Finally, chapter 3! I would like to thank everyone who reviewed! You're all lovely!

I deem this chapter to be a lil'…I dunno...exciting? I hope? xD This chapter is also about 1,000 words longer than chapter 2. So it should be a decently long read. I'm really expecting a good turn out!

For those who are sticking with me, I really hope this chapter makes it worth while. Bon Appetite! . Lol…I don't know why I said that…

Taking Care of You

"Bye Jeremy!" Adrianna waved frantically at the older boy as he hung his head out of his father's car window.

"Bye twerp! See ya next time!" he laughed out, but cringed when his father started to reprimand him.

"What am I going to do with that boy?" Shaking my head, arms folded across my chest, I turned to the little girl pouting next to me.

"Well," I blew at a piece of hair that fell over my face. "I'd say that was quite an interesting afternoon, wouldn't you?"

Her face filled with excitement at the mention of our earlier excursion across one of the back fields. "That was the bestest ever! We were like 'pheeeeeeeeeeewww and—." Arms flailed and funny hand gestures followed as she continued to make 'whooshing' noises, trying to explain each twist and turn we had made in the truck.

Giving out a boisterous laugh, I rested my hands on her shoulders and started to steer her towards said black truck. "Well, as wonderful as that little display was…we have a little problem on our hands."

"What? Problem!? What problem!? I don't see a problem!?" looking around, she finally took notice of the car. It was covered in dust, a few leaves and tufts of grass were caught in every crevice you could find. Even the truck bed had small piles of dirt that had wandered in from the sharp turns Carlie had made.

Moving her closed fist up to her mouth, she did a quick 'cough' and tried to make a run for the hills.

"Oh, no you don't!" I grabbed her by the shirt and tried to drag her butt back to the car. She was giving quite a fight, using her weight to try and gain some leverage. Her shirt started to stretch.

"Adrianna Nicole Smith!" Using my weight to my advantage, I leaned my body back, digging my heels into the ground. The little girl tried desperately to walk away from my pulling, making it out to be a game of Tug-o-war. I started to be dragged as the dirt began to give out. A loud yelp escaped my lips as I slipped and fell back, Adrianna jerked from the force and crashed onto my stomach.

"Oof!"

"Oops." Adrianna started to giggle. Then it turned into outright guffawing.

"Ha…ha, that's right. Laugh it up young lady." A stern look crossed my face as the sarcasm dripped off my tongue. This only made the little devil laugh even harder.

Feeling a little playful, I lightly pushed her off me and took an exaggerated gasp of air.

"Geeze, Adri…lay off the candy."

"Hey!" I laughed. Then, I proceeded to stand. "C'mon, kiddo, head to the tool shed and grab the sponges for me. I'll go get the bucket."

She let out a whiney moan. "Aww…do I have to?"

Giving her a scornful look, I put a little attitude in my tone. "Yes, you do. Now stop whining and go do what I asked, young lady."

"Yes Ma'am." With a sigh, Adrianna trudged off to the tool shed, feet dragging.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes; then, started making my way over to the hose, a brown, plastic bucket with a handle right next to the nozzle. Loud squeaking came from the drip as I turned on the water. Cringing, I picked up the hose and started to fill the bucket.

"Found them!" Turning my head, I could see Adrianna make her way over and plop the sponges in the bucket. Pulling out a small soap bottle from her pocket, she squeezed huge globs of it into the container.

"Whoa there! We don't need that much, silly." Taking the bottle from her hands, I let out a little laugh. "Why don't you go inside and change into your bathing suit?"

Her face lit up at the notion. "Really!?"

"Of course!" Nudging her, she stumbled a bit and ran towards the house. I took that moment to partially cover the end of the hose and aimed it at her. Water sprayed out everywhere, immediately soaking the back of Adrianna's shirt. She gave a loud squeal and ran faster, trying to get away as fast as she could.

With a devious grin and a quick 'Mwahahaaa', I picked up the bucket in one hand and the hose in the other and made my way over to the truck. Setting everything down, I went back into the house to get changed.

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"Ta Daaaaa!" Hopping off the steps in her pink bathing suit, Adrianna started to twist and bounce, as she fashioned a painstakingly bright, yellow ducky float around her waist. The duck's face was bouncing with her, making the scene just too cute for words.

I on the other hand had decided to wear a pair of cuffed jean shorts, white camisole, and a thin, white button up blouse, hanging loose, catching any slight breeze that may pass.

[AN: Yeah, I'm sure everyone was expecting to roll their eyes as she popped out with some skimpy black bikini. Mwahahaaaa, my lady ain't no Kripsy KremeTM, she's down to earth. Mmmm donuts… Snack time!

I gave her a little smirk and started to walk towards the truck. My favourite straw hat in hand, I positioned it on my head. In the other hand was a small purple boom box that I place a little ways away. Hitting the play button, a little bit of static was heard then the blaring of children's songs filled the air. Dusting my hands off, I bent down to pick up the hose again.

"Ready?"

"Yeah!" Adrianna waddled over to the bucket and picked up one of the soaked sponges.

A loud 'Squik' could be heard then the resounding 'splat' as the sponge hit the floor.

