Of Kings and Pawns (IC)

[DrTrollinski]

"Come on, there's just a... Individual noodle." Joseph laughed, fiddling around with his chopsticks for the last noodle left on his plate.


"You're an individual noodle." James joked, and that provoked laughter from the two of them. "You can do this. You don't need a fork for that. You've done just fine so far."


Joseph kept attempting it, until finally, the chopsticks lifted the noodle from the plate.


"That's it, that's it. Almost there." He cheered him on, a grin on his face, and just as Joseph was about to drop it into his mouth, the chopsticks slipped and the noodle splatted down onto the surface of the table. Joseph immediately broke into laughter, and James did, too, but gave a big groan of both humor and shocked-amazement, as well as dropping his head down and slapping the table with his hand. The two of them just laughed that one away - one noodle, no big deal. Once the two of them were done with their vaguely stupid yet satisfying laughter, James looked at his watch, then looked up at Joseph.


"Alright, I'm gonna' get the bill." He said. "We've still got a lot of places to be, buddy. Don't want to hang around here for too long. You need to use the bathroom or anything before we go?"


"Yeah, I'll only be a minute, though."


"Alright. You go now, then, and I should have the bill covered by the time you get back." He smiled, and after he got a smile back, Joseph hopped up and made a walk across the restaurant and up the stairs to where the restroom was. James also noticed something else - he was wearing shorts today, shorts that got a little skinnier around the knee level. Slim-fit shorts, in some ways. It made him wonder why he didn't just inject in his leg - perhaps he just didn't like that. Who knew. Either way, while he was gone for no more than a minute and a half, James got the bill paid, and they were off and out into the car once again.


James couldn't have put the radio on at a worse time.


'-described as one of the worst shootings in US HIstory. St. Agatha's church was almost a monument of Philadephia's image and background, and thousands in the community are saddened by the tragic event which took place there today. Less than an hour ago, a gunman entered the church and opened fired on everyone inside. It's been confirmed that among the victims is Reverend Jacob Griffin, the man behind the initial building of the church itself. Griffin leaves behind a wife and two children, one of which has been missing for eight years now - A memorial will be held for--'


No.


He turned it off. It was national news, and he knew that name too well. That was Thalia's father - thankfully Joseph hadn't clicked on just yet, and he was hoping it'd stay that way, but... He was going to have to be the one to break the bad news when he got home today. He just hoped Thalia was in good enough shape to get such a horrific word from someone. Let alone James, the one man who could have probably stopped it from happening if he knew the plan was in existence. The fact was, he would have never been able to act fast enough to stop it, not in the little time that it was taken to be planned and everything.


James couldn't stop thinking about it, though. When he looked at Joseph, however, he knew was he was going to have to take his mind off of it for another couple of hours or so.


--


"The laptop smashing was good fun, I won't deny that for a second." She laughed. "It's a shame I had to smash a laptop like that, but, clearly it was for the better of things, seeing as James went out and bought me a fancy new one. I can't believe he bought one for Joseph, too. I don't know if you saw the look on his face, but, it's been a long time since he's looked so happy." She laughed, "And now they're off having lunch together. Quite the bromance they've got going on - I'm almost jealous. God knows Joseph's far better at making friends than I ever was." She laughed, but, she wans't saddened by anything she was saying. She was quite cheerful, as it happens. She took another sip of her drink and sat there, staring off out at the pool. Yeah, diving into there would be good fun, and there was nothing really stopping them as they could just dry off in the sun after if they wanted to.


"Tell me, where else would I take you other than the room where all the magic happened?" She laughed. "It's amazing, Thalia, and I tell you, you're going to be jealous of the room alone. Like I said, there's something that lets us look up at the stars while we're doing whatever it is we do. It's incredible." She said, then hopped up from the bar. "Come on, these rooms aren't going to wait forever." She smiled, and, well, off she went. No one was getting pushed in the pool just yet, though, as tempting as it was. It was a hot day, and a swim in the pool, fully-clothed or not, was more than tempting. No one was really going to complain, and she doubted the old butler would mind. Would probably excite the poor guy, she imagined. Then again, that was a dirty thought she was having, and it wasn't one she wanted to pursue.


"You're such a lightweight." She laughed, giving Thalia a nudge. "You seem like the sort of girl that gets drunk on the smell of alcohol. But not to worry, spend enough time around me, and you'll soon be drinking whiskey like it's water." She laughed. "It runs in the family." She smirked - A little depressing, to be honest, but, she wasn't wrong. Her father was a heavy drinker, and even though she wasn't, her tolerance to alcohol was... Quite high, really. Given how fucking evil this drink was she imagined that it'd be giving her some trouble, but, that wasn't too much of an issue. She'd be okay. The news that was playing right now, though, was certainly something that would take them all by surprise.


She took her to the master bedroom, though, and in they walked.


"This is it." She said.

 
​

 
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"It basically brings a tear to my eye. When I first saw it, god..." She said. "He lives like a king in this room, and to think he had a massive bed like that all to himself?" She shook his head, "I was jealous. Very jealous. It's the nicest mattress I've ever slept on." She grinned. "But, ignoring this place, because... Well, when I woke up I had a little look around, and honestly, other than the drawer he keeps his underwear in, there's absolutely nothing interesting in here. The fireplace is nice, but, not something you'd use during the summer." She smiled, "The most interesting room is easily the computer one. Follow me." She said, and lead her to another room on the same floor. This room was full of computers.

 
​

"Yeah, this was where I was watching the cameras. I was at the computers at the back there." She nodded to where the biggest screen was. "But I looked around and couldn't help but notice a lot of filing cabinets in here." She said. "Maybe we could secretly take a little peek and see what James has got going on?" She asked. Now, this was where they could choose to dig deep, or to walk away. There were files on a lot of things in those cabinets - people of interest, previous jobs, gangs in the LA area, files on the LAPD, the FBI, and even as far as the CIA and the NSA, too. There was a lot of dark shit in some of those files, a lot of things that most people would burn if they knew existed, but... James had them, in a room that not many people got to access. 


--


Frank's Apartment


He'd seen the news, and he wasn't happy, but... A part of him knew he couldn't say anything about it just yet. The first person to talk to about it all was James, if anyone else. He'd have to tell Tony, but at the same time, he didn't want to. If he told him, would he try and be the pity party for Thalia? Would he try and invade on their relationship by forcing himself to be the one who broke the news to her? Frank didn't really want that, but there was one thing that he wanted to do before they did anything else, and that was make sure that McAllister got dropped off somewhere near where The Clover Boys operated so he could walk in and get his pat on the back from Bradan. A big step forward, basically. They'd have to leave it to him to get things done, it seemed, and hopefully he'd be back as soon as possible with something they could work with.


So, he went to Tony, and he gave his shoulder a gentle shake to make him rise from his slumber. At least he'd had a good rest.


"Me and Marcus have been talking." He said. "He wants to go in there today, get to work. Said the sooner he sees his family, the better, so we need to stick to our promise." He said, then took a sigh. There was something on Frank's mind, clearly, but he was still deciding if he wanted to say anything. He could always hint about it, though, and see what he could find out. The fact that Al-Asheera had wiped out her father and basically his whole flock was just mortifying. Frank wanted to know a few things, because for some odd reason, Frank wanted revenge more than ever before. It wasn't his family to care about, but... They would have hurt Thalia in such a direct way, and today, he wasn't even allowed to be there for her. It was the day they went back to their day-job, after all.


God, it fucking sucked.


"Sorry. Spaced out for a second. There's something I need to ask you - Take a few minutes to wake yourself up. Meet us out by the car, yeah?" He said to him. Now it was time to get the ball rolling once more.

 

[KasperXIII]

Though the tragic news from Philly was spreading like wildfire across news channels throughout the nation, Thalia and Karin were more or less oblivious to the entire disaster, in their own little world in James' mansion.


"Well," the redhead snickered at the thought of James and Joseph being best buddies now. "I'll be your bromance....er, sis-mance? Do people call it that?" Was it? Like she knew. And maybe the alcohol was getting to her. Or was it all just in her head? Hell did she know. "Hey, if your brother gets to be happy, then damn it, so do you. They're having their boys' day out, we get our girls' day IN. So lead the way." Comforting words, perhaps? That's what friends were for, after all. Karin had spent so much time in her life putting her brother before herself. Thalia simply wanted her to enjoy herself and have fun for once. Maybe a friend, like herself, would prove to be the key to the white-haired girl's happiness. The smiles on both of their faces, Karin and Joseph. Thalia noticed. And after putting them both in misery with the cafe robbery, seeing them both living the dream and making friends? And Thalia subsequently befriending someone outside of Al-Asheera, finally, an honest friend who would help her rebuild her life. Karin was a godsend to Thalia. And in some ways, the opposite was true as well.


As Karin one-upped the experience and the room she'd slept in, Thalia's curiosity piqued. Then came the realization: did she have a low-alcohol tolerance by nature? She'd gotten tipsy fairly quickly with Frank last night. Now she could feel herself slipping through the cracks with this strange concoction. A lightweight, as Karin called her. "Shit...." she giggled, looking down at how embarrassed she was at the discovery of how quickly she would succumb to the effects of her drink. She couldn't help but sip once again, though. As unusual as it was to stomach, she wanted to keep drinking. It was so.... fun. Maybe she and Karin could do this more often, and she'd become a pro. "Well... I may have gotten my first taste of vodka at 13, but Ra's doesn't usually let me drink. Only sips, soo.... fuck. I am a lightweight." Her words were cut out by laughs, then another hiccup. "Oh well. Maybe I can lean a bit from you, since you seem to be such a professional, right? We'll still have to see who passes out first... challenge accepted." Though she had a hunch it would be her. After all, most of what Karin has done in front of Thalia that was more mature, Thalia has been learning the ropes, memorizing what she does so she can do it later. She could be as wild as her little heart desires, but so long as she can depend on herself. For now, the girls were living in the moment, drinking, laughing, having fun, exploring. Maybe a bit of a dive into the pool would be fun, give the butler something to look at. Two pretty girls dripping wet and drunk in the pool, maybe even soaking up some sun later, given Thalia doesn't just burn to a crisp in the California sun. Definitely a dirty thought, but one Thalia enjoyed and might as well entertain in her dazed state.


Quite a view of the master bedroom. A nice, spacious, and comfy bed. Even tempting enough for Thalia to throw herself into. Not completely lay down, but sit down on the edge, slowly sipping away and coming to the near end of her drink. Quite a shame, because she was coming to like the impromptu cocktail and grew to love the sensation of an enjoyable drunkened streak. And simply having genuine care-free fun with Karin. She wanted this sort of day off so badly.


But little did she know it would be ruined by the news whenever that reached her.


Staring at the skylight, Thalia smiled and looked back at Karin, "You are a lucky little bitch, you know that? What girl gets to say her boyfriend's got a big ass bed and a view of the stars in his fucking mansion? And that you've probably fucked while staring at the stars? I mean, it ain't my style, though I wouldn't mind just staring at the sky aimlessly like that." To know there wasn't much else left in the room was a bit of a disappointment. "Awww, don't wanna at least raid his underwear? Trust me, raiding guys' boxers is as much of a thing as girls' underwear, you know. Been there, done that. Both during sex and after when I look through their shit." Rather embarrassing, mentioning her more... intimate heists. Sleeping with people, raiding their wallets, and sometimes, even, stealing their underwear for the amusement of her organization. Ra's didn't approve of her openness to having sex with anyone she desired, but it sure came in hand. Giggling a bit at her own awkward past, she tried to explain herself, "What? It was in the past. And it's not like you'd be stealing them, cuz I'm sure you'd give his tidy whities back anyway. I don't steal underwear anymore, I swear." All said jokingly, though. Even if she was getting drunk, she knew she wasn't a natural born panty raider. And it wasn't even all that satisfying anymore. "We better just lay down here sometime when James isn't home. Just staring up or something. It's beautiful."


Indeed it was. And next came the more exciting part of the journey: the massive computer room. Just the ring of screens reminded Thalia of someone she once knew. "Impressive," she nodded, placing her glass down and throwing herself in the seat and lifted her legs up on the edge of the desk, her tatted hand rubbing beneath her chin, her eyes stuck on the screens around her in a sort of awe. She had a sort of understand for computers. Barely. "Christ.... Vanessa had something just like this, maybe less screens, but very similar. Except I remember she had porn open on like... half the screens?" Good times. Really good times, laughing back at her past with her old friend. "Ra's would never know, the stupid fuck. But I'd enjoy the multi-screen porn experience, too. So I'm no better. I'd say James does that...." She brought up the possibility, swiveling in the chair in one full cycle, eyeing each screen passing by. "But he's got you. And you're hotter than porn, so he doesn't need that anymore."


What a compliment. Maybe not too insulting for a lightweight drunk girl to say, was it? It was a genuine compliment. But then came the issue of the files, in which she raised an eyebrow and took her cup back into her hands and drank again. "Hm? Any files about me? Al-Asheera's bitch? Mystery redhead? Al-Jameela? Maybe even my missing person's report from Philly? Anything?"


Because why not ask?


--


As he desired, Tony's slumber was encompassed by darkness. No dreams, no thoughts, no fantasies. Not even of Melissa. He didn't even want to imagine how she'd return from Ra's' clutches. He was better off drowning into black, getting his mind off of the stress and the weary feeling, which he truly did. He could stay sleeping if duty didn't call. And if Frank hadn't woken him up. He didn't know about the news report from Philly, and best he not know at this point. God knows how he'd react if he knew Frank wanted to go comfort her. Tony would surely sideline his partner and do it himself. Maybe for a chance as his twenty minutes in bed with a miserable girl who just lost her father. But surely sex wouldn't be on her mind in such a situation. She would need compassion when that news hits her. But until then, Frank had other news, about McAllister. Tony sat upright on the couch and slicked his hair back with his hands, tidying himself up slightly. Fortunately, his eyes looked much better than before, and his speech was much clearer, too.


"This early?" Tony wondered, a bit shocked. It's been how long since they took that man out of custody, and he's ready to exit the frying pan and enter the fire? Quite soon, but the sooner the better. "Damn. I figured McAllister would want some time to smell some fresh air. Claim his freedom. Guess I was wrong, right? If you think he's ready to go in there, get him something reasonable to wear, and drop him off a fair distance away from the location. The last thing we need is Bradan's goons spotting your vehicle and tracing it back to a cop. We'd be blown."


Obvious, but important. Frank was a smart man, and probably knew this well enough. Another thing that was obvious? Frank zoning out for a moment. He was distracted, like he'd received some sort of bad news recently. And it didn't seem like he wanted to keep it in the shadows. There was a question in the mix. Tony nodded, rubbing his eye with one hand and tapping his friend's shoulder with the other. "Anything, Frankie. All I need to do is wash my face, get my jacket, and I'll meet you there. I shouldn't be long. That nap? It's just what I needed. Fucking perfect, but I know I can't be dozing off on the job. I'll be out in a minute."


With no hesitation, Tony helped himself to his partner's bathroom, locking the door behind him. He gazed at himself in the mirror. His facial hair was getting lengthy, his hair was a bit puffed but reasonably presentable. His eyes were much more awake and clearly weren't as drunkened as before. The whiskey's effect had worn off at long last and he felt more awake than ever. Splashing a bit of water from the gushing sink did just the trick to freshen himself up, extra careful so some of the water from the faucet doesn't splash back onto his suit. It would look rather... awkward for a water stain to show up there, wherever they were heading. His face wasn't getting any younger, but he certainly could feel fresh and vigorous when he wanted to. Once he felt he was up and ready for action, he dried off with a rag adjacent to the sink, tucked his shirt back into his pants, grabbed his suit jacket from the couch, and left the building for the car. He entered the passenger seat of the car, fixing up his tie as he spoke,


"What's up, Frank? Did I miss anything important in my sleep?" It could be anything. The station, James, Al-Asheera, aliens... quite literally anything.

 

[DrTrollinski]

What a day it had been so far - Joseph had just signed up for a soccer try-out, and the try-out was on Wednesday. It'd been a long time since he'd played at even that level, but he had faith that the skill hadn't left him. He still played soccer in his free time with his friends, and during lunch and recess at school, too. Now, they were just driving along to one other place - they needed some sports gear his size, of course, which James was more than happy to get for him. It was a dream come true for Joseph today; James' generosity had warmed both Joseph's and Karin's hearts. It was just getting better and better, though, and now, they were stuck in a little bit of traffic, but it was nothing too major. It was just the usual stuff. The hold up wasn't going to be too massive.


"Joseph, there was something I wanted to ask. That thing you and your sister were caught in a couple of days ago, does that still bother you? Surely you think about it a lot."


"I do, yeah." He sighed, "I haven't really stopped thinking about it. I've just tried to ignore it, tried to block it out."


"Yeah." He said, "I heard it was pretty terrifying."


"We saw someone get shot." He whispered, "And I had a gun in my face for a while. I'm more scared of it happening again to me, and if it happens again, I might not be as lucky to get away from it like we did." He sighed, and took a long pause. "Did you ever go through anything like that?" He asked.


"I got shot a few years ago."


"Really?"


"Lift my shirt a little, look at my left side." He said, and Joseph reached over and slowly did that, looking at the slightly wide scar he had spreading a few inches along his side. "You see it?" He asked. 


"Just about."


"Yep. Got caught by a stray bullet one day." He said. 


"And you're not scared of it happening again?"


"No. At first I was, yeah, and for a couple of weeks I had trouble sleeping because I was doing nothing but worrying about if it was going to happen to me again - but that's no way to live your life, is it?" He asked. "Spending each and every day wondering if you'll get hurt again, or if something bad will happen. It's not healthy, Joe, not for someone of your age. You gotta' learn that there are a lot of scary things out there, and there's a lot of bad people, too. But at the same time, there's so many more good people compared to that, and a lot more good things compared to the bad, too." He explained.


"But I don't know how to protect myself from bad people."


James thought for a moment and nodded once, and as soon as the traffic was moving, he took the first chance he had to turn back the other way.


"What are you doing?" Joseph asked.


"I'm taking you to somewhere I should have taken you before anything else." He smiled, "Don't worry, you'll really come to love it, I promise."


It was time for Joseph to get involved in the art of Jiu Jitsu, too.


--


"No, I've never heard the term 'sis-mance' - It doesn't work, Thalia, sorry." She laughed. "We'll just have a bromance of our own, don't worry. Plenty of girls call each other 'bro', anyway. Depends how hip and edgy they want to be." She grinned at her. "They're out there having fun, and we're in here having fun. That's the way we look at it from now on. All bets are off as long as we don't trash the place entirely, you know what I mean?" She laughed. Snooping around did seem like good fun, though, and she had a feeling that digging into James' past was going to be exciting enough. She knew a lot about it already, but seeing some of the things he was involved in would definitely give them both something to think about, something to feel excited and secretive over. As long as they didn't spill the beans to anyone that didn't need to hear it, they'd be fine, wouldn't they? That's how Karin viewed it. Sure, if she found out James was some sort of mass serial killer or something, chances were she'd pack her bags and run.


Or would she?


"First one to pass out. You're on." She said. "You're not going to beat me in this one, Thalia, just please, don't pass out while you're mid-swim or some shit, because that's not a situation I'm qualified to deal with, okay?" She laughed. "And one day we will, we will lie here and stare up at the sky when James isn't here to see it. It'll be nice, I'm sure." She said, and while she was sat there, she looked up at the big tinted window above them and smiled. She thought of herself still staring up at it in five years time, when Joseph was a teenager and off doing his own thing, and where she had a child of her own or two. It was a happy-sad thought. Part of her didn't want Joseph to grow up, but, there was no avoiding that. She'd had plenty of him over the years, and she couldn't have asked for much more. Now that James was here to help take some of the weight off her shoulders, she could enjoy being young again. "And, I'm sorry, but raiding a guy's underwear? Hats off to you if you find that stuff exciting, but me..." She shook her head.


"It's all about what the guy can do. His underwear is maybe remotely exciting, and that's about it." She laughed. "Fair play, though."


Over in the computer room, things were a little different as Karin began digging through the files. "I'm willing to bet he's slapped some HD porn on that in the past. Regardless, though, the files..." She flicked through them. "He's got a couple on Al-Asheera in here, but, only like... Only the little he knew about them at the time he wrote this, I think." She explained. "He's got a lot of everyone else on here, though. The Clover Boys?" She said. She'd heard the name a little, but not enough to know she'd gotten herself in shit with Bradan himself. "He's got stuff on The 580's... Some Russian guys, some Chinese ones, too." She said. "And... Then there's stuff on the police, the FBI, the CIA. Holy shit, this is heavy." She laughed, but after a minute, she got out the LAPD folder and started to have a flick through it. It seemed like he had a file on just about everyone - Karin didn't know what she was expecting, but she was certainly surprised to see that he had Frank and Tony's record in this drawer, and this was all dated back quite far, too.


She placed the two files down on the floor.


"Oh my god." She said, then even let out a little laugh of surprise. "I don't think James ever bought your lie in the first place, T." She said, "He's got files on basically everyone in the LAPD. Why? I don't know, but, two people that are on that list are Tony and Frank. That's... Kinda' scary." He laughed. "I guess it's not impossible for it to happen, though, seeing as he probably has files on much bigger people that a couple of cops. Still, kinda' scary, right?" She asked, simply. "You see anything interesting lying around? Oh, wait." She said, quickly standing up. "You haven't seen the home cinema yet." She said. "Yes, Thalia, James has a fucking home cinema at the other end of the house downstairs. It's incredible. It really is." She said. "Unless you wanna' keep exploring, we could take some alcohol with us and watch a good old comedy movie." She grinned. "First one to pass out in there is the loser. And maybe this evening we'll go for a little drunken swim - or maybe you want to swim first?" She asked.


--


He was waiting in the car for him with McAllister, obviously, so when he hopped in, Frank had a good check all around to make sure that no one was watching them, and off he went. He didn't like the idea of them being this close to the guy they were sending in, but hopefully it wasn't going to stay that way for long. They were going to drop him off a fair distance away, just so they were safe, but that wasn't the thing that was on Frank's mind right now. The only thing he could think about was Thalia's family, but, he wasn't going to directly say anything to Tony about it, not until it was too late and Frank himself was comforting Thalia, anyway. Frank didn't mistrust Thalia, of course, but he didn't trust Tony around her. God knows what he'd do - He was more worried that he'd go in there and do something to fuck the relationship up between him and her. He didn't want that, so anything he said was going to be said with a twisted tongue.


"You boys can drop me off a few blocks away." McAllister said. "If I go quiet for a few hours, don't worry. I can't risk even thinkin' about contacting either of yas' when I'm with Bradan." He said.


"Makes sense."


"Mhm. Hopefully by tonight I'll have a few names for ya'. No promises or anythin', lad, but, I hope I can deliver something or other. If they trust me enough, they might let me in on some of their operations. I can easily play the role of saboteur if it comes down to it. We'll see. It's just we need to be careful with Bradan. If something happens to someone or something of his right after I arrive, he's going to just assume it's me regardless of any evidence. Chances are he'll kill you and anyone else who's tied to me, so, we gotta' play it slow. Like a game of chess." He said.


"Don't worry, McAllister, you know this guy better than us. You can take lead on how we deal with him - just keep in mind, it can't be waiting forever." He said.


"I know that, don't worry." He said.


Time went on, and the drive was easy enough. It wasn't rush-hour, after all. It didn't take long before they were a good few blocks away from where Bradan's lot were mainly based out - the club. 


"We haven't got a tracker on you, McAllister, don't fuck us on this."


"I wouldn't dare. I'll be back at your place by 11 o'clock tonight, so make sure you're there to let me in." He said. "I know I'm only as free as you say I am right now, don't worry." He said. "But you have my word." He reached forward into the front and offered a handshake to the two of them. "Here's to a successful partnership, I hope." He said, and Frank shook his hand gladly. After all that was out of the way, McAllister hopped out, and now it was time for Frank to talk to Tony.


"Tony, you're the expert of Al-Asheera." He said, watching McAllister walk away. "Do they have rules?" He asked. "Rules about... Well, people who piss them off? People's families?" He asked. "I'm just... Concerned, that's all." He sighed. He had to cover it up and make it look as far away from Thalia as possible. His general concern could be about anyone. "I mean, we've established Bradan doesn't give a shit about their enemy's families, but... What about Al-Asheera?" He asked.

 

[KasperXIII]

After fumbling with a word that flat-out didn't exist, Thalia let out a slight pout and sigh of disappointment. She figured she could get the term running, but it didn't even sound proper to the tongue. It simply didn't work. But bromance... they could call it that. Returning the grin, she nodded in approval. "Bromance it is.... 'bro'." She gave her friend a friendly elbow bump, thinking over the idea of being 'hip' or 'edgy'. Thalia and Karin were certainly not hip. But edgy? The white hair on Karin certainly gave that vibe. And Thalia's rough make-up deal from her heists and the nosering might've cut it, as well as her bits of strength she expressed around Frank when Tony tried to get physical with her when they first met James. "Hey, we're edgy enough, aren't we? Edgy and attractive. Gotta give us credit for that, right? I bet my ass that's one reason James loves you. And Frank loves me." It might just be. And 'edgy' is very alluring after all. Enough to catch the eyes of unsuspecting Frank and James. It wouldn't hurt to toy with that idea.


