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When Emily woke up, she didn't open her eyes. Instead she just lay there, breathing deeply, and feeling where she was. She was lying on a bed, with a cool cloth placed on her head. She could feel that there was someone next to her. She opened her eyes just a slit, and saw a pair of khaki pants, sitting next to her.

"Daddy?" She breathed. A hand reached out and stroked her hair gently. Relief washed over her.

"Oh thank god... Dad, I had the most horrible nightmare."

"It's over now honey, you're safe." Emily's eyes flew open, and she bolted upright. Because the voice was wrong; that voice was horribly wrong. She jumped out of the baby pink bed and stared around the room in shock. She stumbled and backed into a corner, looking at the owner of the voice. Jack was sitting in a chair next to her bed, staring at her with a quizzical expression.

"Where am I?" Looking down she noticed she was wearing a thick cotton nightgown, a lurid pink. Looking around, she noticed the rest of the room was from the same pallet. A pale, sickly shade of pink. It was designed more for a young girl, with frilly bed sheets and stuffed animals neatly organized on shelves.

"Just take it easy Cailey." Jack put his hands up, in attempt to show her he meant no harm. He got up off the chair and eased his way around the bed. "We're not gonna hurt you." Backing herself farther into the corner, Emily shouted,

"You're a liar! You let that man kill Detective Rowley. And now-" Her rage became dominated by terror and she found herself whimpering. "Now you're going to kill me too."

"Shh, no we're not." Jack approached her after what seemed like a long time, and gently took hold of her arms. "We wouldn't bring you here if we wanted to kill you. You're our baby. We've missed you." He ran his hand down her cheek, seeming to enjoy the feel of her skin. His smile saddened a little when Emily continued to quake. With a sigh, he coaxed her out of the corner, leading her to sit on the bed. When he sat down next to her, she tensed and scooted away. He frowned deeply. Emily waited for him to yell, but he seemed to decide to leave it be this time.

"Where am I?" Emily asked again, more softly.

"You're home." Jack's lips curled at the corners.

"Your home?" She asked, though it was an asinine question.

"Yes. And now it's your home too." That sent chills through the girl.

"Where are we though? Are we in a different city, or a different state?"

"You'll learn that in due time." Jack replied, demeanor still kind but stricter. "This is home from now on. Where you should have been from the start." Oh God, Emily thought, he was about to go on another rant about her parents. But he didn't. The thought suddenly struck her. Her parents! She hadn't talked to them since before she left for the diner!

"You...You killed my parents... didn't you?"

"I told you. They're not your parents. We are." His features contorted into a sneer. "You will not refer to them as parents anymore, do you understand that?"

Emily wanted to tell him to go to hell, but that wasn't going to make things any better. So she forced herself to nod her head.

"And we didn't kill them. As much as I would have liked to." Despite his displeasure at that unsettling sounding statement, Emily let herself breath in relief. So they were still alive. Thank God. Jack patted her on the knee.

"Now," he took a deep breath and continued, "try and remember that this isn't a prison. We aren't your wardens, we're your family." He laughed at his own joke. "As long as you behave, follow the rules, you'll have a reasonable amount of freedom. So long as we can trust you, you'll be a fully functioning member of this household." He paused here, and Emily watched as his cheery face suddenly grew dark. "Break that trust, and you'll find that retribution will be swift."

Emily shuddered. She didn't want to imagine what these people defined as retribution. She let a silent minute pass.

"So, what are the rules?" She asked hesitantly.

"Oh they're simple enough." Jack said with the smile back on his face. "Obey your superiors. Don't endanger our family. And do not attempt to contact anyone from your old life." He shot her a piercing look. Emily nodded fervently, bringing a smile back to Jack's face.

"Good. And always remember," Jack said, leaning forward and planting a kiss on Emily's forehead. "We're your family and we love you very much." He flashed her a brilliantly white smile, and sauntered out of the room.

Emily let herself slump back onto the bed. She hadn't realised how tense she had felt with him in the room until he had left. Well, she thought to herself, as far as psychopaths go, he didn't seem half bad. Maybe I can reason with him. The image of Rowley's limp form falling to the ground flashed across her mind, and she swallowed hard. No, she told herself firmly, they are evil. Do not let this act persuade you otherwise. So first things first, figure out an escape plan. Picking herself up off the bed, she walked across to the window. She peered down and was disappointed to discover she was on the second floor. Not a bad distance to jump, she thought. But on closer inspection, she noticed two large rose bushes, cold, barren and thorny. One drop into those and she'd be lucky to hop back out with everything intact.

