Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, Cornelia Funke does. I own Joy, Kat, Illene, Detective Alexander Inglestone, and Graziano. I do not own the GodFather. The song is "Smoke and Mirrors," by Skye Sweetnam.

For someone so young and naive
Hard to know what to believe
Still I thought I tried for a while

Kat managed to twist her wrist free from Basta, she sent him a glare of dislike before walking up front along with Meggie and Pippo, Joy was trapped in Basta's arms. Kat had believed she'd never see Basta and Flatnose again, she wasn't even sure if she believed her own story at times during the last three days. Then, she knew she couldn't discount her memories as false, she knew they were true.

"Why don't you let Kat go, Basta?" Joy asked softly, "the village isn't the place for her, I don't think she'll tell anyone about it, will you...Kat?"

"No, I won't," Kat replied, Like hell I won't! I've already informed a police detective...

"I don't trust that little witch," grunted Flatnose, "the only reason yer even walkin is because yer do to be Cockerell's wife as soon as we return to the village. If you weren't," he scowled, "I'd twist that head of yours until it faced the wrong way around!"

Kat didn't glare at him, her heart pounded in fear she took a deep and shaky breath then continued walking. She could hear Pippo's soft sobs, his shoulders shook but his hands stayed clasping onto Meggie's arm. Meggie's a lot braver than I am, I'm here shaking in my shoes and she's walking on with head held high.

Boop...Beep...

"What was that?" Sneered Basta.

Kat acted calm as if nothing had happened, really her heart was in her throat, fear made her mouth feel as if it were occupied by beach sand. She made herself calm down enough to think rationally she'd come to far right now to give up without a fight and without giving the detective at least a little proof her story was true.

Turning round and giving up is not my style...

"What do you have in your pocket, little Miss Silvertounge?" Sneered Basta to Meggie as she turned her around so quickly she gave a small cry. Pippo yelped and dug his fingers more into Meggie's arm. "I said what do you have in your pocket?!" Basta asked, giving her a shake.

"Nothing!" Meggie replied, "absolutely nothing!"

Kat gently pried Pippo's fingers off of Meggie's sore arm and held him close to her as a mother would her son to protect him. She reached down and held down the power button of her phone, sorry detective, she thought to herself as phone gave a quick vibrate before turning off.

On my own on my own way...

"What do you have in your pocket that is making that noise?" Sneered Basta as he shoved Meggie over to Flatnose, who grunted when her back collided into his legs. The giant's hand cupped Meggie's shoulder and held her in place.

"I.." Kat started, "nothing," she replied.

"Open your pockets, you're no child, you I don't trust under any circumstances," sneered Basta, "I've seen you, you little sneak. You nearly got away from us the first time, not this time."

Kat glanced over to Joy who was busy prying Flatnose's hand off of Meggie and hugging the little girl close to her. Joy does things on her own, and in her own way, she does them so bravely, yet she seems to stay so calm. Ineed to try that...I have too...It might be the only chance I have getting outta here alive...and helping to get Meggie and Pippo out of here alive, Joy too if only I could find some kind of distraction where Basta wouldn't notice her, if that's even possible-

"Don't look to my wife to save you," Basta sneered, "your pockets, now."

Kat let go of Pippo and emptied out her jeans pockets, she froze when she didn't find her cell phone. In her hands lied an extra memory card in a plastic case, an extra camera battery, a butterscotch hard candy, and a Listerine breath strip.

Basta sneered at her, then glared at Pippo, Kat's arm went around the little boy and held him close.

"He has nothing!" Kat exclaimed, "his pants and shirt have no pockets if you haven't noticed!"

"There's other places to hide-"

"If you touch one hair on this boy again," Kat exclaimed, fire in her eyes, "I'll steal your knife and use it to remove a valued bodily organ," she commented, glancing down at his groin.

"You're in no position to be threatning me," sneered Basta, shoving her so hard she stumbled. She shot her hand out and caught onto the door way of Fenoglio's house and picked herself up. Anger and fear both tore at her, she was glad that Fenoglio opened the door so suddenly or she would have lost her temper.

Bottled up is where my fears go, my fears go
I will never show my fear...

Kat glanced to see Bast and Flatnose had pressed themselves against the sides of the house while Pippo and Meggie stood close together, Joy behind them.

"Where have you children been?" Questioned Fenoglio, "I was about to come out looking for you; Joy you shouldn't be out in the rain, and...Miss..."

"Katherine Levingston-"

"Ah! Yes! Katherine Levingston! You're the woman who takes the photos for the Southern Italy's Making History Foundation's three month quarteraly magazine, it's wonderful to meet you. All of you come out of the rain." Fenoglio exclaimed, opening the door wider he stepped back.

