WARNING: Violence, mentions of blood and gore in later chapters. This is NOT going to be, by any means, tame.
Garrett Smith stood on the balcony of his apartment, a modern design which he had melded perfectly to his tastes. He was over-looking Liberty City, watching the sun's rays peeking over the city scape, as he drank slowly from a mug of coffee. It had been three years since he had left and everyday he spent these early morning hours hoping his daughter and Peter were alright and happy. This was the time he spent to reflect and wonder. What were they doing now?
XxXxX
Peter Kowalski peeked into his daughter's room to make sure his alarm hadn't awoken her, just as the light outside cast a pink glow through the lace curtains covering Paralee's window. She was still asleep, her little arms thrown above her head and with one leg over her blankets. He smiled and sighed with relief, he would be able to take a quick shower today, instead of a repeat of the fiasco of the morning before. His alarm had woken Paralee and she had needed to be fed, washed, and clothed. All while being grumpy and uncooperative because she had been woken early.
XxXxX
Gary glanced over his shoulder as he heard the door to his balcony slide open. The blonde from last night leaned against the door frame demurely, wearing one of his suit shirts and, he imagined, nothing else.
"Come back to bed." She beckoned, giving him her best bedroom eyes to lure him back into the house.
Gary gave an irritated huff as he continued drinking his coffee. God, this bit got old. He drained his cup of barely warm coffee and stepped towards her. Despite what the blonde woman wanted, he needed to get ready for work.
He began unbuttoning the shirt she wore, giving her a sly smirk. She flushed pink, her eyes following the movements of his fingers. "Here? On the balcony?"
"Well, you're not leaving with my shirt." Her eyes snapped to his, confused. "No time for a round two, I have work. Put on your clothes and leave." He instructed, slipping his shirt off her shoulders, leaving her bare in the doorway as he pushed past her and walked to the master bedroom to get to his bathroom.
The shower was separate from his bathtub, done in tasteful sandy brown tile, it was a whole little three by three foot room, with shower heads on opposite walls and a drain in the center of the floor. There were shelves and hooks inlaid into the wall opposite the entrance for shower storage. He undressed as he made his way toward the entrance, letting his clothes fall to the floor. He hoped the blonde would be gone by the time he was done showering.
XxXxX
Peter struggled for five minutes with the shower, trying to get the water to go to the shower head instead of the bath faucet. In the end, he only managed a half and half combo before he sighed and gave up. Five minutes in, his water was freezing. Which was fine, because Paralee opened the door at that point.
"Daddy, I'm hungry."
"Okay sweetie. Let me finish having a bath first. I'm almost done." He said, rinsing soap off his body.
"Hurry up." She giggled, speaking pleasantly and not in any way bratty.
Peter laughed. "I'm trying!"
After drying off and putting on some clean clothes, Peter walked into his ramshackle kitchen. The walls were dingy white, the ceiling had damp stains. The linoleum on the floor was dinged and scuffed. The sink leaked, the garbage disposal didn't work. The refrigerator and stove were about thirty years old, and iffy at best.
"How did you sleep, Roly-Poly?" He asked his daughter, as he pulled eggs out of the fridge.
XxXxX
When Gary emerged from the shower, he found the blonde woman sitting on his bed, crying. "You're still here."
She glared at him, tear tracks streaming down her face. "Yes! I'm not just some prostitute you can boot out the next morning!"
"You're right." He said, feeling a droplet of water running down his bare back. "You're a one-nighter, not a prostitute. You know where the door is." He waved his hand flippantly as he made his way to his closet. She let out an indignant shriek as she left his bedroom.
"I thought you were different!" She screamed, slamming the front door.
Gary rolled his eyes and smiled cruelly. Maybe this was the best bit after all.
XxXxX
Peter smiled as he set some scrambled eggs and a baby orange in front of Paralee. "Eat, then you need to get ready for school."
Paralee looked up at him, her hazel eyes, Gary's eyes, were wide with innocence. "Do I have to go to school?"
"I have to work, so yes." Not to mention he paid good money, far too much, for her to go to this "learning academy" as they called it. Glorified daycare, but she loved it so despite the fact Peter was struggling to keep paying for it, he kept re-enrolling her. Being a single father in Liberty City was hard, of course it was. Hopefully, soon they would be able to move into a nicer apartment.