I started to splutter and cough, shocked to speechlessness at what she had just done. She hit me in the face with it. Adrianna was pointing and laughing at the sight.

I couldn't believe she just walloped me with a sponge. "Why you little..!" Picking up and twisting on the spray nozzle, I pointed it at Adrianna, the spurt hitting her in the shoulder. High pitched squealing rang out as I started chasing her around the car. "Oh, you're runnin' now, ya imp!"

After a few more runs around the truck, I finally stopped. "Alright, Alright. Let's get back to work." At those words, Adrianna peeked out from the corner at the back of the truck. Her eyes held a look of relief. I had to smile as her floatie's head popped out from the side as well. Clutching the sides, she trotted back to the sponge she had previously thrown.

"Ok, I'ma spray him down first. Then, you can start at the front." Taking the hose, I started at the hood, taking off the caked dirt and grass chunks. Slowly, I made my way to the sides; then, proceeded to the back to take care of all the dirt in the bed.

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At this, Adrianna rewet the sponge and squatted down in front of the truck. Slowly, she wiped away the mess and left streaks of suds. She began to hum along to the stereo and bob her head left to right. In the back ground, she could hear Carlie put the hose down and pick up a sponge from the bucket and work on the truck bed.

As Adrianna worked her way around to the left headlights, she started to scrub a little harder at some dirt that seemed to be lodged in some crevices. The sound of something sharp scratching against metal filled her ears. In an instant she stopped, completely horrified at the sudden realization. Blowing away the suds that had collected on her sponge; she found a rock lodged in it.

"Oh no…" she voiced quietly, as her eyes began to glitter with the start of fresh tears. Her skin tingled and just for a second, she felt a strange sensation coming off the car, just as she had earlier that day. The feeling was intimidating…but this time there was a touch of frustration.

She sniffed lightly with a trembling lip, afraid to tell Carlie what she had just done. Looking again at the damage, she was going to start a whole new slew of sniffling, but it shifted into a gasp.

Slowly, but surely, the scratches began to disappear. Her eyes widened in disbelief at what she was seeing. "No way…" she whispered softly too shocked to move. For a second she felt scared. Scared at how something so impossible was happening. She didn't feel safe. She was truly frightened…and wanted the feeling to go away.

With these thoughts, she shot up to a standing position with the intent to run to Carlie when a loud "pop" and a "pzzzzzzzzzt" sound hit her ears. She looked down…..and began to cry. It then turned into a crescendo that started to rival a scream.

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My head shot up at the sudden cry I heard. Fear hit me like a bolt of lightning as I realized it was Adrianna. "Adri!" I shouted. Throwing the hose down, I jumped off the side of the car and ran to the front. Seeing her standing there crying, I immediately picked her up and she curled into me. Quickly, I carried her over to the back of the truck, pulling down the hatch and seating her on it.

Running my hands over her face, through her hair, then down her arms and legs, I checked for any bruises, cuts, anything that was out of place. And then I noticed…

Her yellow, ducky floatie had deflated. I sighed in relief, but also felt a wave of guilt hit me. "Oh sweetie…I'm so sorry." Softly grasping her head, I kissed her forehead and hugged her close. The child continued to wail at her loss.

"M-m-mommy gave this to me," she stuttered out, the pain in her voice evident. Squeezing her slightly, I started to rock her from side to side. "I know darlin', I know…I'm so sorry." Looking skyward, a small tear dropped from my eye. "It's ok, let it out. It's all right."

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It had been a good 15 minutes before the child finally calmed down. I do not understand why this little girl was crying, but it was the most intriguing of sounds I had ever heard. I cannot identify what this sound means. I have heard humans screams in fright, but this…this was an entirely different form.

I know it has something to do with the strange object around the human's waist, but it is a piece of stretched plastic. How is something, that I am sure is easy to replace cause a reaction on such a large scale?

Perhaps I should not have teased the girl. Breaking her belongings has resulted in an undesirable end…

[AN: Ironhide! You dolt! 'shakes fist'

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Wiping one last escaped tear from her eyes, Adrianna smiled up at me. I smiled back reassuringly.

"Really?" I nodded.

"Yeah, we can fix it, darlin'. No worries, 'kay? Nothing a few crafting supplies can't fix." Winking, I picked her up and placed her back on the ground. She clutched my hand, a grateful look spreading across her face.

We walked over to the front of the car, and I lightly patted her head.

"Why don't we ju—"

"Carlie!"

The sound of my name chilled my bones…shock and then a wave of fear overloaded my senses. Grabbing Adrianna and shoving her behind me, I looked over to the unexpected guest.

My voice wavered as I addressed them. "E-Eric. What are you doing here?"

Plastering on a fake smile, I pushed Adrianna back a little. Turning my head slightly, but keeping my eyes focused on the man about 15 yards away, I spoke slowly and softly to Adrianna.

"Hey Teacup…why don't you head inside and wash up?" The child shuffled slightly, the meaning in the nickname hitting her full force. It was the special code. She knew what she needed to do…lock the doors and windows and call for help. With uncertain steps, she started to walk towards the house.

