Eli: Thank you for all the wonderful, wonderful reviews. You peeps are beautiful! Finally had a chance to catch up on the reviews, Beloved one: When's the next chapter to Demon Chronicles and Save the Last Dance coming out. As you say all the time. MORE! MORE! MORE! The same goes to Ceredwenflame: Any Soul of the Blade: Inner circle coming out soon? Happy Holidays right back at you, Thelma. In fact, Happy holidays to everyone! Happy Hanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, blessed be, and everything else that I forgot! Dm, where's Duplicity? I'm dying over here! Anyway, hope you all enjoy the chapter!



Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

"Happy New Year!"

But sadly, it was not a happy new year. Many things already took flight, and it was only the first day.

-Bowman-

"Daddy, where are you going?"

"Going to pick up something from a customer, baby."

"Can I come?"

"No, Teresa. I won't be back till tomorrow." Gabriel pulled on his jacket before helping Teresa get her stuff ready. "I'm gonna take you to Aunt Sara and Uncle Ian's apartment. You're going to spend the night with them. That okay?"

"Uh huh." She said grimly. "Daddy, do you have to go? Can't you just stay here and play with me today?"

"Sorry, baby. The artifact I'm getting is worth a lot of money and the customer would only give it to today. I'm sorry. But tomorrow, I promise we can play. Okay, Teresa?"

"Alright. Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"You're not lying, right? You're not gonna go see Samantha, right?"

"I would tell you if I was. I am not."

"Alright."

They drove over to the apartment. He walked Teresa up to the door and came in with her.

"You have everything you need?"

"Yep."

"Promise you'll be a good girl for Aunt Sara and Uncle Ian?"

"Of course. Auntie Sara is grumpy because she's pregnant. And Uncle Danny said that unless you don't want to keep all your limbs, never bug Auntie Sara when she's grumpy."

"Very wise advice." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I love you, bye."

"I love you, too. Bye daddy."

Gabriel felt guilty having to leave her on New Years Day, but the client had been persistent. It was raining hard and he drove carefully in the traffic. But others did not.

He was young and reckless. He sped through the streets almost running things over, scaring the hell out of people. He thought he was so cool. 90 miles an hour turning the corner.

CRASH!!!!

He ran head on into Gabriel, who was now lying unconscious in the front seat.







"Reese, stop moving your leg up and down. Your making the chairs shake."

"Sorry, Beth."

"Is something wrong, Reese?" Bethany asked between handfuls of popcorn. She pried her eyes from the TV screen. "You've been acting strange since you arrived."

"Beth, I think my dad went to go see Samantha again. I think he lied to me."

"He told you the other day when he did go out with her. Why would he start lying now?"

Teresa shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I'm just.what's the word again?"

"Paranoid."

"Yeah, that."

The phone rang minutes later. Sara picked it up. The two little girls didn't notice till they heard Sara shriek.

"No! Oh God!" She turned her head and covered the speaker. "Ian! Get down here! Oh God!"

Bethany and Teresa watched as Ian and Sara discussed things over the phone with the mysterious caller. Sara began to cry. When they finally hung up, they went into the other room and started whispering. Teresa moved closer to Bethany and said

"I don't like this."

"Neither do I. Something bad has happened."

"I'm scared." Bethany put her arm around her best friend for comfort.

"Don't be scared. Whatever it is, it will be all right."

Sara and Ian came in a few minutes later. Sara sat down next to Teresa.

"Teresa, I have some news for you." Teresa nodded her head. "Now don't be scared, but your daddy has been in a car accident."

Teresa's lip began to quiver, as her eyes grew wide with fear. "What?"

"He was in a car accident. He got hurt and now he is in the hospital. Shhhh. It will be okay, he's not that seriously injured."

Teresa cried, not being able to believe her daddy was hurt. Bethany was hugging her. Bethany looked up at her parents.

"Can we go see Uncle Gabriel, mommy? It would make Teresa feel better. And I'm sure he wants to see her."

"Yes, Auntie Sara, can I see my daddy?"

"Yeah, we can. Go get your shoes and jackets on and we'll go."

-Po McCartney-

"God, you are an idiot!"

"Shut the hell up! I bust my ass all day and all you can do is bitch!"

"Like I don't have my own job to go to each day, exactly like you. Along with raising Gracie, which you don't even bother helping with!"

Gracie sat on the floor in her room, testing her new doctors kit on her brand new teddy bear. Her parents were in the kitchen screaming. Again. Gracie sighed. Adults were so noisy.

"Again, you blame me for abandonment!"

"Of course! Do you know how often she asks to see you? And I have to tell her that she can't?! That her dad's job is so important that he can't go to her play, or play with her, or kiss her good night? I doubt she even recognizes you AS her father!"

"Fuck off! I get my job done, and I get food into this house!"

Uh oh! Mommy and Daddy were about to start using the bad English again. Gracie shut the door to her room and started humming that song that Joey taught her really loud. She was glad that Joey and her mommy were friends now. He was nice, and he played with her. And he had nice friends, too. Last time they had played, he had brought two kids named Emma and Ben to play with them. They taught her how to play mercy and bloody knuckles.

She wished Daddy could come play, too. But he was at work. And besides, he might not have liked Joey and mommy holding hands. The fight was getting louder and started going toward the climax. Gracie tried to ignore it and removed her teddy bear's white, fluffy stomach.

"You know what, Jake? If it's so fucking terrible, then let's just get a di- "

The phone rang, and the two grew silent. Gracie let out the breath she was holding. Mommy almost used the D-word.

"Oh god! Sara, please tell me this is a joke! And if it is, it isn't funny! Oh, god!"

Jake went upstairs and came into Gracie's bedroom.

"Honey, put your shoes on, we have to go. Uncle Gabriel is hurt."

"Yes, daddy." Whatever you say, as long as you and mommy don't fight.

-Woo-

Nicky carefully entered Luke's room. Luke had taken his candy, and now he was getting it back. He didn't make a sound as he opened the drawers that he knew his candy was in.

He candy was in there all right, but so was a switchblade. As soon as he saw that, he forgot all about the candy. He picked it up by the handle. The blade must have been a foot long!

"I wonder what Luke is doing with this? I thought daddy said he couldn't have weapons."

Maybe it had something to do with those boys dressed in red that Luke always hung out with. They were scary. They had guns in there belts. Maybe Luke had the knife to protect himself from them. Well, if that was the case, then why did he hang out with them in the first place?

"May be I should.."

"Nicky!" His mother called out to him from the living room. He dropped the switchblade back into the drawer and closed it up.

"Coming, mom!"



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