Can I apologize fifty gazillion times please? I am sooooooooooo sorry. I don't even want to know how long it's been since I last posted…On the plus side, I have the next few chapters either already written or planned out, so they should come faster now.

In case you forgot what's going on in this story (yes, it has unfortunately been that long that that is a possibility), here's a brief summary:

Chloe tries to scout ahead for an escape route from the "safe house" but ends up getting shot. Derek rescues her, nurses her back to health, until she realizes there's a tracking chip in the bullet so she runs away again trying to protect the others. They catch up to her, save her from the Edison group, we learn Kit is evil, etc. They're on the run, arguing amongst themselves removing the bullet, run into the EG a few times…Finally when Chloe's about to take the bullet out herself they agree to help her and they do the surgery but then meet up with another supernatural who is a combination of all the supernaturals but that makes her less powerful (FYI her name's Aliena). Chloe's bullet wound gets infected but they don't realize this until she's unconscious, Derek takes her to the hospital and the others follow. There, she survives but not before Kit shows up and exhibits his evil-ness. Then, not having anything better to do, they go to a nursing home to visit Liz's wise Great-Aunt Mildred, play some Granny Bingo, and get attacked by EG members. Aliena's killed but the rest escape, only then do they find out Liz is the one who betrayed them, telling the EG where they were headed because they had her little brother hostage. She feels she can't be trusted anymore so she willingly leaves (forever? Maybe.) but Aliena agrees to serve as their ghostly guide anyway.

Zoom forward…and here it is!

Once Aliena had helped me to round up the rest of the group, I broke the news of Liz's betrayal to them. Tori looked on the verge of tears and Derek looked downright stoic, but they bore it silently.

"Well then," Simon said at last after several moments of silence following the confession. "What now?"

Derek was the one to answer him. "We should get away from here," he glanced behind him, in the direction of the nursing home which was still too close for comfort.

Not much was said as we treaded noiselessly through the forest, winding around trees with no particular direction in mind except away.

At last Simon spoke, trying to boost the gorge-deep moral. "This doesn't really change things, though. That's a bonus, at least."

Tori glared at him with red rimmed eyes. "How can you even suggest that?" she snapped.

"I just mean that-"

"Aliena's dead and my best friend's a traitor. Things have been changed." her crisp tone effectively settled the matter, Simon's mouth snapping shut with a click. Once again, we were plunged into silence.

"There's a town over this way," Derek broke it eventually, subtly changing direction to head a few degrees to the left. He was right; a paved road cropped up after another few steps. We followed it through suburban neighborhoods until we reached the downtown area, needing somewhere to rest and get food.

There was a tiny coffee shop nestled between a Thai takeout place and a bookstore. Derek veered off towards it, pushing through the door emitting a tinkling of miniature bells. A few of the dozen or so people scattered around the cozy little shop glanced up to see the newcomers but looked away again, disinterested.

We sat (or maybe collapsed would be more appropriate) in plush arm chairs situated around a low wooden coffee table. Within seconds a twig-like waitress bustled over to us, asking for our orders. We all got hot chocolate, needing the sugary energy boost.

Only another minute later and I was cradling the ceramic green mug in my hand, blowing off the steam. Simon, sitting across from me, was fanning his mouth desperately after taking a premature sip.

Mounted on the far wall was a small TV screen, blaring the news. I sank back into the chair, taking tiny tentative sips of my drink, and tried to watch it, wishing I could find it in me to care what was going on in the rest of the world. It seemed lately there was no 'rest of the world', just our little universe of five- make that four. It was still hard to believe I wouldn't turn to my left and see Aliena sitting there, though I had only known her for a short while.

We all stared listlessly at the TV, no sound but that and the background mutter of private conversations around us, and the occasional slurping of hot chocolate. I watched through the full reports of a grocery store robbery in NYC, a car crash, the negative effects of Facebook.

So I was only half-watching when the segment about the car driven into the Hudson River came on. "…late last night, supposedly sometime between eleven and twelve pm US standard time, John Saunders drove his silver Porsche into the Hudson River..." I choked on my hot chocolate, sure I had misheard. I could have sworn for a second they had said my dad's name…

"Chloe?" Derek patted me on the back as I struggled to regain my breath. I gagged but forced my eyes back to the TV, trying to make myself believe that wasn't my dad's face beaming up on the screen. Derek, following my gaze, blanched.