"Deal, sister," she sassily stood in front of Karin, accepting the challenge over who passes out first. Laughing at how cocky Karin was that she'd win, Thalia had to accept defeat from now. She knew she wouldn't last if she was already losing herself. "Fuck, that might be true. I won't pass out in the pool, don't worry. But just in case YOU go out first...." She swayed her hips back and forth, leaning her head closer to Karin's in a teasing manner, "I'll catch you when you pass out, if you catch me when I do. Whoever goes out first. How's that sound?" Fair enough. A fall to the ground would.... hurt, anyway. But it's not like the two were going to spend their entire time together as friends getting drunk. Sure, it was going to be a blast, but Thalia had other plans, nicer ones. Like just staring up at James' skylight above his bed. Sappy, but a tremendous view. Pulling back, the girls continued their journey, Thalia continuing her drink to its end. Then came the idea of panty raiding a guy. She figured it was extremely weird and repulsive, so she laughed and came out with another truth. "Okay, okay, fine. It's not so fun with guys, but I've gotten my share of fun from girls' underwear after seducing them, okay? It was fun while it lasted. Don't judge me." How could she? Well, Thalia was creeping up on being fully out of it and just speaking her mind without even thinking it over first, so judging was out of the question here. Surely, other creepy secrets would come out, but she hoped to hear one or two from Karin as well. Maybe not as creepy as panty raiding while in Al-Asheera, but maybe something darker, deeper.


Then came the files as Thalia completed her strange cocktail. She placed the glass back on the desk of the impressive screen set-up and approached Karin, scanning through the files, her hands creeping over her friend's shoulders to peek over her shoulder, reading over each headline, one at a time. He had some info on Al-Asheera, looking through some of the tabs. No names, though. No formal ones, at least. Not even Ra's. James wasn't kidding about Al-Asheera being difficult to find. He only had so much before probably giving up from all the dead ends they'd left behind. Ra's was so old fashioned that James' methods were practically obsolete. It put a smile on her face to know that James couldn't even find her. Odds are? Her identity could remain a separate entity from Al-Jameela. All she needed to do was erase the final remnant of Al-Asheera on her body: the hand tattoo. Whether she endures the pain and gets it removed with laser surgery or covers it up with an intricate sleeve, she'd make sure she had no trace of its origins. But seeing there wasn't much to see from her organization, she simply followed Karin's eyes across the other files of several other organizations. Giggling through some of the lame pictures of federal agents and gang members that came up, the girls came to a standstill when they found the two files of two detectives they knew all too well.


Frank and Tony.


Thalia laughed along, through her head back and running her hands through her hair, shaking her head in a sort of pleased disappointment. Her lie might not have passed par, but she was still pleased at the lengths it went. It was her way of making a move on Frank, and look at where it got the two. "Fuck," she sighed, but not in a negative way. She was still happy and having fun. "Well, I guess I'm not that good of an actress after all, am I? Or at least Tony's not. He fucking ruined it by being a cockblocking bitch, you know that?" It might've been. Who knows? Not like she'd go ask James what gave it away. They were beyond that part of their relationship, a more trustworthy phase. Not like that trust would still exist if they were caught snooping around. "Keep Frank's file lying around. When I'm not drinking, I wanna read that. See what kinda dirty side Frank has in the LAPD." Sneaky, even a bit naughty. Not like she expected to find anything not-safe-for-work in that file, but she just wanted to get to know Frank in any way possible. A glance back at her empty glass made her pout again. She wanted more, strangely enough. Then Karin stood up with more news. A home cinema? Even better.


"You fucking kidding?" she gasped, pretty ecstatic about the whole, much like Karin. Reaching forward and gripping her shoulders from the front, she jolted her friend around a bit, and answered, "Hell yeah! What are we waiting for? But we gotta bring more of his booze with us down there. That power trip you mixed up was WAY too short. But movies now, a swim later? I'm in. Lead the way, sister."


--


Throwing Marcus McAllister back into the belly of the beast just an hour (or so) after his release was a huge gamble. On top of that, with no tracking devices or wires? It's practically a Hail Mary. A lot of trust was being put into this brute, the former right hand of Bradan, pretty much. But it was logical, and Tony knew that when it came to stings, going dark wasn't always a sign of the worst. Sometimes it was a necessity. And thinking like a criminal, if you're right hand gets out of prison suddenly and out of the blue, while it might seem like a godsend, it still screams something shady. Probably conspiracy with cops. Tony has participated in enough undercover operations and stings to know that. Frank might be new to the serious business, but he was smart about this, and an expert at the Clover Boys. The veteran had no regrets taking in this rookie under his wing. They might not see eye to eye about Thalia, but they are a powerhouse of a team. Maybe once Bradan and Ra's are taken care of, they could take more time to themselves, personal time. Maybe even ask Frank to be his best man at his wedding. It's not like Tony had anyone else around, and he sure as hell would rather have Frank by his side than Melissa's brother.


But McAllister promised results. And that got Tony's approval instantly, nodding to the rat in the back seat. "We're putting a lot of trust in you, Marcus. I give you my word, we'll uphold our end of the deal, so long as you deliver. You've got all the time in the world, so do this right."


And that was all Tony needed to get out. They let the insider down at his stop and let him travel to his destination on foot. Without a rousing suspicion, and a potential return time. A good sign of his newly-established loyalties. What a strange way things have run lately, Tony thought. First Thalia, then James, now McAllister. This is more criminal team-ups than he's had in his whole life. He'd have to shake it off, because it was all ultimately for the greater good and the safety of LA. And no better two detectives for a job of such delicacy than Tony Walsh and Frank Hale. Once the two detectives were alone in the vehicle, then came a question from Frank: Does Al-Asheera have rules? Quite a question, but Tony was the right guy to ask.


"Good question, Frankie," he began, preparing for a rather long speech about the moral grounds of the brutes known as Al-Asheera, if any exist. He stretched his arms out forward due to his lack of real physical strain so far. It'd been pretty lazy for him, but he was feeling more refreshed than ever after his nap. "In principle? Yes. Al-Asheera has rules. Quite a few, too, a code of conduct. It's all a part of their system of some honor or moral sense among thieves, which you and I both know is a load of shit. But as you know, just because something is in principle doesn't mean it's always applied. Some rules I know off the top of my head?" He hummed for a second, "No undue bloodshed unless their leader deems it necessary. Technology is sinful. Treachery and deception are rewarded when done right. TONS of oppressive rules against women which belittles them to nothing more than sexual devices... And the list goes on. God, Frank, they treat it like a religion, especially the leader, who we now know to be Ra's. But while we talk about him: I still can't forget what a mix of my research and Thalia's words told about him... he acts like a king, but considers himself among the gods. He thinks he's invincible and omnipotent. But seeing we've snatched his right hand man, that's not necessarily the case. But his pompous attitude comes at the return of him being able to break any one of his rules whenever he pleases. If Ra's wants you dead, you're going to die, like it or not, and whether it's reasonable or not. If you piss him off, that's reason enough for you to die. That's just how his mind works. He's above the law in accordance to his own god-complex and shits on the rest of the world. That's probably why he was able to bring Philly into submission and cause the local PD to just give up. It's tragic, sure, but his own infidelity to his code of honor is what makes him the savage everyone either reveres or despises."


Families? Very specific, and got Tony thinking. As he held on to that as a side-note, he continued to delve into his knowledge of The Clan, "Well... I do recall a few things of the importance of family. The tattoos on their necks. The second mark of Al-Asheera, and the variant one. And it represents their familial lineage, specifically the paternal side. Take Thalia's, for example. She's mentioned her father is a pastor, right? A cross represents that. Pigman? His father was a butcher. Roland? His father had a fascination for astronomy. I don't know if anyone caught Ra's' tattoo during the operation in Pasadena, but clearly family is sacred to these thieves. But once again, that could all go upon deaf ears to Ra's if the time comes. Keep in mind, the ugly bastard murdered his parents at the age of 12. But would he use the families of his underlings to inflict fear? I certainly wouldn't put it past him to break that rule. It wouldn't be the first one he breaks. He took Melissa from me. That qualifies as a loved one, practically my wife once I get to see her again."


But why would Frank ask such a question out of the blue? But fortunately, the first thought of why for Tony wasn't about Thalia. "Wait, Frank... are you afraid Ra's might be coming after you? I know he was able to get to Mel quickly because she's local. But your folks, you need to tell them to get out of town, wherever they are. Al-Asheera's dangerous, and if you think for one second they're in trouble, contact them right now and tell them to go somewhere safe, where they probably can't be found. Maybe a vacation. I'm serious, Frank.... What happened when I was asleep?"


That's the only opportunity a development had to unfold while he wasn't aware of it. Did Ra's, or some other Al-Asheera nutjob, call him up and make threats like they did with Melissa? It must be horrible with something like that in mind. But the subject was clearly bothersome for Frank, seeing he looked distracted and out of focus himself. It had to be personal to ask such a question. And what was personal to his partner was personal to Tony as well. That's how seriously--and highly--he thought of Frank, even with their disagreements. It went beyond a partnership: a friendship. Almost losing Richard did that to Tony: make him more protective of his own.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Joseph and James were there at the dojo now, and they were getting toured of the whole place and given some sort of idea of what they could actually teach to Joseph there. The facilities they had there were well-maintained and they had a lot of access to various equipment for teaching purposes. Fake knives, fake bats, fake guns - you name it, they had it. It went from punching bags to just about anything. Joseph? Honestly, he was a little bit intimidated by the whole thing, and he wasn't totally sure if it was something that he wanted to do. He wasn't going to voice that, though, seeing as James had made the effort, and now they'd been through a whole tour. Not saying anything was going to be a decision he'd come to appreciate, but right now, he just wanted to head home. Everything that he'd gotten today was a lot to take in - promised French lessons, potential membership to a soccer team, and now he was getting the membership to a Jiu Jitsu dojo, it seemed. After that, he was going to be off getting all the sporting gear bought for him.


For a ten-year-old, that's a pretty wild day. He'd done more in one day than he'd previously done in one year. He stuck close to James as the tour drew to a close. There were students there today, but, many of them were adults. Was it adult classes today exclusively? Joseph didn't want to be surrounded by people three times his age if he was going to learn here, so that was going to be one of his questions to the Dan that ran this whole place. Dan? That was the right word for the head guy, right? He wasn't so sure. Either way, before he knew it, they were basically back at the reception area.


"That's the Dojo for you." The man smiled. He was an American-born man, it seemed, African-American. He didn't have anything other than the generic Californian accent, so it was a reasonable assumption to make. He looked down at Joseph. "What do you think?" 


"Pretty cool." He nodded.


"Think there's a place for you here?" He asked.


"Uhm... Would I just be practicing with a bunch of adults? Like the ones training today?"


The man laughed, "No, no, of course not. We'd put you in with people in your age group. Today's class is an adult class, so, don't worry. You can also pay for one-on-one sessions with me, for some point outside the actual class. It depends how seriously you want to take all of it. You'll learn a lot quicker if you attend both."


"That doesn't sound so bad..." Joseph smiled at him, then looked up at James. All the confirmation he needed, really.


"Alright, in that case... I'll get the little guy here a month membership, and... Four sessions with you? One per week, is that right?"


"Yep." The man smiled back, and, after James had processed all the payment and everything, he thanked them and shook both his and Joseph's hand, wishing them goodbye and a safe journey home and everything. Next stop was buying some sporting gear, which was no big deal, obviously. Joseph was excited yet nervous for everything he had coming up. In some ways it felt like he had too much on his shoulders, but, going back to a soccer club was something he'd been dreaming of ever since he was little. It was time for a fresh start.


Meanwhile, back at James' house, Karin and Thalia were busy going crazy, now talking of their own bromance and sticking their noses where they didn't belong. The files were interesting, but, Karin deliberately avoided the CIA folder. There was no way she wanted to chance opening that and seeing something she couldn't unsee. That shit was like dark magic - you just don't want anything to do with it. She had other reasons for not opening it, too, but those will go unspoken. She shoved those off back into the drawer and instead continued to flick through the LAPD. There was really no one of interest other than Tony and Frank, which could be expected. They were the only two cops they really knew, after all. But to think James knew that these guys were cops before he even met any of them? Kinda' scary. Did James get a kick out of playing along, acting like he was the underdog when really he had everyone by the balls? That was one thing Karin wasn't so sure of.


If she had to take a guess at anything, she was going to guess that minor conflict and having people lie to him was almost a kink of his. She'd have to try it some time, she guessed. The alcohol was sinking in, though, and now she was getting all the dirty thoughts, some of which were a little too embarassing to discuss. Everyone gets weird and intruive thoughts about people - God, she'd even had them about Thalia at points, but that didn't mean she was in love. That's just what happens when you let the mind wander too far.


"You can take Frank's file, just make sure you put it back." She said. "I know, Tony did kinda' fuck things up, but, there's the chance James already knew, too. Unless he forgot what their faces were. For all we know, James just has all of these locked away for future reference. I highly doubt he keeps tabs on every member of the LAPD, right?" She chuckled. More excitingly, though, there was the chance for them to go to the home cinema and kick it back. Too right. "Come on, let's make another drink and make our way down there." She said, and off she went. She was having to be a little more careful now, seeing as the first drink was getting to her and she didn't want to fall down the stairs or anything. Either way, once they were back at the pool bar, you guessed it - more alcohol. This time, Pina Coladas mixed with some sort of cherry-flavored whiskey. A bad idea. Clear spirits and dark spirits should never go together, but, they were chancing it, and... Coconut and cherry honestly wasn't that bad of a flavor.


To the cinema.

 
​

"Look at this fucking place. Isn't it incredible?" She asked, then let out alaugh as she walked down to the front row of sreats and dropped herself into a chair,. She put her legs up and slapped her drink down on the convenient tables they had by their sides, and that was that. It was time to watch a movie. She wanted something funny, something mature... "You ever watched Scary Movie before?" She asked. "My god, that was basically my high school life. I loved it." She laughed, "It's a comedy, a massive mockery of all the classic horrors, basically. You wanna' watch that?" She asked.


--


Frank also found it strange, the allies they were suddenly finding. He supposed it was down to fate in a lot of ways - if even the slightest thing was different, even if a butterfly flapped a wing too hard, things could have been changed for the worse, and right now, the chance was that they'd only have McAllister. Not Karin, not Thalia, and not James, and not all of James seemingly unlimited connections. Is that really what his line of work did for you? Got you contact after contact that could carry out just about anything? Judging by the weapons locker that James had, he was guessing that James was a powerful enough guy. Power is like a drink, though - the more you have, the more you want, and some people can't handle it. Or was James more of an occasional drinker of power? It was hard to tell, but, there was no need for them to complain. Their lead for Al-Asheera was dropped off with a war veteran doctor, they had what seemed to be a trustworthy man going in to tackle Bradan, and to top it all off, they had Thalia, who was basically the key to finding and stomping out most of Al-Asheera.


Tony had a book of information on Al-Asheera, though, and that information was something he started to throw in Frank's direction. It was much appreciated, if not a little horrifying. "We've established at the very least that these guys are animals in disguise. Wolves in sheep's clothing." He said. "They're worse than that, even, but if Ra's thinks he's a god among men, something's going to prove him wrong one day. Yes, maybe Ra's breaks his own rules, but how long will it be until he does it enough to annoy one of his own? How long before they sneak into his quarters and put a knife in his heart?" He asked. "Lack of honor, or falsified honor. People have been killed for crazier things than that - Picture being in a position like Thalia's. You've been with them since you were a kid, taught that what they were doing was for greater good, made to believe they had honor and... I don't know. Dignity? Compassion?" He shrugged, "Then imagine having something happen, from none other than the head himself, to prove all of that wrong, to prove to you that all you were taught was for nothing." He shook his head.


"Someone will get him eventually, and if it's not us... It'll be someone within their ranks. Rome wasn't built in a day, but it certainly fell in one." He said. "Think you're invincible for long enough, and eventually someone makes it their goal to prove otherwise. It's like... It's like trying something new at a restaurant. 'I heard the steak sucks, but what if it doesn't?' - You get the idea." He said, then looked out the window. Tony then said about the families, about how he wouldn't put it past them to use it against people or their underlings. And just like Tony said, if they want you dead, you're going to die, whether you like it or not. It did make him worry - Family meant a lot to them, so why did he have Thalia's father killed? Frank's heart went out majorly to Thalia, but... As much as he loved her, mainly, he couldn't take his mind off the youngest child of the family. Sure, the dad may have been borderline brain-washy with his religion, but... To just lose a dad like that? It wasn't fair. A part of him hoped that her brother and mother would come down to Los Angeles, and that way, even though Frank knew he'd never be able to fill a gap, he could at least do something to help out the kid whose dad was killed in the midst of their fucked up operation.


"I just haven't heard from my parents in a little while. They're up-country, in Maryland, but..." He shrugged. "You never know. I mean, they're not really directly tied to me anymore. My emergency contact that was last put on my record was my ex-girlfirned." He said. "My parents are there somewhere, but with Pigman dead, they're not getting their hands on that. It's probably nothing, Tony, but I will try and reach them again later on." He said, then took a glance around the outside of the vehicle. Nothing particularly interesting was happening here, so, there was no better time to move on now that McAllister was well and truly out of sight.


"Shall we make a move?" He asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it anymore - thinking about everything that had happened, and everything that could possibly happen, made him feel slightly sick.

 

[KasperXIII]

Returning the file to its place might be a bit difficult, seeing Thalia was already a bit out of a fully unaltered reality herself, but she'd manage later. She was definitely reading in to Frank's police file, simply to see what the man's been up to within the LAPD. It was interesting, reading up on the people who meant the most to her. James got her a whole file on Charlie, and now she just found one on Frank from a work perspective. Karin? Well, Karin was getting drunk all the same as Thalia. They were practically open books at this point, and surely a nasty secret or two would slip between the cracks, but it's not like either would mind or judge the other. After all, if Karin is still surprised at any stupid mistake Thalia's made or any weird opinion she has, then clearly she's seen nothing. What a strange girl she'd come to call her best friend. But if Thalia had any virtue to her, it was loyalty. But this time, not to Al-Asheera. Thalia knew she was making the right choice by trusting the girl she saw as a sworn enemy at first sight. A sworn enemy she had a mild crush on in the beginning, strangely enough, but now the closest thing she's ever had to a best friend. After all, this was the first time Thalia enjoyed herself while getting drunk. Best do it with a friend.


But fuck ups and blown covers aside, a trip to the movies wouldn't hurt. It wasn't something that the former thief was able to do the right way. Of course, she'd held up a few movie theaters in her time, but she's never really walked in, paid for a ticket, and watched a movie the right way. The only difference here is that it would be a more private show. Just her and Karin watching the movie of their choice in the comfort of a private home theater. Not theirs.... well, arguably, it's Karin's. But seeing that she has the supervision of a 'professional', who even Thalia could tell was starting to succumb to the effects of the drink, she had nothing to fear. Indeed, the two were laughing and kicking back, enjoying their girls' day in, and probably on the brink of cleaning out some of James' stash. Would he mind all that much? Maybe not if he comes home and sees two drunk girls chilling in his home theater, or pushing each other into his pool fully clothed. It'd be a treat for him, definitely. Depending on how wild he likes to get. Hell, he could've walked in on the two girls tripping over their own steps, passing by the pool, and pouring themselves seconds. Absolutely mad, no holds barred anymore.


What Thalia could never know or guess was that Karin was getting pretty risky with mixing spirits. To the redhead, this was all the same, just watching her collect them together in the cocktail shaker and mix them into something wild. The first mixture? Strong, but certainly fun. A bit unpredictable and would definitely have their heads spinning later in some hangover from hell, but it's not like either of them cared. Thalia had never seen Karin this happy and wild before, and she liked it. But the next drink would be a far more dangerous concoction, on top of the one they just stomached? They surely were getting 'white-girl wasted', as Karin had put it earlier. She was drooling over the desire for more, dying to experience something insane, straight out of a frat party, except for two. It'd cost them, most definitely, but again, they weren't really hurt anyone but themselves. It wouldn't be nice for Joseph to see his sister completely shit-faced, but they'd both probably had passed out by then. Hopefully. Thalia wasn't getting that close to blacking out. She only spoke more openly, a bit slurred, hiccuping a bit, and maybe hypersexualizing the environment around her, even Karin in some ways. Again, not really hurting anyone so long as she didn't break anything, which she promised not to do. The new drink? Flavorful, strong to Thalia, but the punishment due for their unsafe experimentation would hit later on. Whatever they were getting into? It would bite them in the ass, but maybe not necessarily in a fully negative way.


The theater left her breathless, as if the house itself already didn't. "Shiiiiit. James knows how to live," she slurred, leaning her hand on the wall with each step she took down. She was sort of losing her balance and general coordination, not really walking in a straight line anymore, but still walking, nonetheless. It wouldn't be long until Karin would have to hold her up or carry her, especially since they weren't stopping this crazy streak anytime soon. She collapsed into the seat to the left of Karin, throwing her legs up in a similar manner to her friend, throwing her head back into the chair, smiling. The glass remained in her hands as she continued to drink it sip by sip. She was having more fun with this than she should be having. But movies sounded like a great idea. "'Scary Movie', and comedy? Bit ironic, right?" she laughed. At least she was thinking straight. And sort of logically. But it would make sense why Thalia had never heard of Scary Movie. She was never in high school and had very little mass media contact. So even the biggest of popular names were meaningless to her. "Fuck it, put it in there. I wanna see this myself."


She simply watched Karin set things up, still taking an occasional gulp and eyeing her friend in a very seductive manner. She really was drunk, and getting there quite quickly. Karin was right: she is a 'lightweight'. Not to mention she was slowly drifting out of her right mind. This was going to be a blast for Karin to watch and laugh at.


--


It was still very strange why Frank even brought this conversation up from the beginning. Families, and their significance with Al-Asheera. It was quite difficult to completely and fully comprehend the psychology of the man they knew to be Ra's. He was erratic, and the only stories that are known about Al-Asheera from the inside came from the one that talked and compromised them in Philly one year ago. But it wasn't someone as close as Thalia, Roland, or even Pigman, a newcomer to The Ten. Hell, they didn't know of such a thing as The Ten until Thalia came into the picture. Tony owed the girl more than he gave her credit for. With all of the bashing, abuse, yelling, and even lustful thoughts, Thalia was the biggest help in his pursuit against his sworn enemy. At least at the end of this whole thing, he could just thank her for propelling the search this far.


"Not just anyone is gonna prove him wrong, Frank," Tony shook his head. "We are. The two of us, I'm sure that we will put this bastard in cuffs or in a coffin at some point. A place where he belongs. Not on earth. God among men, my ass. Even the mighty can fall, and Ra's is not invincible. And we are going to prove it. Because I highly doubt Ra's' men have the balls or brains to stand up to him and bring him down. They're either afraid or brainwashed. You gave Thalia as an example? She was brainwashed for a time. But as you can see, she's woke up and smelled the flowers to notice that was Ra's does is despicable and unacceptable.... You and I? We're not under some sort of illusion by that madman. We see through the facade, and we can see clearly that there is no honor or pride in Al-Asheera. Just a bunch of cowards in tattoos who think they're untouchable and some alpha race because they have rules and regulations, ones that their leader doesn't even live by."


Then came the idea of Thalia, or someone like her, being 'proven wrong'. And unlike what Frank was insinuating, Tony thought of some other way that she was wronged: Vanessa. "You talking about that girl that Roland kept bringing up? Vanessa Scott, right, the one that Thalia was in bed with? I looked into her. Much like any other Al-Asheera runaway, she went off the grid the second she joined. But judging by her last seen whereabouts... damn, she was gang raped and abused by some thugs, only to be, according to Thalia, found by Al-Asheera, and vanished from public record. If you ask me? That girl's death was Thalia's wake-up call that told her she wasn't fighting for some sort of righteous cause. She learned then and there that Ra's was not a good man, and that he didn't give a damn for his own code of conduct and would happily kill someone she loves if his demented mind finds it just. You're right; maybe Ra's will do the same thing to someone else. I can imagine if Ra's had murdered Roland's son, he wouldn't take it very lightly. And maybe it'd be him helping us instead of Thalia. Am I right?"


Tony was still oblivious to the death of Thalia's father in Philly, the entire reason Frank even brought this conversation up. The poor man.... Al-Asheera took a leader from a flock of people who believed in him. They took away a husband from a wife, a son from a mother and father.... a dad from two children. No doubt his wife and little boy know the news. But what about Thalia? She hasn't had official contact with her family since she ran away, aside that one call she made with a false name and organization. And she also was so desperate to see her family again. Now she'll never get to tell her father she's okay. That she was sorry. But of course, even Tony wasn't aware of the incident, but news travels quickly. Eventually he'd hear something about a tragic shooting in a church on the east coast. And once hears the name of the pastor murdered, he will know the connection immediately.


