make a deal.” I set him down on his feet and crouched down to meet him at eye level. “I give you a brownie, and you don’t leave your room again.”

It’s boring in there.” Nate groaned, rubbing his eyes. “I’m not sick daddy.”

On cue, he let out a hoarse cough, covering his mouth quickly and blushing.

“Sure.” I rolled my eyes. “Now then, deal or no deal?”

Nate hesitated, but slowly nodded. “Deal.”

I handed him a brownie and he devoured it in a matter of seconds before rushing back to his room with a cheeky grin. I smiled and took the nearly full platter of brownies to the opposite counter where Jace was helping Nicolette stir the frosting.

“My job?” Nicolette looked up at me with hopeful eyes.

“All yours, princess.”

She grinned and began spreading the frosting rather violently over the brownies. Jace gave me a look which I returned.

“She’s a rather ambitious frosting spreader, if you ask me.” Jace leaned over to whisper.

“Tell me about it.”

Once Nicolette had finished dumping frosting over the brownies, the platter looked more like a pile of mud with a few brown rocks in it.

“It looks yummy.” Nicolette grinned and grabbed it from the counter, leading Jace and I upstairs. She stopped by the door of our bedroom and motioned for me to knock on it.

“Aria?”

When she didn’t answer, my heartbeats suddenly erupted at an unreadable pace. I gave her a second, but gave in and knocked again. I swore I heard muffled sounds coming from the other side of the door. I placed my hand and the doorknob and tried to open it, but it was locked. Shit, shit, shit. “Aria!”

A muffled scream answered my calls, causing me to crack.

“Jace, move Nicolette away from the door.” The words from my mouth came out cold and stern.

“But-”

“Do it!”

Jace gently held Nicolette back as I put all my strength into my kick, slamming the door down in a matter of seconds. The muffled screams because louder and my heart nearly stopped as my eyes settled to the scene before me.

My wife was tied to a full length mirror, her legs spread out, latched to the edges on the mirror, her arms, likewise. Another roped was painfully pressed into her stomach, keeping her midsection locked to the mirror. Her mouth was duck-taped and her beautiful face was covered with blood and bruises. The large window behind her had been broken, glass shattered to pieces on the ground.

And I had been completely oblivious to all of this.

“Jace, get Nicolette out of here.” I demanded without turning around. I heard them leave the room, Nicolette firing questions at Jace at what she had just seen. I couldn't believe I had let my daughter see this.

“Fuck.” I ran over to Aria and started undoing the ropes that held her to the mirror. My arms latched under her just as she collapsed. Tears were pouring out of her eyes and she tore the ducktape off her mouth, wincing at the pain.

“Are you okay?” I gulped, carrying her to the bed.

She just stared at me, tears brimming her eyes. She had been shocked speechless.

“Aria…” My hand swept across her face, wiping some blood from her face in the process. Her lips quivered as she continued to stare, her eyes locked to mine.
“Who did this to you?”

Still, she did not answer.

“Princess,” I whispered. “Please talk to me.”

The shaking off her lips became more apparent, and her body vibrated vigorously. It was then that I noticed how place her face was, and I understood that she was about to pass out. I quickly soaked a towel with cold water from the bathroom and pressed it to her forehead, trying to get her to speak.

Finally, the color came back to her face, yet she still refused to speak.

“Want to go get cleaned up?” I asked her, helping her sit up. She winced, but slowly nodded. I took her to the restroom and turned the faucet of the jacuzzi to let the water fill the tub. I then placed her on the counter, carefully sliding her clothes off. There were fresh purple bruises all over her skin, some so bad that they produced blood. I shuddered and wiped the blood from her face, wincing when she winced, shuddering when she shuddered. Aria remained silent, her blue eyes, cold as ice.

Once the tub was filled, I helped her into the water. I assumed she could handle herself, so I let go, and immediately she lost balance. I grabbed her in time, cursing softly as I lowered her into the water. She closed her eyes and let the warm water cover her naked body, letting it cleanse her damaged skin. I knelt down on the tile floor and kissed her forehead softly, but her gaze never left the water. Now she wouldn’t even look at me.

“Aria, what happened?” I tried again, wanting an answer so badly as to who did this to her. Suddenly, she broke down, the shivers erupting from her mouth, sobs coming out as a choke. She slid dangerously low into the water, the surface just below her nose. I quickly pulled her back up, holding her as her tears mixed in with the water covering her. She cried and cried until she had ran out of tears, then fell into complete silence again. She said nothing as I massaged the soap over her skin, and said nothing as I helped her stand up to rinse off under the shower.

I wrapped her in a large fluffy towel and left her in the bathroom to get clothes for her. I dressed her, then pulled my bathrobe over her since I couldn’t find hers.

“What is going through that mind of yours?” I begged softly, combing her wet hair back. “Why won’t you speak to me?”

