CHAPTER TEN

Arnie struggled to remain in the present. This was not his parents' house. He was not nine years old. He was now a fully trained slayer, nearly a legal adult, and people were in danger. He had to get inside the house, and he had to hurry.

Fire, Arnie sent to Aideen quickly. The Berlins. I need your help.

He attempted to get in through the front door, but it was already burning. He went around the back and saw that the back door was also on fire.

"Help!" A tiny voice screamed. It was coming from the basement, where an extra bedroom had been built only six months before with Lindsey in mind. Lindsey found the basement creepy, but Gracie had fallen in love with the room, so her parents let her have it. Now it appeared to have kept the youngest Berlin safe from the flames that were raging out of control upstairs. "Someone help me!"

"Gracie!" Arnie shouted through the small crack in the window. "Stand back, okay? I'm gonna break the window and get you out."

Gracie retreated to a corner of her room and curled up in a ball with her favorite stuffed animal, terror finally fully hitting her. Arnie broke the window, kicked away all of the remaining shards of glass, and jumped down into the basement. He quickly wrapped Gracie and her stuffed teddybear in a blanket, covering her mouse and nose, and scooped her up in his arms.

"Hold onto me," he said urgently. She wrapped her arms around him as he climbed back out of the window as fast as he could.

Placing Gracie on the ground far enough away from the house that the smoke shouldn't be an issue for her, Arnie said, "Stay right here, okay? And keep your mouth and nose covered with the blanket. It'll keep the smoke out of your lungs."

"Arnie, they're all still inside," Gracie said between coughs. "They're all upstairs sleeping."

"I'm going to go get them out, but you have to stay here, alright? I need to know that you're safe." She nodded. Arnie turned and climbed back into the basement. Smoke was pouring into the basement through the door in the kitchen, but he knew that there was a chance it wasn't actually on fire yet. If he could get into the main floor of the house through that door, he might still be able to save the rest of the Berlins.

He ran up the stairs, pulling his jacket off to cover his mouth and nose, and touched the door. It was hot, but not hot enough to indicate flames. He pushed the door open and was relieved to see that the kitchen had not been fully engulfed yet. He made his way through the house to the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

"Can anyone hear me?" He called, not sure which room to start with. How could he choose which people to save and who to leave to fend for themselves? Everyone that was still in the house was an adult except for Harry and Will. He decided he needed to get to them first, and he could try to get to the others after.

The boys had locked their bedroom door. Arnie broke it down with very little effort and was horrified to see Will lying in a bed that was already covered in flames. His body was badly charred and he looked as if he'd never woken up. Harry's bed was just starting to catch on fire, but the boy wasn't moving.

"Harry!" He shouted. "Harry, can you hear me?" He raced to Harry's side, but he realized immediately that it was too late. The smoke must have gotten him. Arnie picked Harry up and carried him out of the room anyway. He hadn't burned. Maybe CPR would be able to save Harry's life.

Arnie was devastated but knew there was no time to dwell on Will's death at the moment. He tried CPR on Harry, but the boy didn't respond. He left him in the hallway, planning to try again after checking on Lindsey. She shared a wall with Will and Harry, and he'd seen that the wall was in bad shape, but he hoped Lindsey was still alive. As soon as he entered the room, he knew that wasn't the case. Her body was already burned beyond recognition. He didn't have to get near her to know that she was dead. Roger had collapsed on the floor beside her bed, apparently succumbing to smoke inhalation while trying to rescue her. He hadn't stood a chance.

Arnie rushed back to Harry's body, hoping he could somehow revive him. He was about to try CPR again when a hand touched his shoulder.

"He's already gone," Aideen told him gently. "I'm sorry, Arnie. We have to get out of here."

"Not until I get to Carly and Tommy," Arnie said stubbornly. Several ceiling beams collapsed around them. "I have to help them, Deenie!" He had to be able to save one set of parents. His own parents were already gone, but he couldn't let this happen to the Berlins, too.

"There's no way you can get to them safely," Aideen pointed out. "The house is about to collapse, Arnie."

"I won't leave them here. They could still be alive!" He insisted.

"If they were, they'd have escaped by now," she said gently.

"They could be trapped... Gracie was trapped... They might need help, Deenie!"

"Arnie, listen to me," Aideen said, grabbing onto his shoulders and looking deep into his eyes. "They're gone. Even if they're still breathing, they aren't conscious, and by the time we might be able to reach them, the house will-"

"No!" Arnie cut her off. "Don't say it... Don't say it, Deenie..." He was trembling as he stared at the flames in the hallway. "This can't be happening again," he whispered.

