A/N: Since I'll be spending the remainder of the day studying History... ugh... and I don't know when I'll be able to update again, hang tight for the next chapter. And I promise I won't take anywhere near a month like I did that one time while writing This Can't Be Happening. :)
Mediatorsk: Yeah, I considered taking the part of the song with standing on the bridge out, but I was too lazy lol. Hope you find a new place! There's stuff available down here in Jersey :P
dana-maru1: So glad you didn't think it was dribble! That was my biggest fear with that chapter. Don't ya hate computer-related punishments?
Punk Rock Miko2: You were the first one to review this chapter. Thanks for the speedy response:)
CHAPTER TEN
Pam placed a handful of potion vials on the table in front of Allie.
"What're those for?"Stella asked.
"Well, so far, we've been waiting for the Nattrods to attack and then we fend them off as best we can. Maybe we can catch them off guard if we attack them instead," Pam said, explaining her theory.
"What other choice do we have, right?" Allie commented.
"Exactly," Pam muttered. She handed Stella a handful of potions as well. "There areour deadliest brews. We don't know if any will kill them, but it should definitely make them less able to fight back."
"Ready?" Chris asked them as he walked in. He too was armed with an assortment of vials. Everyone nodded. He took their hands and orbed Pam, Allie, Stella, Andy, and Jake into the lair of the Nattrods.
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Mark didn't resist as the officer handcuffed him and led him into the backseat of his police car. They both knew he was drunkand he was going to be charged. Running away would just make things worse, especially if Mark didn't have his car to escape in. He'd crashed it right into the side of a building, happened to get out alive, and now he couldn't feel any more ashamed. Just a little while ago he'd said he wouldn't do anything worse to his family… and here he was going to jail. Mark figured that the stress of everything had caused him to drink as much as he had- he had probably figured, 'well, I'm already enough of a failure, so why not? Things can't get worse.' But now he saw that they could. What was wrong with him?
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"How many of them are there? It's like we're fighting the entire race!" Pam commented through the chaos of flying potion vials and energy balls.
"We probably are," Jake commented in return. So far, they'd managed to evenly match the Nattrods, but just that. The potions didn't kill them. The mostthey did was disorient them for a second or two, andthey barely appeared weakened. Pam wished that there was some way her mother and aunts could cast the Power of Three spell from the afterlife… but she knew that they weren't allowed to affect the outcomes of anything major in the world- it would mess up destiny. Andy and Stella had already taken refuge behind a nearby rock, and their cousins were about a step away from joining them. An energy ball narrowly missed Chris, and another one grazed Allie's arm. She winced.
"There has got to be an easier way to do this!" Pam said angrily.
"There is!" Andy shouted in reply, sticking her head up over the rock. "Our dad! He knows how!"
Pam didn't answer. She remained defiantly silent, determined to not ask for help from the man that she had been enemies with for so long.
"Face it, we need him!" Stella shouted.
Pam sighed. "Fine. Chris, get us out of here. These demons might've won the battle, but the war isn't over yet." They all orbed out, hoping that Mark Joyce would indeed know how to put an end to all this fighting.
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"He's in jail?" Stella asked, dumbfounded when she heard what Chris had to say.
"I can see that," Pam muttered as she bandaged Allie's arm. Stella glared at her.
"Well, we have to bail him out," Andy said.
"Says who?" Pam asked. "I said we'd get help from him, I didn't say we'd spend our hard-earned money to get him out of something he did to himself!"
"But he's our father, Pam! If it was your dad, wouldn't you bail him out?" Stella asked.
Pam stopped. She knew the answer was yes, and she knew that bailing Mark out was the right thing to do. But she just never was one to give up a grudge so quickly.
"C'mon, he's our only hope and you know it," Andy reminded.
"Well…" Pam started. She hated surrendering. "I guess we'd better go to the bank."
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"Stella? Andy? What're you doing here?" Mark asked.
"We're bailing you out," Pam replied with difficulty.
Mark looked over at her, with an expression that looked like he was trying to figure out whether or not he was dreaming. "Really?"
"Really," Chris answered. "You're our only hope against the Nattrods."
"Thank you," Mark replied, with a look of pure gratuity.
"Alright, well they're not gonna wait for us. Let's go," Pam said, rushing through any poignant or tender moments. She just wanted to get this over with so Mark could go back to isolating his kids from the rest of the family as usual.