Well that was Plan A out the window. She drew away from the window, and examined the room again. Just the one window and one door. With a heavy sigh, she knew she would have to take the hard way out. She began formulating a plan in her head, at one point finding herself sitting back on the bed, holding her head in her hands as if it was a great weight placed upon her shoulders. She became so lost in her thoughts she didn't hear Jack enter the room again.

He tiptoed up behind her, leaning in closely and after only seconds of pausing, a soft "Boo!" was whispered into her ear. She jumped in her seat, a startled yelp shooting out of her throat. Jack laughed. She glared at him furiously.

"Aww, I was just teasing pumpkin. Lighten up!" He said, ruffling her hair. She continued to glare at him, not saying anything. He huffed slightly, but was still smiling, and took a seat next to her. He was holding a can of soda in each hand. He held one out to her, and Emily just stared at it as if it was going to bite her.

"It's not poison," Jack snipped, annoyed. "It's just Coke!" He extended his arm further, insisting on her taking the can. Prolonging another moment, she reached out and took the offered beverage, taking her time pulling the tab back and bringing it up to her lips. Jack took a big gulp of his while Emily chanced a sip. It didn't taste odd, so she chanced drinking a bit more.

"Now then," Jack broke the silence again. Emily looked expectantly, wondering what he had to say now. "I bet you have a lot of questions about us." She quirked an eyebrow.

"Us?"

"Yeah. Me, your dad, your mom, your brothers and sisters. Us." He emphasized. It suddenly struck Emily for the first time that she had gay parents. She was not homophobic, but it was definitely an unusual occurrence. Wait a minute... did he just say brothers and sisters. Oh God, she had siblings. Not just one, but multiple siblings. She must have visibly paled, for Jack looked at her with worry.

"Cailey? Are you alright?" Jack touched her shoulder gently, which brought her back to her a senses a bit more.

"Um... yeah...I'm just..." She struggled with how to say what she was thinking while not risking upsetting him. "I've been an only child up until this point, so to hear I have siblings is.. kind of scary." A dry, dull chuckle escaped her throat, a result of sheer anxiety. Jack contemplated her words a moment before rubbing her shoulder reassuringly.

"There's no reason to be scared. They're really anxious to see you too." More like anxious to make her life a living hell, she thought. "We already told them to go easy on you for the time being, so you can get used to things around here."

"So... what about my mom? My birth mom?" She decided to ask.

"Your real mom." Jack corrected. She bit her tongue. "Her name is Toothiana. It's weird, I know." Jack gave a laugh as Emily's eyebrow arched high. "Her parents were... different." He took another sip of his Coke before continuing. "We call her Tooth for short. She's a dentist, and very fond of her job. She has a bit of an obsession with teeth." Jack smirked. "So try not to be too shocked when she sees you for the first time and wants to look all in your mouth."

That didn't sound creepy and unsettling at all, Emily thought. Not a bit. She tried not to focus on that thought and kept the conversation going. "When do we meet?"

"Tomorrow. She wanted to be here today but... things came up." Emily didn't want to even contemplate what kind of things. "You'll like her, she's very sweet. Motherly."

"What about you and... my other dad?" It felt so weird for her to say. Jack cocked his head at her.

"What about us?" He seemed ready for an insult. Emily tried to soften her demeanor, to show she wasn't meaning any ill-harm by those words.

"I mean... how did you two meet? What is he like? Is living with two dads different than a mom and a dad?" She asked her questions as innocently as she could. Jack relaxed considerably and looked amused.

"It's not really different. It might be for you at first, but we're the same kind of parents as a regular mom and dad. I want to make it clear though, that we are dads." His look grew sterner. "I am not "the mom" of the two and neither is he. So don't get any funny thoughts like that in your head." The girl gave a look of understanding, so Jack continued. "How we met is a long story." He chuckled, a faraway gaze in his eyes. "It was a long, long time ago. And was the best thing that happened to me, besides you kids." He pinched her cheek lightly. "What is he like? He's grumpy and mumbles under his breath a lot and likes to be reclusive, so you'll often notice me pulling deliberate, outrageous pranks on him to get him from hiding in his shell." Jack grinned, and try as she might Emily couldn't help her amusement from the teasing affection in his voice. "But underneath that pissed off looking face, he's a big damn teddy bear. I've never known a man that loves cuddling as much as he does."

"It's times like these I wondered what possessed me to want to marry you." The devil himself spoke up from the doorway, looking in at Jack with a look of annoyance. The shorter man laughed, while Emily felt herself growing more uncomfortable with the second presence nearby.