Aideen's heart broke for her best friend. He didn't fight as she dragged him toward the stairs. Instead, he stared blankly toward the master bedroom. The door was completely engulfed in flames. Even in the unlikely event that Carly and Tommy were still alive, Arnie knew that they wouldn't be able to rescue them.

When they finally got outside, Arnie collapsed on the ground and started coughing. Aideen was relieved when the fire trucks and ambulances arrived.

"What happened?" Skip asked as the Unit arrived at the scene. The Berlins were slayers. This was a matter for the supernatural police.

"When I got here, the house was on fire," Arnie replied tonelessly. "If I'd just come home sooner..."

"Don't go there, Arnie," Aideen said. "This isn't your fault."

"How bad is it?" Shooter asked.

"They're dead... All of them... Except for Gracie," Arnie replied. "She was in the basement. I got her out, but she probably inhaled a lot of smoke. You should make sure that the doctors check her out."

"You're getting checked, too," Tammy informed him.

"No thanks. I'm good."

"It's not optional, Arnie," Skip said in a firm but sympathetic tone.

"No!" Gracie began screaming. "Stay away from me!"

A paramedic had attempted to pick her up. "Honey, we have to make sure that you're okay," the man said.

"No! I want Mommy!" Gracie sobbed.

Arnie forced his own emotions aside. He'd been here before. He knew what Gracie was about to go through. He stood up with some help from Aideen and walked over to his foster sister. "It's okay, Gracie. I'll go with you," he said. "You won't be alone."

Gracie calmed down when she saw that Arnie was okay. She let him carry her into the ambulance. "I'm going, too," Aideen said.

"Are you a relative, Miss?" The paramedic asked.

"He's my brother," Aideen replied firmly.

The paramedic nodded and let her ride in the ambulance with Arnie and Gracie. The ride to the hospital was silent except for Gracie's sobs and Arnie's attempts to soothe her. Aideen did for Arnie what he'd done for her so often over the years, stroking his hair over and over again, hoping she could somehow comfort him even though the unthinkable had happened again.

~*~

Shooter cursed as he sifted through the rubble that had once been a home. "Look at this," he said, calling Skip and Tammy over.

"What is it?" Tammy asked, looking at the miraculously unburned piece of parchment paper.

"It's a note, spelled to survive the fire." He read the strange note aloud. "My Dear Son, History always repeats itself. You'll never be safe as long as you live, and no fake family will be, either. You belong to me. Come home to me. We have much to discuss. Your Father."

"What the hell?" Tammy wondered aloud. "It sounds like a confession, but who was the letter written to?"

"Oh my God," Skip said as realization dawned on him. "History... Arnie's parents died exactly like this."

"Yeah, meaning that Arnie's parents are dead. If the letter was written to Arnie, what is this 'your father' business?" Shooter asked.

"What if Arnie's father wasn't his biological father?" Tammy asked.

Shooter took off his gloves, figuring they'd never get fingerprints off the note anyway, and read the energy. "He killed them, too," he said. "This guy claiming to be Arnie's father murdered his parents, and now his foster family. And I think..." He hesitated.

"What is it, Shooter?" Skip asked.

"I think this guy is his father. The energy signature is similar enough to Arnie's that I'm confident in saying they're related. It's cloaked, though, even from me. I can't get a full read on who he is."

"How are we supposed to tell Arnie about this?" Tammy asked. "The poor kid's been through hell already."

Skip shook his head. "We're going to need proof before we throw this at him," he decided. "Let's pull his birth record and see what we can find."

~*~

Alex met Arnie and Aideen at the hospital. Arnie excused himself from Gracie's bedside to go talk to him. "Are you guys okay?" Alex asked them.

"Not at all, but physically, sure," Arnie replied. "I can't go back into the system, Alex," he began. "Please let me stay with you. I just can't do this all again. I promise I'll sleep on the couch and stay out of Melissa's bedroom. Please." He held back tears as he begged for sanctuary.

"Arnie, of course you can stay with me. You're already like family to me, and you know that. I'll petition for temporary guardianship, and then you can try to get emancipated if you want," Alex replied as he hugged him in an attempt to comfort him. "I am so sorry this happened."

"I wish I was eighteen. I'd take care of Gracie. No kid should ever have to go through the system. Ever," Arnie said.

