Dateline: Thursday, April 23, 1981, 8:00 PM, Pacific Daylight Time.

Violet could barely eat, even though it was on Kari tonight. She was still reeling about the gun that Dash had bought. How could he do such a thing? Would he try to use it? What if he killed someone with it? Oh, the media would have a field day to end all others if he did! Was he even thinking about the children? No, of course not, or he wouldn't have bought the cursed thing in the first place.

Dash could barely eat either. He was still hurt by Violet's chiding. He wasn't actually going to kill anyone with it! She knew him better than that, or so he thought. But she was right about one thing: it wouldn't be right if he carried it where the paparazzi could see him. Then, Alpha Force would be internationally humiliated before he could say "I wonder if I kept the receipt to that thing?"

With the Parr siblings sitting before her in silence, hardly eating, or talking, or moving for that matter, Kari could tell something was up. Did they just have another fight or something? That had to be it, because they only sulked like this when they were angry about something. Ms. McKean decided to find out what was going on, the only way she knew how…

"What's going on, Vi?"

"Nothing," said Violet, but it sounded to Kari like "Something awful, but I don't want to talk about it."

"Well," Kari began, "that must be some fantastic nothing if you're not eating because of it. Now, come on, Vi, you can tell me what's going on."

Violet looked up and seemed to eyeball Dash. "Not here, in the ladies' room," she said to Kari, not averting her gaze from her brother. The two women stood and slowly stepped to the lavatory, leaving Dash at the table by himself. Once inside, Kari looked Violet straight in the eye and said, "Tell me what's going on."

Violet took a deep breath, and with a slight tear in her voice, she said, "Dash bought a gun today."

Then there was a long pause.

"So that's it? You're upset because Dash bought a gun?"

Violet was astonished. How could she simply yawn at the fact that her own flesh and blood parceled an instrument of slaughter into her own domicile? In other words…

"My brother brings a lethal weapon into my apartment and all you can say is 'That's it?'"

"Well, forgive me, Violet, but I just don't see what you are so worked up about. So what if Dash is packing heat? I am too!"

Oh my God! Kari carries a gun too? Now Violet was on the verge of a panic attack! "You carry a gun too, Kari? For how long?"

"About 6 months now."

"And you never told me this because…?"

"You never asked, and I didn't see it as any of your business."

I didn't see it as any of your business. Kari's words echoed in Violet's head as she lost consciousness and crashed into the floor.

While this was going on, Dash had left the table and moseyed over to the bar. He ordered a beer. From his expression, the bartender could tell some thing was bothering him. "Hey, why the long face?" she asked.

"Well, Violet, this girl I live with, she's upset with me because I bought a gun today."

"Oh really? Well, if I was your girlfriend, I'd be upset with you too!"

Dash was taken aback. "What? Violet's not my girlfriend, she's my sister!"

"Well, why didn't you say that in the first place?"

Dash just shrugged his shoulders.

"Anyway, I believe you should get rid of your machine of death before she kicks you out onto the street!"

"Machine of death? Shoot, I got this same line from my sister. It is not a machine of death, it is a high velocity projectile launcher!"

The bartender gave him a dirty look. "It was built with the intent to kill, therefore, it is a machine of death!"

"Let me ask you this," said Dash, "if a gun lies in a box, in the corner of a closet, and nobody ever picks it up and shoots it, then who is killed by this 'machine of death'?" He even did the sarcastic air quotes around "machine of death."

"I'm sorry, sir, but company policy prohibits the sale of liquor to smart-asses," she said as she made an attempt to take the beer away from him. Fast as the bartender was, we all know Dash was faster, am I right or am I right? Anyway, Dash gulped down the beer as fast as he could.

"Too late!" he screamed. Then laughed maniacally for about 20 seconds. Unfortunately, Dash wasn't the type of guy who held his liquor very well. The only reason he stopped laughing was because he had passed out on the floor. Not long after that, Kari came out of the ladies' room, dragging a still unconscious Violet behind her.

"Okay, Kari, don't panic," she told herself, "we'll just get Dash and we'll take Violet home, and everything will be fine." Disappointment swept over her like a downpour of rain when she saw Dash on the floor, with as much life in him as his sister had at that point. "Oh, perfect, now I have to drag both of their bodies all the way back to their apartment. I don't think I can do it alone." She stood up on a chair so she could get everyone's attention.

"EXCUSE ME! Yeah, hi, I need to move these two bodies back to their own home! Is anyone going to help me?" Nobody responded. "Okay, I'll pay 100 dollars to anyone who will help me get these two home!"

"I'll help!" said just about everyone in the place.

"I'll do it for only 95 dollars!" yelled someone in a green jacket.

"90 bucks," said someone else.

"Eighty-seven fifty."

"Do I hear 85?" Kari asked.

"85."

"80."

"75."

"Do I hear anything lower?"

"Forget the money," said Green Jacket, "I'll do it for free!"

Kari was surprised. Why didn't this person speak up earlier? "Do I hear any lower bids?" The bar was silent. "Sold, to the person in the green jacket!"

Green Jacket stood up and walked over to where Kari was. "So, what you want me to take these two home with you?"

"Oh no, they don't live with me, they live on Oriental Avenue."

"Uh-huh…well, we'll take them in my car, shall we?"

Green Jacket lifted Violet and Dash with relative ease and dragged them out to his yellow BMW. He threw them both in the trunk, quite carelessly. This came to Kari as quite a shock.

"What are you doing?" she screamed.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Miss Ditz? I'm taking them hostage, duh!"

(A/N: I'm sorry I re-hashed the gun thing again. BTW if any of you are upset because Dash ordered a beer when he's only 18, let me remind you that the drinking age wasn't changed from 18 to 21 until 1984, and this story takes place in 1981, so he is of legal drinking age. Unfortunately it my be a very long while before I can publish Chapter 12. Until we meet again, stay cool, okay? Okay, bye-bye, darling.)