But for now, Tony and Frank still had a day ahead of them on-duty. "It would be wise of you to... at least check up on your folks, Frank," Tony advised. "To think that if I'd probably called Mel and told her to get out of town sooner, she might be okay. It's been bothering me... that 'what if'.... But nothing more I can do but get her back. Maybe, if you're up to it, try to reconnect with them? It may help, even save their lives. But for now, we've got work to do. We've left the office for far too long, and people are probably wondering where the hell we went after the bathroom suicide.... What do you say we go back to the station?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

Heading home was easy enough. The day was coming to a close after about another hour or so of looking around the sports store. Joseph had everything he needed. Some basic stuff for soccer, and some soccer boots, and then there was a soccer ball of his own to practice with. Aside from that, they had the robes that he'd be using in Jiu Jitsu, which were nice, too. Generally, everything he could have needed was brought right there and then, including a bag and a sports bottle for when it came to packing things up and everything. There wasn't much more he could ask for today - he got a laptop, memberships to two sports, all this gear, a nice lunch, and a ride in an awesome car. What else was there that a ten-year-old boy like him could ask for? He wasn't going to ask for anything else, quite simply. He wasn't ungrateful, nor greedy. All of this wasn't even stuff he asked for in the first place, and in the sporting outlet, he aimed to get the cheaper stuff - It was all James that vouched towards getting the more expensive things, so, that was that.


The drive back was peaceful, too, and one that Joseph dozed off on a little bit. Sure, the engine sound did rattle your head a little bit from a car like that, but, it didn't stop him from crashing for a little while. It'd been a long day, and there was no real need for him to be awake. James was happy enough to have him rest up on the journey home. He didn't know what sort of state he'd be coming home to, but, he was hoping the two girls had been at least somewhat sensible. It was hard to tell, though, because for all he knew, things could be total chaos when he got back. He just hoped the house hadn't been trashed at all, because if it had... God, he wasn't going to be happy. Drinking his alcohol was one thing, but, trashing the house and leaving a mess for him to clean up? That was something completely off-limits. 


So, when he did get home and pulled into the garage, Joseph more or less woke up himself; after wiping his eyes and having a look around, he turned to James and smiled.


"Thanks for the nice day." He whispered, tiredly.


"Nah, thank you." He winked, reaching over and ruffling his hair. "It's been a long time since I've had a day like that. All your sports stuff in the trunk, let me grab that. I'll put it in your room, okay?" He smiled.


"Sure. I'm gonna' go find Karin." 


"Alright, buddy. Remember, try-out for your soccer's on Wednesday, so, make sure you get practicing while you have a chance." He winked, and Joseph grinned and nodded at him, followed by hopping out the car. Awake and buzzing once more - anyway, he went looking for Karin, first checking the poolside and also the pool bar - there was evidence she'd been there. Alcohol and everything, but, there was no sign of them directly. He couldn't hear any noise from upstairs, but, as he walked through the house, he heard the faint sound of a movie playing when he got close to one of the doors. He hadn't seen the home cinema yet, but, aside from the door, it was all massively sound-proof so that it didn't wake anyone up. Still, he pushed the door open, and he was quite shocked when he saw how... Amazing it was, and of course, Scary Movie was playing, a movie he'd watched at a friend's house one day when he was only 7. He wasn't old enough to understand all the mature jokes, but... It was still hilarious at points.


Karin, however, had been more or less crying with laughter over the course of time that the movie had been playing. She didn't hear Joseph come in, but she soon noticed him out of the corner of her eye. She quickly lowered the volume of the movie as soon as she saw him.


"Hey, Joey!" She called out, joyfully, and opened up her arms for a big hug. Joseph didn't hold back, of course, and happily embraced her. "How was your day out?" She asked.


"Really good. We had lunch at this Japanese place, then, James signed me up for a try-out for a soccer team, and got me membership at a Dojo to learn Jiu Jitsu." He grinned, "Finally, he went and bought me all the cool sports stuff that I need."


"That sounds amazing..." She smiled.


"Are you and Thalia drunk?" He asked, looking at the glasses on the table.


"Only a little bit." She laughed, "Go on, I'm sure you've got some stuff you want to do. We can talk more about the day when we have dinner later, okay?"


"Alright." He nodded, and, well, off he went. He figured that if Thalia was off her face, there wasn't much chance of a French lesson taking place - Kinda' had a sting to it, but he'd had too much of a good day to let that bring him down. He went and found James, though, and he told them that the two of them were in the cinema room, and both of them were drunk. Drunk, though? James wasn't happy about that - he didn't mind if they'd had a drink or two, but drunk wasn't a good thing here. Especially as Joseph was just able to walk in and see them.


He went to the cinema room, too, and after he got to the two of them, he paused the movie entirely.


"No more drinking." He said, quickly, and took any glasses from the table that had anything in them. "Thalia, drink some water, I need to talk to you in a bit. You can keep watching the movie, but... No more alcohol, guys." He said. It was clear he wasn't doing it to be a dick - there was something serious going on, and, Karin, as drunk as she was, recognized that a little. Would Thalia be able to, too?


--


"Yeah, you're right. We'll be the ones that prove him wrong. We'll lock him up and throw away the key, or we'll bury him in the ocean, one of the two." He said. "A bastard like that doesn't deserve a proper funeral. He's not worth the six-by-three plot they'd give him." He shook his head. "We'll get the guy eventually, it's just going to take a while. As for my family, yeah, I'll try and get back in contact with them. I mean, we spoke now and again up until now, so, if I can back on the line to them, that'd be great." He said. "If I save their lives, even better. Sure, we drifted apart over the last couple of years, but..." He shook his head. "That doesn't change the fact that they're my mom and dad. We went through a lot over the years together, as you know, and to just let that slip now would be a shame. It's about high time I told them that I'm over everything that happened - Heck, you never know, it might even be worth visiting them at some point soon." He said. "I know they've wanted grandkids for a good few years now, though, so that's the only front I'm going to be disappointing them on." He laughed.


"It's definitely something to do with Vanessa, yeah. And it would be the same for Roland - It'd be the same for anyone in Al-Asheera. If Ra's went out and butchered someone they cared about, then that would be it, it wouldn't take much to convince them to sell Ra's out and help the law bust his sorry ass." He said. "He's not untouchable, and we will get him. If we don't, all he's going to do is take over LA, and then he's going to work his way through the West coast and eventually the whole country, even if he never lives to see it happen, someone will carry on his legacy, take out his little black book and read all his strategies and what he had planned. They'd put it all into action with or without him." He said. "As much as I hate to say it, though... Roland's son will be better off without him. He's a kid, and no kid deserves a dad that's not only, one, a pedophile, and two, a liar, and three, a high-end criminal. He deserves someone far better than that in his life." He said. "Fuck 'em, Tony. Fuck 'em all." He sighed.


"If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas. We can't change what's happened so far, even though we wish we could." He said. "Let's just get back to the station, though." He said, and with that, he started up the car engine, and off they went. No need for them to go anywhere else, not yet, and they had the rest of the day to burn. Who knew what the day would hold.


Unbeknownst to them, the day had nothing good left in it. At least it wouldn't soon enough.


The drive to the station was simple enough, though, and they arrived there in good time, once again, they'd dodged the rush hour traffic, and hopefully it'd stay that way for a while. At least now they were home safe and had a place they could do legal work. Having regular routine back meant a lot.


Frank just needed to take his mind off of what happened to Thalia, but, there was still something he couldn't shake about what McAllister said, and it was worrying him that he couldn't remember what it was.

 

[KasperXIII]

Through the duration of the movie, Thalia couldn't help but overthink and over-exaggerate every action and every word said from the film and between herself and Karin. Most definitely, this was the effect of her truly getting wasted under circumstances she'd enjoyed. She did used to drink on very rare occasions around Ra's, but not only were those very scarce, but they weren't pleasant. Not like this experience would end very pleasant. On the contrary, bad news was on the horizon now that James was home, not to mention the splitting hellish headache she was about to feel at full force once she could actually think straight. But for now, it was all a series of slurs and giggles that might've been from nothing, putting her feet up , head back in the chair, and drinking her cocktail from hell to its completion. This might not be something she'd ever attempt again, but it was good to try it at least once in her life, and with a friend. Karin certainly spiced things up with her ideas and overall presence. Thalia enjoyed her company, drunk or sober. This would certainly be fun to talk about in hindsight. The redhead was just worried she might've accidentally flirted with Karin, or maybe even James' butler while under the influence. But she'll have to find out later, right?


Thalia only realized they weren't alone in the room when Karin got up to hug her little brother. Once she saw him, she crawled to kneel and face the other side of her chair, her head peeking from the back of the chair. Her head sagged forward slightly with a giddy smile on her face, a shaky hand raising to wave to the boy. "Hey, Joe... Fancy seeing you around," she slurred, "H-Hey, listen.... French lessons are postponed so... till tomorrow?" No doubt Joseph would've gotten a hint that she was drunk by those words alone. She didn't sound like she was in her right mind. Too happy, too relaxed. Not the same Thalia at this point. To add on to that, would Karin catch on to the idea that Thalia would be teaching her brother? Would she allow it? Yet another tale for after their blood alcohol levels drop and they return to reality.


But Joseph was the man they should've feared the least. Because soon after came James, who clearly wasn't proud of their activities while he was gone. Was he that mad that they raided his alcohol stash? Yikes, maybe was being a dick? Or was there something else at play? Thalia couldn't tell from how disorientated she'd become. Upon seeing James swipe the remainder of their drinks from the tables, the shitfaced girl had to stand up and argue back. Scrambling to her feet and fumbling in her seat from the lack of proper coordination, Thalia spoke, "Look, James.... we're sorry we..." As she took to her feet, she quite literally collapsed from losing balance. While standing up straight. She was definitely incompetent in her current state. "...Shit, fuck..." Eventually, spreading her arms out a bit, she regained her ability to stand properly. Sort of. She was a bit slanted, but enough to get in James' face. Waving her index finger in his face, her slurs continued, "James, James, James... We were just having fun. We'll pay you back for the booze. Just...." Once more, she lost her balance, falling forward into James this time. She really shouldn't be standing up like this. Laughing, she used the high-rise criminal as a stilt to hold herself up briefly, and eventually parted ways. "Hahaha, whoops.... sorry..." Surely that was more funny in her head than out loud, but she knew better than to make a move on James. She was awake enough to know that he was for Karin and didn't want to step on her toes by throwing herself at her boyfriend. The wall served as a better way to hold herself up, but the laughter eventually died down in exchange for a feeling of dizziness and an upset stomach. Her back against the wall of the home cinema, her hands reached over her stomach.


"Ack.... fuck, that hurts... I didn't think.... ugh, whyyy?" she groaned, eventually falling to a sitting position against the wall. Getting up so abruptly did a number to her, churning her stomach more than necessary and making her get dizzy very easily. Now, things began to go downhill for Thalia. And the hangover would soon begin once this whole thing died down. At least she'd get a chance to experience it all. It would only get worse when she hears about her father...


--


The police station felt like Tony's home away from home for many years, and especially because of how highly esteemed he was among the ranks. He was even respected enough to get the office he resides in now instead of a cubicle. A pretty big office, too. One that Tony doesn't exactly tend to, which is a disaster of papers, as Frank saw in the very beginning, but it was still a sort of home. But Tony had been away from home for too long with the past events lately. And that was probably getting too suspicious for the rest of the department. Where did Walsh and Hale run off to? Especially after they watched their new comms guy commit suicide. Sure, watching a man shoot himself can take a toll on your psyche, but they could've at least said something instead of writing out their statements and just leaving. They didn't even report back, and they weren't answering their cell phones, because... well, James tossed them. Frank and Tony had a lot of explaining to do, surely.


But for now, the first destination for both detectives was back at the office. Tony had made it clear before that now that Frank was his partner, he would get the office as well. A sort of package deal. There was an empty desk on the other side of the room, cleared out after Richard left, that would now belong to the rookie detective. It didn't feel right calling Frank a rookie. His intellect exceeded that of the usual newbies to the detectives bureau. He was different. But the mix of new and old blood is what made Tony and Frank an indestructible powerhouse. It's already been spreading as a rumor that they figured out about the 7/11 and reported the anonymous tip, though nobody has confirmed it for certain. That was the perk of staying off the grid. With the Al-Asheera insider gone, that only left the one for the Clovers. It could be... literally anyone. That, alongside other work, is what the duo would drown themselves in.


"Make yourself comfortable at the other desk, Frankie," Tony greeted, directing his hand in a welcoming manner to the empty desk. "That beauty's all yours. You deserve it. Feel free to decorate it with pictures of your dog or your own baby pictures whenever you want, hah!" Of course, he meant that jokingly. "Usually, I'd say put pictures of your kids, but seeing you don't have any.... well, that says that."


It brought up a disgusting mental image - well, disgusting to Tony - of Thalia and Frank having sex. Well, that, and them having kids. They'd look fucking adorable. Why? Why did they have to look so genetically perfect? Gross. But he wasn't the only one bothered by the past events. Frank. Ever since he asked about Al-Asheera and families, he didn't get what was going on in his partner's mind. It had to be more than an explanation of Thalia turning on the organization to avenge Vanessa. There had to be more to it, especially because he mentioned 'families'. He avoided making that obvious and just moved to his desk towering in paperwork. It felt like the stacks increased in his absence. Maybe because of the 7/11 bombing and Pigman's suicide. There had to be something new in the hurricane of sheets, which Tony should probably get to sooner or later. Procrastination at its finest.


But their work was cut short when a familiar African American man entered his office. Seeing him almost instantly got Tony's attention: Sergeant Jordan Reeves, a good friend of Tony's and one that helped promote his rise up in the ranks. Even got him an expansive office, too. A good friend personally, too; the two had gone out for drinks on several occasions and even pulled off a sting operation together. Quite a bond they had. But Reeves had some stern words for Tony.


"Detective Walsh."


"Sergeant Reeves... what can I do for you, Sarg?" He greeted with a smile, getting up from his desk.


"Listen, Tony. I like you. You're irreplaceable here in the Bureau. But I gotta warn you. People are talking in the higher-ups. And not good things."


"Talking?" Tony raised an eyebrow in confusion. Thank god he didn't look wasted or tired anymore. That was long shaken off.


"The absence, Walsh. You and Hale. Ever since Bernard Sullivan killed himself in front of you two, you've both been radio silent. You left the station around 2:30 PM yesterday, and you never reported back. Look, if seeing that poor guy beat himself to death was that tough on you guys, just say something. Don't just drop out of existence."


It was a relief to know the story about Pigman checked out. It felt strange hearing the man's real name after referring to him by the name of his tattoo for so long. Force of habit. He just had to make sure he didn't call him Pigman out loud by accident. If that happens, they're blown. "It's a bit more complicated than that, Sarg. Frank and I have been pursuing a lead--"


"If you were, you should've called it in."


"It didn't pan out. It was Al-Asheera related, and we needed to keep it low-key. But it was a dud, but I promise you that we won't drop off the radar again. We are still looking into leads on our crooks, and I can assure you... if you give us a week, we can nail Al-Asheera... Jordan, you just need to trust me. Please."


It was quite a bit of begging from Tony. Fortunately Jordan understood and saw the desperation and seriousness in Tony's eyes. He trusted the veteran. Tony had a way of getting things done. Quite amazing, and his ten years in the bureau were some of their best. The sergeant sighed and shook his head. "Fine, Tony. You have a week. After that, I can't cover your asses." He said as he pointed in both detective's directions. "And one more thing. A lot of the office gossip is about your mountain of unsorted paperwork on your desk." His head tilted in the direction of the disaster known as Tony's desk. It even unnerved Tony to know that it existed. "Look, you're a busy man. And if paperwork doesn't get the job done, then so be it. But at least get yourself a secretary, Tony. I've backed it up, and you're greenlighted to hire one. You find yourself one that you like, and she's got the job; otherwise, one's gonna get appointed to you, alright?"


Tony groaned. But the idea wasn't god-awful. Plus he knew he really couldn't disagree. This was being imposed more than recommended. "Fine, Sarg. I'll find one this week. I promise."


Jordan nodded. "Good. That'll be all."


And that was that. The sergeant left the office and shut the door behind him.


Instantly, Tony's eyes darted over to Frank, leaning against the front of his desk standing up. "A secretary? What detective has a secretary?" he laughed. "I guess that's a good thing? Oh well.... where the hell will I find a good secretary before the department gives me some old lazy hag? Like Bertha. Oh fuck, if it's Bertha, I'll jump the window."


Horrible memories of that woman from HR that gave them a hard time yesterday. That would be a nightmare come true.

 

[DrTrollinski]

James didn't need the additional hassle of having to deal with Thalia trying to get up in his face. Having fun, fair enough, but in some ways he found it irresponsible. Could he not leave the two alone? He wasn't expecting anything to happen, but he always imagined something would, especially if something happened in relation to what they had going on in the background. If someone broke into the house and Karin and Thalia were both paralytic, then they wouldn't be able to do anything to help themselves. It seemed like helping themselves was a whole world away at the current time, though. That was two people slightly disappointed - James because they'd gotten a little carried away, and Joseph because the promise of a French lesson today went straight out the window. Not only that, but, he was somewhat worried about Karin and Thalia. They'd drank a lot, after all, but now he was busy distracting himself in his room on the laptop that James got him. That was already proving to be good fun, and as James had unrealistically fast internet, installing his games wasn't going to be an issue.


James put two hands down on Thalia's shoulders and shook his head. "I know you're having fun, and I don't care about the alcohol." He said. "I told you there was something I needed to talk to you about, but I'm not going to do that while you can hardly stand. I need you to be sober for this." He said, simply, and after more or less catching her from falling over, he placed the glasses down on the table once more and took a sigh.


"Come on." He said, then quickly guided her through the cinema room and up out the door. Karin quickly followed behind him and walked with the two of them. James stopped outside a room just outside the cinema room, and that was revealed to be a bathroom. He gently nudged Thalia inside. "Go inside, do whatever you need to. Drink some water, throw up - Whatever it is, I don't care, but I need you at least somehwat sober within the next couple of hours. No more drinking, no more partying - that goes to both of you. I'll make you both something to eat and hopefully soak up the alcohol." He said. 


"Plus, you're worrying Joseph. He doesn't like seeing either of you wasted. Best thing to do is make sure you both straighten out so he knows you're alright. We've had a rough couple of days, and he has, too." He sighed. "But Thalia... It's important that I talk to you ASAP." He said, simply. "Now, if you two are alright on your own for a moment, I need to make some phone calls." He looked at Karin. "I'm guessing you can take care of her?"


"Sure." She nodded, wiping her forehead. She wasn't feeling so hot either.


"Karin... Trust me when I say it's something important, okay? I'm not trying to be a killjoy."


"I know, I know, just... Check on Joseph for me, let him know we're okay." She said.


"Will do." He said.


The phone call was important, so he had to make that ASAP.


--


Back at the station, things were at least a little more joyful. They went back to Tony's office, and Frank had a smile put on his face as soon as he was offfered the chance to set up his stuff on his desk - he had to laugh at Tony's joke, though. It was very true in both cases - neither of them had kids, really, but at least Tony had a lover he could openly put a picture of on his desk. How soon would the situation change for Frank? He had no idea how quickly things were going to be swinging around today alone, and it wasn't just with Thalia. The life of a detective is never easy, not at all, and life also has a habit of throwing things at you that you don't want to deal with.


"No pictures of the dog, sadly." He said. "I'll keep it in mind, though, maybe get some nice ones later." He laughed, and, well, with nothing to really do about his desk, he sat down at it and looked over it all. Surely it'd be nice to set some stuff up on there, maybe a nice little indoor plant of some sort. He didn't know. Something along those lines would cut it just fine, he guessed. At least until it could get more character. He thought about him and Thalia having kids, too - he hated to big himself up, but, he knew any kids they had would be handsome. It wasn't the time to be thinking about that, though, and Frank imagined it was going to be a while before they settled down and had a baby and everything. No need to rush things, after all. He wanted to fall in love with her and marry her and everything before the talk of a baby came about, but once again, life can sometimes be full of surprises.


Speaking of surprises, in came the sergeant, one that Frank didn't really know all that well.


He brought talk of something interesting, though, and something massively reassuring, too - Pigman had more or less been cleared as a situation, which was good to know. That was one thing off their shoulders, and it looked like they had a green light in terms of moving forward and forgetting what happened. It also seemed like Tony had a green light for hiring a secretary, and something immediately popped into Frank's head as soon as that came up. Regardless, though, he nodded to the sergeant just before he left, just to show he acknowledged everything he'd said to them both. It was a risky move they both took, going quiet, but this guy seemed to know Tony well enough to let them both off - he did take the chance to hint at Tony's paperwork, though, which was something that was getting to Frank a little. 


Frank didn't have OCD or anything, but, it was still something that grinded on him a little. If he was going to be sharing this space with Tony for god-knows how long, then he was going to make sure that this whole office got tidied a little bit.


"I can help you sort some of the paperwork if you need me to. Last thing we need is the office becoming a tourist attraction for the department." He chuckled. "Also, for the secretary..." He thought for a moment, "As long as you avoid the woman downstairs, right?" He said, then cleared his throat. "How about Karin?" He asked.


The only reason he didn't say Thalia was because of her tattoo, and her infamy. She'd be spotted as soon as she walked through the door.


"I mean, Karin's got a clean record, she's out of a job right now, and most of all... She seems like the dedicated type." He shrugged. "Just a suggestion." 

 

[KasperXIII]

The sickened feeling to Thalia's stomach eventually manifested itself in vomiting. She saw it coming, though, from the second the pain lanced her stomach. There was no way her less-than-tolerant body was going to hold all of that down without it making a second appearance. And thank god that James dragged her to a bathroom. Had she spit her chunks on the floor of the home cinema, and she'd probably be dead. Quite embarrassing of her, as well. She looked like it'd been her first time getting this drunk, while Karin seemed to handle it all so well. All of this in front of Joseph, just a 10 year old boy who didn't know better and probably saw her make a fool out of herself. There goes being his friend. And once more, Thalia felt like the dumb kid among the bunch. Maybe because she was quite literally the youngest - not counting Joseph, of course. Or maybe it's because deep down, she still felt 13, the day she ran away from home. She felt so damaged. Irreparable. And maybe this little incident was proof of that as she spent the next 20 minutes sitting with her head in the toilet seat, keep her hair back and letting it all out into the bowl, trying so hard not to miss and embarrass herself further. Karin was probably listening outside, too. Certainly, the redhead had her fair share of apologies to make when she was better. Not like it would correct her mistakes, though.


Surely, the two went overboard. All because Thalia tempted Karin to go nuts, and she did it. Was Karin that quick to succumb to peer pressure? Or was she just as desperate to do something crazy? How could Thalia blame her after so many years of being work-exclusive? She looked like the person who needed a break. And being with someone as financially comfortable as James with such a lavish lifestyle was a start. But just because he lived well didn't mean they could blow it like that. Like hell James would trust them alone with watering his garden for a while. Well, Thalia at least. Maybe his feelings for Karin would leave him to forgive her a bit easier. But this was a learning experience. After feeling how awful it was to push her limits, Thalia didn't want to try again. And it warned her to be more careful next time she drinks, to take it easier and not just run straight for the bottle like this time around. Once she no longer felt nauseous, she proceeded to the sink to clean herself off. She didn't get any puke on her clothing, thank god, but her face was a bit of a mess with some of her chunks remaining down her lips and nose, understandably so. She ran her face over the running water a few times to wash up, even get some of that water down inside her to wash down whatever was left of her drinks. At least she wasn't dizzy anymore either. She could walk properly, too, much less disoriented than before. She felt better talking too. In general, she was back into a functional mindset. Still didn't hide the fact she was ashamed of herself. Once she dried off, she exited the bathroom, hands in her pockets, and approached Karin, who was watching over her. At least she didn't hate her after that. Thalia wouldn't blame her if she did. "Hey.... I didn't mean for it to go that far, Kar. I'm sorry. I also didn't expect him to come home so early. And I made a fool of myself while I was drunk... made things worse for my case. I think I've learned my lesson though, about the next time I wanna get shitfaced? To take it easy and not mix whatever I find in the cupboard." Indeed, she could talk and walk like a normal human being. A significant improvement. "I just hope... I didn't say anything too embarrassing through the movie?" She smirked. She couldn't exactly remember much from it, just bits and parts of the movie. She could've been doing anything from talking to herself to streaking around the property and not known the difference. "Next time I tempt you to do something this stupid, and you know it'll end badly... stop me? Please?"


It's a good thing Thalia had Karin, the wiser friend who seemed to know right from wrong better. Because what they pulled was most definitely wrong. She still owed Joseph a French lesson, which she still wanted to make good on. Later that night, for sure. But first, she followed the smell of food cooking over to the kitchen, where she found James cooking something up for the girls. So he wasn't kidding, after all, about trying to get the taste of alcohol and puke out of their mouths. Definitely a treat. Not like Thalia deserved it, but she figured that wasn't the point.


