Ok it took a little longer than expected to post this chapter because I found a few scenes from an old screenplay I wrote that tied in with this chapter so I had to put them into book form. So sorry if some parts are a bit choppy, but try to imagine it as if you were watching a movie or a play.

I also want to thank the people who reviewed the past couple of chapters- Keep Reviewing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

============================================================== Holding On Chapter 8- Tension

Once Lizzie got back to her apartment she checked messages. There were none. That meant Maggie hadn't been picked up by or friend's parent, if she had, they would have called.

With horrible thoughts filling her head, Lizzie called the police and filed a missing person report.

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When the police arrived Lizzie dug out photos of Maggie to give them and gave description of her personality. They poured of pictures for what seemed like eternity, while Lizzie became more and more distraught.

"Is this the most recent picture you have of your daughter, Ms. McGuire?" one of the two police officers asked, holding up a photo of Maggie.

"Um, No." Lizzie answered, shifting a heap of photo albums to get a picture of Maggie at her birthday party a few weeks earlier. "This was taken a few weeks ago at her fourth birthday party." She said, showing the officer the picture.

"Good, good." The officer said, studying the picture.

"I have a videotape of that day, too." Lizzie offered. She got up and fetched the tape. When she put it in the player, a new kind of despair washed over her. If they didn't find Maggie, she would never she her again, never have another Friday night movie with her again, never hold her again, and never hear her speak again. Never.

She had never even gotten to fight with her, buy a prom dress for her or help her look at colleges. Maggie's life was just starting. Lizzie hoped to God it wasn't about to end. She thought she had read somewhere that most abducted children were dead within three hours. She hoped that fact was untrue.

Lizzie turned back to the TV. The video was to painful to watch, because she knew there was almost no hope left- she could see it in the policemens' eyes. But she had to hope. Maggie was her daughter.

Unable to watch the tape and look at the way the officers stared hopelessly at the screen, Lizzie retreated to her bedroom, and collapsed on the bed. There, she was so angry she felt if someone had come in she would have attacked him or her. When she finally bottled her anger inside of her she walked to her table and ran her fingers over the smooth surfaces of the expensive-but fragile- pieces of glass and china. Most of the pieces she had gotten as gifts over the years and thought they were too beautiful to be thrown out, even though she had no use for them. Lizzie picked up the first vase and held it in her hands for a moment, thinking about Maggie. Her anger came out and she threw the vase against the wall as hard as she could. It shattered into a thousand pieces. It was for Maggie. She picked up the next piece, and this time- without hesitation- threw it against the wall. Another one for Maggie. She repeated this pattern until all but one vase was gone. This last vase Gordo had given her. She lifted it from where it stood, held it for a moment and threw it out an open window. For Gordo.

Lizzie turned and faced the empty room. She grabbed a broom out of the closet and began to clean the room. When all the broken pieces were in a pile in the middle of the floor, Lizzie wondered why the officers hadn't come in. Surely they must have heard the noise she had been making. She left the bedroom and entered the kitchen to see the policemen sitting, filling out something. When she came in they looked up.

"Are you alright?" one of them asked. Lizzie nodded and realized this was normal for them. They did this every day; to them Maggie was just another abducted child that they would never find.

"What are the chances of ever finding Maggie?" Lizzie asked. She saw the policemen's eyes flicker toward one another for a split second before they answered.

"You've given us a lot of helpful information." One of them replied.

"I want to truth!" Lizzie cried out, tears streaming down her face. But the doorbell rang, saving the officers from answering.

Lizzie went to the door to find Jake standing there. In her whirlwind, Lizzie had forgotten she was supposed to go out with Jake. "Jake!" She screamed. "I-" But she burst into tears again before she could finish.

By the time Jake calmed her down the policemen had left. "Someone took Maggie." Lizzie explained as calmly as possible. Jake stared, understanding her situation. "I just don't know what to do." She cried. "I feel like I should be out there looking for her, but I wouldn't know where to start. I can't stand around here waiting for something to happen, I just can't. I mean I'm not going to let my daughter sit locked up in a closet somewhere crying and wondering why I never came to pick her. I just don't know what to do! I don't know what to do!" Her cries once again became sobs and it took a while for Jake to comfort her.

"Look," He said. "There's nothing you can do right now, so don't think you should be out there looking for her." Lizzie nodded.

Lizzie called several people including, her mother, Miranda, and Angela. Jake never left. He stayed with her all night, sleeping on the couch. The next morning was Saturday, so Lizzie didn't have to go to work. She was sitting in the kitchen when the phone rang. Lizzie was reluctant to answer it but she finally did. "Hello?"

"Mommy?" the voice on the other end said.
"Maggie?!" Lizzie screamed. "Is that you? Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." She said cheerfully. "I'm over Charles."

"What?" Lizzie asked. "Who's Charles?'

"The hotel over Charles." She said gleefully. "I'm with daddy." Lizzie was shocked. She had no idea who Maggie's father was and didn't know how or even why he had bothered to try and find her.

Then she heard a male voice in the background on the other line. "Alright, that's enough." He said. And Lizzie heard a click as he hung up. Jake stared at her. She looked at the floor, her eyes watering. That may have been her only chance to find Maggie and she couldn't understand her own daughter. Then it hit her. She looked at Jake.

"I know where Maggie is." Lizzie said. "She's at the hotel across the river."

In less than five minutes, Lizzie and Jake had piled into her car and were speeding along to find Maggie and Lizzie was also looking forward to seeing who Maggie's 'dad' was.

I hope the next chapter will be posted faster than this one was. I apologize for taking so long.

Once again Please REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!