Chapter 5:

"Momma! Momma! Wake up it's CHRISTMAS TIME!" Chloe said loudly jumping up and down wildly on her mother's bed, excitement showing in her body movements, "Santa came! He ate the cookies and fed carrots to his reindeer!" jumping off the bed she ran out of the room, "come on! come on!"

"I'm up, wait Chloe!" Paige yelled slightly rubbing her eyes she pushed the covers off of her body, she ate all the carrots while her mother ate all the cookies and drank the milk, they were a team together. Walking lazily out of her room she knocked on her mother's door "Mum wake up, Chloe wants to open presents and it's better if you to wake up now."

Ms. Michalchuck groaned, yawned and slowly sat up, walking over to the mirror in her room she lightly brushed her hair and opened her door. Glancing at her daughter she rolled her eyes and moved downstairs to a very impatient Chloe, Paige followed close behind her.

"You slow pokes! I have been waiting forever" Chloe folded her arms in disapproval while tapping her foot, looking around she plopped down next to the tree, "Now that you here, we can open now!"

"Yep." Paige nodded her head as she looked out the window.

After two hours of opening presents from 'Santa Clause' it was finally finished, Paige walked around the living room cleaning up the wrapping mess that her daughter made while throwing the wrapping paper everywhere. Her daughter seemed to love the red bouncy ball that she had picked out at the toy store, she also loved the big car that she could ride in that she got from her grandmother. Her mom had gone back to bed after the last gift was opened, she was extremely tired.

"Momma can I go outside and play with my bouncy ball and my car pretty please?" Chloe begged as she pushed her bouncy ball towards the front door, she knew the rules in the house was not to play with balls inside but outside.

"Yes but be careful only stay by our yard and don't run out into the street, call me if your ball rolls out there." Paige hesitantly replied semi-distracted by the huge mess, her daughter then ran outside with the ball and she could hear the loud bouncing.

"Bounce goes the ball! Bounce bounce!" Chloe grinned as she slapped the ball with her hands, she watched as it hit the tree and bounced right back at her causing her to fall backwards and land on her behind. "Silly ball!" she giggled wildly as she stood up and proceeded to play.

--

Paige wiped her forehead and started to gather all of her daughters gifts together in a pile deciding that later on she would put them all up in her room, looking at the 6 gifts that she received from her mother, her daughter, her brother, Alex,Marco, and her best friend Hazel she picked them up and carried them up the stairs to her room. Where would I be without any of these people? I'd be pretty screwed, I would have no one to make me sane.

buzz, buzz,buzz The cell phone vibrated loudly on her dresser dropping her gifts onto her bed she walked over to her phone and noticed that she had three missed calls, picking up her phone she dialed her password to hear her messages.

"Hey Paige this is Alex, I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and tell that to Chloe too. I hope you enjoyed the gift I got you, hope today is wonderful, call me later. See you."

Next message...

"Merry Christmas Paige! I got you coal."

Hmm must have been Marco, he never ever says it's him when he calls besides I can recognize his voice pretty easily.

Next Message...

"Hi Paige, this is Dylan wishing you a merry Christmas, i'm sorry I could not spend christmas with you guys, I have a big thing due for college and I guess school is more important. Hope you liked my gift. Love you"

End of messages, Paige sighed happily to herself she closed her phone and tossed it on the bed.

---

"Bounce bounce." Chloe quietly said throwing up the ball and watching it bounce, it slowly rolled down the street, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion and sadness, walking slowly towards the ball she watched as a foot stopped it from rolling into the streets she smiled brightly and looked up at the man.

"Hello Chloe!" The manly figure said bending down closer to Chloe, he looked into her eyes seeing a little bit of fear, but curiosity also she slowly moved to take the ball away from his feet but stopped when he gave it to her.

"How you know my name?" She asked curiously.

"I'm a good friend of your mother, and she called me and asked if I could take you to see one of your favorite movies. I couldn't resist besides i can show you some magic tricks, I have magic powers, my name is Dean." he extended his hand towards Chloe who stared at it.

"I wanna see magic tricks! Lets go!" She grabbed his hand, he pushed away the bouncy ball, picked her up and ran towards his yellow sports car and got in. It all happened in a split second, driving away quickly he looked down at Chloe who seemed frightened now. "Your mommy tried to keep me away from you, I'm your daddy."

"I want to go home!" Chloe wailed as she started to cry.

--

Paige walked down the stairs but stopped once she approached the living room not hearing the bouncing ball or her daughter she bit her lip and walked outside. Looking around she noticed that her daughter was no where in site, turning around she ran up the stairs to Chloe's room to see if she snuck in her room but when she opened the door she wasn't there.

"Chloe!" Paige called worridly as she ran down the stairs towards the kitchen but she wasn't there, biting her lip nervously she looked in all her hiding places in the house and ran outside where her daughter was. "CHLOE! YOU GET OUT HERE THIS INSTANT, this isn't funny anymore." Paige let out a nervous cry when no one came out of the bushes or anything.

Oh god, where's my baby?, she looked around noticing the red ball on the grass walking over to the ball she picked it up and looked down the street, she ran next door to the neighbors and asked if they had seen her daughter and they had the same reply, no. Running around in a circle she screamed in frustration and fear, her daughter was missing, running inside the house she ran to the phone and picked it up.