"I don't know. My stunning good looks maybe? My amazing sense of humor? My gift for fun?" He swerved his head in Aster's direction, all wide eyed and innocent looking. Aster laughed sarcastically.

"You still deluding yourself with that bullpucky?" Aster crossed his arms, walking into the room.

"If it's 'bullpucky' then why do you keep coming back for more?" Emily felt invisible as they bantered, but couldn't help but be oddly intrigued by watching them interact. They seemed about as normal as any other couple would. But given their status as killers, their relationship being healthy was severely questionable.

"I put up with you for the kids." Aster replied, his tone dry. But the sparkle in his eyes gave away his affection, and he came closer to where Jack and Emily sat on the bed. She avoided looking at him. Jack ducked his head to try and meet her gaze.

"It's normally polite to say hello to someone when they enter the room, sweetheart." While his tone was nice, it was clear he wasn't going to tolerate her withdrawing. Making herself look up at her other father was difficult, she felt like a little kid again. Scared and overwhelmed.

"Hi." She forced the word out of her mouth. It came out as weak, and she couldn't keep her eyes on his for more than a second. He intimidated her much more than Jack did. He took a seat next to her on the bed and surprised her by pulling her into his arms. Her body went taut, but he hugged her closer.

"Don't be scared baby." He whispered. His gruff voice became incredibly gentle and paternal. It surprised Emily immensely, but it helped calm her down some. He petted her hair softly, giving her a few quiet moments to settle down, before pulling back a tad and finding her eyes meeting his more easily this time.

"There, ya see? I'm not gonna hurt ya." Aster reassured her, smiling.

"I told you, he's a big teddy bear." Jack piped up. Aster shot him a look.

"I'm not a teddy bear, stop saying that!"

"Would you prefer bunny instead? Cute and cuddly and adorable like a little bunny rabbit?" Jack's voice was brimming with laughter, especially as Aster's face grew more indignant.

"You're lucky our child's sitting in between us or I'd knock out those pearly whites of yours."

"And then Tooth would have your head on a silver platter." Jack countered triumphantly.

"Has you told you about your mum?" Aster asked Emily. She twitched from nerves as she was being focused on again.

"Um, a little bit." She replied. Jack scooted closer, wrapping his arms loosely around his daughter from behind.

"I told her to expect fingers in her mouth when her mommy meets her tomorrow." He added.

Aster chuckled. "Yeah, ain't that the truth." He looked down at Emily. "She thinks your dad's teeth are just the prettiest little things to ever exist." He mock grinned at Jack, who was making a face at his remembrance of Tooth's first time meeting him. He had to practically bite her fingers off to get her out of his mouth.

"Yeah, let's not go there." Jack stated simply. His partner laughed.

"So... Dad..." Emily started, but Aster stopped her.

"He's Dad." He pointed to Jack. "I'm Papa." That was awfully childlike.

"No dad and daddy?" She asked gently. Being forced to refer to a sociopath as Papa was embarrassing and traumatic. He frowned.

"No." His voice got strict. "He's Dad, I'm Papa." He repeated. Well, great, now she had to speak as if she was a two year old. She cowered in submission.

"Okay." He kept staring at her. "Sorry... Papa." God did that feel vile on her tongue. Aster was pleased though and smiled.

"Good girl." He stroked her cheek with his thumb. Jack rested his chin on Emily's shoulder.

"So, I kind of went over the ground rules with her already. Anything you wanna add?" He asked. Aster shook his head.

"No, we'll see in due time if any more needs to be said." That sent shivers down the girls spine. It didn't sound good. "You must be hungry, lovey. Come downstairs and we'll make you some breakfast." He patted her leg and gave her a kiss on the cheek before rising. He walked around the bed and left the room. Jack stood up and offered his hand to her. Trembling slightly, Emily put her own in his and let herself be led down the stairs to the kitchen, where Aster was already getting a headstart on cooking.

As the day progressed, and the time dragged on like a snail, Emily observed the interior of the house as intricately as she could, to map out details for her escape route later. There was a short distance from the stairs to the door, which meant it should be easier for her to get out unnoticed. The hardest part was going to be getting down the steps quietly. As she mulled over her plan, she attempted conversation here and there, to make them think she was cooperating, although she was genuinely curious.