"May we come in also?" Questioned Basta with a far from pleasant smile as he laid his hand on Meggie's shoulder, Pippo went past both Kat and Fenoglio and ran into the house.

Why is it that kid reminds me of a weasel? Kat wondered to herself.

They'll tear me up until my tears show, my tears show
Smoke and mirrors...

"Who are these people?" Fenoglio questioned, his turtle-like face was filled with alarm.

"You should know, you created them!" Meggie replied, her voice loud, Kat looked to see Basta's finger's digging into Meggie's shoulder; before Kat could reach to pry Basta's fingers off Meggie, Joy had taken Basta's hand and held it in her own.

"Created them?" Fenoglio questioned, he stared at Basta for a long moment, "Basta."

"That's my name old man," sneered Basta.

"OI! I can't stand this rain any longer, it's running into my ears!" Snapped Flatnose as he shoved Fenoglio out of the way and entered the house.

"You," sneered Basta to Kat, Kat's heart leapt as if his index finger were either a loaded pistol or knife pointed at her chest, "cause any more trouble and I don't care how much Cockerell likes you, I'll kill you!"

Kat glared at him but didn't reply, inside she was terrified; her eyes were starting to cloud over with tears, she shook her head, NO! She wouldn't let Basta see that, ever.

You must try hard, don't give in
Keep it up and you win...

"Damn, her phone's battery was running low," sighed Detective Inglestone as he snapped his cell phone shut, "I recorded all that I could though."

"Oh God," Illene said softly, sitting down on her light brown couch she stared across the room where Alexander sat on the light brown chair near the fire place of her house. "Those men are here and they have Kat? I just got my daughter back, I can't - I won't - lose her again! I won't!" Illene exclaimed getting up.

"Illene, sit down damn it!" Alexander snapped, it had only been five days since they had met, but when Kat came home Alexander had askedIllene out. "You have to try hard to keep your worry bottled in, I know how damned hard that is! Believe me I do! But going into hysterics won't help Kat any!"

"Where were they?" Illene asked, massaging her forehead she blinked back the stinging in her eyes that she knew would lead to tears at any moment.

"She said she was going out to visit Meggie, Mo, and Joy so she ran into those two men there," Alexander paused, "from how the conversation went it's certain they're on their way to Fenoglio's-"

"Let's go get Kat-" Illene started, standing up.

"NO! It's too dangerous those men might be - hell with might be, men like that are always armed - let me call for back up, I'm heading over there. You stay here, if I see you there at all I'll have you arrested."

"For what?" Illene asked, "worried about the safety of my daughter?"

"For...Interfering with police business," Alexander replied as he grabbed his cell phone from his belt he walked out dialing the police station's number.

Don't let them know they get to you
Put on a brave face and you'll get through
On your own, on your own way

Kat was shaky as she grabbed a clean glass from Fenoglio's cupboard, she put it under the sink and filled it full of water. She drank down the water slowly, she was terrified of going back to the village, of going back and becoming Mrs. Cockerell; most of all she was terrified for her safety as well as Meggie's, Joy's, and Fenoglio's safety. She put on a face, a mask really, one that didn't show fear but calm boredom.

"So you read the book you old fool!" Snapped Basta as he stood up so suddenly that Paula hid under the kitchen table; Kat jumped and nearly dropped her class, she caught it quickly though.

"Don't call him that!" Kat snapped, then realized she was never going to make back to either the village or her own home the way she was going.

"Stay out of this you wench!" Basta snapped at her, when Meggie opened her mouth to say something Basta turned and glared at her, "you too, you little toad!"

Kat ignored everything around her again, she bottled herself in her own world; she snapped out of it when Flatnose came down the stairs carrying five or six different color books, he put them down on the table. Basta looked at them, then slid them off the table with his knife.

"None of these are the book!" He snapped.

All this Horse Manuer over a stupid book?! Kat wondered to herself, talk about really treasuring your books...

Bottled up is where your fears go, your fears go
You will never show your fear...

Illene stood near her front door, her hands clasped in a prayer, her eyes focused on the front door. In her pockets were both, her cell phone, and a cordless phone. Please Kat, please be alright...

-----------------------

"What do you mean you're not giving me back up?!" Alexander snapped as he thumped his hands on his chief's desk, "I need that back up, I have a witness to identify these two, as well as evidence against them-"

Graziano turned around in his chair, how he loved his job as part time police chief to this small unsignificant village. A man had a earn a living when he wasn't given people to kill, or jobs to do by Capricorn. Noone had caught onto his little charade yet - well the authorites hadn't caught on yet - Capricorn and other...clients knew exactly where to find him when he wasn't in Capricorn's village.