Eric shifted his view to Adrianna, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I took a few quick steps to the right and slightly towards him, catching the man's attention.

With a slight cough I continued, "As I was saying, why are you here?"

His eyes were hollow and a crazed look shined in them.

"Carlie, didn't you miss me? I've missed you so very much."

"Eric!" I shouted, anger setting in. "You know you're not supposed to be here. You're violating the restraining order."

"Oh come on, love. I know you don't mean it. After all, you need me. Who's gonna take care of you?" His face slowly changed. Eyebrows shifted inwards, and his mouth went from a smirk to a sneer.

"Don't give me that bullshit! Get out of here, Eric. I'm warning yo-!"

He made a snarling noise and his face screwed up into a hideous look of anger. "Don't you take that tone of voice with me!"

Just as the anger had come, the madness returned full force. His face shifted to wide eyes and a small smile. "Come here, love. I have a present for you. You know I love you so much. I have to show you just how much I've missed you." A maniacal cackle escaped his lips, and slowly, he pulled a large wooden stick from behind his back. His hand tightened on the blunt object as he started to walk towards me.

I gasped and immediately started to back away. Fear clearly across my face. "You're sick! Get the hell away from me!"

Picking up the pace, I was ready to go into a full run when the loud 'crack' hit as I took a blow to my ribs on the right hand side. Only a small portion of the stick reached me, but it still hurt like hell.

Clutching my side, I struggled to get away as an arm snatched me and turned me around, the pressure cutting off the circulation in my arm. "Let me go!"

He started to shake me violently. "Shut up!" and then punched me across the face, making me fall to the ground by the sheer force of the blow. I shouted in pain and looked up at my assailant.

The ugly sneer had returned. "When I'm threw with you, that little brat is next." My face contorted in shock. Fear. Then, Anger. "Don't you lay a hand on her!"

Just as he tried to launch himself on top of me, I used my feet to kick him in the gut. His body went flying back, but not far. He was so heavy. The stick flew out of his hand.

The smallest of pitter patters reached my ears. It was starting to rain.

I picked myself up into a sitting position and turned around to try and get up. Halfway to a stand, a hand shot out and grabbed my ankle. Yanking me down, my face smashed into the dirt as I shouted in surprise. I could feel him trying to drag himself to me.

I was so scared.

Quickly, I used my free leg to kick him, desperately trying to get him in the face…to let me go.

Frantic, I started to scream, but knew no one could save me, could save Adrianna. I knew it would take a while for the feds to come, but if they couldn't save me, I wanted them to at least get here in time to save her.

With renewed determination, I began to shout at him. "I said let me go, you bastard!" I kicked extra hard for effect.

He winced in pain, but his eyes became dilated and his face more sinister. "And I said for you to shut the hell up!"

It happened so fast, that I didn't react in time. He grabbed higher at my leg and used his knees to slide himself up farther. With his upper body raised, he then slammed his elbow into my stomach. I was utterly winded.

For a second, my eyes tried to roll in the back of my head as my body arched and a heavy intake of breath came from me.

I could barely register his laughter or the change in weight. For that moment, it all seemed so surreal, except for the rain and my heavy breathing as I rolled from side to side, trying to get the pain to subside.

"Now you get what you deserve!" I looked up in shock at the words and realized at the last moment that he had both his hands raised, the thick, wooden stick in hand…and it was already starting to slam down on top of me.

A blood curdling scream was wracked from my lips as my eyes shut tight. I could hear the rain. It was pounding now. Pounding so furiously as I tried to think, tried to reason with God, tried something! All I could see in my mind was Adrianna, Adrianna. Adrianna!

I could hear the roaring as the rain got worse. Just the sound of chaos, as it got louder and louder. And a part of my mind was shouting, 'just finish it already!'

And then it was gone.

It was all gone. The roaring had stopped. Rain. The rain was still there, but it wasn't as loud. It was steady and soothing…and the light rumble—rumble?

Immediately, my eyes shot open. I looked around frantically. Eric. Eric! Where's Eric!? I got up and finally took the time to really look.

My face held shock and my heart skipped a beat. Eric lay many yards away…his body crumpled on the ground.

He wasn't getting up.

A half sigh of relief and half whimper escaped my lips. Slowly I turned my head to the left. Tears fell from my eyes and mixed with the rain and the mud. "H-How?"

My body was hit with shock, nearly making me faint from all of the emotional turmoil.

I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe, but oh, how I did. There it stood. A black fury…in all its glory.

The GMC Topkick.

Driverless.

The engine revved and my heart stopped. I let out a weakened laugh and continued to cry.

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Holy…shatmaster. X.x This is long! I sincerely hope everybody enjoyed this chapter. 'Cause the words were just pouring out of me like crazy.

Whoo, I am so hyper now. xD and it's 2:45am. x3 I had to work late yesterday. And just as I got the first 2 sentences down, it started to rain really hard. Then I was like….Hm.. well as long as there's no lightning I'll be ok. :D 'clash of lightning' Dx noooooooooo!
Just my luck. xD

Anywho, please feel free to leave a review or email me if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions. Or if you just want to say hey, that's cool too. 3