"Vicki, I'm sorry to leave like this on your first day, but the boys are gone so things should be a little easier," Abby explained.
"I'm sure there won't be ANY problems," Vicki answered.
"Right," Abby responded, "Anna is upstairs sleeping if you could check on her every few hours; she should be fine. If you need anything, Molly should be able to help you. Do you have any questions?"
"What should I serve for lunch?" Vicki asked.
"Soup, sandwiches, I don't know, Molly, what do you want?" Abby turned to her daughter.
"I don't know. Peanut butter bread. Yeah, I want peanut butter bread," Molly said looking up from the picture she was coloring.
"Just make her a peanut butter sandwich and give her carrot sticks," Abby said.
"And Anna?" Vicki questioned.
"I don't think she is going to want to eat anything. Don't worry about it, John can make her something when he gets home around three," Abby kissed Molly and started towards the door. "Don't bother Anna; She needs to rest."
"I won't," Molly called as Abby closed the door.
"So you like to color," Vicki commented.
"Yup," Molly replied not looking up from her picture.
~*~*~ Later That Day ~*~*~
Anna rubbed her forehead; it was pounding. She looked around the room wondering what had pulled her out of her slumber. She smelled something similar to burning hair. She pushed off her comforter and climbed out of bed. In the hall, the smell was stronger. Anna moved quickly down the stairs. Molly was standing in the doorway to the kitchen watching a blaze of white flames.
"I couldn't reach the 'tinguisher," Molly stated.
"Molly, we need to get out of the house," she said grabbing her sister's arm.
"The pan caught the curtain, and I couldn't reach the 'tinguisher," Molly said.
Anna picked up a cordless phone and pulled Molly outside. Anna called 911, and the sisters waited in the front yard for help to arrive.
They watched as the firefighters poured water onto the flames.
John pulled into the driveway and jumped out of the car. He immediately saw the girls sitting in the grass near a tree. He ran over to them and asked, "Are you all right?"
"Yeah," Anna replied not removing her gaze from the house.
"Daddy, I couldn't reach the 'tinguisher," Molly told him.
"What?" he questioned looking towards Anna.
"She means extinguisher," Anna explained.
"Where is Vicki?" John asked.
"Who?" Anna questioned.
"She left," Molly said.
"She left you two sitting in the yard?" he questioned.
"No, she left before that. She left when she answered to phone," Molly replied.
"Stay put, I'm going to talk to someone," he told them.
"What happened?" he asked a firefighter.
"Kitchen fire, started on the stove," the firefighter responded. "But I probably shouldn't be telling you that."
"John Carter. This is my house," he explained.
"The kids said there wasn't anyone else home," the man said confused.
"There wasn't. I just came home," Carter told him.
They talked for a few more minutes, and then John went back to where the girls were sitting.
"Anna, you need to go lie down in my car," he told her.
She nodded.
"What about me?" Molly asked.
"You need to sit in the car and be quiet, so Anna can sleep," he told her as picked her up.
"I'm not going to be able to sleep," Anna stated.
"I know just stay here until I figure out what we are going to do," he said as he opened the back door of the car.
Anna sat down on the seat and asked, "How bad is it?"
"I'm not really sure. Don't worry about it," he said with a fake smile.
"My fish…" Anna began to say.
"Anna, not now please," Carter pleaded with her.
She glared at him before turning away.
"Anna, didn't mean…" he started to say.
"Leave me alone," she snapped.
"All right, don't get out of the car, either of you," he warned before leaving Molly and Anna.
~*~*~ That Night ~*~*~
"Are they all asleep?" Abby asked Carter.
"Yes," he answered as he closed the door to the master suite.
"You really had to get a suite didn't you?" she questioned.
"The insurance company will cover it," he told her.
"I really wasn't concerned with the price," Abby stated.
"Do you like the room?" he asked. After a pause he added, "Admit it, it is a little romantic."
"I suppose," she responded. "Does the door lock?"
"Of course," Carter said as he locked the door.
"Could you get the lights while you're up?" she teased.
He flipped the light switch, and they embraced.
Abby pulled away and asked, "Did you ever find out what happened to Vicki?"
"No," he answered before pressing his lips against hers once again.
Across the hall Anna sat up in her bed. She stared at the telephone on the nightstand.
She reached over and dialed.
"Hello," a giggly female voice picked up.
Anna didn't respond at first.
"Hello?" the voice said again.
"Is my dad there?" Anna finally asked.
"Hold on," the woman said.
"Anna, is something wrong?" Luka asked when he came to the phone.
