[b]Jessalyn - Office - Tremblay, Floyd[/b]

Jess faltered a bit when she finally calmed down enough to see Floyd's reaction. He didn't say a word to her. He hugged her back yes, but didn't speak and his face barely showed any reaction. Had they hurt him somehow? Was he in shock?
Or was he actually...

She stopped the thought before it fully formed. She couldn't... she refused to think that he might not...
Instead she tried to ignore his strange behavior, especially after his facial expression finally changed once he held Ben. Jess had hoped to be left alone with him, to get him to speak to her, to start reconnecting again, but of course Tremblay had to ruin things by making them go to his office. Jessalyn took Ben when Floyd handed him back to her and stuck close to his side as they left the room, keeping one arm holding Ben and the other on Floyd's arm, as if he might disappear if she let go. Her eyes darted right and left like a frightened animal that had been struck already and was afraid of being struck again. Now that she had the two most important people in her life with her she would attack anyone who tried to take either of them away from her.

Once in the office she stuck close to Floyd once again, bouncing Ben lightly as he leaned against the wall. Her eyes narrowed when Tremblay said something about Floyd's job here.
"What?" she asked, her voice sharp as a tack. "What do you mean Floyd's job? You are not putting him to work because we are not staying here. You said that you wouldn't let me leave because it wasn't safe for me and Ben alone. We're not alone now. Floyd is here and we are leaving, and that includes the people who came with him. You hate people coming into Baton Rouge so much? Well be happy, because we are leaving."

Ever since she had become a mother Jess had gotten more confident and more sure of herself. You did NOT mess with a Mama Bear, not if you wanted to survive with all of your limbs.

When he asked about Tyler Salem Jess blinked. For an awful moment the memories of being in that underground hell returned and she trembled a bit but quickly regained control. She looked at Floyd and saw that he wasn't planning on saying anything. For whatever reason, he was not going to talk.
Okay then, neither would she.
Looking back at Tremblay, she stared at him evenly.

--

[b]Katie - Furniture Store - Scarlett, KK[/b]

Katie cuddled against Scarlett, trying not to cry. She needed to be brave and strong, to make her daddy proud.
But it hurt so much...

"Where is my daddy?" she asked, her little voice laced with pain and sadness. "Where did they take him?" she asked, directing all of her questions at Scarlett, not wanting to even look at the woman in the room. She was bad too. Everyone here was bad.
But even though she was looking at and talking to Scarlett, it was obvious she wanted the bad woman to hear what she was saying.
"We didn't do anything wrong. We were just staying there and being together and being happy. Why did those bad men come and hurt us? They hurt me... they hurt daddy... we didn't do anything to them. They took my daddy away. And I lost my kitten," she said, remembering her poor little kitten who was probably still waiting for her. "He's still in me and daddy's room."

All of the talking wore her out quickly because of the pain in her chest. The little girl laid her head back down on Scarlett's lap, her eyes finally welling with large tears. She cried now, but it was a silent crying that was somehow more heartwrenching then if she had been screaming or wailing. Her bottom lip quivered.

"I want you back daddy..."