* Please Review! Warning, I think this is alittle emotional...*
Gideon stood in his living room with his legs spread and his arms crossed over his chest. He had a cup of coffee in one hand and a frown on his face as he stared out over the lake, right at Van's house. He was pissed. His plan hadn't worked. Instead of Chad telling Van to break up with her, the man had told Van everything he said and then Van had told Avalon. She had exploded when she came home then took off for the laker's house. Gideon was left with only one course of action. He needed to move them again. This time they would move to Washington State because they had never lived there and it rained a lotthere. She would stay in the house because of the rain, not meet anyone new and live across the country from Van. She would be mad and upset at first but she would get adjusted and life would return to normal for them.
As a knock came to his door, Gideon nodded at his new plan. He would start looking for a place for them to rent right away. Gideon turned away from window and started through the living room, crossing the floor in long, powerful strides. He set his coffee cup down a small side table he had. It wouldn't take him long to have everything set. He would find a place, fly him and Avalon out to it then hire movers. The two of them would stay in a hotel until their things arrived.
Gideon pulled up the sleeves of his white thermal shirt while he jogged down the stairs. He frowned as he thought about how angry Avalon was going to be but he would deal with it, like he always did. He needed to remind her that he was the only one who would ever be there for her. He would prove it too, by letting her tell Van where they were moving. She would learn that Van didn't really care for her when he didn't show up to see her. Gideon smirked as he reached out and grabbed the door knob. She would be hopeful that he would come for her, see that he doesn't then turn back to Gideon and they would be happy again.
" Gideon Weathervane?" He frowned when he saw three police officers standing on his porch.
" Yes. Can I help you with something?" He asked. The leader officer, whose name tag said Officer Wilcox, nodded.
" We need to take you down to the station. There is an issue with your daughter, Avalon." Wilcox said.
" Avalon? Is she in trouble? Where is she?" Gideon felt his blood heating. This was not what he needed. He didn't need that trouble maker, Van, getting her in legal trouble. All the more reason they needed to move.
" She's down at the station, Sir. Please come with us." Wilcox said.
" Of course. Let me get my car keys." Gideon started to turn but stilled when the officer grabbed his arm. He looked back at him slowly and tried to control his face and anger. Gideon Weathervane was not a man who liked to be touched by others.
" That won't be needed, Sir. You need to come with us, in my cruiser." Wilcox said. Gideon looked at the other officers who both put their hands on their guns and stood up straighter. " Please."
" I need to lock the house up." Gideon said. " If you don't mind."
" Sure thing but if you are going into the house, I'll need to go with you." Wilcox said. Gideon, again, crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the officer with a deep frown.
" Excuse me? What is this really about?" Gideon asked.
" We need to ask you some questions in connection with the disappearance of Gabriella Gibson." Wilcox stated.
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One of Van's hands was against Avalon's neck while her forehead was against his collarbone. His fingers were rubbing her skin, trying hard to massage out the tension he could feel laying just under her softness. She had the sides of his shirt bunched up in her hands and was taking slow, deep breaths. Van was staring at the wall behind her while she kept her eyes close. They were standing alone in the room they had been placed in.
" Three times." She whispered. " Three times they ran my prints but I just can't believe it. I can't accept this. He's my dad, he loves me."
" I know." Van said because he couldn't think of anything else to say. He put his arm around her back and held her closer. Shouldn't there be something he could say? Shouldn't he know the words it would take to make her feel better? All he could think about was the newspaper article. She didn't want to believe it, didn't want to believe Gideon killed her mother and kidnapped her but that was the onlyexplanation. As if she knew what he was thinking, Avalon tilted her head up so they could look at each other.
" I'm so much like him. He's artistic, so I am." Avalon said.
" He has brown eyes and you have green." Van said quietly.
" He's stubborn and so I am." She countered.
" He's a shut in but you like to be out and around." Van said. Her face twitched to a frown before she could stop it. Her lips tighten to hold back her emotions.
" He likes classic music and so do I." Avalon said with her voice starting to harden up. Van brushed his fingers against her cheek before he tucked some of her hair behind her ear.
" He's over six foot tall and you're barely five foot." He said. Avalon yanked away from him as anger flashed through her eyes and then her face.
" What are you doing?" She snapped. " Why are you doing that? Why are you pointing out our differences every time I say something about us being alike?"
" The article, Av, remember it? Remember all those articles we found? Remember the memory you told me you had of your mother? What if it's true?" Van said. He reached both arms out to take a hold of her but she took a step back just before he could touch her.
" No. I told you. The doctor said it wasn't real. He said I invented it." She said.
