Abby POV:
I stared out the window of my new bedroom. Beautiful white trimmed double windows allowed the onlooker to watch the busy street full of children playing and adults walking their dogs and groups of teenagers laughing at some joke that must have been hysterical.
But despite the pretty scene of a near fairytale neighborhood, I still could not get rid of the frown that has been on my face since I had woke up this morning or stop stroking my humongous belly. Seeing as how I was due literally any minute now and forced to stay on bed rest. I had plenty of time to kill almost forcing my mind my mind would zone out to places that I didn't want it to go like the terrible nightmares that I have been having for the past two weeks because of the amount of free time I had. And reading or doing busy work always failed because once my mind would relax and go into command mode it was nearly impossible not to think about my worries and nightmares.
Dream:
An earsplitting screech from outside my room was the first thing I heard.
Bolting from my bed grabbing a gun that was discreetly hidden under my night stand and had a hand on the door knob in seconds. Only to pause as two very childlike shrieks of laugher and the sound of two sets pounded feet thumped and banged their way down the stairs and a very familiar voice shouted "I'm going to eat you." In a very bad monster impersonation.
A sigh of relief escaped my lips as the tension left my body. Lowering my gun and released the bone crushing grip at the same time. I walked back towards my night stand to put it back and disable and reset the alarms that I had set up to go off when any of the weapons I had hidden where disturbed or removed.
Running a hand through my newly chopped bangs smoothing my hair in to a ponytail. I observed the room telling my self that I was checking to make sure that nothing had moved. Missing nothing from my teal walls, and cherry oak dresser on the opposite side of the room 90 degrees to my walk in closet that looked like if I got any more clothes it would explode and master bathroom that was nicely lit from the skylight in it. except I knew deep down that that wasn't why my heart was racing and my palms were sweaty from the adrenalin rush I was having not from being startled awake but from fear of why the kids where screaming.
Unintentional or not Karen had made me think of my most terrible worries ever since we had agreed to go back into commission. That something would happen to the twins because someone had some how found out about me and than found out about the twins. I knew this was silly considering how much security there was when it came to the twins.
even if no one dangerous knew about the twins other than the five people who I trusted with my life and now with my entire being, and two of whom had direct contact to them every day, the other being the CIA director because it was necessary not out of choice. The two people being our cook/gardener/handyman Johnston a six foot tall beefy dirty blonde giant who changes his first name so many times that we just settled for his middle name and the twin's nanny/ maid Gloria. A stunning Hispanic, very voluptuous, woman who can make any woman feel inferior unconsciously who was definitely more than a pretty face according to the rumors that she killed the most dangerous Mexican drug lord known today and his circle of minor dealers with a condom wrapper and water bottle within hours of being assigned to kill him and is currently holding the record in the business of wet work artist for having killed the most enemies in one mission without getting more than a scratch and a few bullet grazes.
I still had my worries that something would happen in my many "what if" situations. And even though both Jonathan and Gloria were retired agents, married and every close friends to me seeing as how Jonathan was Karen's older brother by ten years. It smoothed my fears slightly knowing that the twins where in the safest hands that weren't' my own or Karen's. Despite Gloria being so kindhearted and one of the world most maternal women I knew, she sadly found out that she couldn't have children when she was on a mission and was injured. So I knew that she thought of the twins and treated them as she would her own, singing to them when she cooked and when they went to bed or when they where grumpy or sick, and naturally teaching them Spanish since it was her first language and sadly her favorite swear words.
I chuckled, as I instinctively rubbed my now flat abs as I thought of the twins remembering when I heard them swear in Spanish as one dropped their toy and the other kicked the toy. Smiling I walked out of my room that was parallel to Karen's room and made a right down the hallway towards one of the twins rooms and past the kids bathroom and down the dark wooded stairs heading to the shrieks of laughter and the sound of what sounded like chase.
As I arrived in the foyer I could tell by the noise that the kids where in the kitchen banging pots and pans. the down stairs was designed in a circle the front door in front of me, with the living room on the right and dinning room on the left with the library/playroom next to the dinning room, and the kitchen next to the living room and all the room where connected so you could room around in a circle in you wanted to.