First thing she said when she entered? "I'm sorry..." That was obvious, but it wasn't like James would forgive her for that careless move. "Look, Karin's spent the past five years of her life with no fun, all work. I've spent the past eight as Ra's' bitch. We just..." she sighed, realized her explanation was going to be less than satisfactory no matter what. "We just wanted to let loose for once, James. But it was my idea. I tempted Karin, kept telling her to do it, to mix some shit up in your poolside bar. Ugh... If I told her not to, we would probably still be tanning by the pool talking about the weather or something." She bowed her head in a bit of shame, getting closer to James. "Look, we goofed off. It was immature, and we didn't exactly prove ourselves to be responsible adults, okay? But don't blame Karin. Blame me. My bad idea, my bad result. But I'll give you one thing: after spending a while with my head in the toilet and a headache sent from Satan himself, I don't think I'll be pulling a stunt like that ever again. If it's any consolation."


Odds are, it's not. But Thalia wanted to apologize. It's the least she could do. Her arms folded over her chest, throwing her head back to stare at the ceiling. Oddly enough, it soothed the headache. "I don't mean to bother you, Chef, but I do remember you said you had something important to say to me? Must be pretty urgent, judging by how you kept emphasizing on it? I'm... all ears. Head stings a bit, but I can focus, plan, fight. Whatever you need. My head's in this, 110%. What's new?"


--


The idea of pictures and personal sentiments on the desk... among Tony's clutter was a picture of Melissa, and one recent one of his father. In their own ways, they served as motivation for the veteran detective. It wasn't just to show off that he had a girlfriend and a father. No, they had a deeper meaning to Tony, and that's why they sit in view of where he'd sit on the desk... well, if Tony sits at the desk. And if he ever gets in cleaned up. And a secretary? Was the sergeant serious? It was shocking enough that the idea was given the go-ahead. But how could Tony decline the opportunity to have some eye candy wandering around? Maybe he could dig the thought, entertain it. Then came the mental image of Thalia in a pencil skirt and a busty secretary top. What the fuck, Tony, what is wrong with you? You're at work! Stop that nonsense. You have a girlfriend to go home to! And even with Melissa, there was one problem with his fantasy: how would an all-too-obvious and infamous Al-Asheera clanswoman even walk through the doors as his secretary? That would be far too obvious and she'd be arrested on the spot.


Instantly, it seemed like Frank wanted to take up the annoying job of paperwork. Tony laughed at that absurd accusation. "You? This slave work, Frank? You're too good for that.... Heh. The reason I get so much done is because I quite literally have let this paperwork stack up ever since I was given this office. It gave me more room to actually work cases and not boring paperwork. And people ask why I get so much done. Cuz the technical stuff is a forest known as my desk." He chuckled, peeking back at the stacks of endless papers on his desk, cluttered and unsorted from god knows how long ago. Tony could already picture Frank, his little prodigy, becoming just like him. Who knows? Frank had potential. Maybe one day, he'd become so invested in his cases that he'll let his desk become just as much of a pig sty. Dreams and goals, obviously. He could imagine it, though. Some day. "Oh, fuck no. Anything but Bertha. And I feel like if we don't rally up some other chick to do the job for us, they'll stick her to us. You saw how bitter she was when we got Pigman's credentials, right? She's a stone cold old bitch with the face of a dinosaur, for fuck's sake. Not my kinda secretary. Anything, ANYTHING but Bertha."


Anything... Karin. She was a rather worthwhile candidate, too. A dedicated, hard worker who is now without a job and in desperate need of the money to support her brother and herself. Besides, being a secretary was a far better job than a waitress. Especially for Tony, who didn't really have much of a problem with Karin. They could ask her, next time they see her. Or give her a call now. It was all up to how James felt about it. It seemed like every key decision had to go though him first. It surprised Tony that Frank's first recommendation wasn't Thalia, though, seeing how much he'd white-knighted her, but seeing how he probably understood how risky it was to walk her through the station doors, it made sense. Hell, a sketch of Thalia in her mask and makeup was still hanging on Tony's large-scale map of LA on the wall, filled with their markings from two days planning things out for the Clovers and Al-Asheera before McAlister and Thalia were relevant factors. Boy, did things change significantly.


"Karin? She... could just work out, Frank. You wanna be the one to give her the call? So long as she doesn't have a record, Jordan will let me hire whoever I want, really. Let's just see if Karin wants it." After all, the white-haired girl really didn't have a record, after all. And that watch snatch? He could make that minor offense go away if need be.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Don't worry, the things you said during that movie won't go spoken with." She said, simply. She'd waited outside the bathroom the whole time for her to be finished off with whatever she was doing in there, and she was there when she came out, too, ready to comfort her in whatever way was necessary. She knew that she'd still be drunk for a little while from now, but... At least the alcohol was more or less out of the system for her. "If things ever look like they're going to go crazy next time, I'll warn you, make sure this doesn't happen again. We got a bit carried away, I think." She said. She still felt a little bad about Joseph, even though she was more or less out of it herself, too. You get two types of drunks - happy, and sad. She was a mix of both - Was Joseph really worried about them? She didn't want him to be, she didn't want him to be upset after a good day out. Her head was spinning, but she knew she'd be alright. She just needed some time to get over it, but she wasn't in the state where she felt like she was going to vomit, as well. She could just about hold her liquor.


"None of it's your fault. I was just as bad." She said, and with that, nodded down the hallway. "Come on, let's get going." She said, and off she went. She was more stumbling than anything else, but, she managed to get to the kitchen just fine and sit down, her head on the surface of the kitchen island while James whipped something up. What he made was nothing spectacular, but he shoved some bread rolls in the oven for a while, until they were ever so slightly crunchy but also hot, and with that he carved up some honey-roasted ham and whacked those inside them after buttering them. He delivered the hot sandwiches to them with a cup of coffee each, too. Hopefully that would be enough to sober them up a bit more, but he'd have to wait and see.


James had to stand there and listen to the apology, though. Although at the end of it he raised a hand and cut her off.


"Not my point." He shook his head. "I'm not bothered about the fun or who did what." He said, firmly. "That's not what the important part is here, and I'm not looking for people to blame, either." He shook his head, "But I did trust you both enough to ensure it didn't get too stupid, just in case something came up - like it did a little while ago. Thankfully, the thing that came up isn't something that puts us in danger, but, it's nothing pleasant." He said. Probably not a good sign that whatever the unpleasant thing was involved Thalia, but hey, that was life sometimes. He knew she wasn't going to like the news. He was giving them both the cold shoulder for now, just because the situation was severe. Thalia was eager to know what it was, though, as she said, she was listening now, 110% focus.


James shook his head.


"Not here." He said, and pushed the plates and coffee towards them both. "Eat. I need to make a call." He said, and without another word, he went out back and wandered through the yard and into the poolhouse, where he closed and bolted the doors right behind him. He got his phone out, and after flicking through some of the contacts, he selected on one and hit 'Call'.


Ring.


Ring.


Ring.


"JP's Automotives." 


"Hello, I'm looking for a car I left in with you last time I was in town... It's a Crimson Infiniti." 


There was silence, the phone went dead for a few seconds, and soon, the line was picked up by someone else.


"I was wondering when I'd hear from you again." 


"Jon. A pleasant surprise, I'm sure."


"That's what you call it now?" He chuckled, lightheartedly. "Long time no speak, Jamie-boy. What can I do you for?"


"We have an issue, and I'm in dire need of a mechanic that operates out of Philadephia."


"I'm listening."


"Charles Griffin, and his mother. Charles is a priority in this situation, but, I need you to do something concerning their safety."


"Ooo... Tasty situation you're throwing at me. I'm going to take a guess and say you're involved in something that's tied to that big terror attack that left the Reverend dead, hm?"


"Maybe." He said, "I need you to do digging, I need you to do everything you can to find out where they are and what they're doing - If the man of the family's dead, then so are they - at least there's that risk." He said. "I want you to help them get the fuck out of Philadelphia, and down here to California. But they can't leave via Philly, it's too risky, too much going on. We have no idea how many Al-Asheera members are still hiding out there - for all we know, they're going to be watching every airport, bus, and train station in the city. I want men on every fucking doorway, Jon. And better yet, you're going to be the one that helps them get here, safely, be it by plane, boat, or fucking magic carpet. I don't give a shit how, but I want them here safe. Philly's not a good place for them anymore." 


"I can't do it all, James. You'll need to help me out with your tech handiness. You do the digging, I'll do the dirty work. But a job like this? It'll cost you."


"I can pay whatever it takes, Jon, but this is of the utmost importance. If you do this, I want you out of Philadelphia by the start of the night."


"Strong demands."


"Necessary."


There was some silence. "Alright then, James. We've got a business arrangement, it seems. Any other orders you want to lie down, or should I pack my bags?"


"Yes. One last thing. I know you struggle sometimes, Jon, but for the love of fucking god, be nice to the kid."


"Pff, what sort of monster do you take me for?"


"I know what you're like. I don't want them getting here in Cali and it be revealed the kid suffered a mental breakdown because of you. The little guy's only eight. Be. Fucking. Nice." 


"Alright, alright..." He sighed. "You have no faith in me, James. I'm a sweetheart, deep down."


"Whatever. I'll text you addresses and details soon." He said, and with that, he hung up.


He just wanted to smash some shit - the whole situation made him so angry, so upset, so pissed off that things couldn't have been different. He had to bottle away all his emotion over it in front of Joseph, obviously, but now it was finally being released. Could he make plans quick enough for the rest of Thalia's family to be helped? He had no idea if they were planning to leave for California or not - he didn't know that Jacob knew of Thalia's whereabouts, but, would Al-Asheera honestly just let them leave Philly? Even if they did, did Thalia really need Ra's knowing that her family was in Cali now? It wasn't something that'd be convenient for anyone, but, now came the harder part of all of this. Now came the part of breaking the bad news to her, so, James went back inside, and after gently tapping Thalia on the shoulder and nodding towards the back door, he lead her outside and over to the pool bar. He locked the door.


"The thing I wanted to talk about, Thalia, is not going to be easy to hear." He said. "And I'm sorry I have to do this now, on a day where we're meant to escape all of this. But, this isn't something that can wait." He sighed, then looked around for a moment. There was a long, painful silence, but he couldn't even make eye contact with her when he finally gave the news. He stared through the glass panels of the door and looked at the pool.


"Al-Asheera launched an attack on your father's church not too long ago. Witnesses... One shooter, Al-Asheera claimed responsibility. Killed a lot of the whole flock, and..." He sighed and shook his head. "Your father was the target, Thalia. I'm sorry. He's gone." 


What more could he say?


--


"Karin, I think it'd be best to give her a call or talk to her tomorrow. Not today. As James said, today's our off-day and we can't make any changes to that just yet, not without good reason. Plus, we're still waiting on McAllister to get back to us with something else. He might get back to us sooner rather than later, but for now, we just need to stay put, you know what I mean?" He said. He didn't know how today was going to unfold, but, he was just going to have to sit back and wait and see more than anything. For all he knew, things could change very quickly, and they could change for the worst of things, too. He still couldn't take his mind off of Thalia's loss. Did she know yet? Did she know the severity of what had happened? He didn't want to imagine her reaction, but he couldn't help but think of how she'd take it. He only pictured her falling to her knees and bursting into tears of just... Agony, basically. 


To think she was never going to be able to make amends with her dad hurt him, too, but not as much as it would hurt her.


How many more people were going to have to die before all of this finally stopped? And what of her family back at home? Her mother and her brother? Were they going to be okay? Would someone be able to help them out and make sure they got out of the city safely? It was hard to tell what the situation was going to be, but, it was one they were going to have to deal with for the time-being. 


What if her mother and brother were already dead, and they just didn't know it?


Oh, god.


Focus, Frank. Take your mind off of it. Go to the bathroom - you're probably more on edge because you need to piss, or something.


Anything to get his thoughts elsewhere.


He rose up from his desk.


"Tony, I'm dropping by the bathroom, grabbing coffee on my way back. You want one? When I get back I'm gonna' throw together some basic documentation on Bradan's group. Confidential, of course." He said. "Honestly, pal, I'm hoping for a quiet day at the office today. Things feel like they've been... Very chaotic, recently."

 

[KasperXIII]

So the two girls returned to the kitchen together. Thalia was impressed at how well Karin could hold herself off after all of what they'd just ingested. She did boast about being used to it, drinking whiskey like it's water or something along those lines. What she tasted these past while? Some really strong shit, but it was also extremely exciting. It wasn't something she'd want to try again. Those moments in the bathroom puking her guts out were certainly unpleasant. Next time, she and Karin were going to take it easy. Maybe after an experience like this, though, she wouldn't get tipsy off a few sips. Quite embarrassing for an average 21-year-old, and even more embarrassing when it happened in front of Frank in the bedroom. At her age, it felt awkward to be put off her game after just a few sips like that. It only further highlighted that she was childish and incompetent, which is something she didn't like or want. She'd have to grow up someday, but if only she could somewhat preserve some elements of her wild side. Maybe not drinking till you drop and spit chunks, but a glass or two with her best friend in a few days, or some rough-but-not-too-rough fun in the bedroom with her cop of a boyfriend... wouldn't hurt anyone, right?


Karin refused to let Thalia feel like the only guilty party; they both had a hand in this, after all. Her friend was still a bit disoriented, but with Thalia feeling more in-her-head, she held her on the way there. James had food prepared for them, and fortunately, he didn't put on an infuriated show, scolding the girls for misbehaving. He wasn't happy about their little display, but he clearly couldn't hold it against them. Long term feuds are what would separate them further, apparent by Tony's tension with Thalia. The way that unfolded and developed just goes to show what a mild disagreement can do to the group. On top of that, Thalia and James were fundamental elements of the operation. Losing them sends the detectives up the creek without a paddle. No, James was being mature about the situation with just a bit of the cold shoulder treatment, and clearly, Thalia was back in a functional mindset. Maybe a bit of a headache and some lingering dizziness, but she'd live. She could also hear James out about what was so important, but he wanted her and Karin to eat first. The smell of the toasted sandwiches was enough to overcome the intoxicated thoughts from before and bring her back to reality as she took a seat at the table and dug in. Considering now, the girls had to wait for James to make his urgent phone call, Thalia opened up a quick side comment about the food.


"You're so lucky, Kar... He's rich AND can cook? On top of a hundred other things we probably don't know he can do. I might as well come here from now on for lunch, right?" Light-hearted and sweet, winking to Karin, who could hopefully comprehend her words through her own clouded thoughts. Either way, Thalia dug in to the food, enjoying it while it lasted. Home-cooked meals. It was still strange to her, honestly. Back with Al-Asheera, it was all junk food or microwavable goods - that is given Ra's actually fed them on a particular day. So even something simple meant the world to her.


Soon into the meal, once Thalia was almost done, she felt a tap on the shoulder, signalling her to follow the source. She looked over her shoulder: James. Whatever he needed to say, it was about to come out. A bit of tension built up within Thalia, curious of what was to come. What was so important that had happened while they were drunk? She followed him outside by the pool and towards the bar. The door was locked, too. How bad was this going to be? James' voice alone told that it wasn't going to be good news.


It was bad enough to hear that the church she'd practically grown up in was terrorized by Al-Asheera. Terrorism? They never did it blatantly and murdered an entire congregation. It wasn't like them, and Thalia knew this. There had to be something else at play. St. Agatha's meant a lot to her, even if not all the memories there were good ones. She could remember being scolded by her father every Sunday she didn't want to go to church, or every time she refused to altar serve, read the Gospel for him, or play the role of Mary in the Christmas pageant. They all had some deeper meaning; memories of her family that still rang in her head, even if she wasn't a loyal Christian. Memories were memories and they'd never go away.


But then... her father was the target. And he was killed. The neutral expression on Thalia's face soon turned into shock, her eyes widened farther than before, her head leaning inward to James in disbelief. No way... again, this didn't sound like something Al-Asheera would do, but James wouldn't deliver false information to her face. He was the type that would get his facts straight before delivering an ugly truth. Especially one this ugly. Her head jolted side to side, her hair shaking likewise. "N-No... No, that can't be, James. Al-Asheera aren't...." She was about to say 'they aren't like that', but thinking back, Ra's was the type that would break his own rules to make a statement. "Families are off limits; you probably don't know, but it's a rule among...." A rule? Ra's broke several rules around her, and violated her time and time again. How could she trust his word alone? "James... tell me that's not true." But he couldn't. It was more than real. Almost instantly, Thalia's head bowed down as her hands scrambled for her cell phone, her normal one rather than the burner. She quickly opened the internet browser on the mobile and searched for her father's full name, Reverend Jacob Griffin....


No.... No, no, no, don't tell me that's.... Shit, no!


The reports were great in numbers in such a short time, all telling the same thing: Al-Asheera terrorized a church and assassinated her father, his face plastered by every headline with pictures of the victory card her organization left behind. It confirmed it for Thalia: Al-Asheera - under the ruling of Ra's, most probably - killed her father. If only she could unsee all of those titles and descriptions as her heart sank in its place. It felt as if it'd become a punching bag and Ra's took a knockout punch straight for the center. Her head lifted upward slightly, but still staring at the ground, her hands shivering from the fear of what she'd just read. Her eyes didn't blink or diverge from their place, and her jaw dropped, trying to think of ways that this was a hoax. Possible enemies? Her father had none. Some creep trying to give him bad press with a fake death report? Why would someone do that to some small-scale Jesus freak from Philly? And why would anyone frame Al-Asheera for it, too? This couldn't be forged. This was Al-Asheera, for sure, and the headlines kept rolling in her head, alongside memories of the last time she'd seen her father. The night before she ran away.


Worse: she'd spoken to the man a few hours ago. His shocked reaction when he found a lead on his longlost daughter. His reaction was priceless, and it even got her excited to see him again. But was that phone call what triggered Al-Asheera to come after him? Probably not. They were too disconnected from technology to guess that. But his voice... she heard his voice a few hours ago, his overjoyed reaction, even if he'd just hung up the phone. It made her regret giving him an alias. She should've just used her real name. Maybe they could've talked for longer, even if he missed his usual afternoon mass. Maybe she could've gotten to know her father better after eight years, even a chance to talk to her mother or brother, too. A mistake of her life, because now, she'd never get a chance to see or speak to him again. He was gone, and it was Ra's' doing. He killed her father to get inside her head, and it sickened her to know that he broke his own code to make her suffer. Sure, Thalia felt a disconnection from her parents, the entire reason she ran away in the first place. But she never pictures that her father, who, deep down, was a very lovable person, would ever be murdered like that. And his followers were put at risk, too, as many of them were collateral in the mix of bullets. Why? Is it because of Roland? Did that blow the operation? What could it be?


Reasons. Questions. All running in her head and she wanted answers at some point. What's worse, if they got to her father so quickly, who's to say they won't go for her mother? Or Charlie? They could be next. And Ra's clearly still had men in Philly to assassinate whoever he wanted. She wanted to get in contact with them again, her fingers trying to dial the number of her home phone, hoping her mother was at home, and telling them to get out of town as soon as possible. Still extremely risky, though. Ra's probably had men at airports, train stations, and bus stops. They might just die then and there. What could Thalia do? She didn't want to leave them to die. 


"He's not.... Daddy... he's not...."


Her words were coming out monotonously and unfocused, her fingers struggling to go to her contacts, still shivering in fear and shock until the phone slipped from her fingers to the floor. She felt even more incompetent, useless, a failure. Had she never run away, maybe they'd all be alive. Maybe she'd be miserable, but... that misery was far better than knowing her father died because of her actions. Because of her decision to join Al-Asheera. Ra's would blame her in the end. And Thalia knew she was at fault at the core.


"It's my fault, isn't it?" she whimpered, still refusing to look up, shaking her head and a few tears coming down her watering green eyes. Her knees began to feel weak as well, but not in a drunkened manner. She felt weak in general, powerless. She failed her family. Charlie would now grow up without a father because of her. That is, if Ra's doesn't take her brother from her next. She couldn't bear the thought that he keeps this up. Standing was something she couldn't do anymore; she fell to her knees, her hands rubbing against her eyes to avoid making it obvious she was about to cry. A sign of weakness in front of James, but could he blame her? She was human after all. And unlike Al-Asheera's typical brutes, she had a heart. Her breaths became uneasy and her voice clogged by a stuffed nose, "Tell me that this could be fake, James.... he can't be gone... not without..."


She couldn't say it out loud, catching her breath and her palms slapping over her face to cover her sorry. If she could finish that statement? 'Not without me telling him I'm sorry.' He'd never get a chance to hear that. He died hopeful that he'd see his little girl again. But he also died with the void of eight years in her absence. Nothing could undo that sort of pain, and now, Thalia would go the rest of her days with that guilt in her heart. The guilt that, had she not run away, he might still be here. He might've come to LA, and she could've seen him again.


"I talked to him this morning, James," she confessed, her words muffled by her hands. "I have my old phone number from Philly..." her words were cut off by occasional sniffles or sobs, out of her control. "I called it, maybe to hear my brother's voice... but my dad answered. I panicked. I wanted him to come here, so I told him....." she panted, afraid of what his reaction would be. He might assume it's what killed him. "I told him that I was with some humanitarian group that hunted down lost kids. That they found me here in LA. It's not what killed him... Ra's doesn't know how to bug phones or listen to conversations, but...." It then developed into actual crying. No masking it as her hands fell from her face her shattered facial expression rising to see James. "He sounded so... surreal. He couldn't believe that he might've just found me. And now I'll never get to see him. I had my final conversation with my father hours before his death, faking who I was, and without apologizing for running away. Without telling him that I loved him regardless..."


There wasn't much else she could say, her body falling to her left side, her head leaning up against the bar island in the room as she let her sorrows out without any holds barred. This broke her beyond any past experience. Ra's. He did this to her. Now, if she ever sees him again, she might just kill him. She wanted to call him, but she felt too incapable of lasting a phone call with that psycho. He'd belittle her, make her feel worse. James wasn't exactly the best at showing compassion, so she chose to stick to letting out her sorrows and agony by herself. A good day ruined now all because of one life changing decision eight years ago. He would still be alive if she didn't choose to run away. Her thoughts reached out to his spirit, probably to go unheard, but it was her regrets:


I'm sorry, Daddy! I'm sorry I ran away! If I could do it all over, I would stay with you! I wish I could tell you to your face how much I regret everything...

 

[DrTrollinski]

James wasn't good at showing compassion, no, and he'd openly admit that. He just stood there and let Thalia come to terms with it all - it was the only chance she was going to get to actually think about it before things started swinging into action again, and James could only imagine that she wanted to run off on some big almighty revenge mission and probably get herself and the rest of her family killed in the process. He just hoped she'd find hope in the fact that her mother and brother were alive, and that he was making arrangements to ensure they got to California safely, all right under Ra's nose, too. That was the best and safest bet they had - if they could get Ra's with the element of surprise, then that would be all. He would slowly crumble - a man who relied on knowing everything about everyone. James could only imagine his reaction when he found out that Charlie and his mother couldn't be found anywhere in Philly. 


"As Dalai Lama once said, Thalia, know the rules well, so you can break them effectively." He sighed. "I hate to be the one to deliver the bad news, but, that's just the way it is. Ra's has broken his rules on the back of his god-complex. He thinks this won't swing around and hit him, but, he's wrong." He said. Did James have a plan? "For all he knows, his hacker friend Miracle is very against his actions. As soon as we have Melissa back - which should be as soon as he hears from Roland - you can guess who he may get a call from. And if we wanted to, we could deny him from his money purely because he did something so horrific to people of the church. But, at the same time, blame could get shifted to you. It's dependant on how you want this to unfold, but, let's not worry about that just yet." He said, then crouched down beside her and placed a hand down on her shoulder.


"I'm not good at the sympathy game, Thalia. Not many people are." He whispered, "The first time I properly did it was today with Joseph - He told me how he still has the thoughts of the diner at the back of his head, how he's still scared that one day something like that will happen again, and he won't be lucky enough to get away from it. He asked me if I ever went through something like that, and obviously, I told him about the time I was skimmed by a bullet, left side." He said. "I had to lie and say it was a stray bullet from a shooter, but, the point was, I told him one thing: It's no way to live your life, sitting up at night wondering if things will just be the same, or if they'll change. You can't change what happened to your father, Thalia, even if you pray 'til Jesus rolls away the stone." He explained. "Me and you, we could sit here and we could cry and exchange tears and sappy letters to each other, telling each other how bad things are and how much damage we've caused - I've hurt and caused the death of people I cared for too many times, and if I was to sit here and think about how it might be all my fault? I wouldn't be here right now."