"Maybe we can get one of the local slayer families to take her in," Aideen suggested. "She's the sweetest little girl. I'm sure she'd be no trouble."

"I'll talk to some people," Alex said. "I'll make sure she's taken care of."

Arnie began to tremble. "This can't be real," he said, shaking his head. "There's no way that this is actually happening."

Aideen wrapped him tightly in her arms and refused to let go. "I'll get you through this, Arnie," she promised.

"Just like last time, right?" Arnie asked sadly. "I should get back to Gracie. She needs me." He walked back to her room.

"Can I come crash at your place tonight, Alex?" Aideen asked. "I don't want to leave him."

"You're always welcome at my place," Alex replied. He paused before he asked, "How bad was it, Deenie?"

"He saw Roger, Lindsey, and Will's charred bodies... Harry was in better shape but was way beyond CPR... And the house collapsed before he could even get to Carly and Tommy."

"My Gods... Like he hasn't been through enough already?" Alex sighed. "Do you think he'll be alright? Do I need to worry that he's going to do something stupid?"

"I don't know," Aideen admitted. "He's lost a lot of people over the years and hasn't tried to kill himself, but this... It's so much like when his parents died. That's why I'm staying with him for as long as I can. When Arnie snaps, I can usually pull him back from the edge, just like he can with me."

"I'm going to go make a few calls and make sure that Gracie's taken care of and Arnie can come home with me. I'll be back, okay?"

Aideen nodded and went back into Gracie's room. Arnie was holding her tightly. The little girl was sobbing again. "What's gonna happen to me?" She asked as she sniffled.

Arnie wanted to lie and say that everything would be fine, but he couldn't. He knew better. "It's never going to get easier," he told her. "You'll always miss them, but they're with you, Gracie. They're watching over you, and I know that you'll make them so proud. You're going to stay with another family who will take care of you until you're old enough to do it yourself."

"I don't want another family. I want mine," Gracie protested.

Arnie's heart broke. "I know... I know, sweetie," he said as he fought back tears and forced himself to remain calm. "I've been where you are, Gracie. But look what happened to me. I found a great family with you guys."

"You mean I'm going to be a foster kid," Gracie realized in horror. "You always said the foster system's bad."

Arnie silently cursed at himself. "Sometimes it is," he admitted, "but sometimes you get lucky, and I'm gonna make sure that you're one of the lucky ones. Not everyone in the system is bad."

"I'm scared, Arnie," she sobbed.

"I know, but you're strong, Gracie. You're the strongest kid I know, and you're going to survive this."

"If I hadn't taken the basement bedroom-" She began.

"No, Gracie, don't think like that," he cut her off. "I know where you're going, and trust me, it's not a fun place to be. This isn't your fault. You were meant to survive this, or you wouldn't have. It's that simple."

"But if I'd been upstairs, I could have called 911. I stayed down there cause I remembered in school that they said smoke goes up. Since there was only a little smoke coming downstairs I thought it was safer. I should have gone up and tried to get help!" She sniffled again as fresh tears formed in her eyes.

"By the time the smoke woke you up, the house was already in bad shape. If you'd gone upstairs, you would be dead, too, Gracie," Arnie explained. "You did the right thing."

"Are you going to go away, too?" She asked, her voice cracking in fear.

"What do you mean?" Arnie asked as he rubbed her back soothingly.

"When they send me to another family, are you going somewhere else? Will I still see you?" Gracie asked.

"Like you could get rid of me that easily! Of course you'll still see me. Wherever you end up, I'll visit you all the time, I promise," Arnie replied.

"Will we get sent to the same place?"

"I don't think so, sweetie, but don't worry. I'll make sure that you go somewhere really nice, and like I said, I'll come see you so much, you'll get sick of me."

A doctor came in. "I want to keep Gracie here for observation, but you should be fine, Arnie," he said. "Do you have somewhere to go tonight?"

"Yeah, I made arrangements," Arnie informed him. "Gracie, if you want me to stay here tonight, just ask."

"No, it's okay," Gracie replied bravely. "Just come back tomorrow. Promise."

"I promise, kiddo," Arnie said. He hugged her as tight as he could without hurting her and kissed the top of her head. "Get some sleep. I'll be back soon."

Gracie nodded. Arnie left the hospital room and made sure that he was far away from Gracie's sight before he allowed himself to cry. Aideen wrapped him in her arms and said, "Come on, Arn, let's go get Alex."