Permission: Chapter 1

Tic-toc…

Tic-toc…

Tic-toc…

Kevin Levin sat nervously in the home office of Frank Tennyson. Glancing back and forth from the clock on the wall, to the empty desk that snuggled absently ahead of him. He imagined several ways over on how their conversation would possibly go, but with every second that he worked out a logical scenario in his mind, nine times out of ten, it had always ended terribly with Frank fisting out a shotgun at pointblank from underneath the tabletop in a psychotic rage. Leaving a stiff corpse in the chair due to the devise's single blow, and the body residing there, was eventually being buried somewhere in the darkest corners of the back yard.

That said corpse being 'yours truly'.

That particular nightmare was a hard one to shake off. He'd been sitting there alone with his thoughts for the last forty-five minutes in a bludgeoning sweat, waiting impatiently for Gwen's father to finally grace him with his presence. The clock on the wall, which twitched and ticked in an uneasy rhythm, began taunting him as he sat there, while he twiddled his thumbs in a circular motion for some form of entertainment to pass by the extreme boredom and bundle of nerves he was suddenly feeling.

Needless to say it was absolutely torturous to sit there and wait. A tactic he had no doubt Mr. Tennyson was purposely using to simply scare the shit out of him. To make him second guess if what he was about to ask was in fact a good idea to begin with. Maybe her dad was giving him a chance to change his mind, to run away without consequence, to make damn sure that this is what he really wanted.

Kevin quickly swallowed the thick bile climbing on the inside of his throat, the move almost choking him on the spot. "Duuuude." He moaned, suppressing sigh. "He knows." And he vigorously swiped at his stony expression in a rush, the moisture from his skin making his palms clammy, cold and damp. "He knows what I know and he's gonna kill me, knowin' that I know he knows." He then planted his face upon the top of the desk with a harsh 'thump'. "I'ma' dead man."

"Dead?" Came an incredulous but soothing voice once the door to the office clicked open. Kevin automatically stiffened in his seat as he watched Frank slowly pull out a chair to sit down. "Well, I suppose it depends on why you asked to speak with me, Mr. Levin."

Kevin sneered at the formal use of his name and he tried to lean back casually into his seat in defiance; appearing passive. It was what he was usually good at after all. Never showing the enemy that you're possibly weak- keep up with the tough façade. Break them down. Let them know you mean business, an unmoving rock- nothing more, nothing less.

Mr. Tennyson arched a curious brow at the young plumber's sudden change in attitude and he inched forward, hovering his chest over the desk, entwining his fingers together; looking just as stern and stubborn as Kevin. "You here to break my little Gwen's heart, Mr. Levin?"

Again with the formalities, and Kevin Levin rolled his eyes in annoyance at the man, his fear from asking what he wanted to say in the first place was practically pushed farther onto the back-burner.

Time to come up with a different strategy.

"Nope." The ex-con spoke with an absent shrug and a looming, cheshire grin. "Even worse, sir."

Frank fell back into his chair. "Worse?!" and he raked a wilted hand through his sandy brown hair while adjusting his glasses with the other. "Gwen's in trouble isn't she?" He concluded in a stutter, gazing up at Kevin, the dread developing was now hitting the very pit of his stomach. He knew Gwen's profession would some day catch up to her in a bad way. This is not what he thought was about to go down, far from it, and his heart pounded frantically, aching to split his rib cage open in two. "She's being ransomed by some unforgiving off world race and you came to ask for money to get her back." He heavily sighed with a shuddering gasp. "How much?" Frank finished in a haste, grabbing a check book from the drawer stationed just to his left, the pen he grasped was shaking uncontrollably over the tiny sheet of paper dressed in a leather bound sleeve.

Now it was Kevin's turn to arch a dark, curious brow at the man sitting before him.

Should he?

No, he shouldn't play along. Shouldn't get the guy all flustered for no apparent reason. Gwen was fine; he knew this, but her dad… Well, he looked as if he were about to have congestive heart failure. No. It just wouldn't be fair. Not a very nice thing to do to his possible future father in-law. Gwen would kill him for sure.

But since when did Kevin Levin ever play it safe and go by the rules?

'Never.' He mused inwardly as his grin turned dramatically upside down, ready to display the part he was so conveniently given, and he too leaned forward, his broad chest hovering over the desk; his amused expression going serious like stone, crest fallen, almost lost in despair.