"Kind of, but it doesn't matter now. Who answered the phone?" she demanded.
"That isn't really any of your business," Luka told her.
"Yeah, you don't want me to tell Susan," Anna replied.
"Anna… that isn't it," he tried to explain.
"Whatever, sorry a bothered you," she said before slamming the phone down.
On the other side of the city, Luka set the phone on the table.
Susan had joined Susie on the couch.
"Is everything all right?" Susan asked.
"I'm not sure. I think Anna believes I'm cheating on you," he responded.
"What?" Susan questioned.
"My sentiments exactly," Luka told her.
~*~*~ The Next Day ~*~*~
Anna, Ethan, and Landon sat on a balcony over looking the courtyard. There were plates of half eaten room service on the circular table they were seated around.
"Was is scary?" Landon asked.
"Huh?" Anna questioned.
"Was it scary seeing the fire?" he asked again.
"I wasn't really thinking about being afraid," she explained.
"I would have been scared," Landon told her.
"Landon, shut up," Ethan yelled at his brother.
Landon looked up, and his eyes filled with tears.
"What is your problem?" Anna asked Ethan.
"You and the crybaby," Ethan told her.
"Get your head out of your ass, Ethan," Anna replied.
Before Anna had finished her sentenced Carter was standing in the doorway.
"Anna," he warned.
"Sorry," she replied meekly looking down at the table.
"Haha," Ethan teased.
"Ethan, stop it. I know you started this," Carter said. "If you and Landon would collect the plates and place them on the cart, I would appreciate it," he requested.
They complied and after having gathered the dishes off the table, they went inside.
"I was over at the house this morning," Carter told Anna.
She looked up hopefully.
"The aquarium is smashed," he told her, "however, there is a surprise inside."
Anna walked passed him and before her was a plastic bowl with Guppy in it.
"How?" she questioned.
"You left your raincoat on the floor, and I found him swimming in pocket of water on the coat," Carter told her.
"Thank you for looking," she said with a smile. "I so happy. Wait until Molly sees."
Carter didn't have the heart to tell her most of her room was blackened by ash and water damaged.
************** Note from B. Belle *****************
I would just like to remind everyone to please make sure your smoke detectors are working. They can be the deference between life and death. Thank you to all who reviewed. Your ideas and input are appreciated.
"I'm sure there won't be ANY problems," Vicki answered.
"Right," Abby responded, "Anna is upstairs sleeping if you could check on her every few hours; she should be fine. If you need anything, Molly should be able to help you. Do you have any questions?"
"What should I serve for lunch?" Vicki asked.
"Soup, sandwiches, I don't know, Molly, what do you want?" Abby turned to her daughter.
"I don't know. Peanut butter bread. Yeah, I want peanut butter bread," Molly said looking up from the picture she was coloring.
"Just make her a peanut butter sandwich and give her carrot sticks," Abby said.
"And Anna?" Vicki questioned.
"I don't think she is going to want to eat anything. Don't worry about it, John can make her something when he gets home around three," Abby kissed Molly and started towards the door. "Don't bother Anna; She needs to rest."
"I won't," Molly called as Abby closed the door.
"So you like to color," Vicki commented.
"Yup," Molly replied not looking up from her picture.
~*~*~ Later That Day ~*~*~
Anna rubbed her forehead; it was pounding. She looked around the room wondering what had pulled her out of her slumber. She smelled something similar to burning hair. She pushed off her comforter and climbed out of bed. In the hall, the smell was stronger. Anna moved quickly down the stairs. Molly was standing in the doorway to the kitchen watching a blaze of white flames.
"I couldn't reach the 'tinguisher," Molly stated.
"Molly, we need to get out of the house," she said grabbing her sister's arm.
"The pan caught the curtain, and I couldn't reach the 'tinguisher," Molly said.
Anna picked up a cordless phone and pulled Molly outside. Anna called 911, and the sisters waited in the front yard for help to arrive.
They watched as the firefighters poured water onto the flames.
John pulled into the driveway and jumped out of the car. He immediately saw the girls sitting in the grass near a tree. He ran over to them and asked, "Are you all right?"
"Yeah," Anna replied not removing her gaze from the house.
"Daddy, I couldn't reach the 'tinguisher," Molly told him.
"What?" he questioned looking towards Anna.
"She means extinguisher," Anna explained.
"Where is Vicki?" John asked.
"Who?" Anna questioned.
"She left," Molly said.
"She left you two sitting in the yard?" he questioned.