XxXxX
Gary was clean shaven, dry, quickly knotting his tie with practiced fingers. He was just reaching for his suit jacket when his phone began ringing. He glanced at the Caller I.D. before answering. "Good morning, Mr. Bellic." He greeted, going over to his computer. "What can I help you with?"
"Garrett, yes, hello." A deep Eastern European accent greeted him. "I'm going to need you to work late again tonight, if it is not a problem."
"No, it's not a problem Mr. Bellic." Gary answered, "What do you need?"
"Come up to my office later. We discuss the details then."
"Alright, sir. I'm about to head to the office now."
"Good. I will see you soon, Garrett."
Gary hung up and put on his tailored suit jacket, he really couldn't be late.
XxXxX
Peter sat on the couch with Paralee standing in front of him as he brushed her hair after her bath. She would occasionally mutter a small 'ow' to which Petey of course replied to with an apology. This was their routine and most mornings it was pleasant, if they were well rested and not pressed for time.
"I love you." Peter said, smiling, brushing her hair to the back of her head for a pony tail.
"I love you too, Daddy." Paralee replied as Peter bound her hair and tucked her shirt tag into the back of her shirt.
"Where is your pack-pack?" Pete asked, turning her around to face him.
"I don't kn- Oh! It's in my room!" She exclaimed, taking off to retrieve the item for him. Peter chuckled. He loved her energy and eagerness.
Pete stood to find his keys and wallet. He gave himself a quick glance in the entryway mirror. His face was thinner, his hair neatly kept. His aspirations of being a web designer hadn't exactly come about. Instead he worked as a secretary at a local law firm. It was tiring work, but it paid the bills and kept them fed, which was the number one priority at this point.
"I got my pack-pack!" Paralee announced, bounding up to Peter with her little bumblebee backpack.
Peter smiled as he picked her up. "Are we ready to go then?" He asked her, smiling.
Paralee nodded. It was only as he was putting her in her car seat that he noticed he had failed to put shoes on her feet.
With a groan, he started unbuckling her.
"What is it, Daddy?" Paralee asked.
"We forgot your shoes." Peter explained, with a quick glance at his watch. He was already running late. Wonderful.
XxXxX
Gary was standing in Nico Bellic's office, waiting for his boss to finish up his phone conversation. He just happened to glance down just as Nico was hanging up and his heart leaped into his throat.
"Sorry about that, Garrett. Here is what you needed." Nico said, handing Gary a file.
"Sir?" He asked, looking his boss in the eye as he tapped the file on top of the pile on the desk. "Who is this going to?"
"Oh, those are people who are in debt and can't pay up. They go to Brucie."
"May I take this one?" Gary asked, seeing the questioning look Mr. Bellic was giving him.
"Why? You want to be a debt collector now?" He asked, his thick accent amused, but his eyes showing hints of suspicion.
Gary chuckled, playing off his odd behavior. "I just want to show you I can be useful outside of my chosen field, sir."
Nico shrugged, leaning back in his office chair. "Knock yourself out, by all means. Just know I need you more in your 'chosen field', as you put it. I think debt collection is beneath you."
Gary gave the man a tight smile. "I just want to try it out. Do a little more. My work load is getting lighter these days." Gary paused. "I owe you a great debt, Mr. Bellic. Please understand, I wouldn't ask for more work if I thought I was pulling my weight."
"Garrett, you have done very well here. You act a little suspiciously, but I do trust you."
Gary gave a small smile and nodded. "I'll get to work, then." He said, holding up the files as he turned to leave. He let a cold smile cross his face once he was in the elevator to go down to his office, because the picture clipped to the extra file was of his older brother.
XxXxX
Peter had dropped Paralee off at her school and had rushed to work, running only a few minutes late. At lunch time he went to a small café at the end of the street and when he came back, he was let go. The firm had to down size. He bit back his stress level as he prepared to leave. He was mentally juggling how much each of his bills were going to be, where he could start looking for another job, how he was going to keep Paralee in school. Peter swallowed, his sadness almost overwhelming. The law firm had promised to give him a good recommendation, so there was that, he thought, dejectedly.