"Mr. Tennyson." Kevin began, his voice staying firm, quite professional. "Word on the street is that someone has it out for your one and only daughter."

Frank gasped out in horror once more while Kevin pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil from the inside of his coat pocket to take 'notes' during their impromptu interview. "I believe they're askin' for a pretty hefty price. Thinkin' they got a thing for kick-ass red heads and what not."

"Oh, dear god." Frank cried out, his face paling and falling into his shaking palms. "Money is no object." He mumbled, waving off the price, his shoulders were quaking and ripping at the seams of his fluffy, checkered sweater.

The young, raven haired plumber ripped a sheet of paper violently from the note pad, sliding it carefully across the desk, like molasses dripping from a vile, to one 'emotionally wrecked Frank'. "This is their demands', Mr. Tennyson. They won't take anything less than what I've written down right here." He shrugged with a curt nod. "Trust me, you do what they ask, and you'll get Gwen back in no time- promise."

Frank hesitated, but slid his hand nervously onto the table, slowly brining the demand into his eye's view. The spectacles that he wore daily slid to the tip of his nose as he gazed at the lined paper between his fingertips, the note causing him to slump dramatically against his chair again. "Damn it, Levin." He swore in a hoarse whisper under his breath, his lips cascading along his cheeks, twisting and twirling into a large, humorous grin, which he failed at hiding as soon as he realized with what was officially going on.

"Final offer you say?" He finished, playing up to young man's game and sporting an even wider smirk than before.

"Yep." Kevin simply replied with another shrug, falling back and folding his hands across his jacket in satisfaction. "Not takin' anything less."

"I see." Frank said, clearing his throat and righting his glasses back the bridge of his nose. "And if I don't agree to these said demands?"

Kevin lifted a leg over his other knee carelessly, shedding a grin like the father figure in front of him. "They'll flee to Vegas, sir."

"Vegas?"

"Yep."

"And if I allow the offer to stand in full- no negotiating, no barter?"

"You'll make her 'Alien kidnapper' one happy man."

"And if they hurt her in anyway-?"

"I'll make sure they turn themselves in and answer to you, personally." Kevin interrupted keeping his glowing smile. "Even give you 'punishment of choice'."

"Hm... Well, I guess it seems we've come to an 'understanding' then." Frank abruptly stood with a wink, firmly shaking Kevin's hand. "Looks like we have a deal."

"Yeah, appears we do." The ex-con agreed, letting the greeting go as he headed over to the office door to take his leave.

"Oh, and Kevin."

"Yes, sir?"

"Just so you know- there isn't a single life form alive in this galaxy, or in the next universe for that matter, that can hide your sorry butt from a father's wrath if you screw things up with my little girl. Married or not."

Kevin gulped loudly and shook his head, showing that he understood, fully and completely.

Frank nodded in return. "Good, because I won't be giving you a chance to turn yourself in if something goes wrong. I will hunt you down. I have all the right connections to make sure you disappear without anyone knowing the wiser."

"Um… Duly noted, uh, Mr. Tennyson."

Frank grinned devilishly. "Great! Now that that's out of the way, welcome to the family, son. Looking forward to wedding!" and he swiftly walked over, slapping Kevin generously on the back of the shoulder, winking at him for the second time that day. "Crossing my fingers that she says yes for you."

And with that, Frank hastily shoved Kevin out of the room, slamming the door behind him without saying another word.

"Awe, Shit." Kevin groaned in defeat, banging his head against the wooden entrance to the office. Here he thought the hard part of the whole ordeal was over. He forgot that he still needed to ask her.

He wasn't done yet. Not even close. Not one little bit.

Damn it Frank.

Author's Note: Remember this one kiddies? Yes? Many, many moons ago?

Well, I've decided to revise it. I re-read the last one and... Holy cow on a stick. What a train wreck and a half that was! So, I'm rewriting it. I'll be adding, taking, making the story flow better, ect. as I move on through each chapter. I'll leave the old entry on my list of stories though, that way, those who are curious can see the differences/changes that I did make. Alright? Good? Good.

I hope you like the rewrite, guys. Let me know with those nom-noming reviews! I eat them for breakfast, you know! Keep me full and satisfied fans!

As always, thanks for reading,

The Spoon.