"You called him, you went under a fake name - Why wouldn't you? It's been eight long years of nothing, eight years of not knowing if he loved you or hated your guts for running away. A fake name and alias was the only way forward - It's like playing poker, situations like this. You can have a 2 and a 3 in your hand, and there could be a 4 and a 5 on the table. You could pray on the fourth or fifth table card to be what you need to get a winning hand, but, realistically, is it going to happen?" He asked. "You can't anticipate things like that. Just like you can't anticipate the fucked up thing Ra's did today. If I'd known about it, it'd be different, but the fact was that none of us did." He said, then rose back up to his feet and started to pace around a little bit. He needed to bring Thalia back, needed her to be strong once more - there'd be time for grievance later on, but not now. Not here.


"I need you to pull yourself together." He said, quietly. "Your father is gone, the stories aren't fake, but there is one thing I can tell you that's true - Your family is safe. The rest of them." He said. "I've made a call to a man, Jon Parker, he operates around the Philly area. He's given his word that he'll help escort your mother and your brother all the way to California - and he's not letting them leave via Philly, or even via the state. He's getting them out of there, and he's getting them on a plane here, and it'll all be right under Ra's nose. He won't even know they're here." He explained. "He'll have security, protection, people to look after the two of them. And I made him promise that he'll be nice to Charlie, too, which should hopefully be somewhat of a bonus to their situation. A minor one, yes, but I told him your brother has priority here." He explained. 


"I promise, Thalia, that I will pay for every fucking second of therapy that you, your mother, and your brother need to come to terms with the death of your father. If your brother wants to have his counseling with a man in a Gorilla suit, then so be it, consider it done. Keep in mind that that's my promise, and not one that I'll go back on. Either way, you know your family will have a place here until things have settled down. There's enough room and enough beds that haven't been used - I'm sure your brother would get on well with Joseph, anyway, wouldn't you think?" He asked. "But what we can't do now, Thalia, is leave you to your sorrow, your pain. If they get here and all you're doing is crying and saying how it's all your fault, then..." He shook his head. "It's not going to help them." He sighed.


"Now, Thalia, for this to go ahead... I only need one thing from you for now." He cleared his throat. "I need your home address. I assume you remember it?" He asked.


He figured he may as well give everything to her straight. There was no point in beating around the bush.

 

[KasperXIII]

To say Thalia was miserable would be a major understatement. But it wasn't just misery and sorrow in her heart. There was anger, depression, guilt... emptiness. Indeed, there was a void in her heart of eight years without a proper father figure in her life. Sure, she had Ra's, who wasn't that much younger than her father, but he was never the same. Ra's was more like her boss and obliged sexual partner than anything. An unstable beast rather than someone she could describe as a father. Her bond with her father slowly became weaker and weaker in childhood until it was completely severed when she ran away. But even if she broke the ties by her own hands, the rope burns still hurt. For the first few months in Al-Asheera, she felt a bit of doubts, possibly a desire to come home. But with what? Two noticeable tattoos on her body, scars on her back from the torture Ra's made her endure as a defenseless child? It was a point of no return, but the brute promised he'd never touch her family. That was a lie, and if she hadn't felt betrayed enough when he took the woman she loved, this hurt even more. How many more people had to die to keep pushing this girl over the edge? She wouldn't let the next blood to be spilled be her brother's or mother's. Even if she had to get in bed with Ra's one more time just to get close enough to slit his throat. She'd contemplated it before but never had the motivation...


But now she did. The next time she faces Ra's, she'll kill him.


Even in a time of sorrow, the world didn't stop spinning. Plans were still in motion. Plans to get Melissa back, to squeeze information out of Roland, and to hand over her compensation money. All of which were still going to move forward with or without her, with twists and turns with this new development. She had to pull herself together eventually, even if she felt completely demotivated and unwilling to go on. She was the key to getting her revenge. She sniffled a bit more and cleared the tears from her eyes, ready to speak, but still didn't make eye contact with James, "You're willing to risk your cover because of some girl who lost her father to Al-Asheera? That'll blow your story wide open, saying we're more than just associates. He'll get jumpy, think it's personal.... and he might kill everyone else I care about. Best we stick to the plan... It's not like I will let that bastard live after this."


A threat she intended to make good on.


Sympathy? Not like she ever asked for it. He placed a hand on her shoulder and startled her for a moment, turning to face him. "I didn't ask you to be a shoulder to cry on, James. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself. When Ra's killed Vanessa, I had nobody to lean on. I can..." she sighed, catching her breath. "...handle myself. No lies, no masking anything. I just need till tomorrow to shake the shitty day off." It surely ways. She was not only heartbroken and in tears, but it also magnified the degree of her head, throwing her head against the back of the surface she was up against. "I just want the day to be miserable and sad just so I can get up tomorrow and try to move passed this. Try not to pin it all on myself and be useful for once in my shit life."


Putting herself down was a coping mechanism for her, even if it was a bit counter-productive, depressing her further. It gave her some form of accomplishment to admit to a reality. It's good to know James understood her reasoning for calling her father earlier that day. It put her at a bit of ease, trying her hardest to stop crying. Looking upward. That seemed to help. Anything to pull herself together and be strong. And hearing the hopeful words that her brother and mom were still out there certainly worked to get her attention, just watching James stand up and continue to speak about them, how he promised to get them out of Philly and into LA. Into LA, here, with her. She'd finally get to face the remainder of her family. It was scary as well as positive for her. An insanely generous gesture from James. He certainly had a heart, and she trusted he'd keep his word. He always has till now. She had no reason not to trust him.


"I don't need therapy. I've dealt with enough trauma," she shook her head, denying any sort of professional treatment even if it's offered. "I'll be fine, James. Just a day to shake this off. No doctors or any shit like that for me, please?" She didn't like doctors in all honesty. Any time she was in pain, she'd treat herself. Unless she was unconscious, like the other day when James patched up her wounds that Ra's left behind. She could still feel the patch on her neck from the cigarette burn. But she continued, "Thank you. For helping. You know you could just leave me here to cry it off and not do anything about me or my family, but you are. I was never fond of my family, but things have changed. I can't lose my mom and brother. It may be hard on my mom, leaving her accustomed home for the second time in her life, but it's for the best... she'll know I'm here waiting for her, right? Me and her have a lot to discuss. Eight years of talking to make up for, really."


A conversation with her mom, at long last. She wanted that so badly, just to hug her and get out all of the childish emotions left in her heart. Something years overdue. But the one way to make the hunt easier? If Thalia gave James her old address. She nodded when asked. "How can I forget? My parents never moved. It's my childhood in that house... 299... Southeast... Higgins Avenue..." She hesitated with each part, the very address bringing her back to when she was just a kid. All the good memories. "I used to pass by all the time, hoping I'd get a glimpse of Charlie. Eight years, and I never did. Up until you gave me his file."


With the hard part now a breeze, Thalia had one last request, folding her legs over one another on the floor, putting her hands in her lap. One last peek upward, and she asked, "I.... Can you send Karin in here? Y-You can tell her what happened, but I want to talk to her alone when she feels up to it. You have my address now. P-Please find them. I really don't think I could handle losing them all. And... thank you, again. This may seem stupid to you, but it really isn't. If you could make amends with your family, wouldn't you?"


--


299 SE Higgins Ave, Griffin Residence | Philadelphia, PA


Coping with the loss of a spouse is never easy for any widow, and Nicole Griffin was no different. A French-born American citizen who teaches a variety of subjects for elementary and middle school students, married to the late Jacob Griffin, who recently passed away at the catastrophe at his church, now just as devastated as her missing daughter on the other side of the country. A police officer from the Philadelphia PD came to her home to deliver the bad news and try to gather any information she might've known. Anything that the PD here or in LA could use to get a bead on Al-Asheera, who are actively taking responsibility for the attack. An assassination, even, and Nicole wasn't oblivious to any of this. The woman herself bared a great physical resemblance to her daughter, Thalia. A similar shade of red locks despite how it had become slightly lighter due to her age, green eyes, pale skin, probably a slightly foreign vibe given by her physical appearance alone. For over two decades, she'd been exactly that, a stranger to America, even if she spoke English like any other American, a part of her always found solace in her home back in Paris. Age had done a number to the 45 year old woman, the noticeable wrinkles on her once-young face. It was a sign of maturity and strength. Losing her daughter while pregnant with a son was not easy for her and put her under a great mental strain. And every day, this woman had hoped and prayed that one day her daughter would return home. But the day they finally get that wish, with a stranger supposedly finding their firstborn in Los Angeles, it comes at the price of losing her husband. It was a blessing and a curse, but with the pastor's body to tend to and give a proper burial and preparations for the next scholastic year in full cycle, Nicole couldn't simply take her son and travel immediately. For now, all she could do is sit at her living room couch, in an appropriate black dress signifying her state of mourning, and a pack of tissues by her side, she had to listen to the usual measures taken by the local PD.


"Mrs. Griffin, just so you know, the Philadelphia PD extends its deepest condolences to you and your son. It's not easy to lose a daughter and a husband like this, and we recognize that. Which is why we have men working this case till its end to get justice for your husband. He was a very loved member of the community, and members of the parish are preparing a memorial ceremony already in loving memory of the deceased. Their deaths won't be in vain, I can assure you."


A shaky voice came from the widow, "I don't need you to tell me what I already know. Those men with that organization... Al-Asheera? They took my husband from me. They've haunted the streets of Philadelphia for as long as my daughter's been alive... do you know how it feels to know that my daughter might've been killed by them? I feel so fortunate to have heard that she's alright on the other side of the country."


Then came a more painful part of the conversation. "Mrs. Griffin, witnesses are claiming that they heard the gunman saying that... it's your daughter's fault for your husband's death?"


"Excuse me?"


"We don't know what that means, Ma'am. But we are working actively to find out."


Wiping beneath her nose with a tissue paper, she continued asking the millions of questions racing in her mind. Disbelief shrouded the woman, "Are you telling me my daughter might've been associated with those monsters?"


"Nothing is for certain. We aren't going to tell you anything we can't confirm. For all we know, this man might've just wanted your husband to die with a horrible memory of his daughter."


"I.... I raised my daughter better than that."


"Like I said, Mrs. Griffin, we will not confirm anything until all of the facts come through. We are hoping that your daughter is not involved with them, and she will be considered innocent until proven guilty."


"That's what you all say before you put them in handcuffs." She couldn't imagine Thalia in present day, however she could envision her - perhaps as a clone of herself at 21 - being put in handcuffs and arrested. She refused to believe it.


"Ma'am..." The officer felt like he was being trapped in a corner, Nicole's voice becoming more and more shrill and forceful. Nothing could undo his words of hope that did just the opposite to her. She was becoming more distressed than before. That was no way to ease the nerves of a weeping widow.


"No. Get out of my house. Leave me in peace with my son. Please."


And the officer obeyed, quietly getting up from his spot, bidding his farewells, "If you know anything that could help about your husband or Thalia.... do tell us, Mrs. Griffin. I wish you good luck." He turned his back on the humble family's family room and exited from the fancy wooden front door, leaving the single mother alone in the family room. Crying further wouldn't do much at this point, and she still hasn't told Charlie about what's happened. He was spending the day at a friend's house, and hasn't called this friend's mother just yet. How would she tell her son that his father wasn't coming home? It was the hardest decision for a mother to have to take. If only she could get some answers to her burning questions. Get some closure for her family slowly falling apart.


Ever since Thalia ran away, Nicole blamed herself for it, and didn't want to make the same mistakes raising Charlie. While she did place him in several clubs and activities, she only did the ones that he would enjoy. She taught him her mother tongue, but didn't enforce it the same way she did with her firstborn. She also didn't enforce extreme religious practice with the boy and let him stay at friends' houses more than she allowed for her daughter. She could only hope that one day, Charlie doesn't follow in Thalia's footsteps, realize he's been wronged, and runs away. It was this mother's worst nightmare. And now with no father in the picture... she didn't know if she could hold it together. 

 

[DrTrollinski]

"No, no." He shook his head. Thalia seemed to have misunderstood what he meant. "I never said I was going to risk blowing my own cover - what I said I'd do, if you wanted me to, is call up Ra's and tell him to go fuck himself, and that I and the money are disappearing. Unless you really want to go ahead with the initial plan and give this bastard the million - but keep in mind, we had a deal of our own, and you told me that I wouldn't have to meet him in person. That end of the deal is being kept - no matter what, I'm not letting him see me face-to-face. You can have the money to deliver to him, but, if he's not going to play by his rules, then I'm not going to, either." He said. Now wasn't really the appropriate time to talk about formalities of deals and trade-offs, though, now was the time to deal with the more pressing matters at hand. They had to take care of just about everything involving Thalia's family, but, the night was going to hold so much more drama for just about everyone.


"Shit life, eh?" He questioned. "You're not going to get anywhere with this if you think of it like that. Yeah, things have been pretty fuckin' dreadful over the past few years, but, think, as bad as things got, things could be much worse. Ra's could have done a number on your whole family - he could have had all three of them executed, and that would have been it. But he didn't. There's been times in the past he's fucked you over, and ruined your life, but... Given all you've been achieving in as little as two days, and the fact that your family, other than your father, are very much alive... I'd say things aren't going anywhere near as bad as they could be. But that's just my outlook - none of my business, ultimately." He said. "If you don't want any professional help, that's fine, but... Anything else you need, make sure you let me know." He said.


"Your mother will be fine getting here." He said. "She'll settle into the Californian lifestyle without an issue, I should imagine. Your brother, however, may be different. From my understanding, he hasn't moved around the world like your mother has. A sudden change like this combined with his father's death is bound to have some sort of negative impact, but, you have my word I'll keep an eye out for him." He nodded. "There obviously is only so much I can do, but, I'll do everything I have in my power to ensure both of them are alright, and more importantly, make sure that both of them live comfortably here. It's almost terrifying that I'm going to have more or less a full house within the next few days, but, I guess that's something we're going to have to deal with when it arises. Things will be fine, though, I'm sure. Jon Parker is one of my most trusted friends, and... Given his own history, I think he'll be suited for this job. There's just some things that are meant to be." He shrugged.


He had the address, though, and immediately, he texted that to Jon - Jon started packing his bags right away, as well as doing some of his less-than-legal work to make sure they didn't have any issues when it came to getting onto planes and such. It's not like they could use real names in this situation, either, so he had to take it slow, and more importantly, plan out a way he was going to deal with the kid. He was taking one man along for security, but, if James wanted him to be nice to Charlie... He was going to have to find some sort of way to get this boy to trust him from the get-go, more or less. It wasn't going to be easy, but he had some ideas, some that may work.


"I'll send Karin in, of course." He said. "It'd probably be best that you told her what happened, Thalia. I'm sure you'd word it far better than I would." He said. "Take as long as you need, lie low, and whatever you do, don't drink any more. I can't remember what you learn in Middle School, but they must have told you that alcohol's a depressant." He shrugged. "See you soon. You know where to find me if you need anything. Joseph was looking to practice some soccer, so, there's a chance I'll be playing that in the yard with him. We'll see." He shrugged again. "I'll have my eyes and ears open, though - The whole thing will be safe in the hands of Jon, but he has my number, just in case." He explained, and off he went. He went back into the house and found Karin, who had now finished eating and was more or less done with her coffee, too.


He told her to go and see Thalia. She didn't hold back on that, and she practically ran all the way to the pool house and closed the door behind her.


"Thalia, what's going on?" She asked. Had she been crying? It certainly looked like she had - Karin wasn't liking the look of this, and if James wanted to talk about something serious, she couldn't imagine it'd be any good. Now was the time for her to find out, though.


--


Jon's Garage - Philadelphia, PA.


Falsified passports, lacking pictures, but what they needed.


A solid plan - Check.


A man for backup - Check.


Weapons - Check.


A packed bag - Check.


More or less everything, give or take a few things. He had what he needed, and now that he had Thalia's home address, it was time to head there and rush things along, and get Nicole and Charlie out of Philly for good. Well, maybe not for good, but at least until things blew over. Jacob deserved a proper burial, but, the community would surely see to that if Nicole and Charlie weren't around to make plans themselves. Jon was going as quick as he could from now on - a local businessman that was secretly involved in some deep and dark shit? Well, that's what you get for being an associate of James, really. Jon may have collected and sold fancy automobiles for a nice chunk of his income, but the real money came from the shady shit he got into. Hopefully he wouldn't come across as too shady for the family, though.


Still, they needed all the help they could get in a time like this. In the trunk of the car, he had his packed bags that had the more important things in there, such as his clothes and god knows what else they'd be needing over the course of their journey, but his backpack had all the other things. Some tools, the falsified passports (as he and his people were guys who actually supplied them, getting hold of some blank spares wasn't hard to do. All they needed was to find some with appropriate dates of birth), and just some other things that may not have been entirely necessary, but never hurt to have. First Aid kits, medicines of various sorts. Who knew what was going to happen on the road, right? They had a long drive ahead of them, after all, and Jon didn't want to be stopping anywhere even close to Philadelphia. Even anywhere in PA was a push. Just keep driving. The road wasn't endless, and it never would be. The road is as long as you want it to be. That was Jon's moral, really.


Still, it was time to go to the Griffin Household.


A Short While Later


And here it was, a nice place, but one that was soon going to be left behind and forgotten. There was no point them staying here now. After having a good search around, Jon told his dear associate to wait in the back of the car while he went and collected the two people he was here to protect. Given the severity of what he was dealing with, and what he was involved in, he hoped he wasn't going to be walking in on two dead bodies, but, you never know. No cops seemed to be hanging around at the minute, either, so now was the perfect opening to get out of the car and make his way to the door. He didn't know what sort of emotional mess he'd be walking in on, but, he was going to have to keep his cool - this journey would quickly become annoying, as well, seeing as his own partner was young enough to be his son. Jon Parker was called up for jobs for many reasons - mainly because he knew how to deliver, but...


He knocked on the door.


.. He also knew how to get in, get out, and get things done without leaving too much of a mess behind. What was the point in sending someone in if they'd just leave everything behind that could be traced back to wherever? There was no need to leave clues, no need to let things get out in the open when they didn't need to. It was little simple things like that that could make or break things. Maybe Jon would even have his use to James in other fronts, providing they were still friends at the end of it all. A job like this could carry a lot of weight, and cause a lot of damage if even the slightest thing went wrong. Jon just had to hope that things went smooth. A lot was riding on this.


He kept knocking, too. Being persistent was key. They couldn't ignore him if he just kept on knocking for ages.


Whenever Nicole decided to come to the door, she'd have seen one man:

​

 
​

He was in a white shirt, suit pants, fancy black leather shoes. But he had a backpack over his shoulder. He didn't look like a Jehovah's witness of any sort, either, and he certainly wasn't a regular at the church. Would Nicole be able to figure out that this man wasn't a cop, but was somehow here in relation to what happened to Jacob? In a situation like this one, it was quite ominous to have a man like Jon appear at your doorstep, but... Was she attentive enough to realize that an unstoppable change was on the horizon? The persistent knocking combined with the serious look and the lack of companions the mystery man seemed to have? 


Only time would tell.

 

[KasperXIII]

James really wasn't a compassionate person, not someone Thalia could release all of her emotions out to. It's why she asked for Karin instead. Even if the white-haired girl didn't care to hear her problems, it still felt good to let it out to someone closer. But Thalia was going to honor the deal about James not meeting Ra's face to face. She nodded. "I didn't forget that. Ra's will never meet with you. We'll... talk about that later. I just want to talk to Karin, please?"


He made a point as well: things could have been much worse than they are now. Ra's could've just killed all three members of her immediate family. But he didn't. Maybe he was waiting for just the right moment? Or keeping them alive as leverage to make sure Thalia doesn't betray him, and her father was only proof that he would do the unthinkable. She couldn't think about that. But once her mother and Charlie get to LA, she would do everything in her power to protect them, keep them safe. Even if she had to cut Ra's' head off personally, inherit the throne of Al-Asheera, and disband it, probably to risk a bounty on her head, she'd do it. They meant so much to her, especially her mother, who she owed a deep apology to her for everything. The tattoo would make it obvious where she's been for eight years, and that in itself had Thalia ashamed of herself. The horrible thoughts were getting worse and worse. But she knew what she had to do in time.


Almost instantly after seeing her friend enter and ask what was wrong, Thalia stood up from her curled up ball on the floor and got closer to her. Without even asking, she took Karin into her arms for a hug. She needed that sort of compassion, something James couldn't exactly provide. He was far too hardened by his past, something Thalia thought she was, but was so wrong about. But it was much deeper than hugging it out that would help her get over what just happened. She held Karin's hand and sat back on the ground where she was before, still speechless. Even an idiot could deduce that she was hurting on the inside, and clear that she was crying, and technically still was. Her head still hurt, but she was functional enough to vent. And that's what she did, rubbing her left arm with her right arm, feeling an unusual chill in her body, she began to explain everything from the start:


"Ra's killed my father back home. I don't know why, especially because he promised me from my first day in Al-Asheera that families were untouchable. Bullshit, I guess." Or Ra's was just a natural born deceiver, far beyond Thalia's capabilities. "But he... he, um... I guess he still has some men in Philly, to keep watch over everything after we left. I didn't know they were hitmen though. But I guess we all are in Al-Asheera, right?" Still a bit of negative thinking. It still bothered Thalia that one of her bullets might've put Tony's partner down. Was she a killer, just like them? She hated to think so, "He sent one of his men to the church that my father built around the time I was born. He didn't show mercy... He just... sabotaged the place, killed everyone in sight. Shot up people I've probably known since I was a kid. People I used to call friends when I was little, Karin. I went to Sunday school with some of them, and did all sorts of other lame church activities with them... And now they're dead." It may have come out as sarcastic, but Thalia was genuinely upset that the childhood acquaintances were gone. It really showed when she emphasized how they were gone. "And all so he could put my father down? Knowing people are dead... it's never hurt this much. But my dad... I didn't tell you this today, but I called my home again. I don't know, I was happy this morning and I wanted to try my luck; maybe Charlie would answer the phone again and I'd hear his voice like before. Maybe get a few more words out of him..." She sighed, remembering the final words she'd heard from her father on the phone from the other side of the country. The fact that THOSE were her last words were painful enough. If only she'd said who she really was. "It wasn't Charlie. It was my dad. He must've been home before his afternoon mass. I gave him a false name, told him I worked for an organization that tracks down lost kids... and I told him that his daughter was in LA." A brief smile emerged from the sorrowful face of hers, imagining how happy her father must've been to hear the news after so long. "He didn't say much after, but I know my father well enough to know he must've been soaring with glee. Who knows? Maybe he would've come with my mom and Charlie over to LA. Maybe they'd find out the organization name I gave them was fake. And maybe in that time... I could've met them all. But now? It's all what if's. I'll never get to see him again or tell him that I was wrong for breaking his heart and leaving the house so young... There is no proper way to say good-bye. I don't even know what I'd tell him if I knew that Ra's would come after him. I guess the truth? That I am his daughter. That I miss him. That I wished that I could've made up for the eight years of pain he suffered looking for me."


Thalia paused to compose herself. The thoughts were so consuming, and dwelling on them didn't help. But she had Karin, at the very least. And then it occurred to her: Karin lost both of her parents a while back. She would understand her pain. Leaning her head on her friend's shoulder, she continued,


"I need to ask you, Karin... when you lost your parents - I know it was an accident - but when you did... how did you cope? What got you through the day knowing the sun would rise the next? What kept your hopes up that things could get better for you? What made you not want to punish yourself for your dumb mistakes from when you were a kid, making you want to turn back time and correct things? Because that's all I feel right now. Guilt. If I never left home, I think my dad would still be alive. Ra's would have no business murdering a random pastor. But no. It's because it was my father, that's why he killed him..." No, she had to stay focused. Karin was a beacon of hope for her, and hopefully could provide some insight." How did you do it, come out of that experience so strong? Was it booze? Did you have a friend to listen to your shitty problems and pretend to care? Did you have someone to tell you it'd be alright? Or was there something else at play?"


--


Charlie was spending the day at a friend's house, and Nicole intended to keep it that way. She didn't want her son to come home and see his mother in tears with her make-up dripping from her eyes and unable to keep herself in one place from how jumpy she'd become. She was on the phone with the mother of this friend to keep Charlie at this friend's place for the day and to keep him away from the TV so he doesn't see the news just yet.


"I'm so sorry to hear about your husband, Nicole. What happened at the church? It's absolutely tragic."


"It is, Elena.... I don't even know what I'm going to do with poor Charlie. How on earth do you tell your son his father isn't coming home?" Nicole's voice was on the verge of breaking down, being a close personal friend to this Elena, and trusting her enough to vent.


"I wish I could give you advice, but likewise, I've never been in that position before. No mother should ever have to tell their eight year old boy something like that."


"I know. It hurts enough to watch my students suffer. But my own child will now live without his father? It's twice as heartbreaking..."


"I understand.... listen, I can keep Charlie over for dinner, alright? He and Ralph are having fun together on their iPads, so as long as he doesn't see anything about his father on the internet, he should be fine."


"I hope so... I'll try to get myself together, Elena. I won't put you through too much trouble, and I'll come get Charlie when I feel up to it."