" But do you remember seeing that doctor or do you only know that because Gideon told you?" Van asked.
" I don't like what you're doing! Stop it!" She snapped.
" I'm not trying to upset you, Avalon." Van said. He started towards her again and was surprised when that time, she let him draw her in closely. His fingers gently touched her hands first, the moved up her arms to pull her towards him.
" Well you are!" She snapped again, making him sigh.
" Look, why don't we ask them if we can go out and get some air? We can have a smoke and calm down, okay?" Van asked. Avalon slowly closed her eyes but nodded.
" Yeah." She said.
Avalon let Van turn her so she was facing the door to the room. He hooked an arm around her neck while both of hers went around his waist and, together, they started across the room. She almost melted against him, putting her head into his chest. Their steps were slow as both went into their heads and sank into their thoughts. Why would Gideon kidnap her? How was it that he had managed to hide her all these years? Would she be able to accept it if he had taken her? Would she leave Van for a family she had no memory of? Van found himself frowning as he reached out and grabbed the door knob. She couldn't leave him, she needed him. She needed him now more than ever. Van yanked the door open and they stepped out of the room together. He started looking for one of the officers as she lifted her head from his chest.
" Daddy!" Avalon almost yelled. Van's head whipped around while she pushed away from him. Coming into the station with his hands behind his back and in handcuffs, was Gideon. He was frowning as two officers held his arms. Van reacted quickly. He grabbed her arm to try and stop her from running towards the other man at the same time a few of the cops came at her. " What are you doing! Uncuff him!"
" Miss, we need you to go back into the room." Sargent Miles said as he hurried towards her.
" Fuck you!" Avalon spit out. " Daddy!"
" Avalon, don't." Van said, pulling her back to him. Gideon tugged on one of his arms with his eyes locked on Avalon as a wall of cops came between them.
" Let him go!" She started yelling while Miles side stepped to block her from seeing Gideon. Tears started to burn her eyes and blur her vision. Her heart started to pound at a painfully fast pace. She could feel Van pulling on her, trying to bring her into him but all she cared about was getting to her dad. Miles was gently asking her to return to the room but she would have no part of it. She started yelling more, calling out to Gideon and demanding they let him go.
" Get him out of here!" Miles threw back to Wilcox. Gideon was quickly lead down a hallway and away from her.
" Bring him back!" Avalon said. She threw her hands against Miles' chest and pushed at him hard. "He did nothing wrong! Get him out of the cuffs, now!"
" I can't do that, I'm sorry." Miles said, ignoring how she pushed and tried to get around them. Van pulled her hard, trying to calm her down with his words. Tears spilled out of her eyes as she glared at Miles with complete anger that he could understand. As far as she was concerned, they were the bad guys, not Gideon Weathervane.
" Why are you doing this?! He didn't do anything!" Avalon said with her voice cracking. She grabbed at Miles arms, the fighting starting to leak out of her eyes. " Please! He loves me. He takes care of me. Please." Her lips started to quiver. Her voice went softer. She sagged back into Van while she gripped at Miles' arms. " Please." Miles turned his hands over and took a careful hold of her elbows.
" I need you to listen to me, okay, Avalon? I understand this is hard for you." He said as gently as he could while he looked deep into her eyes. She sobbed and shook her head slowly. " I can't say that I know what you're feeling but I can understand that this has to be hard but I need you to understand that we have a job to do. Your name is Gabriella Gibson and you have a father, a blood related father who has been missing you and looking for you for years. A father who started to cry when I told him that we had found you, alive and well. And right now, that man is boarding a flight from Ohio to come here to see you. He is bring pictures of you and your family to prove all this to you. I am arranging a blood test as well, a DNA test, to show you that Randy Gibson is your father. That man you just saw led away from here, is not your real dad. I want you to let your boyfriend take you back into the room and I need you to let him calm you down. I am going to get to the bottom of this, I swear to you."
" Gideon loves me." Avalon whispered.
" We are going to figure this all out." Miles said. " I need to go and talk to him. Van is going to take you into the room and my officers will bring you anything you need, okay?" He said as he nodded.
" I need my dad." She whispered.
" Come on, Av." Van said. He squeezed her sides and started to pull her back.
" He loves me." Avalon said again but she didn't fight any of them anymore. She let Van pulled her away from Miles. She let her hands slide down the officer's arms but she didn't break eye contact, not even when she shook her head and repeated. " He loves me."
