13.

Switzerland.

Holly came running into the studio I had been trying to work in when all I got accomplished was non-stop tears. I needed a pill or something, maybe Holly was right. I didn't even know why I was so upset. Well, I knew the obvious reasons but still, I recognized the major one.

It were little things that brought me to tears.

Like the little angel I was trying to paint on the wall. I had been trying to get it done for the past three days. I just couldn't bring myself to paint it. I stared at the sketches and everything. I had the paints and brushes and couldn't do it. Everything around the angel was painted. So I sat on a bucket of white paint and cried.

Or had been.

A screech made me jump.

"ANGELA!!! Where are you!!"

A very pregnant Holly came half waddling half running into the room. Visibly unpset.

I stood up and wiped my face, "Holly, calm down, you could hurt you son."

Holly obviously didn't hear me.

She waved her arms frantically and declared, "The poor people have lost their minds!!!"

What?

I was about ready to ask her if she had eaten any pickled beets. They had given her horrible gas and she had been upset by pretty much anything after that until they had gone through her system.

She thrust a finger towards our rooms. "It's on the TV!!! They blowing up our embassies! Burning English, French, and Italian businesses! They have been chasing away the foregin business men and women! Now they're rioting!!!"

Ok, she had clearly lost her mind.

So I followed her out of the room I was in and to the rooms we were in. Trey and Troy stood infront of the TV, which had breaking news coverage on some radical political party that had been underground. Video of foregin businesses being burnt to the ground just happened to be on.

Holly thrust her finger at the TV, "The poor people are revolting!"

Oh dear God.

I rubbed my temple while Marie Antoinette screeched and ranted. I then walked to the TV and turned it off. The twins didn't need to see it.

Troy handed me my cell phone, "Uncle G was on the phone, he wants you to call him."

It wasn't Holly that made me realize we were in trouble, it was Troy. A cold feeling settled in my stomach. Gordon should have been training or working, not calling me.

"Go get your coats on. Pack a bag, go pack stuff, now. We might be going home so just pack one bag of stuff you really want. Not all toys either, put some clothes in your bags. Go on."

The two twins scurried off to their rooms. Thank God their tutor had quit and left. I looked to a silent Holly, "You too."

Holly bolted.

I then looked to my phone and saw my battery was half charged. Someone had been chatting for a while on my phone. I quickly found Gordon's number and called him. While I began to collect stuff. My purse. Car keys. Winter Coat. Ugghs. Essential things.

On the second ring he picked up, "Angela?"

His voice sounded so wonderful. It comforted me in a way no one else could touch. I wanted to just sink into a chair and talk with him. "What's wrong?"

I didn't have to be a genius to realize something bad was happening.

"Angela, the government is telling every American citizen to get out of Austria, Switzerland, and Slovenia. There's somesort of mass political rioting starting up. I want you and the twins, and Holly to drive here. You'll be flown home. It's not safe where you are. These people are looking for all foreigners and rich people, so take your jewelry off."

I fell into the aforementioned chair.

"Angela, sweetie, all Americans are being asked to get out of those countries. There are three schedualed planes taking military families home from our base, and other bases here. The four of you will be on one of them."

"Holly can't fly," I told him.

Of all the things I could have told him I told him that, then I added, "She's late in her pregnancy."

Trey and Troy were bickering abuot something, I could hear them. They momentarily distracted me, so I caught the end of what Gordon was telling me. "…about that when you get here. We can put her on a boat or something. Just get here, soon."

That wasn't a problem.

It was a twenty mile drive, tops, to the base. I was about to tell him that I loved him and we'd be there soon. But something really big and heavy came through the picture window in our common area. It was like a damn explosion! There was glass and shatterd brick everywhere. I screamed and dropped the phone on the floor. Another brick came through the broken window and missed me by inches.

We were so leaving!

The phone forgotten.

If my purse hadn't been on my shoulder, keys in it, I would have forgotten about that too. I screamed for Holly to hurry up…though there were numerous expletives used, as I ran into the twins room.

"Come on! Now! Forget that, now!" They were trying to get all their toys. I ran in and grabbed Trey's hand, Troy dropped his bag and we ran from the room as another brick came in and hit the TV. Whoever was throwing them had really good aim. Bastard.

I ran with the boys out into the hall and away from windows. There I heard someone trying to break into the house, through the front door a ways off in the mansion. It echoed through the house.

More windows breaking following.

Good lord there were a bunch of pissed off people. Where was Holly? At that thought she came barreling down the hall pulling a wheel suitcase, "Ok lets go."

We ran through the house as bricks and rocks came through windows.

A bunch of people tried kicking in the front door but didn't have much luck. Thank God and Allah that Dezi and his children weren't home.

With Trey holding my hand tightly we ran all the way to the garage.

I found my keys and pretty much grabbed Trey and threw him in the back seat, then Troy and slammed the door.

Holly was already in the passenger seat of my rented BMW SUV, belted in, suitcase at her feet.

I didn't bother to buckle up as I started the car.

I did lock the doors while Trey and Troy got in their seats.

"My toys are in the house," Trey complained.

The BMW roared to life.

"We'll buy you new toys," Holly told him.

I put it in drive and pretty much drove through the garage door. Trey screamed and Troy made an approving noise. "Buckle up," I told them, as I tried to avoid the people in the driveway.

This caused me to slow down.

Holly immediately yelled, "Speed up! They'll move!"

They didn't and I ended up bumping a few of them at about forty miles-an-hour.