Present day.
5:43pm.

By the time she woke up again, Annie found that she was alone. For a minute, she panicked that Jovon consoling her was a dream, that was until she saw that she was hooked up to an IV that held a clear liquid, water probably, and she was wearing a blue gown. The room still looked different and the bed was as hard as ever.

Annie's heart broke all over again. If she was still here, it meant that Jovon had been kidnapped too. The question now was what would Lukas and Skylar do to her now that Jovon was here?

"Looks like you're already thinking about your fate now that your lover boy is here, Judging by the look on your face, Ansela."

She jerked, her heart jumping in her chest, and looked up.

Lukas stood there holding a gun, and a self-satisfied smile curled his mouth as he watched her face change from discovery to fear. While they faced off, the building rumbled and shook as massive explosions rocked the foundations.

"What have you done?"

"Nothing to worry about. We won't be disturbed by your lover, he's. . . tied up, I'm afraid. I can't believe out of all this, you end up with someone like that. There is no justice in the world."

Annie cried out, tears welling in her eyes and cascading down her cheeks. "Jovon," she whispered, her heart rending, shredded. "What would you know about justice, Lukas?" She shouted.

"I know you're going to die, Annie. Now. There's nothing you can do about it. Your time has finally run out, Annie. It's time to embrace the flames."

"Lukas, you murdered Meredith and my dog. You killed Americus too. You set up that fire to look like an arson and killed them."

"I had to. Americus betrayed me the day she decided to fall in love with that bastard even though she was carrying my child. She was getting way too close and was always asking me about what I want to do next. She was getting agitated and worried. She kept looking at me and monitoring my moves. She was ready to betray me for what she called love. She had to die. She made me nervous and I started setting fires again."

"And what did you gain from it? You took great pleasure in watching them, me, suffer." Annie pushed herself off the bed and rose shakily to her feet and approached him. "You're a bastard! Killing people including the woman you claimed to love."

"Shut up!" He said, hitting across the face and knocking her back against the table. The IV needle ripped off her wrist and blood gushed from the open wound.

The faint smell of smoke drifted to her and she tasted blood. Annie grabbed her throbbing face, the pain from the bruise on her chin flaring up.

Lukas laughed, but it wasn't a normal laugh. It was high-pitched and a bit desperate, chilling her.

"Don't you get it? I made up The revenge just to throw you off. Keep you busy while I worked on planting evidence to frame that bastard Jovon. He's just as much to blame as the Phim family. They're cheapskates. If they had given me the property and showed me much love and given me attention like they gave that bastard, Americus would be alive right now. This is your fault, too. You shouldn't have fallen in love with him. You shouldn't be carrying his baby. It's your fault Meredith and others died."

Faced with the same words she told herself everyday, Annie's gut tightened and anger congeal inside her gut. "Yes, Lukas, I shouldn't have fallen in love with him nor should I be carrying his baby, but the truth of the matter is I can't control who I fall in love with. I didn't plan to get pregnant either. Why didn't you tell your family how neglected you felt? Why didn't you speak to them about the property? But no.

"You cry about justice when in reality you are a coward. Hiding behind a mask of fear and self-pity while harming other people. You killed the woman you loved and even used her for your own greediness. You killed Meredith and an innocent dog who had nothing to do with your selfish self. You think you would be happy but you would continue to live the rest of your godforsaken life in misery because you would be haunted by those people you killed. No one died because of me, Lukas. They all died because of you."

And she knew the words were true. Even if she were to die today, she would go knowing she told him what she felt and what she thought. If Annie could have, she would have saved her friend and Brown Eyes, but she hadn't wired the house or brutally killed Merry. Lukas had.

Lukas howled an eerie, in human sound that rumbled from his chest and burst out of him in a rush of sheer agony. And as the sound died away, Annie heard an even more chilling one.

The crackle of flames.

*                           *                            *

Jovon rolled over. Lukas had tied his wrist together very tightly. With some agile maneuvering, however, Jovon wiggled until he was able to work his hands to the front. He worked at them, but it was painstakingly slow. He swore under his breath, his blood pumping in urgency. He had to get free. He had to get to Annie and their baby.

*                           *                             *

Lukas grabbed Annie by the hair and pulled her over to the stairs. "You hear that?" He said. "You see those flames licking at the walls, consuming everything in their path? That's pure beauty there. You look at it and know that it will soon consume you."

"Let go," she cried, kicking at him, but his hand only tightened in her hair. The smoke was thickening, acrid and burning. Her eyes were tearing as she struggled. Her hands, stained with her blood that was still seeping from her wrist, slipped each time she tried to grab onto his arm. Lukas flung her away from him.

Annie hit the floor hard and for a moment was stunned. Lukas began to stalk her, this time his laughter sinister, his dark eyes trailing over her as if he was envisioning her on fire, her skin burning.

Then, through the smoke-stinging eyes, she blinked. A shadow moved to the right of Lukas in the direction of the stairs. Jovon! He jumped at Lukas and tackled him to the ground.

The gun flew from Lukas' hand as he twisted and turned to strike at Jovon. They struggled. Jovon, using his bound hands clenched into fists, battered Lukas' face in quick succession.

The fire billowed up the stairs, igniting the walls, the heat intense. Annie stumbled away from it in blind panic. Choking on smoke, she tried to keep the two men in view. Frantically she searched for the gun.

Lukas delivered a hard blow to Jovon's chin and the impact drive him back. Debris rained down from the ceiling as a loosened tile crashed onto Jovon's head. He fell to the floor and didn't move.

"Jovon!" Annie yelled, renewing her search for the gun. Finally she saw it and dived for it. Lukas saw it at the time. With a malicious grin, he leaped.

Annie got to it first. As her hand closed around the grip, everything seemed to slow. The fire hung suspended and it was as if Annie watched it in slow motion. It was as if she knew it. Knew it's properties, knew it's behaviour. It was her sworn enemy and she looked at it and didn't falter.

Lukas' hand closed around the barrel and they grappled for control. An explosion rent the air and  Lukas staggered back, blood blossoming and soaking the front of his shirt. He looked down and staggered another step backward, clutching at his chest. Wordlessly he looked at her, and then tumbled down the stairs and directly into the flames.

There was one horrible, nerve-scraping scream that assaulted her ears, then nothing but the encroaching flames.

She dropped the gun, her stomach jumping with nerves and reaction. She crawled over to Jovon, touching his face, shaking him. 'Jovon. Wake up."

Jovon groaned and when his eyes fluttered open, she was never more thankful for that intense, if slightly unfocused, gaze.

"Annie. . . Lukas?"

"He's dead. We've got to get out of here or we're next." He went to stand and she pushed him back down. "No. Stay down. Air is better down here."

"The fire escape is this way. Follow me," he said.

As she crawled, keeping Jovon in view, she felt something warm gush from her most intimate part and trail down the side of her thighs. She looked up to tell Jovon and was brought up short by Jovon. He disappeared.

"Jovon?"

Fresh air wafted across her face and Jovon materialized out of the smoke and pulled her to her feet.

"Let's get out of here." He said.

Together they exited the building.

A/N:  It's short, I know and I apologize, but it's sort of feels that I had to end it there.

Now that Annie is finally saved, what do you think would happen next?

Also, if you were Annie, what would you do to Jovon after what he did?

What punishment do you think should be given to Jovon before Annie can forgive him? (I might use your suggestion if it fits and I can use it. You never know whose suggestion I would choose.)

Also, don't forget to vote, comment and share.