They didn't go into too many details, stating they wanted to wait till she was more settled in before they filled her in on everything. They explained that she had two older brothers and two older sisters, one of the sisters being the child of her mother and husband, a man named Sandy. The two oldest siblings were biologically Aster's, a twin boy and girl known as Aston and Lily. Then there was her brother Jacob and herself, both biologically the children of Jack. She couldn't bring herself to ask any questions about them killing, it was too much for her to stomach. They apparently were waiting to talk about that as well, as no mentions of it were made.

"Um, Dad, Papa? She began hesitantly. She had been sitting quietly at the kitchen table for the better part of an hour and was bored. Both men turned away from the sink where they had been doing dishes. They both gave her a questioning look.

"Um, I was wondering if maybe I could watch some TV or read a book or something?" She let her voice trail off at the end. Jack smiled and answered,

"Of course you can sweetie. Like I said, we aren't your wardens. Just don't try anything funny because we aren't watching!" He wagged a teasing finger at Emily, but there was a cold bite to his voice that said he wasn't playing around. "TV's in the living room around the corner, and there are some books on the shelves in there as well." And with that, he and Aster turned back to the sink and continued their previous conversation.

Emily stood up slowly, waiting to see if the movement would elicit a response. When it did not, she walked into the living room. She decided to watch television, because it would be good background noise while she figured out the details of her escape plan. Grabbing the remote control off of the coffee table, she plopped down carelessly on the couch. With a cry of shock and pain she leapt back up again. Jack and Aster came skidding into the room.

"Something stabbed me!" Emily cried, pointing at the shallow cut on her calf. Aster walked forward and carefully examined the couch cushions while Jack retrieved some rubbing alcohol and a band-aid.

"Ah ha!" Aster announced, as he extracted a small switchblade from between the cushions. "It seems that your son has been leaving his knives around again." He threw a mock stern look at Jack, who rolled his eyes and replied,

"Why is it that he's your son when he brings down a man twice his size but he's mine when he leaves a knife in the couch?" Both men laughed, but Emily felt as if someone had dumped ice water down her back. Where they honestly proud of their son having killed a man? And they didn't care that he carried knives, multiple knives around? And left them in couch cushions so that people sat down to be stabbed? Emily was shaken out of her reverie by a stinging pain in her calf. She looked down to see that Jack had dumped half a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her cut. When she hissed, he chuckled and said,

"Don't be a baby." Then he wiped off the excess and placed a band-aid over the cut. He stood up, planted a kiss on Emily's forehead and declared, "There. All better." Taking the knife from Aster he continued "And I'll be having a little chat with Jacob about where he's leaving his knives." Gesturing to Aster, he led the way back into the kitchen. Aster followed, pausing only to ruffle Emily's hair.

Emily took a deep breath and sat gently down on the couch, this time wary for more knives. With a sigh, she flicked on the television. Her first goal was to find out where she was, then she could work out the best way to get back to her family. Her real family, she said spitefully in her head. The thought of her mother's worried face was ever present in her mind as she flicked through the channels, looking for the local news.

Finally she found what she was looking for. She caught the tail end of a news report about a local cat mascot going missing then it broke to commercial. With a groan, she waited it out. When it came back on, she found what she was looking for. The weather report came on, and she felt her stomach sink.

Pennsylvania. She was in Pennsylvania. She was 2000 miles away from her home. She forced herself to take deep calming breaths. She would either have to steal money for a bus, or she would have to hitchhike. Neither option seemed preferable. Then again, she thought as she leaned back to look at the car sitting in the driveway, I could just steal their car. Stealing from murderers and kidnappers wasn't wrong, she assured herself. Now where did they keep their keys?

She stood up and walked back to the kitchen, looking for a hook or a spot where the men habitually dropped their keys. There! They were on a hook next to the back door. She tried to sneak back out of the room before either of them noticed, but she wasn't quick enough. Aster's head popped up, and he caught her eye.

"Did you need something pumpkin?" he asked with a look of fatherly concern on his face. Emily thought quickly.

"Um, I was," she faltered, then quickly recovered. "I was hoping for a glass of water." She desperately hoped that he would believe she was just nervous. When he smiled and reached for a clean glass, she was able to breathe again. He handed her the glass with an affectionate smile. She thanked him and walked back into the living room to plan her escape.

The afternoon passed uneventfully. After Aster and Jack had finished the dishes, they came and sat on either side of her on the couch, an experience that Emily didn't dislike as much as she felt she should. It was just so difficult to hate them, she thought to herself, why do they have to be so damn nice to her? Jack changed the news, claiming that it was terrifically dull, and put on the Looney Tunes. Aster spent much of the evening grumbling about "These damn kiddie shows." But seemed to quiet down a little whenever Bugs Bunny was on.