I considered sneaking up on the kids but at the moment I just wanted to see them. Walking on the cold bare wood somehow gave me a small touch of comfort as I thought of my childhood home that always had the scent of roses and lilies that would have a hint of baked goods. Opening the door the first thing that hit me was a tiny body that collided with my legs wrapping around it like it's tiny life depended on it.
"Ah mommy help! A-wnt Ka-wen is trying to eat me!" a tiny girl with dark hair and a pink princess nightgown mumbled as her face was pressed up against my thigh.
Smiling I bent over and picked her up holding her to my chest as she clung to me tightly in response. "Is she?" I asked looking at Karen who obviously woke up minutes before me.
Her blond locks were tangled and in direr need of a hot shower and a comb, her perfect face smeared here and there with last nights make up, and she was wearing a t-shirt two sizes to big and form fitting black yoga pants. Not caring that she looked like a wreck Karen walked over to the counter and poured two cups of coffee as I went to the table spotting my little man who was making a mess trying to eat oatmeal. "Johnny and G went on a romantic picnic" she winked at me as she set her mug down and placed my mug in front of me "so they're gone for the weekend."
"Oh" I responded setting down my angel and angled her towards the table as I grabbed my coffee. "When did they leave?" I asked as I took a sip and ran my fingers through the hair of the little girl in my lap.
"Five minutes ago." Karen huffed like it was a hassle but while speaking she reached over and whipped oatmeal off the little boys face and fixed his hair with a fond smile when he looked up from his bowl bringing the spoon to his mouth but the distraction causing him to miss his mouth and hit his check. "They woke me up to watch the rugrats so you could get some sleep. So I decided to have some fun with them for rudely waking me by playing lets jump on A-wnt Ka-wen." She mocked theatrically as she finished.
I frowned and was about to argue that I didn't need sleep when the little girl in my lap suddenly whirled around almost falling off if I hadn't caught her. "Mommy A-wnt Ka-wen said dat if we where good and quite we could go to the park later." Looking up at me with her big green eyes it was hard not to see the resemblance between us as well as the childlike innocence and hopefulness in her eyes.
Smiling and running a hand through her hair I stared at her lovingly for a couple seconds savoring the fact that I was the mommy of this beautiful little girl "hmmm. I guess we will have to see." I tilted my head. "Have you eaten?" I asked already knowing the answer.
Frowning and slightly pouting she shook her head.
"Hmm. Have you got dress yet?" I asked knowing the answer as well.
"No" she mumbled looking crestfallen.
"Well eat up like your brother and than once we all get dressed we can go." I said sternly.
Before I could even blink she was off my lap and zooming across the kitchen passing the island and fridge, heading straight into the pantry. "I want cewal." She cried as she tried jumping for the box of cereal two shelves high for her to reach.
Chuckling Karen got up "you want cewal?" she mocked as she grabbed a purple bowl and a matching spoon that was set out on the island and grabbed the box of Kixs cereal.
Nodding determinedly "mmhhm and choc-wet milk." She answered very seriously.
I couldn't help but smile and turn to my little man who looked done and was playing with the empty green bowl smearing the leftovers on the table and his body putting it everywhere but his mouth. Picking up the wet cloth Karen had used I started cleaning him up and picked him up and walked over to the sink. "So how was Yemen?" I asked. Seeing how Karen been gone on a mission for last two months.
She struggled as she walked over to the table holding the bowl of cereal in one hand and the chocolate milk in the other. "Same old same old." She said nonchalantly "it went much easier than anyone had anticipated. Found him almost instantly" she smiled.
"Found whooo A-wnt Ka-wen?" the little girl asked following her diligently to the table and hopped up on a chair.
"Hmm. No one sweetie just an old friend" she laughed like it was a joke but the little girl obviously didn't get it because she looked up confused at the chuckling blonde haired woman.
Shaking my head at Karen's antics, I whipped down my sons sticky body and grabbed a muffin from a plate on the island and headed over to the table. The little boy snuggling in to my chest and put his head in the crock of my neck contently as I sat down.
"When are you leaving?" Karen asked as I sat down and took a bite out of the muffin.
I took my time chewing than sipped some of my coffee before answering "in a couple of weeks. Hopefully I will come back as fast as you did." I said before taking another bite.
The four of us sat in silence as we ate and sipped coffee. Until the little girl finished and announced that she was ready to go to the park.
