A/N: The following story is a mixture of real life events and fiction. The real life events are loosely based on what happened to me and my family a month or so ago.
Alexis Castle stretched her arms above her head, as a yawn escaped past her lips. She glanced at her watch, and frowned at the time. It was getting late, where was her father? Shrugging, she removed her open notebook and textbooks off of her lap, and sat them beside her on the long couch. She wasn't going to learn much more by blindly staring at a the blurring words.
"Alexis, dear. Are you still awake?" The cultured voice of her grandmother, Martha, broke into her reverie.
"I'm sorry grams, I just get worried for dad staying out so late sometimes." The two shared a similar look, one of amusement and worry for the man they loved.
"Nonsense," Martha claimed, waving a hand in her direction delicately.
Alexis smiled, her dimpled cheeks only accenting her already youthful face. "I guess I should head off."
Martha placed a kiss on the younger girl's head when she stood. "Good night, kiddo. I'm sure your father will stop in to see you when he finally does come in."
"Yeah," she sighed, "I hope so."
Once again they shared the similar look, before Martha shooed her away good-naturedly. Several minutes later, when it seemed that Alexis had finally settled in upstairs, Martha sat herself on the couch where her granddaughter had been sitting earlier, and peeked at the teenager's neat scrawl on her notes. "Ah, such a wonder," she murmured, feeling a warmth of love in her chest for Alexis.
Eventually she grew tiresome of sifting through the boring texts, and finally pulled herself to her feet. She padded into the kitchen, her bracelets jangling loudly in the dead of night as she rifled through the cabinets for a glass.
"I feel like a good drink." She could almost hear her son retorting, "You always feel like a good drink," and she grinned ruefully to herself.
The sound of the doorknob turning didn't bother her, as she assumed her son finally arrived home. "Hey, kiddo! About time you've got back. Alexis and I were getting worried," she said over her shoulder as she poured her drink of choice for that night. The floor creaked behind her, and she wondered why her son didn't respond as she turned around, beverage in hand. Gasping, she dropped the drink and barely registered the shattering of glass as the masked man before her raised a gun to her head.
"Get down on the ground," he demanded, gun unwavering. "Now."
TBC...
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