"No no, I'll bring him home. You don't bother yourself at all, Nicole. If you ever need anything, I'll be there for you. That's what friends are for."


Sniffling a bit, she answered, a bit hopeful now, "Thank you... Tell Charlie his mother says hi."


"I will. You hang in there."


Or at least Nicole would try her hardest. As she hung up the phone, the pounds of the door caught her attention. Putting the home phone down on the couch, the older woman slowly stood up from her place, still feeling a bit weak to the senses from the shock, and approached. A quick look at the mirror quickly prompted her to wipe her face and take a deep breath. She couldn't look too miserable for whoever was coming to visit her. Did news get out that fast? Who was coming to extend their condolences this early? And when she answered the door, she saw a rather peculiar man standing there. She hadn't seen him before, but he looked strange. Just a hunch, a teacher's intuition if anything. It was probably obvious that Nicole had spent the past while weeping, her eyes red and puffy with the tears leaking down with a bit of a shine, but what else could the visitor expect from the now-widow?


"C-Can I help you?" she asked, trying to sound as calm as possible for the man at the door. What was he here for? Half of her was afraid he was Al-Asheera, but a look at his hand showed otherwise. A sigh of relief. But he didn't look like a cop or anything either. No, something about him said that a change would happen, one that would turn her life around completely. Soon. Something big. It was her intuition, once again, telling her that there was more to him. Was it related to her daughter's disappearance? Her husband's murder? It could be anything, because nothing made sense in her life anymore.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Karin wasn't sure what she was expecting but she had a feeling that it was something to do with a member of her family. That was her biggest fear and the easiest thing to assume after she saw that she was in tears. The news that Ra's himself had ordered it was a shock, but at the same time, it came as no surprise. Who else would have done it? She never put it past a man like that - or anyone in his organization - to screw someone over when they felt it was appropriate. A harsh thing to come to terms with, but something that was ultimately always possible. It was painful to think of it like that, but, Karin had been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt. She'd lost both her parents when she was younger than Thalia, and she was left with an orphaned brother who needed a carer. It wasn't easy, but, it was something she'd been hardened by. Even though she wanted to shed tears and have a cry in Thalia's father's name, she couldn't. The emotion was there, but she was so used to holding back emotion now that it took a lot to get any real tears flowing.


"Oh my god... I'm so sorry." She said, hugging her friend tight.


She didn't know what was the worst - the fact that people that had been her friends since childhood were now all dead, or the fact that her own father was killed. Sometimes losing your friends can be a lot more hard-hitting than losing family, depending on how much they meant to you, of course. She imagined that Thalia was hurting on both sides of things, but... What could she say that would ever serve as some sort of comfort? There was also the mention of how she'd called up her home today and spoken to her dad, but given a fake name and a half-fake lead. Interesting. It made the whole thing much more bittersweet, though. It was nice she finally got a word in for him after all these years, but what did it matter now? Now he was gone, and that was it. The last words he ever heard from Thalia were spoken in that phone call, and he didn't even know it was her.


Ouch.


Karin could only do as much as give advice on all this, though, because she'd been there, as Thalia knew. The childhood friends and acquaintances, not so much, but... Parents? Oh yeah, she knew how it felt to lose them so suddenly.


"I..." She thought for a moment. "I guess for a while things didn't get better." She said, "When something like that happens, you just sort of... It's like being in a shipwreck, and you're hanging onto a chunk of the ship and just trying to keep your head above water, but the emotions, the waves, they keep crashing down on you and pushing you back under. And it does that for a while. It can do it for years - when we experience things like that, we don't just forget them, we don't just move on. We carry them with us for the rest of our lives, really, and sometimes, the waves get big again, and there will be times that you go under the water for a while, but, as long as you keep going, you'll resurface and you'll eventually grab onto a piece of something that's a lot bigger than what you had before, and gradually, the waves will get smaller and smaller." She shrugged. "For me, Thalia, the one thing that kept me going was my brother - If i gave up, where would that leave him?" She asked.


She thought for a while when it all first happened - if she gave up, her brother would have been taken and placed with a family somewhere, one that probably made a lot more money than Karin and could give him so much more. It still hurt to think that, in some ways, Joseph would have lead a better life. It sucked, but it wasn't a thought she needed to dwell on anymore. Joseph was already living a better life, now that they were with James, now that they had something to look forward to.


"For a long time, yeah, I did want to turn it back and make changes. There were times I lied to my parents and they were none the wiser. There were times I'd said some hurtful shit, shit that brought my mom to tears and had my dad stepping out into the back yard to cool off. Some of that stuff I never apologized for - there were those things I wanted to go back and change, and I lied in bed praying that that would happen, that I'd get one chance to make it all right again. But that chance never came, and the sad truth is, Thalia, that chance never will. It never did for me, and it won't come for you, either. But the future isn't out of your control." She explained.


"You have your brother, your mother still out there. What you couldn't do with your father you can do with them, you can finally show them the person they've been missing this whole time." She said. "You have people to help you through this. I didn't have anyone - all I had was the fact that I had Joseph to look after to carry me through the tough time. It was that thought alone that drove all my power and all my will to live - Between him and everything else, I didn't have anyone. You're strong enough to make it through this, Thalia, and I've got a feeling your dad's death won't be in vain." She said.


--


Jon looked her up and down for a few moments, then nodded a couple of times.


"Missus Griffin." He took in a deep breath and peeked past her into the house. Quiet. Was the boy even here? "I suppose in some ways you can help me, yes." He nodded, then stepped up into the doorway. "Honestly, though, we should probably talk inside. You don't know who might be listening out here." He whispered. Pretty sinister, but, he didn't exactly wait for an invite, and instead brushed past her and stepped into the house. "Before you jump at me, be aware I'm not here to hurt you. In fact, I'm here to do quite the contrary." He took a look around again, slowly, as he wandered up and down the hallway at a gradual pace. It seemed like the traditional family home, one that brought back memories from the past. Bittersweet memories. He was dealing with a family of the church, though, so he imagined some of their house was going to be much different in comparison to what his was once like.


"Your husband, Jacob Griffin. Judging by how you looked when I knocked I'm making the reasonable guess that you know of his fate. A planned attack by an outlasting member of Al-Asheera, still operating here in Philadelphia. Chances are their informants are watching buses, trains, planes, even trams, for god's sake. Anywhere in this city that you could even think of going to, there's a chance they'll have someone following you, and your son. That's what I'm here to prevent, let's say." He said, then turned to face her.clicking his neck as he tilted it from side to side.


"My name is Jon Parker. I've been sent here by the request of a good friend of mine, a man named James. A man you'll meet soon enough who operates out of California. It's in his best interest to keep you, and especially your son, safe from whoever or whatever may be watching or making plans to... Do something unspeakably horrific. Who knows." He shrugged. "I'm sure you know, having lived here for so long, that Al-Asheera are not people you want looking for you. And if that's the case, we may not have much time. While the community undoubtedly takes care of your husband's burial and anything memorial-related, I'm afraid we must make moves elsewhere." He walked to the bottom of the stairs and went quiet for a moment. He couldn't hear a kid sobbing, so, he was guessing the boy wasn't here. And there was no way he'd leave his mother's side if he knew about his father's death...


"I'm here, along with a trusted associate of mine, to escort you and your boy out of Pennsylvania, and eventually to California. Where you'll be united with two people - My friend James, and, most importantly, your missing daughter, Thalia." He said. "If you think I'm lying, I can get on the phone to someone who'll send me proof within 45 seconds. I'm not lying to you here, Missus Griffin, and as I said, it's in my best interest to keep you from harm's way. Why this is all happening now will be further explained later, but, there's things that need doing. We need to stay right here in this house for a while, just while we ready some things, and as soon as we have what we need, we're making a move." He explained, then glanced around a few times. He shook his head.


"Where is your son, Charles?" He asked. "Or Charlie, I've heard him be called. Judging by the lack of crying, I'm guessing he's not here - and, based on the assumption that he's not here, I'm going to also assume the boy's currently unaware of what happened to his late father." He sighed. "I hope by now you understand the severity of the situation you're in - we haven't got time to debate what we're doing. The plans are already set in stone, Nicole. Where is your son?" He asked. "He may be in danger, and if that's the case, it's best you tell me so I can make sure he gets back to you safely. I wouldn't say it's a wise idea for you to show your face in public right now." He said, "Speaking of which, has anyone else been here?" He asked. "Anyone at all? Any locals? Police? Church-goers? Anyone that could even possibly... Give away where you and your son might be?" He asked.


He knew the risk of anyone being tied to Al-Asheera within the police or anything was unlikely, but, he needed something weighted so that he could convince Nicole into cooperating with him. If he filled her head with enough horrors of what might befall her son, then, hopefully the whole plan could kick off quickly. They had a long couple of days ahead of them, and he wanted them out of Philly sooner rather than later.

 

[KasperXIII]

Karin's embrace felt similar to the analogy that she'd given, except it felt like she was a pole remaining from the ship, and Thalia was gripping for dear life to keep her head above water but ever so tempted to let herself drown. Her life wasn't entirely useless at this point. Much like Karin, Thalia had family still with her, and might be closer than ever very soon if James' contact pulls through. She missed her mother, deeply. Something deep down inside her wanted to have some lame mother-daughter moment just to catch up on everything over the years. Maybe introduce her new friends to her as well: Karin, her new best friend; James, her new working associate to bring Al-Asheera down; and Frank, her new boyfriend. It wasn't normal for a 21 year old girl to feel such an attachment to her mother. Maybe a bit childish, but Thalia was willing to bet that if Karin, who was older than her, had a chance to have a conversation with her mother again, she would. Who wouldn't? In that moment, Thalia just wanted to elaborate on her past with her father. Whatever past she had for her first 13 years of life. With the amount of tension in her family, it was hard to pick one that was actually good. They had nice times. But there were better ones. One she remembered distinctly enough to tell Karin, simply for the sake of opening up. She could use a more affectionate touch anyway from someone who cared. As weird as it was, the girls became so close in such a short time. Almost as a cry for the temporary attention, Thalia threw her arms around Karin's shoulders and leaned against her for comfort. If she minded, she probably would've nudged her away politely. But even if it was a sappy moment for her to let out her tears, it meant the world to the girl who just lost her father. The comfort of her best friend was all she wanted to feel while she told stories.


"You can zone out if you want... I'm just venting," She said softly, making herself comfortable. Frank would've been a decent candidate to do this with, but he was busy at work and she didn't want to disturb him with a text message. The warmness and comfort was undeniably great for Thalia. She needed this, and it even made her smile, even faintly. "My dad, he expected a lot from me as a little girl. My mom would always get me involved in activities, and then the two together would enforce the idea of commitment. Never backing down... And honestly? They were right. You can't back down from what you put your mind into. And for a while, that was my philosophy with Al-Asheera. That they were my heart and soul.... kinda dumb to think so, right? But I did show the same dedication to my activities before. When I was ten, there was a Saturday that I still remember as the busiest of my life. I had a spelling bee in the morning, an award for French club around high-noon, a mass to altar serve on in the afternoon at our church, a play to audition for at sundown, and a ballet concert at night. All of that on the day I wanted to go to some carnival in town for that day only. I could've canceled any one of those events to go and enjoy the carnival. I could. But Daddy wouldn't let me. And I always wondered... why? He said it was because it's our merits are what make us who we are and define us for the future. I found it bullshit, obvious. I cried the entire Friday night before because he wouldn't let me cancel anything. You know, in hopes that he'd feel guilty? But he didn't. He knew I was capable of doing everything, and after yelling at me on Friday night, Saturday morning, he spent it all preparing me. Giving me all sorts of emotion pep-talks that I don't even remember that clearly. But he believed I was better than the rest. And that could come out above all of my troubles..."


"...and guess what? I won the spelling bee. I got the medal in French club. I didn't trip on the altar at mass. I got the lead role in the play. And I got a standing ovation at the ballet. Who would've thought?" A pleasant memory, even though none of those events should matter to her today. It was still nice to remember. "And the best part? After it was all over, he told me he was proud of me. That he knew I could do it and his faith was well-placed. After the concert, and I got out of those stupid outfits they'd make us wear? He ran and hugged me, lifting me above my feet in front of all the other fifth graders around me. He said he had a surprise for me. On Sunday, he bought me a TV for my bedroom with a DVD player... It may sound kind of lame, but for me? That meant the world. Daddy... he was very humble and he wanted me to be as well, so he wasn't always so fancy with gift-giving. It was socks half the time for Christmas. But those gifts? He was proud of me. And I believed him. It's really dumb, I know... I just wanted to tell someone that. It's one of my most vivid accomplishments as a kid. I still can't forget how I beat the odds, all while missing the carnival with my friends from school. And his smile... he was so proud of me. I just wish I could've seen his face... if he were still here, and he noticed me getting my life together. It bothers me that he'd be so upset at my life choices these past eight years, but if there's anything they drill in your heads in Christianity, it's forgiveness, right? Something deep down all of these years told me he'd forgive me in the end. And I'd forgive him, too, for all the things I felt wronged for."


All the talk about how Karin coped with her losses felt so inspiring. It gave the redhead hope of potentially maintaining her new life and keeping her head above water. She had family around her, as well as now, loved ones. And seeing the way the world goes around as of late? Any encounter could be their last. Which hurt more than anything.


Deep down, Thalia thought back... her parents never wronged her. They were pushy, but they didn't do anything to ruin her life. Only Thalia ruined her own life. "Karin... there's one thing I don't regret about running away. And that's the fact it lead me to you. I owe you so much, more than you probably think you do. A lot that I want to pay you back for someday. If I'd never gotten up in your face, took off my mask, and confronted you after? I think I would've still been in bed with Ra's doing his dirty work and hurting people. I may have gotten you into a world of trouble, but... fuck it. I can't really justify that." She sighed. "A lot's happened. We've lost people... and we still are. My dad's gone, but his memory's in me forever. I at least heard his voice before he was killed.... I just wish he knew that I was the girl talking to him....I guess it helps to know that James is going to find my mom and Charlie, right? It feels good to know he cares even slightly... I'm going to see my mom again, get a chance to tell her everything I've always wanted to... and I'll get to meet my brother at long last and try to be that big sister he's always imagined.... But what I'm trying to say, about us..." Her head lifted from Karin's shoulder, hand still around her friend's shoulders. "I don't want to lose you, too. Losing my dad made me realize that the people I'm close to could go away in the blink of an eye. For that, I can't just walk out on you, and there are so many reasons I want to stick around. You gave me that hope and will to want to be someone independent, a normal person. And even though I'm not exactly fit to handle myself, I appreciate how... patient you've been around me, even though I wouldn't blame you for getting sick of me... So whatever you end up doing beyond all of this? All I ask is that you keep me around. We could chill. Hang out.... maybe get drinks. N-Not fully wasted like we just pulled off. That felt fucking awful." She laughed a bit there. Thankfully, the crying was significantly lessened. Her eyes were watery, evidently, but she was clearly trying to cheer up. "But I wouldn't mind going to a bar, getting drinks and such on a calmer day, hm? But for now that we have dangerous people coming after us... I'd happily take a bullet for you. Maybe one day we won't have to worry about that. We can all be friends, right here in LA. I can convince my mom to stay... I could move back in with her. Get to know Charlie better. And since I won't be far, I could come visit you regularly, right? I'm not thinking too far, am I?" But thinking too far was something the girl enjoyed a bit too much. "Just tell me you're not going anywhere... okay?"


Her comfort levels spiked to an all time high with Karin. If only they could stay on the ground and mope for the rest of the day. In such a short time, things felt like they were falling apart. At least the Thalia still had Karin, who she hoped was here to stay. She might've been asking for reassurance more times than she should, but she could use it now when her morale was up in the air. A gentle ruffle of Karin's white hair as a joke was a way of getting her attention in a playful manner, a forced giggle coming out as well. A way to entertain the weeping girl. They had the room to themselves after all, James somewhere else now. Not that they'd return to the bottles. Not after the disaster that happened earlier. But talking, a playfu poke or two wouldn't hurt. "How are you feeling, bestie? Still a bit drunk?"


--


It was almost insulting, the way the stranger basically let himself into the home of a woman grieving over her deceased husband. Rude and despicable. Had Nicole been in any better state of mind, she might've slapped him then and there. But it was very clear on her face that she was upset by the loss of her husband, which this man also knew of. It was all over the news. How could she blame him? His eyes traveled around the house at all of the religious icons and images hanging on the wall, all that her husband had acquired for the house. More memories of Jacob that would live on forever. But Jon clarified he wasn't here to do her harm. His word alone seemed rather useless, but Nicole played along. She felt too defenseless to try and bite back in her usual grade-school-teacher manner. She could belittle this man to hell and back if she wanted. But no. She resisted.


Jon mentioned he was here to protect her, mentioning that Al-Asheera might have her and her son marked and tailed. A scary thought to her already broken heart that made it pretty much skip a beat. Something was very wrong, and her husband's death was no accident. It wasn't the sort of paranoia a school teacher would have on a daily basis. No, this was very different. Very wrong. Her right hand rose over her chest, looking left and right as if someone were peeking over her shoulder. "Excuse me... how can you be so certain that I'm in danger? And enough to just get up and leave the city? You can't expect me to just pack up everything and take myself and my son out of the state on a hunch. We have lives here, if you don't know. We've just lost the man of our house. Have you no mercy?"


But then, he brought up the home run that would sell Nicole: Thalia. Her firstborn, and her only daughter. The lead that Jacob had picked up wasn't baseless. She was in California, and this stranger was practically a godsend, offering to escort her and Charlie to the golden state to meet the girl after eight long years. Was this true? There had been so many false claims of people who thought they'd found Thalia, when it was only a random girl that happened to look just like her. The hand over her heart quickly covered her dropped jaw, unsure of how to respond now. Whoever this 'James' was, he found her daughter. Poor thing; she's really been around if she was on the other side of the country. What has she been doing for eight years? How she look? What is she doing with her life? So many questions. But she wanted proof, which the man said could be achieved quickly. "I-I want to speak to my daughter. I want a picture, and a chance to speak to her." Her shrill, professional voice from any classroom environment took over, empowering her with a desire for proof. Some sort of evidence that this girl they'd found was Thalia. No one other than her mother could tell, anyway. "I want that proof. But for now? My son is at a friend's house, staying over and playing, kept away from all of this madness. What, you can't expect me to put a poor eight year old boy in the limelight. I still haven't thought of how to tell him his father's dead...." This came out with an edge of annoyance. How heartless was this man to think she could tell a little boy his father was murdered like ripping a bandaid off? That wasn't her. She had to approach it right to Charlie. "Nobody's spoken to me apart from one police officer, trying to convince me that my daughter was behind the attack, which I refuse to believe. Ma fille [My daughter] ... er...." Only when Nicole was angry or antsy did her mother tongue slip from her lips when she didn't mean for it to. But with the thoughts of Thalia racing in her head, how couldn't she? "I raised my daughter better than that. Even if she's living on the streets... she'd never stoop as low as Al-Asheera... right?"


Nicole would be in for a horrible surprise in that case.


"So what... should we go collect Charlie and leave, without even packing? Is that what you want?" Grief and shock from the loss of her husband made the woman's words come out so defensive over herself. Only naturally, thought. And Jon should be able to understand.

 

[DrTrollinski]

She sat there and listened to everything that she had to say.


She spoke about her achievements more than anything else - it didn't make Karin feel jealous, that wasn't the right word for it. Envious wasn't the right word, either. She didn't know what she felt about it, but whatever it was wasn't a good thing. It wasn't a life she dreamed of, so she didn't know why there was some sort of negativity around it all. Maybe in some ways it was the differences in backgrounds that they came from that was triggering the emotion towards it. Karin had a heavy-drinking father, whereas Thalia had a church-going one that pushed her to achieve her best, and surely would have set her up for a success in so many fields had she stayed with them. Even though Thalia was thinking the same thing, Karin felt bad for thinking it as well - there wasn't anything majorly wrong at home.


It was just something all people around 13 went through. Rebellion. Rebellion blown out of proportion - she wasn't going to state that to her, obviously, but, it was something that crossed her mind. If she'd stayed with her parents, she'd now have a closer relationship with her brother, Al-Asheera wouldn't be her problem, and none of them would have been involved in any of this. At the same time, that was a bad thing - Karin wished there was some way for them all to meet without all the depressing shit on the side, but, sadly, there wasn't. If Karin never met Thalia, they would have never met Frank and Tony, and they never would have met James, either. And in addition to that, Thalia's family wouldn't be basically en route to Cali. They'd be stuck in Philly, waiting for whatever brutes that were still there to sneak up on them.


One thing that Karin didn't want to talk about, though, was religion. She was never religious, and even though she knew Joseph was one of the kids that believed in a god being possible, he wasn't exclusively religious, either. Karin believed in no god - Saints, maybe, but not gods. 


"I don't know what Christianity teach all that much." She shrugged, "I wish I could relate more on that front, but, I've never been religious, and I hope you can understand that... I probably never will be. Not after everything that's happened." She sighed, "Your venting... Even if you're talking about what you had for dinner last week, just say it. I'm all ears, and you know that." She said, "I know thinking back to all these moments probably hurts - and it will do for a long time. Over the next couple of weeks you're going to remember every single good moment you ever had with your dad, and it's going to rip you up for a while, but, you'll be okay. I know you will. Also, one of the best things that happened to me was meeting you, too. You're not going to lose me - you're not going to lose any one of us. That, you have my word on - I know sometimes it looks like James doesn't care all that much, but, he does. He just doesn't know how to show it all that well. He's hardened, what can I say?" She shrugged, then took a glance around.


"I'm not going anywhere, at least not anywhere bad. Who knows where life will take the two of us, Thalia." She said, "For all I know, you and Frank might end up living in Maryland come next year. Moving away with him and getting yourself some independence would be good, though, because... I think you'd enjoy it more than ever, at least once you're out of the grasp of Ra's and all that." She said. "You've more or less escaped, so a free life is definitely something you'd benefit from. i think you guys living somewhere private would be... Cute." She laughed. "Either way, I think we're both looking way far ahead. Life's one of those things that happens while you're trying to plan it out, so we'd best not speak too soon. As for me, I'm a little drunk still, but I'll live." 


She thought for a moment.


"Still feel kinda' shitty for getting that drunk when I knew Joseph wouldn't be gone all that long. Shouldn't have worried him like that. I feel bad because... Well, he can still remember my dad drinking quite a fair bit, I imagine, so..." She shook her head. "Stupid move, really. Guess that's a lesson learned." She said.


--


"With all due respect, Missus Griffin... As much as I have mercy, I'm afraid I don't have enough to spare in this situation, at least not at this immediate point in time. I'm not going to force you and your son out the door as soon as he gets home, of course not, you'll have time to pack some things. In fact, you and I are going to have to work as a team for a while here. My main orders tell me that the boy is a priority, given the fact he's a child more than anything, of course, meaning, in theory, I'm not allowed to let him out of my sight. Trust me when I say it, Missus Griffin, that I am not a man in charge of the job I'm working. If even a hair on your son's head is harmed, you can consider me a dead man. I mean that with all my heart, too. My employer will not let me live it down. I won't even see tomorrow's sunrise if anything happens to Charles." He explained. 


"If I wasn't certain of you being in danger, I wouldn't be here." He said. "The only way the man I spoke of, James, reaches me, is by calling my business and using a specific code word. He wouldn't have used that unless he knew the facts - as much as I hate to drop you into this, I'm afraid all bets are off. You're in danger, and your son is, too. I'm not doing this to force you away from your family home, or to crush your chances of keeping all your memories - I'm doing this for your safety. And, just to hopefully give you some more comfort in the mysterious figure James that I speak of... One of his main orders were, and I quote, 'be nice to the kid'." He said, simply, then took a deep breath and looked at her. "I don't plan on breaking that order, either. You can see that it means a lot to him - why does it mean a lot to him? Because it means a lot to Thalia. What other reason would some random Californian man have to care about an eight-year-old boy so deeply? Even more so one that's across the country from him?" He asked.


Sometimes simply logic would be the best thing.


"You know I've not been hired out by Al-Asheera, too. Their leader has people here in Philly, still - If he wanted you and your son, he'd send one of his brutes, not have me pack my bags and all my fancy little things to get us somewhere in a careful manner. I'm small-fry compared to Al-Asheera, but... Sometimes there's not strength in numbers. My goal is to get you to California without anyone in Al-Asheera knowing about it. Worry not, James has already promised that you and your son are going to have somewhere to stay, and believe me, if it's James organizing it, you'll be well looked-after." He explained. "Your chance to talk to Thalia will come, and that is my word. But not now. Now, there's too many pressing matters at hand." He explained. 


The police officer. Hm.


"Police officer trying to convince you she was behind it, hm?" He asked. "Odd. I don't know enough about your daughter on that front to tell you much, but I can tell you now that she wasn't behind the attack." He said. "Not a chance in hell." He added, quickly. He wasn't wrong - why would Thalia order an attack on her own father?


