In the middle of the night at the Hapstall home a gunshot rang out at the large house. Minutes later a familiar body ran from the home and onto the back lawn.

There stood Wes Gibbins, the most panicked anyone had ever been. A flash of regret crossed his face before he took off towards the woods.

In the home, the family portrait was covered in splatters of crimson. Red pouring onto the once freshly white carpet. Blood staining the wooden cabinets.

On the carpet- in a puddle of their own blood was Annalise Keating. Red pouring, and pouring from the suit beneath her blouse.

Red staining the white blouse until there was no more white. Gasps of pain filling the air, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

Her cellphone began to vibrate on the coffee table beside her. Weakly- her hand reached out for it, eyes barely open. Her blood covered hand made its way to the table, inching towards the phone.

Pain struck her abdomen resulting in her bringing her hand back down. Eyes slowly closing until the whites of her eyes were no longer visible.

"Wes." He heard the whisper of his name, drawing him to the bushes where Laurel and Michaela stood.

"Where's Nora and Connor?" He breathed out in a rush. His nerves was high and all he could think of was the girl he had been fawning over for the past two months. "We thought you had them." Laurel's eyes widened in worry- cold air picking at her skin causing bumps to rise.

Michaela, tear covered cheeks, bent down on her knees in panic. "Oh, my God, they're gonna be here any minute." She hissed, in a hurry to leave the house and never come back. "We can't leave without them." Laurel grabbed her arm turning her to face them.

"I'm not leaving her." Michaela groaned at Wes- looking in between the the two. "Fine, but where the hell are they?" The brunette sighs, turning her gaze to the darkened house before her. Wes turned to follow her gaze before realization stuck him.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." Connor spit- hands applying pressure to the bloodied Annalise. "This is your fault. It's always your fault."

Annora removed the hand from her mouth. Her cheeks wet and stained from the tears that fell from her eyes. "Momma, I'm here. It-It's gonna be okay. They're coming. They're coming." She tried to form a smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

Annalise gripped onto her daughter's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Just keep looking at me, o-okay? Just keep-keep looking at me." She gasped out in pain once again as Connor pressed firmer- seeing blood was starting to pour again.

Annalise opened the front door of the Keating home in a hurry. "Thank you for coming. Frank wasn't picking up his phone." Stress evident on her face- she opened the door wider, showing the person who was behind it. Wes nodded along, a smile tugging at his lips. "Where is it?" He stepped into the home- halting her rambling. She sighed, moving away to let him in. "Here." Annalise led him to her basement where he began tending to the mouse stuck in the trap.

She watched from the sidelines as he stood from his position. "What are you doing?" She drew her hand from her mouth as she began to walk towards the tools. "It's suffering." He grabbed onto a thick headed hammer, staring at it for a few seconds before he grabbed the rag that sat on the sink. "You probably shouldn't look." He strutted back over where he placed the red rag over struggling mouse caught in the trap.

He slammed the hammer down onto the head of the mouse ending its suffering. Annalise fell down onto the steps- covering her ears as she gasped aloud. Once the situation was cleaned, she walked him back to the door. "I know you're worried I'm gonna be calling you every night- the crazy old kook who's afraid of being in the house alone."

Wes scoffed out a chuckle- handing rubbing together in thought. "Don't worry. I-I wasn't asleep." She stopped in the hall turning to him- hands rubbing her arms in warmth. "Is it Rebecca? You miss her?" He shook his head, kissing his teeth for a short period of time. "No, no, that's-"

"Is it Anne? It's okay if it is, she's asleep." He sighed, glaring off to the side before he brought his attention back to her. "It's just- She been, I don't know- acting strange lately." He tilted his head- the lights shining against his eyes making the hazel more prominent.

"She seems fine to me. What's making you think this way?" Annalise brought her hands together, intrigued in the conversation. "She's been doing things that she normally doesn't do. I don't know how to explain it- just forget we talked about it." She sighed pushing him to the door. "You should go home, get some sleep before class." Wes stepped onto the porch- smiling back at her before walking down the driveway and to his bike.

"Sex." The chalk scrapped again the board- Annalise turning to her class, in a tight blue dress. "I know what you're thinking, 'I paid eighty grand a year for this? What does sex have to do with criminal law?'" Wes took a deep yawn, bringing his hand down to cover his mouth.

"Everything. Sex, after all, drives most criminal behavior. For instance, a husband discovering his wife had an affair is one of the leading causes of murder." She stepped towards the television screen. "We call these crimes of passion, and the heat-of-passion defense is your most valuable tool when representing a client you know is guilty. But what's if there's a 'cooling of the blood' period? Ms. Cohen."

She stood from her seat, being call upon. "You can't use a heat-of-passion defense. The client would've had enough time to contemplate their action."

"And good luck if the prosecution's painting your client as being a sexual deviant. Juries are more likely to hand down a guilty verdict if they think your client is a pervert."

Annalise barged into the Hapstall home with an angry look upon her face. "Where are they?" Sandra began to get upset as they walked through the home but Catherine calmed her down. "It's all right, Sandra." Caleb stepped up behind his sister with a confused gaze. "What's going on?" Annalise's brows set down, more upset than other. "Why don't you two tell me?"