XxXxX
Gary still enjoyed being dramatic. Which is why he had two of Mr. Bellic's lackey's kidnap Collin Smith and drag him in with his hands bound and a burlap sack over his head. Gary suppressed the desire to giggle maliciously, as Collin kept asking where he was.
Collin was unceremoniously forced to sit in a chair across from Gary and the bag pulled off his head. "Hello, Collin."
His brother inhaled sharply, his blue eyes widening. "Gary?!" He exclaimed.
"Thank you gentlemen, you can leave." Gary said, leaning back in his chair, wanting to grin like a mad man but keeping his expression neutral. He waited until the door was closed until he addressed his brother again. "Gotten yourself into a bit of trouble?" Gary asked, raising his eyebrows to appear concerned.
XxXxX
Peter walked into his apartment building, his chest constricting and a headache forming to bring him further torment. He walked up a few flights of stairs only to stop dead in his tracks as he inhaled sharply. His apartment door was open.
Peter squared his shoulders, hearing movement from inside. He peeked around the door frame, his jaw clenched as he tried assessing the situation. He gently pushed the door open, checking that the coast was clear before slinking into his own apartment. He froze as he heard someone curse in his kitchen.
XxXxX
"Gary, what am I doing here?" Collin asked, rolling his shoulders in discomfort.
"Oh, well, you've been seized because you owe… yikes, five-hundred thousand dollars?" Gary tutted, looking from the file in his hand to his brother. "Dear brother, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you are royally boned."
"I was-"
"No." Gary spoke sharply, glaring across his desk at his brother. "I don't want to hear your shit excuses. Don't talk, just listen. I've got a proposition for you, and believe me, if you don't take it, you'll be dead within the month."
XxXxX
Peter pulled out his phone in preparation of having to turn tail and run while calling the police.
"Hello?" he called, muscles tensing as the sounds of movement in his kitchen ceased. He almost jumped out of his skin when his landlord rushed out of the kitchen. Peter's landlord was a man by the name of Brucie Kibbutz, a man who was much taller and more muscular than Pete was. Brucie was an intimidating narcissist who reputedly had ties to seedy organizations.
"Oh, you. I thought you were at work."
"I was let go." Peter explained, trying not to break eye contact with his landlord. He had long ago stopped letting people push him around. He was an adult and shouldn't be made to feel like he was inferior.
Brucie let out a huff of air. "Well, look, I'm going to need you to leave."
Peter gaped. "What?!"
"I sold the building, everyone needs to be out by tomorrow morning so the contractor can inspect the plot."
"I- But- You can't do that!" Peter exclaimed, his voice raised in indignation.
"I can and I have." Brucie shrugged, flippantly dismissing Peter's anger. "I mean, this place is a shit hole anyway. You should be happy you don't have to live here anymore."
"But where am I going to go? I have a child. What about everyone else in the building? You can't just treat us like we aren't people!" Pete screamed, fuming.
Brucie bowed up to Peter, his jaw clenched. "Not. My. Problem. Get your shit and get out!"
XxXxX
Collin rubbed his wrists were the rope had cut into his flesh. "That's all?" He asked, looking at Gary over his shoulder.
Gary moved from where he had stood to cut his brother's hands loose. "That's all." Gary confirmed.
Collin sat a few seconds, contemplating. "But, why do you even care? I mean, you've been missing for four years, Gary."
Gary let out a quiet sigh. "Are you going to agree to my deal or what?" He asked, irritation seeping into his voice.
"Yes, of course I am."
"Then we have nothing left to discuss. Do not tell anyone you've seen me or the deals off. Do you understand, Collin? Not a fucking word."
XxXxX
Peter was sitting in his kitchen, pulling things out of his cabinets when there was a knock on his door. He quickly answered the door, swallowing thickly, having spent the last hour on the verge of tears.
"Hey, we brought boxes." Zoe said, her voice laced with sympathy. Jimmy stood beside her looking tall and ruggedly stocky as usual with his arms full of collapsed boxes. His face was lined with sympathy and anger.
"Thanks. Come in. I'm working in the kitchen." Pete glanced at his clock, noting he had two hours still before he had to pick his daughter up from daycare.
"I could go kick your landlord's ass, if you wanted." Jimmy offered. The two entered Peter's soon to be vacated apartment.