"No body has yet been found…" Panic, brisk and painful, squeezed my heart. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Tears of fear were dripping noisily down my face as I simultaneously coughed and sobbed. My dad? Dead!

"Chloe, think. It's got to be a mistake. You have to stop that, people are staring…" Derek whispered into my ear as he rubbed my back. I was dimly aware he was right, all eyes, including the waitress's, were fixed on me.

"Derek," Simon said, exasperated. "How could you say that when-"

"We should go," Derek stood up and reached down a hand to help me up…or perhaps drag me out of there if I couldn't regain enough control.

I clamped up, forcing the tears into confinement in the back of my retinas. I couldn't leave, I had to stay…to hear

Derek, seeming to realize this, sat down again but reached down to pry my fingers off the edge of the table and squeeze my hand tightly. I stared at the TV it flashed back to the reporter who was sitting there with her omnipresent expression of detached solemnity. How was she so calm? She was talking about my dad!

Through the ringing in my ears I could only catch snatches of the report, yet it was enough. "Daughter ran away…coworkers say he was depressed…successful businessman…suicide…no body…house searched…note…"

A paper appeared next, wrinkled, sporting all-too-familiar handwriting. The reporter's voice began reading it aloud in an unfeeling monotone, though in my head it was my dad's voice, raw with emotion, that I heard.

Chloe, if you're reading this, I'm sorry. The fact is, you probably won't be reading this. You've been gone for so long, the police doubt you'll ever return home alive. Though I don't want to believe it, it's probably true. Just know what I'm about to do isn't your fault. It's my decision, my last way to prove to you how much I love you. I do love you, Chloe, more than anything. I know you may find that hard to believe thanks to all the times I neglected to show that, but without having you to support, my job means nothing to me. I am left with nothing: not my wife, you, or even your stubborn aunt, who has also disappeared. Without anything to live for, what's the purpose of living? Forgive me.

Lots of love forever,

Daddy

Tears had begun leaking down my face again and as the screen again turned to the reporter, I allowed Derek to lead me out of the café into the sunlight, leaving Simon to pay for the drinks.

Once out of the sights of the TV, I allowed the sobs to really start, great heaving sobs that shook me to my core. I know you loved me, Dad! I wanted to scream. Derek pulled me by the elbow into the shadows of the surrounding forest across the street before letting me collapse in his arms and soak his shirt with my tears. If I cried enough now, when I was done everything would be back to normal. Or at least, that's what I kept telling myself.

When I finally had run out of salt water in my body I took a step away from Derek, who was looking down at me with green eyes of anguish. Simon and Tori were standing next to him, I realized, all their expressions mirroring each others' pity.

"Sorry," I muttered, sniffling. "We should probably keep going, now. That's that, I suppose…" I hiccupped another sob, barely stopping it from launching into another all-out cry fest.

"Chloe, look at me," Derek cupped my chin and lifted my gaze away from glaring at the grass beneath my feet to meet his gaze. "Do you really think your dad would commit suicide?"

As usual, Derek's blunt questioning brought me a spark of hope. This was what I needed- someone to question me, keep me from spiraling down into a well of complete despair. "No," I answered immediately. "But if they found his car…'

"Do they have proof he was the one who drove it into the water?"

"No…"

"So how do they know he commit suicide?"

"Are you suggesting he didn't?" Tori raised an eyebrow. Her tone was clear of all emotion, completely matter-of-fact, reminding me that I wasn't the only one to supposedly lose a parent.

"It's a possibility."

"Yes," I took a deep breath, feeling ten pounds lighter with the thought that maybe, just maybe, my dad wasn't dead.

"Then what happened? Who's trying to make it seem like your dad is dead?" Simon asked.

That question didn't need a spoken answer. "The question is, why would the Edison Group need you to think your dad was dead?" Tori mused.

"Ransom." I whispered as it occurred to me. "A trap."

"Trap or no trap," Derek spoke with obvious reluctance. "We should probably pay a visit to your old house."

Thoughts? I know, kind of random plot twist (and the note was weird, but what would a dad who's about to commit suicide say to his run away teenage daughter?) Anyway, please tell me your thoughts! Review! And I swear on the holiest of all banana nut muffins that never again will I leave it this long!

:P