A/N: Please, review. I know I say this a lot, but feedback is uber-important, and yeah. Also? Thanks to Kylie, for e-mailing me and reminding me to get off my ass and write this. :)
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Andy pulled up to the small house Les was renting, and knocked on the door. Sensing something was off, she stepped back. Oddly, the house was dark. It was pitch-black outside, and yet not a light was on in the house. None that could be seen throught the windows, anyway. Telling herself that the girls were in a back room playing or something, she resumed pounding on the door.
A man stepped out of the house next door. "Hey, lady, what's with the noise?!"
Andy quickly apologized. "I'm looking for my girls," she said, "their father lives here. I was supposed to pick them up half an hour ago, they should still be here."
The man looked thoughtful for a minute. "Two girls, right? Teenager with brown hair, and a small blonde kid? And their father, middle-aged, just a little bit grey, kinda lanky?"
Andy nodded. "That's right; do you know where they are? Have you seen them?"
The man gave a short chuckle. "Yeah, I seen them, and no, I don't know where they are. They took off a while ago, couple hours at least. Come to think of it, I saw the guy putting some stuff in his trunk this morning. Blankets, a suitcase, I didn't really think much of it until now."
Andy's eyes widened in panic. Les wouldn't kidnap the girls.... Would he?
Trying not to panic, she got into her car and drove off. Stopping at a red light, she forced herself to calm down and consider all the possibilities. Maybe he'd taken the girls out to eat. Maybe they went somewhere and lost track of time. Maybe, when she hadn't shown up on time, he'd taken the girls home himself.
She pulled up to her house, which was as dark from the outside as Les' place had been. Slowly, she went in. "Jessie? Lizzie? Girls, I'm home." she called out. There was no answer. She flicked on the light. The house was empty; she was completely alone. She tried to think back on the other theories, that maybe they'd simply lost track of time. As much as she wanted to believe that, she couldn't. Her mind kept drifting back to what the neighbor had said about a suitcase...
Unaware of her surroundings, Andy stepped into the living room. Feeling helpless and scared, she sank down onto the nearest seat, and cried.
An hour later, Andy had pulled herself together enough to call the police. She knew she couldn't file a missing-persons report for twenty-four hours, but she still clung to the hope that there was something else they could do to get her girls back.
Detective Alex Gregory, one of the officers who'd helped Andy get Les out of the house in the first place, came over right away. Andy made them both coffee and told him everything, from when she first pulled up at the house to what the neighbor had said. Gregory listened sympathetically.
"I just can't believe that Les would do something like this." Andy finished.
"You didn't think he'd hit you, either, until he did." Gregory pointed out.
Andy tilted her head in concession. "I know, but... This is different. They're his daughters."
"Do you think he'd hurt them?" Gregory asked.
Andy shook her head emphatically. "No. No, he wouldn't do that. In fact, I'm probably overreacting to this whole thing."
Gregory lifted his eyebrows. "Andy. I haven't known you for very long, but I do know that you're smarter than this. You're not overreacting. I know, this is hard to deal with, but you were right in calling me. You can't doubt that."
Andy nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "How do I get them back?"
Gregory thought for a minute. "I'm going to make a few phone calls, check some things out. Will you be okay here?"
Andy nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
"Allright. I want you to call me if you hear anything, and likewise, I'll call you." With that, Gregory gave Andy a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, and left.
Andy was now alone in the kitchen. She sat, motionless, for what seemed like hours. The whole time, she was staring at a picture on the refrigerator of herself, Les, and the girls. "Please," she whispered to the photograph, "please be okay."
****************
Andy pulled up to the small house Les was renting, and knocked on the door. Sensing something was off, she stepped back. Oddly, the house was dark. It was pitch-black outside, and yet not a light was on in the house. None that could be seen throught the windows, anyway. Telling herself that the girls were in a back room playing or something, she resumed pounding on the door.
A man stepped out of the house next door. "Hey, lady, what's with the noise?!"
Andy quickly apologized. "I'm looking for my girls," she said, "their father lives here. I was supposed to pick them up half an hour ago, they should still be here."
The man looked thoughtful for a minute. "Two girls, right? Teenager with brown hair, and a small blonde kid? And their father, middle-aged, just a little bit grey, kinda lanky?"
Andy nodded. "That's right; do you know where they are? Have you seen them?"
The man gave a short chuckle. "Yeah, I seen them, and no, I don't know where they are. They took off a while ago, couple hours at least. Come to think of it, I saw the guy putting some stuff in his trunk this morning. Blankets, a suitcase, I didn't really think much of it until now."
Andy's eyes widened in panic. Les wouldn't kidnap the girls.... Would he?
Trying not to panic, she got into her car and drove off. Stopping at a red light, she forced herself to calm down and consider all the possibilities. Maybe he'd taken the girls out to eat. Maybe they went somewhere and lost track of time. Maybe, when she hadn't shown up on time, he'd taken the girls home himself.
She pulled up to her house, which was as dark from the outside as Les' place had been. Slowly, she went in. "Jessie? Lizzie? Girls, I'm home." she called out. There was no answer. She flicked on the light. The house was empty; she was completely alone. She tried to think back on the other theories, that maybe they'd simply lost track of time. As much as she wanted to believe that, she couldn't. Her mind kept drifting back to what the neighbor had said about a suitcase...
Unaware of her surroundings, Andy stepped into the living room. Feeling helpless and scared, she sank down onto the nearest seat, and cried.
An hour later, Andy had pulled herself together enough to call the police. She knew she couldn't file a missing-persons report for twenty-four hours, but she still clung to the hope that there was something else they could do to get her girls back.
Detective Alex Gregory, one of the officers who'd helped Andy get Les out of the house in the first place, came over right away. Andy made them both coffee and told him everything, from when she first pulled up at the house to what the neighbor had said. Gregory listened sympathetically.
"I just can't believe that Les would do something like this." Andy finished.
"You didn't think he'd hit you, either, until he did." Gregory pointed out.
Andy tilted her head in concession. "I know, but... This is different. They're his daughters."
"Do you think he'd hurt them?" Gregory asked.
Andy shook her head emphatically. "No. No, he wouldn't do that. In fact, I'm probably overreacting to this whole thing."
Gregory lifted his eyebrows. "Andy. I haven't known you for very long, but I do know that you're smarter than this. You're not overreacting. I know, this is hard to deal with, but you were right in calling me. You can't doubt that."
Andy nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "How do I get them back?"
Gregory thought for a minute. "I'm going to make a few phone calls, check some things out. Will you be okay here?"
Andy nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
"Allright. I want you to call me if you hear anything, and likewise, I'll call you." With that, Gregory gave Andy a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, and left.
Andy was now alone in the kitchen. She sat, motionless, for what seemed like hours. The whole time, she was staring at a picture on the refrigerator of herself, Les, and the girls. "Please," she whispered to the photograph, "please be okay."
