A knock on the door made her sit up and when she answered the door, she found Daniels standing in front of her. She sighed and let him in before she closed the door. She turned around and found him watching her from the middle of the room. Without a word, she sat down on the couch and waited for whatever he had to say. Quiet footsteps made her look into the hall and she saw Hallie looking in each room.

When the girl saw her she asked "Mom's not home?"

She shook her head and said "No she isn't. It's not like her."

Then she remembered Daniels and said "Right now isn't a good time."

He looked at Hallie and asked "How long has she been out?"

The girl shrugged and Kari said "All night."

His fist tightened and he said "Damn. She's a mother and she wastes a night with this idiot."

Kari sighed and said "We don't know if she did or not. Anything could have happened."

He looked at her and said "I need you to tell me where she would go if she was upset or needed space."

The woman was quiet for a minute and then she said "I honestly don't know."

He looked at Hallie and she said "Mom never disappeared before."

He sighed and said "Then I guess we just have to wait and see what happens."

Kari nodded and said "That appears to be our only option. Hallie, try to get some sleep."

The little one nodded and as she went to bed he asked "Was she up all night?"

She nodded and said "We both were. I apparently fell asleep an hour ago."

He sat next to her and said "I can take care of things if you need some sleep."

Her eyes narrowed and she said "Don't talk like nothing is going on. I'm still not happy with you."

With a sigh he said "I know, but come on already. I apologized at least twenty times!"

She crossed her arms and said, "I don't care. Honestly the reason you like me is so you can be around those two."

His eyes became hot and he growled "That is not true. You know I like you and I have since we met."

With one eyebrow up she asked "Is that so? Then, why do you like me and what about Kat?"

@#$%

His eyes fell closed and he jerked them open as the car moved to the right. He shook the sleep from his head and continued looking along every street. This search had lasted all night and all he wanted was to kill Ash for that trick. She was obviously stupid to think he wanted to go back to her. The moment she had touched him, he watched her plan work and now he was searching the city to find her.

@#$%

The quiet chirping made her return to the world and she opened her eyes. She felt how tired they were and she knew why. She forced herself up from her spot and she leaned against the wall as her circulation moved around. When she had some balance, she looked around the place and tried to calm her nerves. She saw a car coming her way and she looked at the driver.

The windshield had to be tinted to where she couldn't even determine the gender. She leaned back against the tree wearily and closed her eyes just as the car stopped in front of her. When she heard the door open on the far side, she moved off the tree and walked over a bridge. Her eye caught her reflection and she winced at how broken she looked. She felt the wind on her bare arms and a cold chill ran up her spine just as a jacket was placed on her shoulders.

She looked behind her and when she saw him she asked "What do you want now?"

He shook his head and said "I had no idea what she was going to do."

Her eyes were burning and she said "I highly doubt that. I was such a fool to think this wouldn't happen again, especially with you."

His eyes looked straight at her and he said "Ash did all of that on her own. She is messed up. I would never hurt you."

She rolled her eyes and said "Yeah, like I can believe that."

He took her hand and said "Listen to me. When you took off, she told me that she wanted me to come back. I didn't care what the hell she wanted. I just wanted to get out of there and find you."

Her eyes became less cold and she mumbled "Only so you can finish what she started."

His grip tightened on her hand and he said "Damn it! I told you already that I couldn't hurt you again. Just listen to me."

She felt new tears burning her eyes and she looked awhile as she fought them off. He turned her back to face him and slowly brushed the new tears away before they fell. He pulled her into his chest and she felt every muscle tense as she rested her head on his chest. When she felt him massaging her back, she let her eyes close and felt her nerves start to calm.

T"If she ever comes near you again, just let me know."

She remained quiet and he continued "Last night, I was out of my mind looking for you. All I thought about was how you would disappear again and this time I would never be able to see you again."

A tear dampened his shirt and he held her back to where he could look straight into her eyes. He brushed the tear away and kissed her cheek gently. When she took a deep breath, he lifted her chin up to his eye level and brushed his lips over hers. Her muscles instantly relaxed just from his kiss and when she was lost in him, her arms wrapped around his neck with him holding her closely to him. She felt all her fear slip away and the peace she had experienced once before slowly claim her.

PGS