Ok, I know I said that this was going to be a short story, but I changed my mind. I've decided because there are a few people who want me to continue, so I think I'll give it a shot. Please let me know what you think.

CHAPTER ONE

"Daddy!" The five year old girl cried. "Daddy, the monsters are here!" Sierra Crane stood in the doorway, watching with pain as her niece screamed for her father. Nicholette Crane wasn't an ordinary little girl. She was a little girl without a mother, a little girl who had only her father in the whole world. At least, that's what she thought. Little did she know that it was almost impossible not to love her, impossible to not be there for her.

"What is it honey, what's wrong?" Sierra asked, her eyes shimmering with stubborn tears. "Won't you tell tia Sierra what's bothering you?" She asked painfully. The little girl looked at her with tears of her own.

"Where's daddy? I want daddy!" The girl said softly. "I want mommy too," she said quietly, almost to the point of not being heard. However, Sierra had heard her, and the tears now ran freely down her cheeks.

Before she could reply, she heard the front door open. "I think he's here now. I'm going to go talk to him, and then I'll bring him to you, okay?" Nicholette nodded her head, watching her aunt walk out of her room to talk with her father.

"Sierra, how was she?" Nicholas Foxworth Crane asked his sister when she walked into the living room.

"She's calling for you. She keeps saying that the monsters are coming and that she wants you…and Theresa!"

Nicholas went still. He had tried as hard as possible to try not to mention her name. He didn't want Nicholette to forget her, but he had figured it would be easier to stay off the subject for a little while. It had almost been two weeks since Theresa's funeral, and Nicholette hadn't spoken of her mother since. Nicholas was thankful, but he hadn't expected her to be holding her emotions in. "I'll go talk to her."

"You'd better, because I'm worried. It may be for no reason, but I'm really concerned for her mental health."

He walked into his daughter's room, feeling as if he were looking at Theresa all over again. She had the same golden skin and the same thick, dark, long hair.

"Hey honey!" He greeted the small child. "You wanna tell daddy what's wrong? Maybe I can help fix it."

"I saw the monsters, daddy, I saw them."

"It was only a bad dream, that's all."

"Can you read me a story? Whenever I had a bad dream, mommy would always read me a story." Her strong demeanor crumbled as she spoke of her mother.

"Of course I can." He said. She shook her head. "You don't want me to read you a story?"

"No, but there is something you can do for me."

"What's that?"

"You can bring back my mommy." She started puckering, unable to hold strong any longer. "I miss her daddy, I miss her so much. Please bring her back, please. I'll be a really good girl, I promise! I'll do anything you want if you just bring my mommy back."

Nicholas felt his eyes water. How was he supposed to react? How was he supposed to answer his daughter gently?

"If I could bring your mother back, I swear I'd do it in a heartbeat, I swear to you I would. But I can't. I'm so sorry Nikki…so sorry!"

Well, that's it for now. It looks like I'll be continuing this story after all. Please reply.

Denise