Okay, so I caved. I had the idea all written and edited and I just couldn't wait to share it with you guys. I love this chapter in my opinion it's my most tantilising yet, but I can't really be the judge of my own work, so please read and review!!...OH and they're not mine, I just like to play with them. ENJOY!!

Chapter Ten

Elexus's POV

I had been sitting in that chair for hours and was starting to think that Tank wasn't going to show. My ass was numb from the lack of movement and the ropes that had been used to bind me to the uncomfortable piece of wooden furniture were cutting into me. It was just me and Hans in the dark little room, but I knew there were men stationed at every window and door. There was no way for me to escape.

The house filled with the sounds of what seemed to be a stampede. My best guess was that the men were fleeing. That meant one of two things; a) Tank's men had arrived or b) a Mr Whippy truck was in the neighbourhood. I was hoping it was the former, because I wasn't sure I could stand this guy's gloating any longer. The house went quiet again and my mind resumed its panicked state.

They weren't here! Hans's men had just gone off for ice cream!! I was totally alone with this deranged lunatic. There was no on to save me! I did some deep breathing to calm myself while Hans continued to pace in front of me.

Suddenly the door flew open, letting in a welcome waft of fresh air and there was Mum, staring him down, gun held level with his chest. Her face was a picture of anger. They kept up the pretence of conversation the entire time they stood there. Mum had an air of confidence about her that I had never seen before. Hans made a comment about her being completely alone and fear flickered across her face for a fraction of a moment before she pushed it away making her expression resemble Dad's cop face; and let me tell you, it was ten times scarier on mum.

I was amazed at how comfortable mum looked, standing there in the doorway with the gun ready for firing. A few moments past and she took a couple of steps back so that she was just outside the door. She cast her eyes up the hall towards the front of the house and her breath caught ever so slightly. Someone was there.

Her eyes almost immediately returned to Hans and she shivered.

"Getting cold?" he taunted, "Nervous perhaps?"

I had to hand it to him, for a criminal mastermind he was pretty daft. He took a step toward her and she let off a round. He staggered back, obviously taken aback by the surprise.

Next thing I knew there was an extra body in the room. It was a big, strong male, but I couldn't see him through the haze that had come over me. My vision had blurred and my head was starting to feel as if it were floating.

Mum dropped the gun and ran to me. "Elexus, sweetie, are you all right?" she started working on my bonds. "Honey, stay awake. Its okay, its over now. Everything's fine." Her words seemed oddly distant. I shook my head in an effort to clear out the cobwebs that had suddenly started encroaching on my mind but it only increased my feeling of light-headedness.

I could hear someone in the room shouting and assumed it was the man shouting at Hans. I felt my mother's hands on either side of my face and tried to focus on the object looming in front of me. "Baby look at me. You need to breathe. Breathe for me, Baby. Come on. It's all over. Everything's gonna be okay."

There was a strong hand at the base of my neck, which pushed me down so that my head was between my knees. "Calm down Small Thing." I took in a few gulps of air and the fog started to clear. "Push against my hand," Uncle Ric ordered, his hand still firm at my neck. I did as I was told and he eased the pressure.

I looked up and Mum's face swam into view. She was smiling, but I could see the tears running down her face. I managed a small smile and she pulled me off the chair into the tightest most comforting hug I had ever had.

"We were so worried," she whispered as she rocked us back and forth. My eyes were completely dry but I was shaking all over.

In the distance I could hear sirens. A little late, I mused.

Mum stopped rocking and held me at arms length. She looked at me critically and then said, "If you ever do anything this stupid again it'll be you who gets the bullet hole." She looked up at Uncle Ric.

"Remember your first kidnapping experience?" he asked her. Mum shook her head. "Of course you wouldn't, it was like a weekly routine for you at one point in your life. But the first time you were ever kidnapped was when you were twenty-one. It was after midnight and you were snooping in other people's business, as is your speciality, when suddenly, you were grabbed by a big burly man who spoke to you only in Spanish. He hid you for three days in his garage before the police finally found you." He knelt behind me and rubbed my back as he continued. "It was a fairly young Cuban guy who had tipped them off as to you whereabouts, wasn't it?"

I watched as mum's eyes grew wide. I knew what she was thinking. It was probably the same thing I was thinking. Uncle Ric had been the one to effectively save her life all those years ago.

"But I thought you didn't meet until mum started Bounty Hunting." I looked from Uncle Ric to mum and back. "How could it have been you?"

"I've been present in your mother's life ever since her twenty-first birthday. It's been my soul duty to protect her."

"But why?" I asked. This wasn't making any kind of sense. "Why would you have been employed to keep her safe long before she became a bounty hunter?"

The sirens had gotten really loud now, it sounded like they were right outside; they probably were. There was a commotion on the porch and footsteps could be heard coming down the hall.

"We'll talk about it later. Right now I think its important we get the two of you checked out," Uncle Ric promised/ He went to the door and motioned for the medic to come down this end. The first went straight for Hans; the second came over to Mum and I.

Joe's POV

When I woke up again I was lying on the couch in my parent's house staring at the ceiling. There was an almighty ruckus coming from the kitchen making my head feel as if it were going to implode, or explode, or hurt even more than it already did. Last time I woke up it was silent in the house, not a creature was stirring… or so to speak.

I lay there listening for a few beats trying to determine the nature of the commotion. I couldn't distinguish any intelligible speech, just garbled nonsense. It was good to have a house full of noise again though. It had been years since any of the kids had really run amok, especially Elexus, who seemed to perceive things beyond her years and Nathaniel who had his special little gift. Sometimes I wonder whether Elexus has the gift too. It scares me to think my kids had inherited some of my grandmother's traits.

I was just starting to drift off again when my mother came into the living room. "Oh you're awake are you?" I said nothing. Just blinked at her. She shook her head and turned toward the kitchen. "He's awake!"


STAMPEDE!!!!!!!! …I mean… beautiful kids and lovely wife came rushing into the room and before I knew it I had Kegan and Nathaniel sat on top of me. My wife said on the floor by my head and my daughters sat on the couch opposite me. Elexus looked a little out of herself, but that was to be expected, she'd just had a traumatic experience. She smiled at me as Nathaniel jabbered on about what he'd perceived and how it was true.

It took me a few minutes to realise there was an extra presence in the room. Ranger was standing in the doorway smiling down at the scene. I locked eyes with him for a moment and he nodded.

"Uncle Ric, come sit down, you're making the place look untidy," Elexus insisted upon realising where my gaze had landed. She still didn't look altogether well, but she made an effort in trying to deceive me. Ranger took up residency in one of the overstuffed armchairs and Elexus moved to sit on his lap. "Can you tell me now?" she asked him.

Tell her what? I wondered.

"Only if its okay with your mother and father," her replied.

I looked from the two of them to Stephanie, a question in my raised brow. Steph smiled and nodded. "You can go ahead and tell the story."

"What story?" I asked, unable to hold myself back any longer. "What's going on here?"

"Just listen, Hon. You need to hear this as much as the kids."

Ranger's brow rose ever so slightly. "You haven't told him?" She simply shook her head. "Maybe you should tell the story then."

Again she shook her head. "You now more of the details than I do. I just know who I am and what I'm destined to do."

"Very well then." Ranger cleared his throat and then began. "A long time ago…"

Tee hee. I couldn't resist. Hope you enjoyed it!!