"If your son doesn't know, then I hate to be playing the bad guy here, but he needs to know before we leave. It's not going to be easy, but, believe me... As someone who's been in similar shoes, and this is my advice - you can take it or leave it - but if you don't tell him now and save it til too late of a time, til after we leave Philly, or even the state as a whole, you're throwing yourself at risk of your son resenting you for keeping that from him. It's not something anyone deserves to go through - Yes, this news will most definitely be a sting to him, it'll be painful, and it'll shatter him for some time, no doubt, but... I assure you, him knowing before we leave will benefit him, and us as a collective body, much more. If he spends the whole journey worrying of his father's whereabouts, not only might that make him sick, but, a worried child stands out far more than a sad one - we could easily draw unwanted police attention. Crazier things have happened." He said.


"I don't want us to go and collect Charlie without packing, no." He shook his head. "As I said, we'll stay here until we're ready to leave, and I'll organize a line of contact for you to talk to Thalia. But before we go anywhere, I'm sorry to say this, but the boy needs to know of his father's fate." He said, then slowly wandered through to the living room and glanced around again, followed by finally sitting down. "If your son's at a friend's house, have someone bring him home. The less you're outside, the better, and if your son's in a safe place, I'm sure he'll get here fine with someone else dropping him off. In the meantime, though, before we do anything else... As I said, he finds out the news - I'm going to guess you have some time to think about how you'll break the news. I won't be there to intrude, I assure you of that."


Jon pulled out his phone.


"Has your son ever been on a plane before? Any allergies, medical conditions, or travel sickness I should know of?"

 

[KasperXIII]

Perhaps some of the topics Thalia was getting into were ones Karin wasn't all that comfortable going into herself. Her accomplishments in school, her family's neverending faith in God, all of which were things that seemed too distant for her to relate to. Their fathers were vastly different. While Karin's was more on the sinful side drowning in vices, Thalia's was practically a saint on earth. Besides, Karin had made her peace with her parents being gone. It would take time for Thalia to come to terms with the absence of her father, especially when he knew she could be alive and was probably packing his bags to go see her, but time was a magnificent healer when given a chance. Religion? With all of the evil on this earth, first and foremost being her master, it was a surprise that Thalia still believed in any sort of god. But she wasn't exactly a model Christian either. Maybe if she stayed around her father, she might be, but in a rather brainwashed manner. She had her own interpretation of an all-powerful, all-knowing being that judges you at the end of days. Not the one that any sort of holy book preaches. The redhead learned to dissociate religion from morals with time, even if they were Ra's' morals. But in general, she knew right from wrong even when she was in the wrong. Now was her chance to rectify it. But if she believed anything from Christianity, it's forgiveness. If people don't forgive, they'll never move forward. Would she forgive Ra's for taking her father from her? Who knows. At this point, he was the only person she really hated now, whereas in the past that right was reserved for her parents. Not anymore. She didn't hate them; she misjudged them, and even shattered them by running away. Who knows what things could've been in an alternate universe where she stayed home after all these years? But religion: Karin didn't want to talk about it, and Thalia understood that. After what she saw from her parents, she didn't think she could convince her friend of anything.


"Don't let the tattoo and Sunday school talk fool you, do I look like the most devout Christian?" she smirked. She had no doubt she was damned to hell, the minute she inked the dragon to her right hand. Even before that. The day she climbed out that window of her bedroom, scaled the wall with her bedsheets, and took to the streets. From that moment, she knew heaven was a luxury she'd never get. "I just know a bit about it because, well, my dad was a literal Jesus freak. I can be knowledgeable when I want to be. I may be disconnected from mass media, and only watched Scary Movie an hour ago, but hey, c'est la vie, am I right?"


That's life. Indeed it is. "Look, we don't have to talk about my past or our families if you don't want. I know I'll keep remembering things about my dad, but it'll all grow on me. I'm sure of that. I'll find my peace someday... but if you desperately want to know what I had for dinner last week?" she chuckled a bit. Karin was obviously sarcastic, but Thalia was trying to humor herself. "Take-out pizza. Lots of take-out pizza. And Ra's isn't letting us use the microwave, so we're eating that shit cold later on. Your home cooked meals kick cold pizza's ass; I'll give you that." Better. A happier topic for the two to discuss, and her smile eventually stopped being fake. It was helping her get over the pain within her. "Every time you cook, I'm just watching, trying to learn so I can do it myself without blowing up the kitchen. If I did that here, James would kill me. But I've got a lot to learn, right? Once this whole thing settles down, I'm buying some books, getting my high school diploma, and getting a job somewhere. Be it here in LA, or if me and Frank go to Maryland.... who knows? All I know is that... LA's my new home for now. It'll be home in a lot of ways with my mom and brother here. I'll literally have everything I could've asked for... But you'll have to teach me how you do that, with the drinking, hm? How you drank as much as me and weren't falling on your face the same way. I swear, we shouldn't be doing that in front of Joe. Hell, if Charlie saw me for the first time barely able to stand, he'd have a horrible first impression. Lesson well-fucking-learned. My head's still spinning a bit but.... well, puking helped." She was cheering up, evidently. Surely, even if Karin couldn't relate, she was good company, as usual. Just imagine if they were still enemies...


Frank. She hadn't heard from him since the picture, when she apologized for sending it. She pulled out her burner phone again and flipped it back open. The first thing open was the conversation. The scandalous picture, followed by her apology, and his reply. She smiled at it when she saw it. "Is it bad that I already miss Frank? I know he's at work, and that we shouldn't be seen together, but I miss him anyway. Half of me can't wait till my mom shows up. Sees that I have a boyfriend, a cop, too. She's kind of a goodie-two-shoes, the exact opposite of me." She laughed. "Best we don't get 'white girl wasted' when we know she's coming. Clanswoman, and drunk? Not something she wants to see, right?"


Off of that for the moment, though. She sighed, as memories of her father were still flashing through her head. It wasn't going to get the better of her again, though. They were happy memories, as if the horrible ones of the fighting and screaming were sinking to the bottom while the better ones rose to the top. Enough to make her smile. She saw that a memorial would be in place in the headlines earlier. Maybe one day, she'd go back to Philly and visit it. Maybe visit St. Agatha's again after it gets repaired. With an active church community, it surely will be renovated quickly. Sure, Karin's not religious, and Frank probably isn't either. But it's a childhood memory more than a place of worship for Thalia. It had that sort of significance, and that's why she'd want to go visit. But the past is the past, the future is still to come. What about the present? "What do you wanna do for the rest of the day?" she asked. "I mean. Sober this time. I don't think I wanna touch the bottle for a week... unless it's just a sip, like before."


--


Everything was happening so quickly for Nicole. Some man showing up at her doorstep and basically pressing for her to leave the house as soon as possible with her life in danger. At first when she heard her husband was murdered, she considered him unlucky. A savage from Al-Asheera just trying to start a panic in whatever public gathering he could find. And it just so happened to be her husband's church, of all places. The way this stranger was making it out to be seemed like Jacob was targeted. That St. Agatha's was no accident or random selection. It was timed, planned, ready to execute at any second given how quickly it was planned. Hell, it was planned in advance. Al-Asheera had those plans for all the members of the Griffin family. Jacob at his church, Charlie and Nicole at the elementary school. It was scary to know Ra's had guns pointed at Thalia's family from the very beginning. Ready to pull the trigger on command. Knots folded and accumulated in Nicole's stomach at just the thought, churning and aching at all of this information being thrown at her. And on top of it all, a stranger based out in Los Angeles sent a man to collect her and her son and bring them to her to keep them safe. Is this what it had to come to? Trusting a complete stranger? Believing him that her daughter was waiting for her somewhere? She at least wanted proof. A sort of proof she could believe. She knew her daughter better than anyone, and she could identify her among a hundred just like her.


"You're asking me to leave it all behind and come with you on some hunch that you have my daughter... how do I know Thalia isn't your hostage, and you're grabbing me and my son as well? You keep saying that this man has orders not to hurt Charlie. But does he have orders not to hurt me? I'd happily give my life for my children, you better know that." But maybe it was in her best interest to come along. If Charlie won't get hurt, it should be a reassurance. And Thalia being there? She'd be able to see her daughter again. And moreover? Charlie was a priority because her daughter demanded it to be. Thalia was watching the news? Did she see the documentaries, the social media pages in her memory calling for her to come home? The church fundraisers to generate the capital to keep the search going? Her name was rather a staple to the community, especially her husband's church and her own school she teaches at. Thalia couldn't have been oblivious to the whole thing. But she chose not to come home. Was it a choice? If anything, it surely was now. She wanted to see her family again, and she had the backing of this James persona to get them out of whatever dangerous spot they are in now. Proof was in order though. She wanted to know it was indeed her daughter.


"I will tell Charlie about his father. I have to. I've already had one child resent me for my mistakes. I don't think my heart could take another one..." Nicole really did blame herself for wronging Thalia, even though it was the daughter's wrongdoing all along. The Frenchwoman was an ideal mother. Strict, but for good reason. Thalia chose to leave it all behind and take to the streets. But a mother would always blame herself before her child. And that's what she did: like she said, she'd happily give her life for Charlie and Thalia. She'd sell her soul to the devil himself for a chance to see her daughter again. And maybe this was the time. "Charlie's staying at a friend's house. Do you want me to call him home? Or do we go pick him up? Because I will pack my bags once we are done here. But before we step out of this house, I want my proof... I want proof that this is really Thalia. I've seen many lookalikes and false positives in my hunt for my daughter. I want reassurance that the girl you have is the real deal. A picture, and a conversation. Please. I'm not sure if you have children, but having two? I know my little ones. Please give me a chance to confirm it. Then I will go with you, anywhere, anyplace you want."


Some more details about Charlie now. Nicole nodded. "He's been on a plane before, just two months ago, in June." Her voice was still a bit off, but she was less estranged by the man now. Perhaps she could trust him. "It's the only time he's ever been on a plane though, and he felt a bit sick on the trip going. Coming back, he was fine. He shouldn't have too much of a problem this time around. He's allergic to cats, but that's about it. He's a great kid... he's everything I imagined... but that's what I said about Thalia. Only for her to reject me and run away." A horrible thought to toy with. Haunting her every day for the past eight years. "Do you have children? Maybe someone you care about? Because it's.... awful. Awful knowing your daughter hated you so much that she literally jumped out the bedroom window and took off without a goodbye note, without even packing her bags. We spent a while arguing and fighting about everything she'd gotten into as a preteen. She didn't like the way she was living, and eventually, it seemed like she just... couldn't take it. And I can't help but feel that's my fault. Hearing that Thalia wants me and Charlie to come to her? I can't help but feel she wants to extend an olive branch. After all of these years of tension and mystery, she finally decides to come back. Incredible..." Did she vent too much to Jon? it would go upon deaf ears, but talking about Thalia made her briefly forget about Jacob's cruel fate. Her husband was gone... but her daughter might've been found.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"You can talk about your family all you like, I don't mind." She quickly clarified, "It's mainly my own one I don't like speaking of all that much. I told you when we first met, my mom and dad made some stupid decisions and ever more stupid mistakes, and because of that... God, talking about them just makes me think of all the things all of us could have done to drag them away from doing all of that, you know what I mean? I know it's wrong to even blame myself in the slightest, but there's parts of it that I can't help but do that. It doesn't trouble me anymore, because I know there's nothing I can do to go back and make change to what happened. These things... They happen for a reason, I suppose, and I'm living with it. I'm happy enough the way things are - I don't need it to change." She shrugged.


"The future is something that'll be bright for all of us. I'm looking forward to seeing what James outside of a bedroom, basically, and to see that, I need to see him outside of business. The business we've got going on is stopping him from being... Regular. In fact, I'm willing to bet that Joseph's the only one who's seen James' true colors when he went out for lunch with him. That reminds me - James apparently signed him up for some soccer thing, and some sort of Jiu Jitsu, as well. That's all pretty interesting. Joseph needs to get involved in some sort of sport, anyway, make some friends in different places. It'll do him good. It's something I've wanted him to do for years, but we never had the money. I mean, these sports clubs? Not including the costs it takes for travel to those tournaments and stuff that a lot of them have? It's a few grand a year at the very least, which is fucking ridiculous." She shook her head.


"I'll teach you everything you need to know in the way of cooking - Frank doesn't look like the guy who'd live off pizza and noodles, sadly. You guys will do fine, though, and if he already offered to cook for you when you go over to his place, that gives you some sort of indication that you'll be able to learn from him, too." She said. "Until then, though, we're going to be just fine where we are. You'll get your diploma, and that'll be the fresh start one step closer." She explained. "I know it's going to take a while, but, things have a way of unfolding, and after all of this? I don't think James will just forget about you. He'll definitely have your back even after this whole thing is dealt with." She explained.


"Your mom will love Frank, I'm sure, and hopefully he'll get on well with your brother, too. I don't know how good Frank is with kids, but, I'm sure he's pretty decent." She said, "Plus, you're not really a clanswoman anymore, you've ran away from that. She can't complain, and if she doesn't believe you, the police officer boyfriend should be enough to seal the deal." She explained, "As for the rest of the day, Thalia..." She glanced around. "I think I'd like to just lie by the pool, soak up the sun, drink some iced water and all that." 


--


"Thalia's not a hostage, of course not." He said, "And I promise, you will have your phone call before we leave the house, but before any of that, I need you to get your son home." He explained. "Please, Nicole, run the logic of what you've just said through your head - I've been ordered not to hurt your son, to protect him. Why would my employer tell me I was allowed to hurt you? What sense would that make if I need your son to be able to trust me?" He asked. "I have to protect you, but, as you're a capable adult and your son is just a little boy, it must make sense why he has priority in terms of protection. He's a lot more fragile than you are - and, as much as I hate to get dark once again, it'd take a lot less for someone to hurt him compared to you." He said. Truth hurts sometimes - Charlie was a little kid, one that could be knocked over and possibly killed by as little as a single punch.


"So, the boy felt a little sick on the outbound trip - Alright, I'm going to say most of that nausea was down to nerves more than anything else. I'm going to point out, Missus Grifin, that you're currently sharing a room with who is possibly the best driver on this side of the country. A big claim to make, I know, but... A long time ago I was into professional racing - both legal and illegal, admittedly, and a business you may have heard of - JP's Automotives, is mine. It's one that I run, one where I collect, drive, and sell exotic vehicles. You can be sure that your safety is guaranteed on the road with me - The whole reason I ask about travel sickness is because, well, if things do get sour, you and your son need to be able to handle me driving at one-eighty miles per hour or more. I do hope your boy's a bit of a thrill-seeker. Most young kids are, so, I have faith." He shrugged.


Jon was then asked if he had children of his own.


He sighed, "Children are funny, as you know." He said. "I'm sure your son's also come out with things that's made you think about things, probably sometimes he didn't even mean to make you think on it, but that's just what kids and teenagers do. I have children, sure, or at least I did - but not as much as I would have liked." He explained. "A girl and a boy are the ones I know of, of different mothers. If there's more around, then, nobody's made the call to tell me. My daughter, I never met. The boy, I saw him an hour each week until he was... I think thirteen, maybe fourteen, before he moved off somewhere with his mother. Neither of us were happy, but, it was something we couldn't avoid. I never met my daughter because the mother found out I was involved in... Business like this." He shrugged, then glanced around again.


"You think it's hard to wake up in the morning and realize that one child out there doesn't even know who you are - but it's not. When you yourself are close to being a criminal, you start to think that maybe it's for the best. I don't know if Thalia resented you, or if she still does, or if she ever did, but... You were her mother for thirteen years, were you not? You raised her to be who she was, promoted her successes - Mistakes are made everywhere. But at least you weren't in shoes like mine, where the only child you had contact with you only got to see for an hour a week. It's almost like seeing a distant friend for coffee every now and again, but instead of that, you have them calling you dad - It shouldn't feel strange, but it did." He said. "It felt strange to know he could even look at me as any form of a father - maybe the sole fact that I showed up to these little meetings meant enough to him. Maybe one day I'll see him again, maybe one day I won't. He's probably sixteen or seventeen now, I'm not sure. He might contact me, but I'm not an easy man to find. All sacrifices I've made, but, are they what's best for him? If his mother gets an anonymous fifteen grand in the mail every few months, am I really doing that bad?" He asked, but it was all rhetorical questioning.


"All your questions about your daughter will be answered, don't worry - But, call your son home. I don't want you to leave the house. Have someone bring him back, break the news to him, and then make sure we all sit here, make sure he meets me. You just let me do the talking of who I am - It'll be my job to get him to trust me fully. Trust is a key here, Missus Griffin. You make the call to get your son back, and while we're waiting for him to arrive, I'll get a picture and a phone call with your daughter for you."

 

[KasperXIII]

The talk of stupid mistakes came up, and it only reminded Thalia of her own pricey mistake she committed eight years ago. A mistake she could've easily avoided had she been content with the near-perfect lifestyle she'd been provided. But being selfish, that wasn't good enough for her. Some raging fire inside of her wanted to break free and rebel. She became the exact opposite of what the masses expected from the daughter of a pastor. A thief. But was the hat really over the wall? Not anymore. Karin told her how they would see brighter days, especially when this was all over. Once Al-Asheera was no more and things could settle down, the lives of the people involved would be able to return to a somewhat normal state. As normal as it all could be. The man of the Griffin family was now dead. Karin was probably going to be out of a job for a while. And moreover, Thalia had many obstacles to overcome in order to construct a stable lifestyle for herself. How could she be a reliable partner for Frank - or anyone, really - if she couldn't even cook for herself? She had plans to make herself more accomplished. So far, the only achievements on her belt were those in her past organization. Was Karin right? Was she no longer a clanswoman? Just by her betrayal, did that sever the ties with Al-Asheera? It all depended on who was asked. Tony might not buy it. But Karin surely did. That was enough for Thalia. She had a great amount of trust in this girl that pulled her from the void. It wasn't like she was expecting that sort of radical change of heart at the time, but it happened. It happened, and the redhead couldn't have been more proud of herself. It's been a bumpy road, but she's had times where she's never been happier. Far beyond her life as a thief. Sleeping in a comfortable bed with a boyfriend that cares about her and a friend getting her through the tough spots. She owed Karin for life, in her eyes. From the very beginning.


"You deserve the best, Kar. You and your brother. A life better than this other one you had. And James might be the key to it. He's already really shown what kinda guy he can be with Joseph.... maybe later today? You and James could have the room for yourselves, I can go out for a bit. Take a walk, get to know the LA area a little better? If he'll let me. It'll also give you three some time to hang out with little ol' me getting in the way." She smiled, clearing a bit of Karin's hair from her face, looking to her friend from the side. They've been down for too long, and she wanted to get her mind off of her loss for now. She missed her father, but James needed her to be strong and get her head back in the game, which she planned on doing exactly. She admittedly had a soft side, expressed between her and her best friend, but it was only natural for a girl who was one so insecure about herself but slowly adapting to integrating with normal people. A better choice of a partner for an esteemed detective. She was worried Frank might not want her if she remained a wild teenager at heart for too long. But that wouldn't be the case. Not entirely, at least.


"You know who else lived off of noodles and pizza for the past eight years?" She asked jokingly, clearly referring to herself and laughing. "Yeah, some diet, right? Either that or I was being starved by Ra's... cuz he was afraid I'd get fat... Geez. I was just a sex toy to him." She sighed, shaking her head. "Frank feels different. Sure, we've had a lot of steamy moments, but... I feel like he really cares. And I really can't wait to go on a date with him. Maybe we both go the same days? You go with James one day, and I'll get out of the house with Frank? How's that? We both get our fun at the end of the day and do something other than bounty hunting, fearing for our lives, getting drunk, or having sex." She couldn't help but laugh again at the last part. "What? Can't argue that's what we've been doing lately? Why can't we be normal for once and just tan by the pool or something?" Normal. A very foreign concept to Thalia, but one she hoped to achieve at some point. "How about we head for the pool now? Get some lemonade or something from the fridge, or whatever James might have in the fridge, good idea?" Certainly, for the younger, more hyper girl at least, as she took to her feet, much more active than her previously depressed attitude, and took her friend with her by the hand.


But there was something Thalia never really did formally from the beginning. Nothing she would call acceptable at least. She figured it's about time she shows her gratitude. Leaning her head forward once they were both on their feet hand in hand, she left Karin a quick kiss to the cheek and a smile to her face. What was she thinking, if at all? But she really didn't have any other way of expressing how happy she was to have met Karin. She'd thanked her many times in her head, but not enough out loud. Would she be too creeped at the gesture? Maybe. But she'd understand if anything. And that's all that mattered. The warmness on the inside that she had from the beginning, the one that made her feel there was something deeper to this girl than meets the eye, returned to her, only making her happier and trumping any sort of depression within her. Brighter days were on the horizon, at long last. "Thank you, Karin. For everything, from the beginning. I owe you so much, but I never really told you face to face. I just figured it's about time you know that I'm glad I came back to the cafe to find you two days ago." It's been a while since she felt that grateful for an encounter in her life. For a while, Thalia owed her livelihood to Al-Asheera. Not anymore. Never again.


--


With so much to process in her mind, Nicole reran every word in her head. Maybe this was all for some greater good? As in this man, Jon, was sent to help her. That this James actually found Thalia and was actively working to reunite the remainder of this broken family. But she still wanted proof that Thalia, well, existed. It was one thing to hear that her daughter was alive and out there. It's another thing to actually believe it. There have been more false flags than Nicole could count over all of the years of people coming forward saying that they were the longlost Thalia Griffin in hopes of reaping the rewards for coming home, when in reality, they were greedy entitled kids trying to play a sick joke on a hurting family. It felt so painful to know that Jacob would never live to see his daughter. But at least she could. Her and Charlie, if this was true. Hearing that this man was a professional driver as well as involved with exotic vehicles and extreme racing. It made her heart sink a bit. A glimpse of fear as well. Trust was key, though, so she brushed it off. She would keep a tight grip on Charlie if that time of high road speeds had to come to it. She'd uphold her end of the deal, though. Ask for Charlie to come home and pack her belongings. She sighed, bowed her head, and spoke,


"My apologies if I was being irrational.... Jon," she uttered his real name rather uncomfortably, as if she didn't believe it was his actual one. "But when you've lost as much as I have.... I may live a life I am at peace with. But I've lost my daughter eight years ago. A few hours ago, I lost my husband of nearly 23 years. So my mind..." She sighed as if to admit guilt. It was a sort of guilt, but the traditional kind. "I'm not as functional as I normally would be. I might take this year off of teaching entirely, be it here in Philadelphia or in Los Angeles. I just need to to reevaluate my life. And... if what you're claiming is true and you've found my daughter, I'd like to make up for lost time. See if she would like to at least."


Jon had kids as well. but definitely not like any father should. "So you understand what it's like to endure the separation, don't you? To know your own flesh and blood are out there in this cruel world, without a clue if they're doing okay. If they're happy. If they miss their father. Considering Thalia left without a trace or any form of contact... she must've resented me. And all this time? I've wondered what I did wrong... No offense, but for you, it's a bit obvious." She shrugged, knowing it was true. "Me? All I wanted was the best for my little girl. Nothing more, nothing less. But by trying to do my best to upraise an ideal child in a city I was unfamiliar wit while maintaining my own heritage, I pushed her away. And I've been trying to rectify it in Charlie. But.... if my daughter wants to see me... I can't say no. Jacob wanted to travel to California to find her. And I will do it myself in his loving memory.... Just give me some time to pack and call Charlie's friend's mother, and she'll take him home. I will pack up his belongings as well as my own."


So that's all she needed to say before turning back to the wooden railed stairs, taking her time climbing step by step with her hands on the rails. Every step around the house brought her back to memories. The religious relics that her husband had kept around and hung on the walls. The prayer corner on the way up the stairs at the right angle turn on the way up. And most notably, Thalia's old bedroom, untouched since the day she left home. Quite literally untampered, but well-kept. Sort of like how Karin maintained her old bedroom after her parents passed away. The reason Thalia felt so nostalgic about it was because it was very similar to her old bed back home. They were very close in design and color schemes, just with a few pictures of saints hanging on the walls, as well as her own achievements out on display for anyone to come see. All sorts of trophies, certificates, and other forms of accolades left behind that this girl rightfully won. Academics, athletics, arts... everything. Thalia was no pushover when it came to learning things, and the girl herself knew this. More importantly, Nicole knew what her daughter was capable of. She just didn't expect this girl to be capable of running away. What she was sure of? That Thalia could preserve herself in one way or another. And she just might've. She cracked the door open just to look inside one last time. If she were packing to run away now, she might not get a chance to visit the place again.


I'm coming, darling. Very soon...


Indeed she was. She subdued her tears and continued her walk over to Charlie's bedroom just next door. The boy had never been inside Thalia's room, but he's always asked. Maybe when he comes home, she could show him. But for now, she had to make preparations. As she passed by a charging bay for a home phone, Nicole grabbed it and redialed the last number that had called.... "Elena... there's been a change of plans. I want Charlie to come home as soon as you can get him here...."