It was well after 10 o'clock when Jack gave a loud yawn and stated that it was bedtime.

"Do you need help finding your room again honey?" Aster asked when he noticed the lost expression on Emily's face. She nodded embarrassedly, then followed Jack and Aster upstairs. They paused before the first door on left of the landing.

"This is the bathroom you'll be sharing with your sister Lillian." Jack said, indicating the door with a sign stating "Girl's Only". He gestured to the door on the right. "And this is the bathroom for your brothers." Then lead her down the hall and to the right. Aster pushed open the door and Emily recognized the room in which she had woken up. Aster lead the way in as Jack continued, "Now, we don't have much for you to wear yet. You wouldn't fit in Lilly's clothes; she's at least a foot taller than you. We borrowed a couple of things from Tooth for you to wear until we can get you some clothes of your own."

Emily pulled open a couple of drawers and saw that they were empty. Finally she found the right drawer and pulled out a long blue t-shirt. It had a pair of matching green shorts. Much better, Emily thought to herself.

"Thank you. I think I'm going to change now, if that's okay?" Anything to get out of this god-forsaken pink nightgown! They nodded and left, Jack pulling the door closed behind him. Emily quickly changed and did a quick inventory of the room. She found a pink backpack in the closet, along with her clothes she had been wearing at the warehouse, freshly laundered and folded. She also found two more pajama type outfits in the dresser, and decided she would take it all with her when she left. She wasn't going to travel 2000 miles with only one pair of clothes. She knew she would have to stop and buy some underclothes at some point, but that could wait for at least a couple hundred miles. She heard footsteps outside her door and vaulted into the bed.

"Cailey honey, are you decent?" Jack called through the door. When she had pulled the covers up to her chin, Emily called,

"Yeah, I'm decent." Jack poked his head around the door, then both Jack and Aster came and sat on the edge of Emily's bed. Aster placed a hand on Emily's temple, brushing the stray hairs that had fallen into her face.

"We're so glad you're home with us Cailey." Aster crooned as he petted her hair.

"We really are." Jack agreed, stroking her cheek. Emily tolerated the intimacy because she knew that in less than a few hours, she would be long gone from here.

"Good night Dad. Good night Papa." Emily mumbled sleepily. She snuggled her face into the pillow. This elicited a soft chuckle from Aster, who kissed her forehead before saying,

"Good night pumpkin."

"Good night Cailey, if you need us, we're two rooms to your left." Jack leaned forward and gave her a kiss of his own in the same spot. Straightening up, he took hold of Aster's hand and led him out of the room. Aster flipped off the light switch and pulled the door shut behind him. Emily breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness that was over. Now she just had to wait for them to be asleep. Three hours should be long enough, right? She glanced over at the clock on her bedside table. Two hours and 59 minutes to go...

Two hours and 59 minutes later, Emily shook herself out of the dose she had fallen into. As quietly as she could manage, she slipped out of bed and across the room to her closet. There she loaded the backpack with every bit of clothing she could find, including the awful pink nightgown, thinking that it might work well as a blanket. She peeked out the window and made sure that the car was still sitting at the end of the driveway. Assured of herself and her plan, she crept over to her bedroom door.

She opened it just enough to slip through, then closed it silently behind her. She tiptoed through the moonlit hallway, pausing every couple feet to listen for sounds coming from the mens bedroom. She slunk down the stairs and into the kitchen. She slipped the car keys carefully off of their hook, ensuring that they didn't make the slightest jingle. Emboldened by her success, she made her way quickly to the front door. When the bolt clicked open, Emily paused again to listen for any sounds. When she heard none, she opened the front door just the barest sliver, and squeezed her way through. She pulled the door behind her, then ran to the car, slamming the key in the lock. She yanked the door open and threw herself in. She fumbled slightly trying to get the key in the ignition, but she finally managed and-

Nothing. Nothing happened. Emily started to panic. There were no lights on in the dashboard display. What did that mean? Was the battery dead?

"Fuck." She whispered. She reached down and fumbled for the latch for the hood. She tugged and felt a satisfying pop. Emily hopped out of the car and ran around to the hood. She pulled on the hood, but was brought up short by a secondary latch.. "Shit" She began to fumble around, trying to feel for the catch when a voice behind her made her whirl around and stumble back against the car.

