The rest of the night passes by uneventfully. In the back of my mind, it occurs to me that I should be working on schoolwork, but for some reason, I can't bring myself to do it. With everything that is going on I'm my head, I can barely remain focused enough to feed Addy, let alone work on college level work.

I am in bed with my lights out before nine pm. My ribs are killing me from the housework today. My head is not fairing much better after the unsettling news about my father. Despite everything, when my head hits my pillow, it's lights out. I am exhausted beyond belief.

I am jolted awake. At first, I think Addison is awake and wants something. It only takes me a moment to realize that she is no making a sound. If the baby didn't wake me up, what did?

Sitting up in my bed, scared out of my mind for myself and my baby, it suddenly occurs to me something I have never thought of before. My mother's pistol. She kept it in her end table in one of those locking drawer things. My father always hated that she had it, but she was unrelenting about being able to protect herself. I know where she keeps the key.

I lunge out of my bed and rush into my parent's bedroom. I keep low to the ground and do not turn on any lights in the house. Better to not let the possible intruder know that I am awake.

Mk heart is beating aginst my aching ribs as I reach the dresser. She kept the key in the top of her jewelry box so that it was easily accessible in case something like this happened. I risk exposing myself and stand up to get the key.

The sound. Footsteps. Downstairs.

There is no doubt in my mind. Someone is in this house who should not be. I fling open the jewelry box. I grasp the cold key in my sweaty hand. Two steps later, I am in front of the end table. My heart is beating insanely, but my hands remain steady. They have to. I must protect us.

I slip the key into the lock and yank open the drawer. I pull out the loaded gun and cock it. I am armed and I know how to use it.

I stand up, pointing the gun in front of myself. I am ready to shoot if I need to, but I am also calm. I will be cautious and ready. I will be calm. I silently make my way down the hallway, avoiding where I know the floor squeaks. I slink through the shadows. I reach the end of the hallway.

The footsteps are close now. The intruder is at the bottom of the stairs. I wait for him to come further up so that I know I will be able to hit him. He is in my house and I will do whatever I have to to protect my baby.

He is where I want him. I brush my hand across the wall until I feel what I am searching for. The light switch. A quick flick of my hand and the light comes on. My eyes do not leave the man as he blinks his vision into focus. I wait a second before I speak.

"I swear to god if you move one centimeter I will blow your fucking brains out." My voice does not waver. It does not betray my bone-crushing fear.

I scan his body. He has a gun tucked in his waistband.

"Toss me the gun." He starts to move. "Slowly!" I yell. I know that my voice was high that time. The baby starts to cry. The man looks up, startled. I do not know if it was my tone or the baby's ear-splitting wails. Either way, I don't care.

With one hand up in the air, he tosses me the gun. I take it and tuck it in my waistband.

"Listen, I am not here to hurt you," he pleas.

"Then what the hell are you doing in my house in the middle of the night?" He is looking me up and down before his piercing blue eyes settle on my ankle monitor. I look at him closer. His midnight black hair is a stark contrast to his pale skin. He is tall, but not overly. He is muscular. Not the type you get from working in the gym for hours a day, but the kind you get from working hard all your life. I didn't know anybody still looked like that. If not for the circumstances, I might have even considered this mysterious, wraithlike man beautiful in a vampiric sort of way.

"I was waiting since you got home for a moment when this house wasn't being surveilled. The damn government has been crawling all over the place since you got back.

"You still have yet to say what the hell you are doing here. Why do you give a shit if I am under government surveillance? I am under court order," I say gesticulating to my ankle monitor. Our voices have grown louder to hear and be heard over the baby's annoyed wails.

"Would you go calm that baby?" the man asks, aggravated. 

"And leave you here alone? No thanks."

He sighs. "I worked with your father."

"What do you know about my father?"

"I know we worked together in the CIA until your father disappears telling no-one. I wasn't concerned about it at first, but then when I reported it to my boss and he brushed me off, I knew something was going on. I was on my way home to my family when my older brother who I am currently living with called and said there was a SWAT team surrounding the house."

"How does this relate to you breaking into my house," I say, still pointing my gun at him. I do not trust him, or anyone, right now. Not after all that has happened. Who would?

"I'm getting there, be patient." I glare at him, but say nothing, waiting for him to continue on with the story.

"Anyways, I knew that I couldn't go home. As much as I wanted to be with my brother and his wife and children, I knew that it would do no good. We would all be arrested, and who knows what would happen after that. I decided right then and there that I had to figure out what was going on. I raced back to the CIA and got as many of your father's files as I could get my hands on.

"I kept my face covered and away from cameras, but I am sure that they will know it was me. At this point, I am in deep. They were after me before, but now I have essentially stolen classified documents. So after I got the documents, I drove here. I switched cars, and I stayed under the radar. I know your father was on to something big, and it is up to me to find out what.

"I was hoping that his wife would be here, but then I realized it was only his two daughters. At first, when I realized that, I was just going to break in and steal what might have been useful, but then you pulled a gun. You were prepared to use it, calm, and steady. You thought on your feet. I could use your help if you are willing."

"I have an ankle monitor and a baby, who is, by the way, mine."

"What?"

"I adopted her from my parents. My mother didn't want a baby at her age and I have always wanted children. I just got them a little sooner than I was planning."

"Oh, okay. If you are willing to work with me, we can figure out what your father risked his life and mine for."

What the hell, I think. "Okay. Sure."

"Great, now can you lower the gun?" I smirk and lower it.

"You can sleep in my brother's room. I am keeping both of the guns. If you try to pull anything, I swear–"

"I got it. You'll shoot out 'my fucking brains'." I laugh. I don't mean to, but it just sort of slips out.

"You can trust me, I promise." I nod. I don't know why, but I do trust him. I know that his story could be 100% made up, but I feel in my gut that he is telling the truth.

"I am going to take care of the baby. I'll see you in the morning and we can discuss how this will work and our plan more then."

"Alright." I turn my back on him aginst my better judgment and walk into the baby's room. He follows up the rest of the stairs and goes down the hall to my brother's room. He shuts the door and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

A/N:

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1515 words