Aria shook her head at me, then averted her gaze to the ground. I tried to give her a hug, but she jerked away, as if suddenly even my touch was too much for her. What ever had happened had traumatized her. It had shaken her up so badly that she could barely keep herself together. She continued to stare at the ground until her eyelids begin to droop. I scooped her limp body in my arms and took her to the other guest room downstairs, across from the room that Jace was staying in.

Then, I stormed upstairs and punched the wall so hard that my own blood was left stained on it.

Who dare do this to my wife?

Who dare leave her so traumatized?

Who the hell was fucking with my family?

I was so done. So done with seeing blood every damn month. So sick of living under fear that someone would hurt my family. So tired of never being able to stop it.

Whoever was doing this knew exactly when I was least focused on the safety of my family. Someone who knew every move of every single person in this house.

The wind that came through the broken window made me shiver. The window was another thing. Why had the alarms not sounded when the window was broken into? God, this was all so damn confusing.

I punched a wall for the second time that day.

I was about to do it again when two strong hands stopped me, pulling me away from the wall.

“Stop it. You’re going to ruin your hand if you keep doing that.” Jace’s eyes studied mine. I tore myself away from him and grinded my teeth together. I would not cry in front of him. I would not.

“Fuck off, Jace.” I growled. “You have no right to tell me to stop.”

“Calm down.” Jace told me, untouched by my words. “What happened to Aria?”

“I don’t have a fucking clue!” I yelled, grabbing my hair in frustration. “She won’t talk to me! She’s gone completely mute!”

“Did you yell at her?”

“What kind of fucking question is that?” I sneered. “Of course I didn’t.”

“So she’s traumatized, then?”

“How the hell should I know?”

“Niall,” Jace spoked slowly. “You seriously need to remember that there are two four year olds in the house. Control your language.”

I looked down guiltily, knowing he was right.

“I’m just so sick of this.” My voice cracked. “There’s just someone out there who won’t stop fucking with my family. This isn’t a damn game!”

“Language.”Jace replied cooly, the calmness in his voice pissing me off to the limits.
I pushed past him and grabbed a coat from the coat hanger before marching out of the house. I needed some fresh air. Though I could’ve easily gotten some from the fucking fat ass hole in the window. I walked straight across the street to Chrissy’s house and rang the doorbell.

The young brunette girl that I hadn’t seen in a while opened the door, the smile vanishing from her lips when she saw my tear stained face.

“What happened?” she gasped, opening the door wider to let me in. I stood in place, trying not the start sobbing.

“Did you see anything?” I gripped her shoulders desperately. “Did you see them?”

She looked startled by the contact, and I immediately pulled away. “S-Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” she said, pushing her hair back. “But please, take a deep breath and tell me what you’re trying to say.”

I inhaled and exhaled multiple times, trying to form words in my mouth.

“I found Aria… in our bedroom. Someone broke in and tied her to a mirror and completely beat her up, and she’s so scared that she won’t even speak to me. The window in our room is shattered, b-but the alarm didn’t go off. I- I-”

Chrissy’s eyes widened as I spoke, one hand covering her mouth in shock.

“Oh my god.”

“So did you see anyone?” My voice was shaky, but I couldn’t help myself.

“No,” Chrissy shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see anyone. A-are the kids okay?”

I nodded. “They’re fine. For now.”

“Damn.” Chrissy hissed. “This is absolutely insane.”

“You don’t even know.”

We stood silently in front of each other until it became much too uncomfortable for me. I stood up straighter and cleared my throat.

“Well, thank you.” I nodded at her. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Okay.” Chrissy gulped. “I’ll try and stop by when Aria’s better.”

“That would be greatly appreciated.”

With a turn on the heel, I headed back to my house. Upon entering, I found Jace in the living room trying to calm down my daughter who was crying hysterically.

“Babe,” I spoke softly, coming up behind her. “Are you okay?”

Nicolette turned to me with eyes so red, tears pouring out of them. “You were shouting so loud.” she hiccuped. “Is it because of mum?”

“No,” I gulped. “No babe, mum is fine.”

“No she’s not!” Nicolette screamed suddenly, causing Jace and I both to flinch. “I saw her! She was bloody and she was tied and she was dead!”

“No,” I knelt down and pulled her small body towards my chest. “She’s not dead. She’s just sleeping.”

“No she’s not!” Nicolette wouldn’t stop yelling. “I tried to talk to her and she didn’t answer me!”

Babe, she won’t answer anybody.

“I’ll go check on her.” I sighed, much to Colette’s satisfaction. I stepped into the guestroom the find my princess sleeping heavily on the bed. Her body shivered as she slept, even though she was covered by a thick blanket. I pulled the covered over her body as much as I could and kissed her cheek, the rough texture of a scar grazing across my lips.

So sick. So tired. So done.

Notes

Okay. Okay. OKAY.

I"M SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRRRRYYY. I know I haven't updated in like forever but I just haven't had the time. You'd think that the end of the school year coming around would mean less work, but I literally have two major projects in History right now and blech and gahhhhh. I hope you guys don't hate me too much.

So, who do you think harmed Aria? And why is she so scared and shocked???????