"You really should watch your language young lady." Aster was standing five feet away, his arms crossed and his face in shadow. "Now, would you like to tell me what you're doing or shall I?" When Emily didn't say anything, he continued, "You memorized the layout of the house earlier when we first brought you out of your room. You made note of the exits when we got to ground level. You watched the news to find out where we were. You didn't come into the kitchen to get water, you were looking for the car keys. You packed yourself a bag when you thought we were asleep. You snuck out to steal our car and drive all the way across the country to rejoin your flea-bitten human parents. Have I missed anything?"

One part in particular caught Emily's attention the most, and it was the first thing she spoke about.

"Human parents?" What in the flying hell did that mean?

"That's right, human parents. Is there something unclear about that?" He sounded more annoyed.

"What do you mean by that? Are you not... human?" Emily felt stupid for asking such an absurd question, but she remembered the flash of ice in the warehouse; the jagged crystals summoned by an angry Jack and her heart dropped to her stomach. But no, that couldn't have been real, Emily thought desperately. They must have faked it somehow. But the more she looked at Aster, the more convinced she became it was no trick. There was no mirth in his eyes or his voice; only complete sincerity.

"Didn't the stunts at the warehouse give that away?" He chuckled, looking even more intimidating, especially since she still couldn't see him properly. Before she could ask for further elaboration, he spoke again, no mirth in his tone.

"This is your first and only warning. You come back inside, right now, quietly, and we'll pretend this never happened. I won't even tell Daddy about it." His words had a hint of light-hearted promise before becoming razor sharp once more. "And no more of this planning to escape business. 'Cause you're lucky it was me that caught you." He let the words hang in the air for a moment, the clear threat behind them enough to send a chill up Emily's back. "Now, are you coming, or are we going to have more problems?" He held out a hand to her. Hesitantly, Emily reached out a hand and placed it on top of Aster's.

He led her back into the house, up the stairs and back to her room. He waited in the doorway as Emily unpacked and placed the clothing back into their drawers. When she had stowed the backpack back in the closet, she stood in the middle of the room and waited to see what he would say. His face still looked stern, but he strode forward and gave her a one armed hug.

"I wish you would give us a chance. We really do love you Cailey, and we want you to be happy. Give us that chance?" Emily nodded into his shoulder. "Good night, sweet dreams." He turned and walked back out the door.

"Good night Papa." Emily called back in a whisper. Aster turned back for a moment and smiled. Emily let out a small sigh. What was she going to do now?

The next morning dawned bright and early, but Emily slept right through it. She would have slept quite late if left to her own devices but at 10 o'clock on the dot there was a knock on her door. With a groan, Emily rolled over.

"Five more minutes..." She mumbled into her pillow. The door gave a creek, and Jack's voice issued from the crack.

"Papa made pancakes." he said in an enticing tone. The smell of pancakes wafted in with his words, and Emily's stomach gave an audible growl. "I guess somebody's hungry!" He said with a laugh. "Come on down when you're dressed."

Lured by the promise of pancakes, Emily pushed herself up on her elbows. She breathed deeply for a moment before rising and dressing. She passed over the skirts in favor of wearing her jeans again. Maybe they'll let me do some laundry, Emily thought to herself. She searched through a pile of pink shirts and decided on a pastel pink. At least there aren't any frills, she thought gratefully. But as the events of the night before came rushing back, her cheeks flushed with shame.

The thought of her failed escape attempt and the strangely kind gesture she had received filled her with an odd mixture of remorse and begrudging gratitude. She was ashamed that she had been tricked so easily. He had known she would try to escape, but instead of stopping her, he had let her try and escape. And when he had caught her, he hadn't been angry with her. He had seemed...

She thought for a moment before finally admitting to herself that he had seemed disappointed; disappointed that she hadn't managed to escape or that she had tried at all, but there had been no mistaking that tone. It was the same crestfallen look her real father had worn when she had come home blind drunk. And the worst part, Emily thought as she pulled the pink shirt over her head, is that I feel guilty about it. She felt the deep pit of guilt sitting heavy in her stomach. But she shouldn't feel guilty; she was trying to escape from her kidnappers. It wasn't her fault they were being so nice to her.

With a final tug to straighten the hem, she stared herself down in the mirror.

"I will not be fooled." Emily said aloud to her own reflection. "I must not be tricked." She gave a quick nod, and followed the smell of bacon down the stairs.

"Good morning sweetheart!" Jack shouted when Emily entered the kitchen. He leapt up from his place at the table and ran forward to embrace her. Emily tensed, but allowed him to hug her.