"Paige, sweetie what's going on?" Ms. Michalchuck said having heard the ruckus, she saw the panic in her eyes when she realized that something was totally wrong.

"Hello? My daughter's missing she's two years old and she couldn't have gone far, please help me." Paige frantically said, after a few moments she hung up the phone and looked at her hands. "Mom, my daughters missing she's not here I don't know where she is, she's not at Marco's she's not at Alex's she's no where."

"Well where were you! You were supposed to be watching your daughter, Hello PAIGE she's your own flesh and blood some crazy person took her and you could have prevented it!" Her mom yelled furiously at her daughter as she shook her finger violently.

"I know Mom." Paige furiously responded as she placed her head in her hands, this wasn't happening, she walked to the front door and stared outside shaking her head she moved towards the phone again and stared at it for a moment.

Ding, dong.

"That must be the police, I'll let them in." Ms. Michalchuck said quietly moving towards the door she opened it and greeted the police and let them inside, she guided them towards the kitchen where her daughter was now sitting staring at an empty space in the wall.

"You the mother of the child that's missing?"

"Yeah, her name is Chloe." Paige replied quietly as she stared up at the police officers every so often.

"We need all the information that you can give us, what she was wearing today what she looks like... a photo... suspects." The policeman said sitting across from her, he stared into her eyes realizing that she was numb, "We'll find your daughter, for all we know she could have wandered off but we promise that we'll find her."

"I'll get a picture for you." Ms. Michalchuck said trying to be of some help she quickly walked to the hallway picked out hte most recent picture of her granddaughter and walked back inside the kitchen handing it to the police. "Can I get you guys anything, Water?"

"No thanks Ma'am." The policeman said waving off the offer he opened up a yellow notepad and started taking notes, "Do you have anyone that hates you strong enough to actually do this to you? Who's the father...?" he paused for a moment, watching as Paige's face contorted in pain.

"Her father was my rapist Dean, I haven't seen him since the night i got raped, I don't even know where he is and I don't think he knows that I have a daughter. Besides him I don't really think anyone would actually do this to me... she's only two years old, she needs me..." Paige covered her face for a moment.

"How much does she weigh?"

"Last time she was weighed she was 25 pounds, she was wearing bunny sweats, and Dora the Explorer slippers." She smiled lightly to herself but then frowned.

After a few hours of talking about everything and giving out all the information they could the policemen left the house together, Paige watched as they left after they promised that they would get on the case right away and they apologized for what happened. Shaking her head she turned to look at her mom who was still angry at her.

"It's not like I wanted this to happen Mom!" She screamed angrily at her mom, who rolled her eyes in return and walked up the stairs, clenching her fist tightly she followed up after her mom. "Mom please... talk to me."

"I don't want to I'm stressed, i'm going to sleep." Ms. Michalchuck quietly said moving to her door she closed it and laid down in bed.

"fuck." Paige whispered to herself as tears started to well up in her eyes she ran out of the house in her pajamas and barefoot she ran in no direction she just let her feet guide her somewhere, halfway through the run she broke out into sobs it all came crashing down on her. She may never see her daughter again, she couldn't help but fear the worst. Running up the steps in front of her she ran down the hall and slammed her hands on the front door.

"Coming! Sheesh!" Alex said angrily as she flung open the door she looked at Paige who was shivering, sobbing, hyperventilating and hysterical. Her eyes filled with worry as she pulled Paige in who fell quickly into her arms and clung to her for comfort. "Paige, shh shh, what happened?" she closed the door behind her friend and guided her towards the couch.

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault." The blonde hysterically wailed through her shivers, she looked down at her feet and hands which were turning a different color due to running in the snow barefoot and only wearing a spaghetti strap and thin pajama pants. "My baby, my baby."

"Chloe? What happened to her, what's all your fault. I'm sure nothing--"

"She's gone, someone took her and it's my fault I should have watched her and then she's not home and she's probably scared and she needs me. I'm her mother I'm supposed to protect her from everything and I failed." Paige buried her face into Alex's shoulder while she burst into another hysterical fit, she shook her head violently, "My mom blames me saying I'm irresponsible."

"Paige it's not your fault, you didn't want this to happen and they will find Chloe, i'm sure they will." Alex comforted her friend while she grabbed a heavy blanket from the top of her couch and wrapped it tightly around her and Paige like a cocoon, "You're freezing," Alex said her voice full of concern she placed her hand under Paige's chin and pulled her head up so they were staring at each other, "i'm going to get you some clothes.."

Alex slowly got untwined from the blanket and walked towards the closet in the living room grabbed out some sweats, moved back over towards her friend and handed her the sweats she watched as Paige changed into the clothes slowly while crying.

---

"I want my mommy!" Chloe screamed loudly as she sat in Dean's room she looked up at him who was staring at her angrily.

"well your Mommy hates you, and anyway, I like making her loved ones suffer." Dean grinned wildly, "After all your 'mommy' ruined my life when I didn't get into that fraternity, so I figured I should make hers a living hell as revenge."

TBC.