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Gideon sat in hard metal chair with his hands cuffed together in front of him. His jaw worked back and forth as he started at the cold, steel gray table in front of him. His eyes were narrowed and his breath was leaving him in short burst as anger flowed through his blood steam. The door to his left opened then closed but Gideon didn't look up. A man walked around the table and sat down across from him but still he didn't look up.
" My name is Sargent Collin Miles and I'd like to ask you a few questions." He said. Gideon nodded, finally lifting his eyes to meet the other man's. " Who is that girl with Van?"
" She is my daughter." Gideon said.
" No, she's not." Miles said. Gideon sat back as best he could, settling himself and trying to keep calm.
" Yes, she is." He said quietly.
" No, she's not. I have ran her prints. Her name is not Avalon Weathervane. It is Gabriella Gibson. Her father is a man by the name of Randy Gibson. Avalon Weathervane is not a real person." Miles stated.
" Tell me something, Sargent. What makes a father? Is a father the man who fucks a woman and gets her pregnant? You and I both know that doesn't make a father. There are a lot of men out there who fuck women and get them pregnant but do not take care of the offspring. A real father is the one who gets up in the middle of the night when the child has a nightmare. A father is the one who lets her crawl in bed with him when she's sick. A father is the one who baths her in cool water to break a fever, or kiss her cheeks when she skins her knees, or teaches her how to ride a bike. A father is the one who does anything and everything for her, gives her a good life, loves her, teaches her about life, cares for her. I am her father." Gideon said.
" And how do you know Randy wouldn't have done all that for her? You don't because you never gave him the chance." Miles said. Gideon snorted and looked away with a smirk.
" I have given her things and showed her things that most children will never see, will never have, ever." He said.
" You have given her a false life. You took away her mother and real father. You robbed her." Gideon'seyes shot back to the officer's face as his smirk died down. His face darken as he started to lean forward.
" I gave her everything. I am her father." He said quietly.
" Let's talk about her mother. Where is she?" Miles asked. Gideon clamped his mouth shut as his eyes narrowed again. " Do you have her stashed somewhere too or did you kill her?" Gideon sat back and looked away again.
" I want to see my daughter. She was very upset and I'd like to calm her." He said.
" Or course she's upset. Her entire life has just been turned upside down. Everything she thought was true, she just found out is a lie." Miles said.
" And who's fault is that?" Gideon snapped, looking back at Miles. " It's not mine. She was fine with me."
" Where is Gabriella's mother?" Miles asked again.
" I don't know a Gabriella." Gideon countered.
" All your cockiness is going to melt away soon because right now, my officers are applying for a searchwarrant for your house. You would do yourself a favor by coming clean now." Miles said.
" Are you charging me with anything?" Gideon said.
" Right now, I am charging you with the kidnapping of Gabriella Gibson." The officer said.
" I told you, I don't know a Gabriella Gibson." Gideon said. " And I would like to speak to my lawyer. His name is Owen Richardson and don't worry, I have his number memorized."
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" Avalon, Van," Miles said when he walked into their room. The couple was standing across the room in one of the corners, curled up together. Their arms were around each other tight and both had their heads turned towards him. Her head was against Van's chest while his chin was on the top of her head. " Why don't you head out and over to Van's place. There is no need for you to stay here."
" Where is my dad?" She asked.
" We are still talking to him." Miles closed the door before walking into the room more. Avalon lifted her head with a frown.
" I want to see him." She said.
" I'm sorry but I can't let you do that. We have filed a protective order against him so he can't see or talk to you, not until we figure this whole thing out." Miles said as carefully as he could. Avalon turned her face away and buried it into Van's chest again. " We are searching their house but Wilcox can take you there so she can pack a bag. If she can't stay with you then I will get her a room over at the motel."
" She can stay with me. My dad won't care." Van said as he started to rub her back.
" She can only take clothes with her, alright? Wilcox needs to go with you because everything in the house is evidence now." Van nodded slowly.
" My dad's a good guy." Avalon said. " You'll see. You are wrong about him."
" I hope you're right." Miles said but the look in his eyes told Van different. Miles didn't believe he was wrong and neither did Van. He won't tell Avalon but he believed what Miles was saying was true. Gideon had kidnapped Avalon. She was Gabriella Gidson but he wasn't going to say that to her. She needed to feel like she had someone on her side and Van was going to be that someone for her.
" Randy will be landing at the airport in Freeport. One of my men is going to pick him up and bring him to the station. He will be around five this evening. I'll call your dad's house. Maybe if she sees him..." Miles let his voice trail off on purpose but the meaning was clear. If Avalon saw her real father, maybe a memory would trigger inside her. Maybe she would see the truth.
" Yeah okay. We'll be there." Van said.