"How did you sleep Cailey?" Jack said, gesturing her to sit at the kitchen table. Emily shrugged slightly, then took the proffered chair, sitting awkwardly on the edge. She glanced at Aster, who was busy fussing over the stove. She looked away quickly to avoid making eye contact as Aster turned towards her. He slid a heaping plate of pancakes, eggs, and bacon down in front of Emily.

"I hope you like your eggs scrambled, cause I broke the yokes." Aster remarked as he turned back to the bacon sizzling on the stove.

"They're fine." Emily mumbled as she picked up her fork and pushed moodily at the eggs. The guilty feeling was back, but she pushed it down. She picked at her food in silence as the two men ate and chatted.

"Aren't those the jeans you were wearing yesterday Cailey?" Jack asked. Emily had not been paying attention, and so missed the question. Jack waved to get her attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I zoned out." She shook herself slightly and focused her attention on Jack. "What did you say?" Jack looked annoyed for a moment, but pulled the smile back on his face.

"I said, aren't those the jeans you were wearing yesterday?" He looked at her intently, and Aster glanced down to check. Emily blushed slightly, but she gathered her courage.

"Yes they are. I was actually going to ask if I could do some laundry today." She declared, putting as much boldness as she could muster into her words. "I also don't have any underwear," She felt the heat rising in her cheeks but didn't let herself stop for fear she wouldn't be able to start again. "Or any toiletries."

Every fiber of her being was telling Emily to run away, but she made herself stare them down. If she was going to be stuck here for god only knew how long, then she had to stand up for herself. She waited and watched, terrified that they would suddenly turn on her. Aster and Jack looked at each other with mirrored expressions of shock. The moment was broken when Jack roared with laughter.

"I knew we were forgetting something!" Jack's laugh subsided to a chuckle. "Sorry about that honey, we'll have your mom take you shopping for your lady things." Jack's laughter renewed when he turned back to Aster and saw his still shocked and uncomfortable expression. "Oh come on, you knew she was a girl, relax!" Jack slapped Aster on the back, then stood up and collected the dishes, still chuckling. Aster shook himself, glanced up at Jack, then back down to Emily. He smiled gently and said,

"I take it you didn't examine the bathroom you share with Lillian yet, eh?" When Emily shook her head, he nodded in the bathrooms direction. "Go ahead and take a look. Let us know if there's anything else you need." Aster stood and strode over to help Jack with the washing up. Emily waited for a moment. His words had sounded like a dismissal, so she should be able to walk away, right? She stood carefully, and walked backwards out of the kitchen. When no one called her back, she walked quickly up the stairs and headed for the bathroom.

She pushed open the bathroom door. She had only been in here a few times to answer the call of nature, and she hadn't lingered. Now she took the time to examine the small room. It was ordinary, just a toilet, a sink, and a shower. Emily reached forward and pushed back the shower curtain. She froze when she saw what was inside. The shower itself was normal, but the collection of items waiting on the shelves caused a bubble of panic to rise in her chest. They weren't just shampoo and conditioner; they were her shampoo and conditioner. They were even arranged in a mock parody of their original positions. They had been inside her home. Those...Those monsters had been inside her home. What had they done to her parents? Jack had said they were alive but-

She remembered the abused form of Rowley who had haunted her dreams. Emily's eyes grew wide, and she turned and bolted down the stairs. She came to a skidding stop right in front of Jack and Aster, who turned and stared at Emily with looks of confusion.

"What's wrong Cai-" Aster began, but Emily shouted over his words.

"What have you done to my parents?" Her breath came in heaving gasps. Jack took a step forward with his hands raised slightly.

"We've done nothing Cailey. What's wrong, what hap-"

"Not you two, my real parents, what've you done to them! Those were my things in the bathroom," Emily gestured behind her. "You arranged them just like how I had them back home. The top was even off the shampoo! You stole them from my parents' house, now tell me what you did to them!" Emily knew then she had crossed a line. Jack's whole demeanor changed in a second. His gentle smile was replaced with a sneer. His normally playful eyes had been replaced by icy diamonds, and the very air had seemed to chill. The change was so abrupt and the image so frightening that Emily took a few steps back. Jack's face twitched slightly as he began to speak in a tones of barely contained rage.