"As I said before," Graziano replied, he kept his voice stern, offical, and commanding, "it's not enough evidence. There were mentions on the recording to where they were going, a few threats made against the children; you have to threaten children sometimes to get them to behave. I have a thirteen year old daughter, if I didn't threaten to take her cell phone away or not allow her to see her friends for a week she would be a spoiled little primidana! It's not police business, and it's not enough evidence to convict the two men on that recording as criminals, now leave my office! Go out there and do your job, find some real crime or take a week off to find yourself a hobby. If you don't clean up your act by next week you can look for a new job."

Alexander gritted his teeth, "fine," he scowled, stalking out.

Graziano chuckled, he knew Alexander couldn't afford to lose his job. Alexander's father was once a highly reguarded medical doctor; now he was an old fool babbling from Alzheimers. Graziano kicked his feet up onto his desk, he was a huge man, he was the boss, he knew the other officers wouldn't dare say or do anything against him out of fear of either losing their jobs, or some important limbs. He had never actually hit an officer before, but he had slowly stood and made sure the photos behind him of men he had beaten to a pulp, 'in the name of the law' were seen clearly. Any officers challenging him would quickly take the hint and leave, it was rare he'd ever have a problem with them again.

He grabbed his black Motorola Razor from his pocket and dialed Cockerell's cell phone, that Graziano had given to the black jacket.

"Hello?" Cockerell asked.

"Basta and Flatnose have your fiancee," Graziano smiled, "I'm keeping my one snot nosed detective away, you should have her back by late afternoon. I gave Basta and Flatnose a map earlier that showed a three hour short cut back to the village. What took those two idiots so long to get here I don't know."

They'll tear you up until your tears show, your tears show
Smoke and mirrors...

Kat had managed to find an excuse to use Fenoglio's bathroom, she curled her fingers around the sink's edge and squeezed. She bit her lip and fought back tears, back to that damned village, back to Cockerell, back to that albino man who would have scared the crap out of the GodFather. She looked up into the mirror, damn what the thought of that village, along with seeing two of it's men, did to her.

Her hair had fallen out of it's pony tail half way, wisps of raven black hair hung around her face, on her shoulders, and a few strands on her back. She was pale with fear, her wide green eyes showed exactly how terrified she really was. She'd heard that the eyes were the window into a person's soul, she was pretty much certain that was true; she glanced at her eyes again, definatley true. Her clothing was a little rumpled, though soaked, they were fine other wise.

"Are you planning on coming out," snapped Basta's voice suddenly from the other side of the closed bathroom door, "or I do have to knock down the door and get you?"

"I'm coming," Kat replied, flushing the toilet to make it sound like she was in there for the reason she excused herself for. She washed her hands quickly then paused as she grabbed a paper towel, she dried her hands then grabbed a pen. She scrawled on a paper towel: Det. Alexander, bring back up, will be at village. She knew the detective would come around here looking for her, hopefully at least, she shoved the paper towel so half of it stuck out of the cabinet then walked out of the bathroom, past Basta and over with Joy and Meggie.

This journey of ours never ends...

An hour later Kat held onto Meggie's hand while Joy had her arm around the little girl, both were trying to comfort Meggie; yet both, Kat knew, were trying to find comfort themselves. It seemed like the journey to and from Capricorn's village never ended.

We will always pretend...

Graizano stood up and grabbed his trench coat as he left the police station, his badge catching the sunlight and sparkling brightly. As far as he was concerned he was a good law-abiding police chief, until he reached Capricorn's village where his true colors would always be free to shine through.

Fighting not to let them win
And they're falling into our illusion
On our own on our own way

"Kat," Cockerell smiled two hours later as he hugged her close to him and forcefully, it wasn't an I'm happy to see you and see you're safe! Hug it was a you're mine and you had no right to leave me and you won't leave me ever again, hug.

Kat kept her head up and kept brave, though now she watched her tounge she fought not to let him win, not to let him scare her. She respected him, and that's all she'd let him think, within half an hour she was Mrs. Katherine Cockerell. She remembered what Joy had said though, let him fall into the illusion he has you beat, that you wouldn't ever defy him again, let him think that. When it's time...It will be his own downfall...

Bottled up is where out fears go, our fears go
We will never show our fear
They'll tear us up until our tears show, our tears show
Smoke and mirrors
Its about smoke and mirrors...

Alexander found Kat's note, he read it and looked to the off duty police officers who agreed something just wasn't right about their chief...He nodded to them, "let's go. We have all the evidence we need," he said, holding Kat's pink phone he had found it tucked into Fenoglio's flower pot between two heavy thick vines.