"It wouldn't help, Jim. But thanks." Petey answered, letting out a sad sounding chuckle as he shut the door.
"You know how I've been asking my agent for clearance for a personal assistant?" Zoe asked, starting to assemble boxes.
"Mm-hm?" Pete hummed, moving to start pulling out more things from his cabinet.
"Well, I've finally got clearance. So, I think I'd like to offer you the position."
Peter stopped, looking up at Zoe with quickly brimming eyes. "Are you sure?"
"So sure." Zoe said, her smile lighting up her face.
XxXxX
Gary was climbing out of a barrowed car he had parked beside a red Pfister Comet. This was going to be a simple job. He glanced at his watch, knowing he had about fifteen minutes before his mark showed up. He quickly moved to the driver's side of the Comet and jammed his switchblade into the rear tire, smiling at the air hissed out. He then moved back to his barrowed car and popped open the trunk. He exhaled, hearing footsteps moving nearer. Gary pocketed a blackjack from his trunk, leaving it open as he looked at the approaching man, confirming he was in fact the target Gary had been assigned.
The middle age man stopped, seeing his tire and began cursing up a storm as he moved to the trunk of the Comet. Gary moved quickly, bashing him over the head with the blackjack and slowly guiding him into the trunk of the Comet as he crumpled. Gary grabbed the man's briefcase and searched his pockets, grabbing his phone and keys, before slamming the trunk of the Comet closed. Gary grabbed his things from the trunk of his barrowed car before climbing into the Comet's driver's seat.
He drove the Comet out of the parking garage, hoping to find a secluded alley to change the tire out to the spare he had pulled out of the trunk of his now abandoned borrowed car.
XxXxX
"Daddy!" Paralee exclaimed, jumping up from the toys she had been playing with.
"Hey, Roly-Poly. Are you ready to go home?" Peter asked, hugging his daughter, feeling the weight on his shoulders lift for a moment.
"Yeah!"
"Go grab your pack-pack." He said, moving to sign Paralee out for the day.
He smiled, watching her run to her cubby and grab her backpack, pulling the straps over her shoulders. He looked up at her teacher, Laura Walker, as she came to stand beside him.
"Are you alright?" Laura asked, leaning into him, beginning to flirt with him.
He gave her a wry smile. "No, it's been a bad day."
"That's too bad. Anything I can do?" She asked, placing her hand on his forearm and applying gentle pressure.
"I'm afraid not." Pete said, setting down the sign out sheet as he finished filling out what he had to.
XxXxX
Gary had replaced the flat and was now an hour outside of Liberty City, having pulled off onto a dirt road some time ago. He spotted the car that was waiting for him, hidden amongst trees and shrubbery. This was a spot Gary had scouted out a few years ago, finding it was far from prying eyes. He turned off the headlights of the Comet and killed the engine.
Gary could make out a decent sized hole dug into the ground beside the black Canis Seminole in the twilight, the last minutes of the day quickly passing. Gary whistled as he exited the Comet, happy to see his underlings could still perform simple tasks.
XxXxX
The corners of Laura's mouth turned down, disappointed as she was every day. Peter wondered if she'd ever take the hint, but highly doubted she would.
Laura let out a huff of air, looking Peter straight in the eye. "Look, can we just, I don't know, get coffee sometime?"
Peter cleared his throat, knowing it was now time to put a stop to this. "I'm gay." Direct was best, it wasn't like his sexual orientation was something he was exactly putting all his efforts into keeping secret.
XxXxX
Gary had removed his suit jacket and his button down shirt, going to the trunk of the Comet and pulling out his untraceable .50 caliber pistol. He knocked on the trunk.
"I'm about to open the trunk. If you know what's good for you, you'll behave."
Gary then popped the trunk, taking a step back and raising the gun as the man inside jumped up, opening his mouth to scream for help. The man wisely chose to remain silent when he saw the pistol, his sweaty brows raising as he comprehended the situation.
"Please get out of the trunk, sir. Nice and slow." Gary cocked the gun, smiling pleasantly.
XxXxX
Realization dawned on Laura's face. "Oh, God. I'm- I'm so sorry-"
Peter chuckled. "There's no need to apologize. It's just the facts. You're quite persistent, I can give you that much."
