Chapter 5

Axel woke Athena up, and they set off back home after there romantic evening together. She felt as if she was floating on clouds due to how happy he made her. Athena couldn't stop thinking of what he said to her. She was embarrassed but glad he felt the same way.

On the ride home, Axel was trying to figure out what to say. He did not want to be a cliché, but he wanted to be sincere in what he felt towards her. Axel made it to their apartment complex before figuring out what he wanted to say. They were about to get out of Axel's car, and he finally got the nerve to say what he needed to say.

"Uh...um Athena, can we talk?"

"Yea. What's up?"

"Um...did you have fun last night?"

"Yea, I had a great time. Why do you ask?"

"Um, because there is something I want to tell you, but I don't know how to...um...say it..."

"Just say it straight forward."

"What do you mean? How could I possibly say it straight forward? I can't say I love you because I'm worried you will be frightened off. I want to call you my baby girl, but I mean, the same fear arises. I don't know what to do. I'm trying to be just on the back of a certain line, so I don't get the both of us hurt. I'm sorry, Athena I want a chance with you, and I'm doing everything I can to make that happen."

A small blush crept up from Athena's neck to her ears. That was the most romantic thing she had ever heard Axel say to anyone. She did not doubt that it was real; she trusted him more than herself.

Athena was speechless; she didn't know how to come back from that. She kept opening and closing her mouth over and over again, not being able to form words. She was blushing so hard she could feel the heat. Axel just stood there with an angry yet loveable look in his eyes.

"Do you finally understand why it took me so long to ask you out? I was so scared of getting rejected that I bit my tongue every time I tried to ask you." Axel asked Athena. Athena nodded her head and opened her door.

"Do you wanna come in?"

Axel nodded. They walked in, and Athena went to the kitchen. Axel followed her into the kitchen since he had been there several times before.

"Maurice! Axel and In are back!" Athena yelled. There was a thud in response. Athena and Axel looked at each other and ran to the direction of the noise, Maurice's room.

Once they reached Maurice's room, they saw Allana standing over Maurice's body. Axel immediately started to call the police.

Alanna let go of Maurice's neck and sauntered toward Athena, "I will kill everyone you ever loved." Alanna jumped out of the window and ran off. Axel rejoined Athena at the door frame of Maurice's room.

"The police are on their way..." Axel looked in the room and saw that Alanna had disappeared. Athena was still frozen by the shock of it all.

The police rushed into the house and pushed past Axel and Athena. Athena was then lifted off her feet and carried into the living room. One of the officers came to question Athena and Axel about what had happened.

"Ma'am, are you okay?"

Athena nodded because she didn't trust her words.

"My name is Officer Monahan. I would like to ask you some questions. If that is alright?"

"Yes, ma'am, go ahead," Axel answered for Athena and grabbed her hand. Athena returned the gesture with a small smile and squeezed his hand. At that moment, she realized that it had all happened. Her brother might be dead, and Axel's crazy ex-girlfriend was trying to kill anyone close to her.

"Axel, call Cleo now! She could be in danger! She could be the next target."

The Officer looked at Axel and nodded, "Who is Cleo ma'am? You seemed very concerned about her."

"She is my boyfriend's younger sister."

"Okay, ma'am. We will send officers to check on her." The next second two officers asked Axel where they could find her and then left.

"Can you tell me what your brother's attacker looked like? Anything they said? How were they dressed?"

"My brother's attacker was Alanna Ford. No doubt about that. She said, 'I will kill everyone you ever loved' she threatened my family. She was wearing a black hoodie and black sweatpants and black tennis shoes. She might have minor injuries because my brother is not a natural person to take down."

"Thank you, ma'am. Sir, do you have anything to add?" Officer Monahan turned towards Axel, he just shook his head.

"Okay, well, that is all the questions I have for you today. Ma'am, you are gonna have to stay somewhere else since this is an active crime scene." Athena nodded in understanding.

"Officer, do you have any word on my brother? Is he alive, or did she kill him?"

The Officer turned around, "We are transporting him to the closest hospital for care. He was barely breathing when we got here."

"Okay, thank you, officer."

Cleo came running into Athena's apartment. Athena and Axel hugged Cleo tightly. "Let's go up to my apartment because I am not letting you out of my sight until I know that she is behind bars and no longer a threat to you," Axel stated. He grabbed each one of the girls' hands and led them upstairs.

The next day Athena, Axel, and Cleo went to see Maurice at the hospital. Athena stopped a doctor once they arrived at the hospital.

"Excuse me, Doctor. I am here to see my brother Maurice Collins."

"Ah, yes. Maurice is in Exam room 4. You can go and see him, but he is unconscious and might be for some time. We are monitoring his condition."

"Thank you. Can Maurice still hear us?"

"We are hoping that he can still hear us. For the time being, we are constantly telling him what we are doing and any updates on his condition."

The Doctor led them into the Exam Room and saw Maurice lying on the hospital bed with all the tubes and wires helping him survive. Axel and Athena walked into the exam room, and immediately Maurice started shaking violently. the Doctor screamed things at some nurses and politely asked us to step outside while he controlled things.

After some time, Dr. Marble came out and told us what happened, "your brother had a seizure. He is fine for now; we will take him up to get a C.T. scan of his brain to see if we can find out why he had the seizure." Axel grabbed Athena's hand and pulled her into a hug and just held her as she cried. "We will come to get you after his scan with any results that we might have. Do you happen to know if he has a past of seizures?"

Axel shook his head to answer the Doctor so that Athena wouldn't have to. Axel took Athena into the waiting room while Cleo went to get coffee for them and ice cream for herself. All he knew how to do was hold her while she cried and pray that Maurice is going to pull through this.