She held up her tablet which had a picture of an article in the screen. On that article was a picture of the siblings close together- seemingly intimate, and titled 'Sibcest'. "So, tell us, are you two lovers?" Caleb shook his head as Catherine held a terrified gaze. "This was the morning our parents were killed. I was comforting her."

"With a kiss? That's not how I comfort my siblings." Annalise shook her head in disbelief. Catherine looked over her shoulder seeing the six students standing behind her.

"Why are they here?" Her mouthed held open in what seemed like disgust. Annalise jabbed her thumb over her shoulder- staring at Catherine. "Oh, them? Those are the strangers judging you as sick incestuous freaks." Asher shook his head, shoulder shrugging about. "Okay, we didn't- she's putting words in our mouths."

"Get used to it, because that's all the jury poll know about you now, that you two are screwing and that's why you killed your parents, because they found out and threatened to cut you out of the will."

"We would never!"

"That id not true."

"How do I know you're not lying to me again? Love is love, after all. Who am I to judge?" Annalise practically pleaded with them to speak on the fact. "How dare you? You begged us to hire you, said your protect us from all the crap everyone is saying. So either you trust us when we tell you the truth, or we'll find a new lawyer who can." Caleb stepped up to Annalise, almost fuming from the ears.

"I can't be the only one that noticed the heat coming off of those two. They're totes smushing." Asher shoved another handful of chips into his mouth, seated on the counter top in the Keating home. "At least they're not related related." Laurel mumbled- biting another raspberry off her raspberry ridden fingers.

Michaela hummed holding up her finger in protest. "Mhm, legally, they're related." Connor chewed on his pretzels, leaning back against the counter. "Well, if you're gonna invest your brother, might as well look like Caleb." The brunette nodded along, sucking a raspberry off. "I know. Those eyes, right?"

Wes slid in the room- leaning on the counter beside Asher. "Well, Catherine's hot, too." He brought his gaze towards Annora, who was eating a spoon full of peanut butter. At his words her head fell down to look at her lap, licking the peanut butter off of the spoon.

"Well, helps she's great in bed." He hopped onto the counter grabbing a couple of chips for himself. Annora rolled her eyes jabbing the spoon into peanut butter harshly. Wes smirked to himself before looking around the room. "I'm allowed to make jokes, too."

Connor leaned forward on the island seeing what Wes was trying to achieve. "Well, if you're gonna sleep with another client, make it Tanya- apparently, organs for days." Asher shook his head in disbelief, placing the chips beside him. "Okay, that's not actually possible, right? You cant like," He made a horrendous squirting noise with his lips, "more than once or twice, right?"

Annora scoffed causing the group to look towards her. "Speak for yourself." Connor smirked sliding over to her, "Be honest. Frank- is he your best?" He glanced towards Wes who tensed up at his words.

"Frank?" She blew a raspberry, holding back the urge to roll her eyes. "We've never even slept together." Wes clapped his hands together- standing up from the counter. "Let's not talk about her sex life while we're in her home. Where her mother who is also our boss and professor could walk in any second."

Connor crossed his arms over his chest laying off of his friend. "My best was Matt Harris, my physics tutor. We used to-" Asher held up his hand stopping Connor from going any further. "Reminder, straight guys over here." He gestured between himself and Wes.

"Waitlist, let me guess- Rebecca?" Connor's eyes shifted to Annora who avoided eye contact with him. "Can we stop than conversation?" Michaela questioned, mouth full of almonds. Wes had silently thanked her for butting in. "Why? Are you upset that you spent all of those years of bad sex with Aiden?"

She moved her hands around, agitated. "I'm just saying not everyone wants to discuss the number of orgasms they've had in their life." He narrowed his eyes at her, inching closer over the island. "You mean in a row?" He smirked whilst Asher joined the conversation. "Yeah, I mean, who remembers the number of orgasms they've had in their life? I don't know- maybe someone who hasn't had many?"

"Yeah, or any." Annora rolled her eyes at the guys in the group. "Can we stop? Michaela doesn't have to talk about her orgasms with you sex-obsessed-fools." Michaela sent her a silent nod of appreciation.

The five students walked along woods lined road , panicked expressions filling each of their faces. Connor tugging a sobbing Annora after him. Wes turned his head seeing headlights in the distance. "Car!" They ran to cover and away from eyes in a ditch.

Connor held his hand over Annora's mouth muffling any cries erupting from her. She gripped onto his shirt, balling it up in her palm. The car stopped beside them, hearts racing miles at the door opening.

A flashlight shown in their eyes causing them to flutter them for seconds. "The hell you doing?" A deep voice sounded from the figure beyond the light. "Oh, my god, is that..." The flashlight moved slowing them to see Nate. "Get in the car now!"

All of them got up and raced to the police car, squeezing in tight in the backseat besides Wes who was riding passenger. Nate pressed on the accelerator and the car took off.

- 2077 words -

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