"Dad" Paralee drew out the A sound as she tugged on his jeans. "I'm ready."
Peter gave Laura a smile, one she returned, before he picked up his daughter. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. Can you tell Miss Laura good-bye?" Peter asked Paralee, watching the child's eyes light up at his request.
XxXxX
Gary had bound and blindfolded the man, leading him to the edge of the deep trench where he made the man kneel. The man had pleaded the whole time, asking questions, talking about his wife and kids. Gary rolled his eyes, he had heard it all before.
"You know why you're here?" Gary finally asked, stepping behind the man.
"N-no! Please just let me go, you don't have to do this!"
"Just like you didn't have to start trafficking kids all across the globe to do God knows what?" Gary asked, clicking the safety off his pistol. The man gave a strangled sob. "Who are you selling these kids to?"
XxXxX
Peter opened the door to his apartment, letting go of Paralee's hand as she bounded inside, her ponytail of dark hair bouncing with each step. Zoe came out of the kitchen, her arms held out in excitement. "Roly-Poly!"
"Zoe!" Paralee shouted, jumping into Zoe's arms. Zoe laughed and spun around, holding the little girl tightly.
Peter left the two to continue talking as he moved back into the kitchen were Jimmy was finishing up his cupboards. "All the big furniture is already in the moving truck." Jimmy explained as Petey's eyes lingered on the space where his dining table used to be.
Pete cleared his throat, "Jimmy, I'll pay you back when-"
"Stop." Jimmy said, his brows furrowing. "You don't have to pay me back. This is what friends do for each other."
"I don't think friends pay for moving trucks and storage units for each other." Peter said, taping up a box and labeling it so he would know what's inside.
"Well, maybe not usually. But, really, Pete. We don't mind, Zoe's got that television show she's about to start filming. And I'm never short of work, so." Jimmy shrugged, lifting boxes labeled 'storage' onto the box dolly.
XxXxX
The man kneeling beside the trench was shaking, having revealed what Gary had wanted to know. "Alright, stand up." Gary commanded and the man wasted no time in scrambling to his feet. Gary pressed the gun to the back of his head and fired, the shot ringing out through the hills of the countryside. No one would think a single gunshot out of place, if anyone heard it.
The man fell forward into his grave, his lifeless body hitting the moist dirt with a dull thud. Gary sniffed, disgusted, as he picked up the shovel that was standing in the pile of soil that had come out of the ground where the man now rested. He began to fill the hole.
XxXxX
It was somewhere around midnight when Peter and Jimmy pulled Jimmy's slate colored Albany Cavalcade into the driveway of the two story house Jimmy and Zoe shared in the middle of a gated community. On the outside, the house was covered in beautiful natural cut stone with turrets and spires, a balcony wrapping around half the length of the house, from the side to the back. A modern castle.
Jimmy made decent money in landscaping. Zoe was an accomplished model with her eyes on greener pastures, hoping that after her television debut she would be able to take a few serious movie roles.
Peter climbed out of the Cavalcade with a groan, sore from having to move. There had been no chance to rest. Paralee had been upset they had to move. Until she had learned they would be staying with Zoe and Jim.
"You okay?" Jimmy asked, with a smirk.
"I'll live." Peter responded, looking up at the house, the light flowing from the windows of the ground floor giving him a sense of peace.
XxXxX
Gary was driving back into Liberty City a little after midnight. He had already called Nico, letting him know what he had found out from the mark. One of his underlings had come to collect the Comet for disposal, a few hours ago. It was tied up all pretty, with a little bow.
His phone chimed with a text just as he slowed to a stop at a stoplight. He unlocked his phone, brows furrowing at the unfamiliar number. The text read:
Gary, its Collin. I've got what you wanted. When is a good time to bring it to you?
Gary smiled. Funny how quick you could get things when the threat of death was imminent. He texted his brother back, arranging a meeting. His eyes softened as his lips pulled into a gentle, sad smile.
Gary Smith was going to see his daughter.
-End Chapter One-
Good to see you all again, it's been quite a while! I hope this was worth the wait. And I'm sorry if the switching points of view ever got confusing or irritating, I was trying to give you a fair look at their lives in this pivotal day, so… let me know if that worked? I'd love to hear some feedback!