"Your real parents?" Jack advanced on Emily." Your filthy human parents? Do you really want to know what we did to them?" Emily back farther away, her eyes still wide, but now out of fear for herself. She backed herself up against the wall, shaking her head frantically. Jack's stare felt as if it pierced her very soul and Emily found herself mumbling "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." But still Jack advanced until his face was inches from her own. He raised a hand and Emily flinched, waiting for the blow to fall, but instead Jack placed a finger against her cheek. He whispered, voice full of venomous anger,

"Do you know how fragile the human body is to the cold?" This seemed like an odd question to Emily until she began to feel the ice forming over her cheek. "It is ill adapted to deal with intensely cold temperatures." He paused to let the ice creep up over her nose and to the tears on the other side. "And frostbite." His eye twitched as he spoke. "Can be extremely painful." He let those words sink in for a moment.

Emily was afraid to move, but she heard herself speak in spite of her fear, her face making a slight crunching noise because of the ice continuing to spread from the point at which Jack's finger touched.

"You said you hadn't killed them." She managed to squeak, her eyes locked on Jack's.

"And I lied." Jack said with a manic grin. The wail Emily released now came from deep in her chest. And she ran. She ran right out the front door, expecting every second to be stopped, but she was not. She ran until she couldn't breathe, and her legs screamed in protest, but she didn't stop.

Finally, after a mile of sobbing and running, she collapsed right in the middle of the road. She hoped and prayed that a car would hit her, she didn't care. Her parents were gone. She had failed to protect them as they had protected her all these years. Not only were their killers getting away with it, they had Emily now too. And they were abnormal, freaks of natures that had insane abilities that defied physics and human limits. She was too wrapped up in her own misery to notice as Aster approached. With a sigh, he reached down and picked up the sobbing girl in his arms, holding her as he would a child, her head tucked under his chin.

"Now why did you have to say those hurtful things?" He breathed into her hair as she continued to cry. Emily buried her face into his chest. Here he was again being so nice to her. Why couldn't he be easy to hate, like Jack was?

"I'm sorry..." She mumbled into his chest. "I was scared"

"When we get back, you'll apologize to your father, do you understand?" Aster said, his voice suddenly stern again.

"Yes Papa..." Emily felt again the great weight of guilt in the pit of her stomach. She let Aster carry her all the way back. Partly because she didn't want to speak again for fear he would hear the weakness in her voice, but mostly because her legs felt like jello.

When they reached the front porch, Aster set her carefully down on her feet. She wobbled slightly, but was able to hold her own weight. She walked into the living room to find Jack sulking on the couch. She glanced through to the kitchen and was astonished to see that the entire room was covered in an inch thick layer of solid ice. Aster must have seen it too, because he groaned and said aloud,

"Again Jack? Don't you remember how long it took us to defrost the living room last time? And the blasted television was never the same."

Jack huffed slightly, but crossed his arms and said nothing, staring resolutely at the television. With an encouraging look from Aster, Emily shuffled forward cautiously. She couldn't forget the look in Jack's eyes, and the thought of seeing it turned on her again was terrifying. She made her way around the couch, and sat down gingerly on the edge of the couch next to Jack.

"Dad?" She began. Jack grunted slightly, which Emily took for a sign he was listening. "I'm really sorry, I-I don't know what I was thinking. It's just-" Emily paused a moment to carefully pick her words. "It's just that I was f-forced to live with those people for seventeen years. It's," She paused as Jack's eyes flickered to her own, then back to the television. She went on, "It's unfortunate, but normal that I developed a-a bond. With them." She took a deep breath to make it through the home stretch. " I know that you are my real parents, and that you love me dearly. I just. I just need time to get it through my head they were-" Emily's voice broke at the lie, but she fought on saying, "They were just kidnappers, who took me from you. And I..." Emily used every ounce of her strength to keep the tears in. She was surprised when she felt Jack embrace her. He held her tight against himself.

"I'm sorry I blew up at you Cailey. I know that this is a big change for you. We just want you to be happy." He pulled back from Emily, and looked her straight in the eye. Emily saw just a flash of the ice as he said, "I love you, but this isn't all on me. You need to work with us to make this transition smooth. We will give you everything you need. But I warned you once already. If you ever refer to those animals as your "real parents" again, there will be serious consequences." He held her gaze. Emily finally broke the hold, and nodded, murmuring, "Yes daddy." Jack sat back, his posture relaxing. Suddenly he smiled.

"Now." He said in a conspiratorial tone, "we'd better hide before Papa finds us and tries to make us defrost the kitchen, come on!" He grabbed her hand, and whisked her away up the stairs. He pulled her into the hall closet with him, and closed the door behind him, giggling, and making shushing noises. Emily heard Aster's voice call from the kitchen.

"Jack, are you gonna- Now where the hell have they run off too!"