Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my ideas and my own characters.

A/N: The spellings are British. Surprise! Chapter One – An Unexpected Surprise

A dull banging sound pushed its way through the fog in Ash's mind. He awoke slowly and stretched, cat-like. He sat up and winced. Usually he didn't drink so much, so he wouldn't have a hangover the next morning. However he had had to last night, as part of his cover on his missions for Thierry.

The person he had spoken to last night was an old friend of his. They used to go out drinking together. There had been rumours that Ash's friend had information on the fourth wild power – the one Circle Daybreak had yet to find.

Ash had gotten his friend drunk to prise the information out of him – turned out there was no truth to the rumours, either that or the man held hid drink better than he used to and had been putting on a show to fool Ash. Of course, that would mean that he knew about Ash's link with Circle Daybreak, which he couldn't possibly.

The banging sound increased in its intensity, attracting Ash's attention and making him realise that it hadn't been a dream or his throbbing head.

"Yes alright I'm coming, just please, stop the banging already."

He got out of bed and pulled on the worn jeans off of the floor after untangling his legs from the bed-sheets.

The person doing the banging was probably the motel owner wanting to collect his money and kick him out for sleeping in too long.

He flung the door open, fully prepared to deal with an angry human. He was not however, prepared to deal with what stood before him – a little girl who burst into tears at the sight of him.

He was at a loss what to do. He had never known how to deal with a crying girl, and children were beyond him.

He took a tentative step towards her and held out his hand. "Hi. I'm Ash. What's your name?" He smiled at her encouraging her response, and just as suddenly as she had started crying, she stopped.

She looked up at him warily. "I'm Liriel."

She was a cutie. Ash thought. Her silvery, wispy little girls' hair pulled into a ponytail showed off the small bones in her face. She gave him a small smile and held out a trusting hand. He took it, suddenly unsure of himself again.

It was that smile of hers, the smile that made him want to protect her and hold her close, to comfort her from whatever had upset her. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, wincing briefly at the pain. He must be crazy, getting this mushy over a kid, even if she was adorable.

"Um Liriel? Why are you here?"

"My auntie brought me." Her eyes filled up with tears again. "Mummy's gone."

"Um, where did she go?"

"I don't know." Ash frowned in frustration. He was getting nowhere with her.

"When did you last see her?"

"At the house. She gave me a letter and me and auntie got out." Ash was confused.

"What do you mean?"

"We tried to help mummy but…" She sniffed and her bottom lip started wobbling.

"What happened?"

"Some 'wolves got her. Some vampires too." Ash's eyes widened and he looked at her closely. Yes, she wasn't human, but then, he couldn't really tell what she was.

"Now mummy's dead." The little girl stated bravely and once more burst out crying.

Ash couldn't do anything but gather her into his arms and pick up her luggage to bring her into his motel room.

He sat on his bed and rocked her, murmuring comforting things to her. After all, she needed comfort right now. Her mother had been killed, and her aunt had abandoned her with a stranger.

But why him? He doubted Liriel would know. He sat up suddenly, holding onto Liriel to stop her from falling off. The letter! The letter Liriel had been given by her mother might explain some things.

"Liriel sweetheart, where's the letter your mummy gave you?" Liriel looked up at him with tear trails on her face, then reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope – with Ash's name on. He opened it and began to read.

Ash.

It's me, Jasmine.

Jasmine was Liriel's mother? That meant she was dead. Ash felt a pang of regret.

I need you to take care of Liriel for me. Protect her from the Night World; they cannot have her. I trust you. I know you'll look after her at all costs. That's part of the reason I'm sending her to you, that and the fact that you have reformed and are now with Circle Daybreak.

I'm glad you've changed, because it means I can now tell you the secret I've been keeping from you for five years - ever since we conceived Liriel. Well, there it is. I hope you'll understand why I kept her from you when you read what I'm about to tell you.

I'm not a witch like everyone thought I was. I'm also part 'shifter, though I can't 'shape-shift'. There's also something else about me. Not only was my father a shapeshifter, making me a hybrid, but my mother was also a hybrid. Half witch and half human, making me part human. If I had told you, you would have killed me. You would have killed Liriel as well, or at least have had Quinn do it for you.

That's why the Night World are coming for me. They want to kill me and take Liriel away, she's special you see. She's mentioned in a prophecy I read once. I lost it but I remember the part where she was mentioned – just the part where she was mentioned. Here it is…

Ash stopped reading, distracted from the letter by a scratching sound coming from the door.

He listened hard and heard some snuffling noises. A werewolf? Yes, there was that whiff of smelly 'wolf. Ash stopped moving and only started again once the sound had gone away. The 'wolf had been on reconnaissance and was probably now making its way back to the boss with news of where Liriel was.

Ash acted quickly, packing all his belongings away so that they wouldn't know whom Liriel was with. While he was removing the last traces from the house, he dialled Thierry's number on his cell phone, but found that he had no reception and no time to try elsewhere or to find a payphone.

After that, he grabbed his and Liriel's bags in one hand and carried Liriel on his hip on the opposite side. He headed, as fast as he could, to his car – after leaving the key and the money for the motel owner in the guy's office.

When he got to the car, he realised that there was no car seat for Liriel, and she needed it, especially if he had nightworlders on his tail. He made a temporary car seat for her out of some blankets he found in Liriel's suitcase, and then making sure she was secure, drove off towards Las Vegas.

Before leaving Los Angeles, he bought a car seat suitable for a four year old of Liriel's small stature, as he didn't want anything to happen to her. From what Jasmine had told him, she would be essential in the fight with the Night World. But more importantly to him, she was his daughter. A concept, which he had yet to fully comprehend.

To Be Continued…

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