"No, she left before that. She left when she answered to phone," Molly replied.
"Stay put, I'm going to talk to someone," he told them.
"What happened?" he asked a firefighter.
"Kitchen fire, started on the stove," the firefighter responded. "But I probably shouldn't be telling you that."
"John Carter. This is my house," he explained.
"The kids said there wasn't anyone else home," the man said confused.
"There wasn't. I just came home," Carter told him.
They talked for a few more minutes, and then John went back to where the girls were sitting.
"Anna, you need to go lie down in my car," he told her.
She nodded.
"What about me?" Molly asked.
"You need to sit in the car and be quiet, so Anna can sleep," he told her as picked her up.
"I'm not going to be able to sleep," Anna stated.
"I know just stay here until I figure out what we are going to do," he said as he opened the back door of the car.
Anna sat down on the seat and asked, "How bad is it?"
"I'm not really sure. Don't worry about it," he said with a fake smile.
"My fish…" Anna began to say.
"Anna, not now please," Carter pleaded with her.
She glared at him before turning away.
"Anna, didn't mean…" he started to say.
"Leave me alone," she snapped.
"All right, don't get out of the car, either of you," he warned before leaving Molly and Anna.
~*~*~ That Night ~*~*~
"Are they all asleep?" Abby asked Carter.
"Yes," he answered as he closed the door to the master suite.
"You really had to get a suite didn't you?" she questioned.
"The insurance company will cover it," he told her.
"I really wasn't concerned with the price," Abby stated.
"Do you like the room?" he asked. After a pause he added, "Admit it, it is a little romantic."
"I suppose," she responded. "Does the door lock?"
"Of course," Carter said as he locked the door.
"Could you get the lights while you're up?" she teased.
He flipped the light switch, and they embraced.
Abby pulled away and asked, "Did you ever find out what happened to Vicki?"
"No," he answered before pressing his lips against hers once again.
Across the hall Anna sat up in her bed. She stared at the telephone on the nightstand.
She reached over and dialed.
"Hello," a giggly female voice picked up.
Anna didn't respond at first.
"Hello?" the voice said again.
"Is my dad there?" Anna finally asked.
"Hold on," the woman said.
"Anna, is something wrong?" Luka asked when he came to the phone.
"Kind of, but it doesn't matter now. Who answered the phone?" she demanded.
"That isn't really any of your business," Luka told her.
"Yeah, you don't want me to tell Susan," Anna replied.
"Anna… that isn't it," he tried to explain.
"Whatever, sorry a bothered you," she said before slamming the phone down.
On the other side of the city, Luka set the phone on the table.
Susan had joined Susie on the couch.
"Is everything all right?" Susan asked.
"I'm not sure. I think Anna believes I'm cheating on you," he responded.
"What?" Susan questioned.
"My sentiments exactly," Luka told her.
~*~*~ The Next Day ~*~*~
Anna, Ethan, and Landon sat on a balcony over looking the courtyard. There were plates of half eaten room service on the circular table they were seated around.
"Was is scary?" Landon asked.
"Huh?" Anna questioned.
"Was it scary seeing the fire?" he asked again.
"I wasn't really thinking about being afraid," she explained.
"I would have been scared," Landon told her.
"Landon, shut up," Ethan yelled at his brother.
Landon looked up, and his eyes filled with tears.
"What is your problem?" Anna asked Ethan.
"You and the crybaby," Ethan told her.
"Get your head out of your ass, Ethan," Anna replied.
Before Anna had finished her sentenced Carter was standing in the doorway.
"Anna," he warned.
"Sorry," she replied meekly looking down at the table.
"Haha," Ethan teased.
"Ethan, stop it. I know you started this," Carter said. "If you and Landon would collect the plates and place them on the cart, I would appreciate it," he requested.
They complied and after having gathered the dishes off the table, they went inside.
"I was over at the house this morning," Carter told Anna.
She looked up hopefully.
"The aquarium is smashed," he told her, "however, there is a surprise inside."
Anna walked passed him and before her was a plastic bowl with Guppy in it.
"How?" she questioned.
"You left your raincoat on the floor, and I found him swimming in pocket of water on the coat," Carter told her.
"Thank you for looking," she said with a smile. "I so happy. Wait until Molly sees."
Carter didn't have the heart to tell her most of her room was blackened by ash and water damaged.
************** Note from B. Belle *****************
I would just like to remind everyone to please make sure your smoke detectors are working. They can be the deference between life and death. Thank you to all who reviewed. Your ideas and input are appreciated.