His blood raced rapidly through each vein and his fist flew into the wall. He let his breath regulate as he leaned his head against the firm wall. His knees grew weak and he rested his back on the firm surface. Then he slid onto the floor and leaned his head back. Everything was all messed up and he had been too late to solve everything.

His cell rang and when he looked at the number, he rolled his eyes and turned the stupid contraption off. Then he tossed it back onto a nearby chair and pulled himself off the floor. He walked over to the bed, which was stationed in the corner and collapsed. When he felt his pulse finally return to normal, he let out a sigh and closed his eyes. The instant he saw that child in her arms, he opened his eyes with a groan.

He pulled himself up to his feet and checked the time. It was still three hours before sunset and he needed to walk. He grabbed his jacket and slid it on. When he opened his door, he glanced at his cell in the chair and then he left the room. With the room locked up, he made his way down the sidewalk and to the city park.

@#$%

She watched him leave the room and she felt the storm brewing once more. She curled up into a ball and tried to let the storm pass without breaking. When she felt a tear on the verge of falling, she took a deep breath and looked out her window. It looked so warm outside and she yearned to escape everything going on in this room and within her. The door opened and when she looked, she saw him standing right over her.

@#$%

Her head shot up rapidly and she hit it on the desk lamp next to her. A curse slipped her mouth before she could stifle it and she looked around the room. Hallie was down the hall in her bed sleeping and Kari hadn't heard anything this time. She sighed and glanced at the clock only to see that she had been asleep for two hours before the nightmare woke her this time. Frustrated and exhausted, she logged into her e-mail account and found a message from Stef.

She scanned the message for any important hints encoded just for her and then she deleted the message. Then she took a deep breath and started dialing her mother's number. The phone rang three times and then someone finally answered the line. When she heard her mom, she felt some of the fear leave and she took a deep breath.

"Mind if I come home for a few weeks and bring someone with me?"

"No! I don't mind at all! I've missed hearing from you so much these past years!"

A smile crept onto her face for a second and then she said "I'll book a flight and be home in two days. Good night."

She hung up and when she put her phone down, she scanned the Internet for the closest flight date. When she had two seats booked for departure tomorrow, she turned her pc off and walked to her bed. She slid under her covers and felt her body warm instantly. Her eyes began to grow heavy and she curled up under the warm throw. With plans of departure needing to be finalized in the morning, she let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes.

When she heard a clanging in the kitchen followed up by laughter, she sighed and rolled onto her back. The door opened and she slowly opened her eyes to see Hallie walking over to her. She was already showered and dressed for the day, although she didn't know about the trip they would be going on in a few hours. The girl sat on the bed and she sat up slowly. She heard footsteps and when she looked at the door, she found Daniels watching her with a smirk.

She growled deep in her throat and Hallie said "He made us breakfast, Mom!"

That name made her lighten up and she asked "Did he now? Who let him in our home and why did he make breakfast when I could have?"

Hallie shrugged and said "Kari let him in and led him into the kitchen. She's still in there."

Kat nodded and said "Then, you should go check in on her. You know how she tends to get herself hurt just being in that room."

Hallie nodded and then she hopped off the bed and left the room. She looked at Daniels and he closed the door. She slid out from her warm covers and walked over to her closet. As she pulled down a suitcase, she knew he was watching her and checking out her pj's even though he had seen them before. The memory made her silently shudder and she tossed the suitcase onto her bed.

She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a week's worth of clothes. As she packed her bag, Daniels leaned against the door and remained silent, which she appreciated. When she finished packing her clothes, she sighed and looked up at him. He raised an eyebrow and she closed her bag until she finished packing after breakfast.

"Going somewhere?"

She pulled her hair up off her neck and said "Yes."

He watched her bound it to her head and asked "Taking Hallie with you? Or is Kari going as well?"

Her eyes looked his way and she said "Just Hallie. Kari has a job here and I have something to take care of."

He watched her sternly and said "I'm coming."

She stiffened and said "No you aren't. I don"t need you to come."

A chuckle came from he and she asked "What's so funny?"

He shrugged and said "You might not need me to come, but Hallie will. You're taking her somewhere new and she's too young to adjust without something she's known all her life."

With a sigh, she surrendered and said "Fine. You can come if you can get a seat on the plane."

PGS