7 years later

"One black coffee coming right up sir," Ash said cheerfully to the customer. "Go ahead and sit down. I'll bring your beverage right to your table!"

The man thanked the spunky girl and sat at a table while Ash went over to the coffee machine. While pouring the dark, rich smelling liquid into the cup she hummed to herself, a little excited. About a week from now Fili, Kili, and Thorin were supposed to come back from overseas. She hadn't seen her best friend in five years. At least not face to face. Skype didn't count; not really. It would be a relief to have them back and not only for the girls, but for their mother Dis as well.

"Here you go sir, enjoy!" Ash smiled and went back to the counter. She opened the cash register and sorted the money out of habit.

Cedar stepped out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. "Slow day," he said.

"Got that right bro. How are them thar pastries?" Ash asked, not looking up from sorting.

He leaned against the door frame and grinned. "Great! Wanna give it a shot?"

She looked at her twin with an 'are-you-kidding-me' look. "You joking? That would be the end of this business!"

He laughed. "HA! Yeah I know! I just find it odd how I, the man, can cook and you and Rowan can't cook or bake worth crap."

She threw up a wadded up napkin at Cedar teasingly. "Go back to your cinnamon rolls, Pillsbury Dough Boy."

"I'm not picking that up!" Cedar smirked as the napkin fell and he walked back in the kitchen.

Ever since Cedar and Ash graduated college the siblings had opened a coffee shop/ book store. It was a cozy little place, nestled on a corner in a small town in New York. Rowan had found it, dirty, abandoned, and trashed so she bought it with the shop in mind. And when Ash and Cedar wanted to help, there was nowhere to go but up, in a manner of speaking. It took about a year for them to clean up, renovate, and restore. Lots of time and money, but it was so worth it in the end. They weren't booming, but almost everyone in town came at least once a week, aspiring authors especially.

While Ash was wiping off the counter, the phone started ringing. "I've got it!" she yelled to her siblings. "The Treehouse Bookstore and Coffee shop. Ash speaking, how may I help you?"

"A-ash?" a gasping, weeping voice asked. It was Dis and she was crying uncontrollably.

"Dis?!" Ash asked, standing upright, her brow furrowing in concern. "What's wrong?" But Dis couldn't speak, she was crying too hard. This scared Ash, Dis almost never cried. She was a hard, but kind woman. This could only mean one thing. "Oh no… Dis, please tell me my thoughts are wrong. Please tell me it's something else!" Ash begged on the verge of tears.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I can't. They're… they're gone."

The phone slipped from her hand and she slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. Ash couldn't hear anything. Everything was blocked out the only thing she could hear was the ringing in her ears and Dis' words echoing in her head. Tears clouded her vision and her throat felt tight and warm. "No…" she gasped.

"Who was it?" Rowan asked, walking up to the counter. When she saw Ash, just sitting there, unresponsive, she got extremely worried. She rushed around the counter and crouched down next to her younger sister. "Ash? What's happened? Is it Mom and Dad?"

Ash shook her head and closed her eyes tightly. "No." she croaked. "They're gone…"

"'They'?" Rowan questioned, confused. "Who's 'they'?"

Ash grabbed Rowan's arm, holding on tightly and looking in her sister's eyes with a saddness that had never been there. "Fili, Kili, and Thorin! They're d-dead Rowan! They're gone!"

Rowan shook her head in disbelief and denial but tears were already making their way down her cheeks. "N-no, you're wrong! He can't be dead, he just can't!"

Upon hearing the hysterics, Cedar walked out of the kitchen again. When he found his sisters on the floor, he bent down to help them up. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking at Rowan.

Rowan clung to him, crying into his shoulder, staining his white shirt with tears. "Fili, Kili, and Thorin are… dead Cedar…" she choked out.

Cedar's face grew dark and serious. Fili and Kili were like the brothers he never had. Now they were gone. He hugged his two siblings as they cried onto his shoulders as he tried to comfort them while dealing with the news himself. Needless to say, the shop closed early that day.

3 months later

Recovering was a slow and painful process but it was coming. At first, none of them smiled, except for the fake smiles they gave the customers. Eventually they loosened up a little, and had a little fun. It was still painful, knowing that they were dead, but they would remind themselves that Fili, Kili, and Thorin were in a better place. They also remembered that the three wouldn't want them to ignore everybody and mourn for the rest of their lives.

So they kept going, in honor of the three.