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Heading to the pool sounds good right now, yeah." She said, simply. "Lemonade, water, all the rest of it. Anything we want, maybe some ice cream." She shrugged, "As for that suggestion you gave me about James, I might do that sometime, definitely." She said. "Maybe tonight might be the chance we get to do something nice, even if it is a little walk. Encino seems like a nice place, so, getting to know the area a little better with him at my side? I guess I can't ask for much more than that right now." She smiled. Yeah, a mini date with James would be brilliant, but, she wasn't going to push it unless James wanted to actually do that. She couldn't imagine he'd really want to with everything that was going on, but a romantic walk never hurt anyone. It wasn't like they'd be in any danger by doing that, would they? They were in a nice area, after all, and they were away from all the major business of Al-Asheera and Bradan.


Things did take a small turn, though, when Thalia kissed her on the cheek and thanked her. It was a display of warmness, so she couldn't really knock that. Why on earth would she complain about her friend showing her affection? "You don't need to thank me. I did what a lot of other people would have done - then again, given the circumstances, I guess you're lucky it was me." She winked. "Any time, though. I don't regret doing it - we may have ran into a lot of problems, but at least we ended up somewhere great, and hopefully we're going to keep on finding great things, you know?" She said. "Now, come on, let's go and sit by the pool." She said, leading her friend outside. Time to relax for a while, and maybe have a swim later on. The pool cleaner had been running all night, so any remnants of Roland's blood that got washed into it wasn't there anymore.


Some time went on.


James was soon contacted by Jon, too, and it turned out that Thalia's mother was asking to talk to her daughter as a deal-sealer, which was fair enough. First off, James snapped a picture of Thalia from a window upstairs, making sure he got a good one that had a clear view of her face - that was the first one that was sent, and after a few minutes, he made a phone call and went outside to the two girls. They needed her for this, and James highly doubted she'd pass up the chance to talk to the mom she hadn't heard from for eight years.


He walked out, the phone at the ready to his ear. He'd already called Jon, so now, it was a matter of her speaking to her mom once more, and giving her the confirmation she needed to fully trust that Jon was a man of his word.


"Thalia. Your mother's on the phone. She wants to know you're okay, that you're not a 'hostage' of mine." He said, holding the phone out to her.


--


"You weren't being irrational, don't worry." He said. "I understand. The situation you're in is one that I've experienced. At least... Sort of. Not exactly from your shoes, though." He said. "The reason my employer picked me for this job... I think I know what it is, but, honestly, I think the only person who may end up knowing that reason is your son, depending on how things unfold. We've got a long few days together, and if there's something I have that might be able to even give him some sort of assurance, then I'll be hanging onto it for the right moment. Believe me, though, your son will be in good hands. I've got some security waiting in the car for us, someone who's going to be with us right until the point we go through an airport terminal, so, you don't need to worry about anything sneaking up on us. He'll have my back, and he'll have yours, too. While my priority is to protect the boy - His? His is to make sure that you're safe. It's a win-win." He explained.


"Separation is never easy from your own children, no." He said. "You can wonder what you've done wrong all you want, in my eyes. But the thing is, Missus Griffin..." He shook his head, "You may have wanted the best for your daughter, you may have done everything in your power to make sure she grew up to be the perfect person, done your best to make sure she achieved everywhere she went, but the thing is? As a father myself, I know that sometimes... Everything just isn't enough." He said. "I showered my son in gifts, I bought him things he wanted to get from me, things his own mother couldn't afford. I gave him money for his birthday along with any gifts he wanted, too, but..." He sighed, then laughed a little. "There was just some days where no matter what I did, it was never enough to make him happy."


"Maybe that's what your daughter's problems were. Maybe what you were giving wasn't enough or what she wanted from your energy. Maybe it's not you that was the problem, maybe she was just a cut from a different cloth. Even though I never knew my children that well, I knew one thing: Every kid's different." He said. "I left a meeting with my son, went for lunch somewhere, and I saw a dozen other kids that were a million times different to him. Some of them fought with their parents, some of them didn't. We can't hold ourselves accountable for the way they are. They're influenced by the environment, not their genetics. You and her father may have been the best people on this side of town, but... A lot of things change the way they grow up, the way they act." He shook his head. "If it's any comfort to you... You did the best you could. Sometimes that's all we can do." 


When she disappeared, he quickly caught up.


"Yours and Charlie's passports, too! I need those!" He said, and after James contacted him, well, he went right up the stairs and found Nicole again.


"Hey." He said, "Picture." He turned his phone to her and showed her the picture of Thalia, and he gave her a good while to look at it, too. A few minutes down the line, and the phone rang. He answered it, and first, he was met with the voice of James until he heard the words of 'your mother's on the phone' from his side. At that point, Jon handed the phone off to Nicole.


"Your daughter's on the phone." He said.


--


LAPD HQ - Tony's Ofice


Frank's phone rang, an unknown number.


He pulled out his phone and put it on speaker after answering it.


"Hello?"


"Hello!? I--" It was interrupted with a man coughing. McAllister?


"McAllister?"


"Detectives, I--" He coughed loudly again. He was out of breath, clearly, and that was it. Had he been running, or something? It was hard to tell, but, Frank rose to his feet and leaned over the desk to listen to him talk. He was concerned. Had he been found out?


"Speak to us, take a breath, you're okay."


"I've been sent on a food run. I'm on a payphone right now." He gasped, "Tell me, does the name... Does the name Redgrave ring any bells to you?"


Frank's heart sunk.


"Redgrave? Yes, he's... He's a SWAT Commander. Why?"


"Bradan, he..." He stopped and took another deep breath. "He's sent a hitsquad to his house. I called you as soon as I got the chance. He sent four men out, orders were to kill him and anyone else in the house. I don't know if this man's got family, but, I don't know his address or anything. All I know is he's a cop - I tried to convince Bradan going after a cop was a bad idea, but, he didn't listen. Fucker gave me a black eye when I went against him." He said. "You gotta' move quick. I don't know how long he has. He sent the team out about fifteen, twenty minutes ago."


"Oh, fuck..." Frank shivered. Now he knew why he felt so uneasy this whole time - Bradan once slit a man's teenage daughter's throat right in front of him. Was he going to do the same to Redgrave? Only yesterday Frank saw Redgrave alive and well with his two kids. Was that about to change? "Thank you. See you tonight."


"Of course." He coughed.


Frank hung up and looked at Tony.


"We need to fucking go, right now." He said. He was shaking all over, his whole body. He'd gone pale, flushed of color - everything. It all hit him too hard. "You better drive, Tony. You know where we lives, but we need to get there. Holy shit. We might already be too late." He said, his voice weakening towards the end of his sentence. "You drive, I'll call for backup." He gulped.

 

[KasperXIII]

Packing up for herself and her son was no big deal for Nicole. The suitcases were still under their respective beds, having traveled not too long ago to her own home country for a brief vacation. Hell, some of their belongings and clothing were still in the bags. Who would've thought it would be this convenient? It's like she anticipated the incoming emergency. Maybe not one involving her daughter, but an emergency nonetheless. Charlie was en-route with his friend's mother, while his own mother was gathering a few of his personal belongings - any clothing he'll need and toys he just wouldn't dare leave behind. It wasn't much, anything that would have to be abandoned could easily be replaced once they resettle in LA. One thing that couldn't though... his father. It still broke Nicole's heart that she had to leave her husband's funeral to the community, that she'd have to disappear rather than bid her final farewells while she still could. But she could understand the urgency of the situation, and for now, she was going on the hunch that Jon was being fully honest. About everything: his stories about his children and the fact that Thalia was waiting for her in California. It felt like a dream come true, and in the midst of a tragedy. She lost her husband... but did she just get her daughter back in the process? 


Passports weren't a problem for the both of them. They were renewed and ready to be used, but odds are, they wouldn't be going through the system. It was too risky, and even a civilian could understand that. Jon still asked for them for whatever reason. Maybe to forge new ones? As much as she was a stickler to rules and laws, this situation called for desperate measures, and she had to suck it up and bear with the fact a few laws had to be broken for the greater good. Besides, Nicole could still back down if this mechanic didn't uphold his side of things. That was, offering up a picture and conversation with her daughter. Which he soon delivered upon. He showed her the picture of an unsuspecting redheaded girl at what she could only assume was a poolside location, laying down on a beach recliner and soaking up some sun. She looked like a young adult old enough to be Thalia, and her face certainly resembled that of the girl who ran away eight years ago. Just older. But Nicole knew her daughter well enough. She grew up to be a very fine looking girl, much like she was at 21. When it came to looks, the daughter really took from her mother more than her father. Pretty, indeed she was. Her tattoos weren't obvious in the picture, though, but she was with a white-haired girl at this place. A friend? It felt good to know she had friends. And there's no way that this particular situation could be doctored to avoid it looking like a hostage situation. This was clear cut: Thalia was here by her will. And it all made sense in her head. Nicole's heart fluttered in excitement after now receiving a recent picture of her daughter. All that was left was the verbal proof. The one thing that would make or break this deal, that would separate this girl from a well-created replica. Now concluding the packing process and had a single suitcase for herself, and one for Charlie, all she had to do was wait. "T-Thank you, Jon," she finally spoke, her voice clearly overjoyed at that picture, and a smile across her face, a sign of hope in her depression. "I can believe you now... I would still like to speak with her, though."


An opportunity she got shortly after. Finally, a conversation with her daughter after years of being apart....


James, likewise, approached Thalia poolside with the flipside of it all: that her mother was on the line. The redhead turned to Karin, grinning like a maniac, in disbelief that her mother actually wanted to talk, and under these circumstances as well. "No way...." she gasped, but clearly ecstatic like her mother. Her jaw was dropped, but it did give the slight shape of a smile, placing the phone at her ear, and asking, "Hello?" Would this be her mother, or just a sick joke? she hated thinking of that meaner possibility, but that's what she was trained to do in her past life: expect the worst of people, even if her hacker ally had proven to be honest and trustworthy.


"Thalia?" the older woman's voice cracked after hearing that first hello. Such nostalgia.... the matured rendition of that little girl's voice she knew before.


It'd been a while since anyone called her by that name in that tone of voice... and, likewise, it'd been a while since she'd said this word out loud: "Maman?"


Both women were in shock, evident on both sides of the line to the bystanders. But it was the good kind of shock. Disbelief that a moment like this had finally come. A mother/daughter reunion at long last.


"Ma fille, Thalia, est-ce vous?" [My daughter, Thalia, is that you?] It was a test. If this person was indeed her daughter, they'd reply in the same language, and in her particular accent.


It'd been a while since she'd spoken French out loud. English mainly, Arabic around Al-Asheera members like in front of Roland, but her other codominant language? It's been a while. She'd written, but the last time she spoke a whole sentence, not a few curse words... it's been too long. Much like it's been an eternity since she'd had contact with her mother. "Oui, Maman, c'est moi...Je ne sais pas par où commencer..." [Yes, Mother, it's me... I don't know where to begin...]


Just hearing that identical dialect... the language never left her little girl. And that, accompanied by the picture, was proof enough that the mystery was solved. She'd found her daughter. Under tragic circumstances, but she was found regardless. But she kept her shocked manifestation minimal, noticing how nervous Thalia seemed on the other side of the line as well. They both were, and Nicole extended an olive branch. A change in her ways from before. "English, dear... it's okay. I don't mind. Whatever you're comfortable with."


A light chuckle came from the surprised daughter. Relief, closure, inner peace. So many things could've described Thalia in that moment. But her mother wanted her to speak in English? That was a change in the usual. Thalia couldn't remember the last time she'd spoken with her mother in English. It was quite literally always in French to the point that she even did so in her thoughts. "I guess it's a force of habit, right?"


"I just want to hear your voice, and it doesn't matter how." No more disbelief or trickery or mind games to test each other. Now it was purely a personal conversation between the two.


"Maman.... there's so much I want to say. Eight years worth of words. I guess the best way to start is that... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I left and broke your heart. I was being selfish, just a stupid kid, and--"


"No, don't even say that, darling. I forgive you. I should be the one apologizing, for pushing you away the way I did. These past eight years have been..."


"...awful. They've been awful for us both, believe me. And all I've wanted for that whole time was to come back. But I couldn't."


"Why is that?"


Now wasn't the time to tell her she'd joined Al-Asheera, the same men who killed her father. "It's... complicated. But what's important now is that I finally can... but from what I understand, you know where I am now. I'm in California, Maman... so much has changed in these past two days that I want to tell you about."


"And I will listen to every detail, my love. You better believe that... A few things you should know. Six months after you left... well, what can I say? You have..."


"A brother." Nicole and Thalia, despite the separation, had a mother-to-daughter connection, almost unconsciously completing each other's sentences. It was a joy to each of their hearts to hear that sort of follow up. "Charlie. Is he coming with you?"


"Yes. Yes he is. You'll get to meet your brother."


"Heh... it's bothered me for so long, you know? Knowing I had a little brother. Does he know about me?"


"He... knows you exist, but that's about it. Nothing further."


A sigh of relief. "I'd like him to get to know me now. For the better woman I've become."


"I thought so. And you will get a chance to be with him. However long you need."


A brief pause drove the two apart for a moment, until Thalia glanced up to the afternoon sky above and spoke again, "I can't believe Daddy's gone...."


Now a more depressing topic came to light: her father, now gone to the ruthless acts of the clan that haunted Philly for as long as she's been living there. "I can't either. He would've been so delighted to meet you after all this time."


"I wanted to see the look on his face when I planned on coming home. Just watching him take me into his arms, whatever he'd do after didn't matter. But as long as he was happy... But I guess we'll never know, right?"


"One thing I'm sure of, Thalia. Your father is an angel among men. Now he truly is an angel, and he's watching over you. And I'm sure he's so proud of you for coming out of this incognito state of yours. He'd be happy that you... WE, are making this right."


"Believe me. I'm happy for it, too. I've wanted to come back for so long. But I could never find the words to confront you both with."


"Which is why when I come there, we're not going to dwell upon it, Thalia. We're going to move passed it. All three of us. We need each other more than ever to remain strong in these horrible times."


The smile on Thalia's face couldn't be any greater, looking at Karin, who could easily get a clue what was going on. "I love you, Maman... and I can't wait to see you when you get here."


Finally, those words from her daughter. After the verbal altercations when she was 12 and 13, Nicole never thought she'd hear those three words from her daughter ever again. But she did, and her heart burst from her chest in shock. At long last. "I love you too, dear.... I will see you soon, right?"


Thalia nodded. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here waiting for you... Bye." Her voice had never sounded that sweet, that happy, even, with her mother. The separation and reunion had some other meaning to it. Closeness. It brought them together. A chance for them both to rise above their challenges together, especially with the man of the family gone. But now all they could do was wait until they see each other again. Thalia returned the phone to James and threw herself back into the poolside chair, still with a giddy grin over her face, her arms spreading out and bending behind her head, legs stretched out to the end of the seat. "Thank you, James. That meant the world to me. Really..." Now, all the young woman could do is wait, now knowing things will get better and actively are. She had her best friend, her boyfriend, and soon enough her mother and brother. It was all coming together. Brighter times...


--


A day at the office for Tony was usually too quiet for his liking. He hated being locked up between four walls. He preferred the action, and it was for reasons like that that he never did his paperwork and accumulated a monumental stack over his desk as a testament to his procrastination. But that wasn't even what Tony was up to in all of the office time. He was looking into Philly PD's Al-Asheera cases. Specifically those of the mystery redhead. He'd read those files a hundred times already, but now he was reading them knowing who it was: Thalia Griffin. Some of those tales in the files felt like tall tales now, knowing that some of these happened when Thalia was no older than 15. Did Ra's really create a monster at that early of an age? If she was brutalizing people at the age of 15, now that she's 21, what would she do to a man? Roland should've been enough proof of how dangerous she had the potential to be. And such violence was only going to progress with time. Only going to get uglier rather than prettier. Why was he still sexually drawn to her though? What was going on in Tony's sick mind? Well, he surely was going mad behind those four walls and his mountains of delayed paperwork.


But his digging was cut short when Frank placed a call on speakerphone. A voice he could've only made out as McAllister panted on the other side of the line. Panic. What had happened? Did Bradan smell the rat in the den and shoo him out? No. This was a warning call. Redgrave was in trouble. A hitsquad en route to his home. W-What? Unbelievable. All Redgrave did was head up the operation at the 7/11. Not that Tony would've wanted a hitsquad at his own doorstep, but going after him or Frank would've been slightly more logical. Frank didn't have any loved ones in the area... but Tony did. It pained him to realize that his soon to be fiance would quite literally bounce between the hands of kingpins for their own sick satisfaction. No, once Mel was back, he had to get her out of town, with the help of James. But now wasn't the time to ask what if. Redgrave is in trouble. And Tony felt an obligation for the two to go to his rescue in any way possible. However they could... What could the two do? "God damn it, Frankie, walk with me," Tony ordered, immediately making a break for the door. Finally time to get out and spring into action again. He scooped up his car keys, ready to return to the driver's seat now that he was fully awake and sober enough to get behind the wheel. "We can't exactly alert the LAPD that Redgrave is in trouble. Pigman may be gone, but that doesn't say anything about Bradan's rat. He could still be here and hear something he shouldn't... which gave me an idea..." He gulped, trembling before he even said anything. "James... He's the only one with the resources to combat this..."


Their march for the exit was cut off by the very same sergeant that entered the office demanding Tony gets a secretary. Arms crossing in front of his chest, he asked almost in a scolding manner, "Just where do you think you're going, Detectives?"


Without even looking back, Tony barked, "Chasing a lead. Tell that to whoever you want. We'll be back in an hour or two."


Quite a blatant lie. Something told the veteran detective they'd be much longer. And before Jordan could ask them anything further, Tony and Frank were already out the door of the station and jogging to the older partner's car. Driving felt so good. And now that the two were alone in the car, he quickly turned the keys in the ignition and spoke freely: "We can't depend on LAPD. He said it's a day off, but this is an emergency. We need to talk to James, tell him that a man's life and his family's well being are at stake here. From what I know, he hates the Clovers just as much as any other vigilante. If he doesn't have an army... well, if anything, he and Thalia are physically capable...."


Desperate, indeed, this sounded. Tony sighed, his grip on the steering wheel tightening as he stepped on the gas of the car a bit harder than he normally would go, blazing to Redgrave's residence. Tensions were rising, and neither detective liked knowing that this could actually go down and Redgrave's family could be butchered soon. "Frank, if you have a better idea, you should say it now. Otherwise, make the call to James, or Thalia, or whoever, to stop this from happening. Or at least get backup. Something, anything!" For once, Tony's voice gave off the vibe of a justice seeker rather than just vengeful. A proper attitude from an esteemed detective like himself.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Frank wasn't so sure how he was going treat this now that it was happening - time was moving so much slower than he wanted it to, and there was nothing he could do about it. He felt like if the pressure of the situation built up anymore, then he was going to faint, vomit, or both. Why did Redgrave mean so much to him? Well, there was more history behind the two than just the 7-11. He was in a rush to get to the car now, and he just wanted them to drive as fast as possible before anything bad happened to Redgrave. And his family. It pained Frank's heart, mainly to think of the little boy that Redgrave had with him only yesterday - they were in the pool, laughing together and playing volleyball. The two were close - for either of them to get hurt would crush the other person in response. He didn't want things to end up that way, but he had the gut feeling that this time, the bad guy won. What if they got there and the whole family had died a slow and painful death? A horrible thought, one that left him sat in silence for the duration that Tony was talking.


"You're right." He eventually choked out. "No backup from the police, nothing like that. We want... We want something, I don't know. I..." He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "We'll go alone." He said, "We'll go alone and keep it that way, people that aren't police will only draw attention from neighbors. We need to go there, just me and you, and clear this up. Shoot-to-kill." He gulped. "If there's anyone still there. The order was made probably more than fifteen minutes ago - McAllister was running, meaning he probably underestimated the time and was under the illusion that because he ran, he got there quicker. He was so heavily out of breath, though, chances are he exhausted himself and took longer than he would have walking." He gulped. "I'm saying the time the attack was ordered was closer to half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes ago." He gulped.


"I didn't think Bradan would ever do it." He leaned back in his seat and pulled his seatbelt shakily across his chest, then slowly checked and made sure his gun was loaded. "He..." He sighed. "Redgrave, I told you what he did - He seized millions in drugs not too long ago on a SWAT operation. Bradan wanted revenge, and the rat in the LAPD found out eventually who did it." He said. "He told Bradan, and here we are. He made a move on him. It must be someone who knows Redgrave personally, though." He said. "Maybe even a member of his own team - If they didn't have access to the files, then there was no chance that they'd know his address. You don't just get access to those files without good reasoning." He explained. "A friend of Redgrave, maybe even a higher-up."


All the possibilities were nothing short of horrifying.


"Let's go there alone, Tony." He whispered once again. "You know that if people want someone dead here in LA, especially someone like Bradan... If he makes an order, it doesn't take long for it to be complete. Let's just get it over with. If we get there in time... Great. If we don't..." He slowly turned and looked out the window, closing his eyes. There was no point getting an army out there, no point at all. Frank had a horrible feeling, and soon enough, he'd know if his fears were true or not. A drive had never felt longer, even though Redgrave's house wasn't all that far away. He just wanted to get there and see what was happening - he knew what Redgrave's address was, so, giving that to Tony made things a little easier.


But yes, Frank insisted they went in without backup.


Arriving at the house didn't take long, even though to Frank, it felt like hours.

 
​

A nice little place, really. Modern, a place Frank knew. One he dreamed of owning one day, when he had a family of his own like Redgrave did. The only issue here was, when they pulled up, the doors were wide open, and there was no sound coming from anywhere. Not inside or outside. This wasn't looking good, and more color only flushed from Frank's face. If the doors were open, had the people already come and gone? No police were here, the neighbors hadn't seemed to have noticed anything out of the ordinary. Were things really that unnoticed? The doors being opened like that were anything but reassuring, though. Regardless, though... Frank was quick to get out of the car.


"Come on." He said, quickly pulling his gun from his holster and slowly approaching the door. The doors didn't show any signs of force being applied. Whoever was there let them in, let them do all the dirty work. Whoever opened the door made a big mistake. It wouldn't take much for the hit squad to force their way inside even if the door was unlatched for a split-second. There were still no sounds of anything. He waited for Tony to take point with him, and when they were both there, Frank went in with the gun raised. There was still no one, at least not yet, but as soon as he reached the doorway to the living room, he stopped dead in his tracks.


A lot of blood, and two dead bodies. One of them was Redgrave, and one of them was a dark-haired woman - Redgrave's wife - a once beautiful lady, but now, nothing more than a corpse with an open would going ear-to-ear across her throat. She was face-down on the white carpet which was now a darker shade of red, obviously. The lights were on down here, as the sun was beginning to set. Was this a recent kill? Redgrave hadn't suffered a fate as grizzly as his wife's, but, she was lying by his feet, and he was sat up against the couch, his head bowed, one bullet in his stomach, two in his chest, and one between his eyes. Blood still ran from his open wounds. The kills weren't all that old - had they missed them by a matter of minutes? Hadn't neighbors called the police? Silenced weapons, maybe?


Had they killed Redgrave's wife in front of him?


Frank bit his tongue and swallowed down the vomit that came to his throat as he slowly stepped into the living room, his mouth hanging open. He walked over to Redgrave and crouched beside him, looking at his face - Redgrave's face was not only covered in blood, but stained by now-dried tears. Dead. It was almost hard to believe - Just like that, he was gone? But what about the children? 


The thought of them alone made him spring to his feet, and made his eyes fill with tears.


"The kids." He whispered, shakily. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. Oh, fuck." He holstered his weapon and applied his hands to the back of his head, taking a shaky deep breath. "We have to find them, come on." He sniffled, and immediately, he made for the stairs. Kids would have hidden in their rooms if they heard chaos, right?


The stairs, well, that was no better - drops of blood stained the carpet on the way up, and when they reached the hallway at the top, it was like something out of a horror movie. The carpet, the walls, all had blood on them. Bloodied lines that started off as an initial handprint ran along the carpets and the walls, too; wallpaper had claw marks running right down the wall leading up to a door at one point. Signs of struggle, signs of trying to get away. What had these animals done? There were still no sounds, no sobbing. The door the blood lead to was open just a little bit, and there was blood on the floor just on the inside, too, and it looked like there was a lot of it. On the inside of the room, the walls were white but covered in various posters. The poster they could see through the crack in the door was a poster of 'The Neighborhood'. Frank doubted Redgrave's six-year-old son listened to them, so it was obvious who the bloodied room belonged to.


"Tony, I can't." He whispered, shakily, and covered his eyes with one hand. "I'll have a look for the boy, but I can't go into the girl's room. I can't." He gulped, heavily. "Please, just... You just check it. Just check it, and... If the body's a teenage girl, just let me know, but I can't go in there. I don't want to." He said. "I'll find... I'll find the boy, or whatever's left of him, I just don't want to go in there." He said, leaning up against the wall. "I think I need a minute." He whispered.