Karen and I chuckled as we stood up and followed the little girl up the stairs. "I got him" I said motioning to the peaceful toddler in my arms. "Can you handle her?" I asked motioning towards the little ball of energy trying to run up the stairs.
"I see how it is" Karen said dramatically. "You take the easy one and I take the drama queen. Right?" she joked as we walked towards the kid's rooms that were to the right of the stairs.
Smiling I nodded when I walked into the closet room with baby blue colored wall and turned my head towards Karen. "No. More like you get my look alike but your mini me and I get the adorable prince." I cooed to the toddler as I rubbed my nose against his face causing him to squirm and giggle.
"Sto-w-p mommy..."
Karen smile about to make a come back when the little girl appeared in the door way of the bedroom next to the room I was walking into with her hands on her hips. "A-wnt Ka-wen." She said sternly "huwwwy up or all the swings will be taken."
Throwing my head back I could help but to laugh at the look on Karen's face at being told to hurry up by a two year old.
Today was a perfect day I couldn't help but to think.
The sun was shining caressing everything with its warm rays and the wind was gently blowing.
I smiled at the scene in front of me. Karen was playing with the little girl while I held the little boy sitting on a swing. And from the looks of it Karen was not building the sand castle correctly from the way the little girl was throwing her hands in the air in frustration.
"A-wnt Ka-wen." She lectured "you can't make a castle with out bui-w-il-ding a more than one tower." She said like duh dummy.
And from the looks of it Karen was slightly offended. "I will have you know that I actually been to several castles around the world and not all of them have towers."
The little girl just sniffed indifferently "Well you must have went to the poor and ugilly ones."
I was so absorbed in their conversation I missed the fact that the park had gotten strangely quite and noticed it once the wind picked up causing the little boy in my arms to shiver and snuggle deeper into the arms. Looking around I noticed that the family that took the swings had disappeared and the man jogging had vanished as well as the five pet owners.
"Karen" I called out nervously.
Looking up Karen immediately noticed that something was off as well. She immediately picked up the little girl despite her protests. "wh-at a-a-re you doing A-wnt Ka-wen I'm not do-n-e."
"I know sweetie" Karen answered smoothly her eyes flashing everywhere "But I want ice cream. How about you?" she asked knowing that the only way my child would stop complaining was to mention sweets.
She seemed to consider it than nodded like it was ok "al-wight but I want tw-o scoops." She negotiated.
If we weren't so worried right now we would have laughed and made jokes but we were because Karen and I knew something was off.
We made it I thought as we got to the empty parking lot.
But the instant I thought those words I knew I was wrong because in the next second there was two black vans in the parking lot and four men dressed in all black hopped out with guns raised pointing at our heads.
One man stood out from the others he was obviously in charge. "Hand over the children and no one get hurt."
"w-ho-se dat mommy." The little girl asked as she turned around to get a good look at the men in black.
The leader chuckled before reaching up to his ski mask and pulling it off.
Karen and I couldn't hold our gasps in us even if we wanted to. Before I could help myself I said the name of the man who broke my heart and I vowed to never saw again. "Joe" I asked confused. "What's going on?" I asked in a daze.
"Well my dear." Joe Salomon began with a sneer. "Because you went through all the trouble of telling me I was a dad."
His sneer turning into a glare causing me to shake slightly in fear, what is he doing here? I wanted to shout How did he find me?
"I thought that the only logical thing was to take what's right fully mine." Before I my mind could process his words I felt my baby by ripped out of my arms. Next to me I heard my angel cry for me and Karen.
Looking up I saw that to men had a firm hold on my babies but before Karen and I could attack back Joe was suddenly in front of me "Face it Abby they're mine now." Before I could hit him or say that he was wrong that they where my babies he raised his gun and pointed it to my head. Beside me I hired a gun go off and looking I felt my eyes widen as I as saw dead from a shot to the forehead was Karen. I heard another gun shot go off covering the noise of two toddlers screaming and calling out.
End of Dream
A chill ran through me as I tried to shake away my dream. But I could still see his hateful eyes glaring at me with such hatred that murder seemed like the nicest thing he could think of.
"Penny for your thoughts?" A heavily accented voice asked from the door way.