About three months later, while they were working, a strange man began to come in. He was a tall, bald, pale man in a leather jacket, sunglasses, jeans, and combat boots. Rowan jumped when he approached the counter to order. She was startled by his appearance and his aura in general. Removing his sunglasses, he read the menu. Or he seemed to be.

"I'll have a hazelnut blend." He said gruffly. His voice was deep, raspy, and intimidating.

Rowan nodded, trying to keep calm and typed it in the cash register. "That's going to be three dollars and fifteen cents sir. If you will have a seat, I will bring your drink to your table."

He paid and sat at a table, picking up a magazine. As Rowan prepped the coffee, she noticed that the man was watching her over the edge of the magazine before his dark eyes darted over to Ash who was coming back from the book section. Ash seemed to stutter step but kept going, her eyes darting over to the customer then back to her older sister.

"Who is that?" she asked, reaching her sister.

"I don't know. He didn't say but he's creepy." Rowan hissed, taking the hot drink over to the man. "Here you go sir!" she said with another fake smile.

"Please, call me Bolg, Miss." He said, looking up at her and taking a drink.

"Uh yeah, alright," Rowan answered hesitantly then quickly walked away.

Rowan and Ash hurried into the kitchen to get away from Bolg's gaze.

"My gosh!" Ash exclaimed quietly. "He is creepy!"

"Agreed!"

"What are you two so worked up about?" Cedar asked, putting frosting on a tea ring.

"A new customer, he's a creep." Ash explained in a low voice.

He scoffed. "I'm sure you two are over reacting."

Rowan shook her head. "Um no. Granted, we've had a few shady people come in every now and then, but he's different. He's… darker…"

Cedar shook his head. "I'm sure it's just your imagination, sis. You've seen too many crime investigation shows. Everything will be fine."

The girls tried taking Cedar up on his advice, hoping he was right. Hoping that is was they're imagination. But over the next three weeks, Bolg had come in literally every day. He would order the same thing every time and would sit at the one table that over looked most of the small shop. He would pretend to be reading the magazines or newspaper, but really, he would be watching the small family. They could feel his dark eyes on them and it made them feel very anxious.

At first Cedar thought his sisters were just over reacting. But when he caught Bolg staring at Ash with a small smirk, he became very protective and watchful over his sisters.

"Hey!" Rowan called, walking down the stairs that led up to the reading lounge. "You guys wanna watch a movie?" It was closing time and she wanted, no needed to get the creepy customer off her mind.

Ash put the last chair on a table and looked at her sister. "I'm up for it."

"Same here! Which one?" Cedar asked from the kitchen.

Closing time was relaxing and almost sacred. The family was cleaning up, sweeping the floors, throwing trash away, fixing the toppled books, and putting the chairs on the tables.

"I don't care. Maybe Star Wars-"

Gun fire cut Rowan off. It was just one shot, but then there was another, and glass shattered. Then, it was raining fire.

"Get under cover!" Rowan screamed. She quickly dived behind a book shelf.

Ash dove under the counter, hitting the police call button on the underside of the counter in the process. She covered her hands over her ears as it rained bullets. She saw some of the mugs, glasses and coffee pots shatter and explode. Liquids spilled onto the floor with bullets and glass.

After about three minutes of this rapid gun fire it ceased when police sirens could be heard over the noise. Ash stood and looked around. She saw Rowan crawl out from behind the bookshelves. But where was Cedar? When she walked around the counter, she found him. Her hands went to her mouth, muffling her horrified scream. Cedar was sprawled out on the ground, his chest stained red, eyes looking up vacantly. Rowan screamed and covered her face as she sobbed but Ash couldn't look away.

The police came in and tried pulling the girls away, but Ash fought. She screamed Cedar's name, hoping her twin would wake up. But it was in vain and she knew it. The man holding onto her was like a strong vice, firm and unbreakable as he dragged her to the ambulance while she wailed.

One day later

The funeral had been long and painful, only bringing more tears to Ash and Rowan. So many people were there to pay their respects. They offered comforting words to the family but those words did little for the sisters who had seen the face of their dead brother as he lay dead in the small shop. They would never forget that.

The police said that they were trying to find the killer, but had no leads. However Ash and Rowan were confident that they knew who it was. In their minds only Bolg, the creep who came to their shop so often, watching them all day. Only he could've done this. This they were sure of and they knew he wasn't finished with them.

Now

In the back of the crowd a man in a raggedy brown suit stood there looking for the girls. When 15 minutes had past, he pulled out his phone and called Grey.

"Yes?" the old man answered.

"They're gone."

Okay so I wrote this chapter too. My sis will be writing the next one! Enjoy!