#abwd

"I'll see you soon, kiddos," Chase responds with a cute wave. "I'll try to take you out again more often, give your poor Mam a break. I gotta go though, love you both, bye!"

As soon as the car doors are closed, Chase is already taking off down the street, turning a corner, and disappearing. Trey doesn't move until the car is completely gone before turning to head up to the front door. Lydia's tired, he can tell, but she's not saying anything either. At least, not until Trey tries to open the door, and finds it locked.

"...Where's Mam?" Lydia finally asks. She rubs her eyes and pulls away from Trey. "I'm cold."

"I don't know," Trey mumbles. He pulls out his cellphone and dials a number, hoping Mam will answer. The phone rings a couple of times, and Trey is about to start crying out of frustration, when the other end picks up.

"Trey?" It's Marvin.

"Uncle Marvin?" Trey breathes a sigh of relief, leaning against the front door. "Where's Mam?"

"Are you and your sister alright?" Why does Uncle Marvin sound off? Trey doesn't like anything that's going on anymore. His dad had been acting off all day, he didn't trust anything about his dad's friend, and now they're locked outside, and Marvin sounds angry. "Where are you both?"

"We're at home, geeze!" Trey snaps. "Where's Mam? It's cold outside and we wanna go inside. Why did she lock us out?"

"Stay right there," Marvin orders. "I'll be right there to pick you up. Just hang on for ten minutes." He hangs up without saying goodbye. Trey stares down at the phone with a shocked expression. Why is everyone acting so weird today?

Lydia starts crying. "I wanna go home," she whines, leaning against Trey. "Are we in trouble? I'm hungry..."

"Me too." Trey leans against the door, pulling his jacket tighter around him. He drops his backpack to the ground, wrapping his arms around his sister in the process. She's wearing a jacket as well, but Trey knows how cold it is, she's probably going to need the extra heat.

He spends the next several minutes watching cars go by as it grows increasingly dark. He'd pull his phone out to check the time, but he doesn't want to let go of Lydia yet. It's hard for him to hold back tears himself, but he’s trying to be strong for her sake, even if he’s also scared and confused. Every car that goes by is another disappointing reminder that Marvin hadn't arrived yet, and Trey is ready to call back.

When a car finally pulls into the driveway, Trey looses the control he had over himself and starts crying. Grabbing his things, he ushers Lydia toward the car, but Marvin is already getting out and grabbing them both in a hug. He's warm, strong, and the very source of comfort both children desperately needed.

"I'm sorry," Marvin mutters, kissing both crying children on the head. "I'm sorry you had to wait like this in the cold. I'm sorry I wasn't here to pick you up right away. You're safe now, I've got you. Let's go back to my place, I've got your mam, and we'll have hot cocoa for you."

He helps both children into his car before getting back behind the wheel, looking back at both of them. "Are you both okay? Did your dad hurt you?"

"No." Trey sniffles. "What's going on? Why was Dad acting weird? Who was the weird guy staring at us the whole time?"

"I wanna go home," Lydia cries. "I want mammy."

"We're on our way to her right now," Marvin reassures her. "Your dad's sick, Trey. We don't know what's going on, but he's with a bad man who wants to hurt him. He did bad things to Chase, so we had to make sure your daddy didn't hurt you either." Marvin keeps the heat cranked up as he drives back home. "Tell me about your day though. Did you two have fun at the water park?"

"Yeah," Lydia says softly. "I went on the big slide with daddy. He splashed me a few times, so I splashed back." She seems to relax a little more now that the heat is working, and she's in the care of someone trustworthy. "Daddy didn't buy us food though. He got us snacks, but he said Mammy will have food for us."

Marvin laughs a little. "I'm glad you had fun, little princess. Right you are though, we'll have plenty of food for you when we get back home. Mam and uncle Jackie are making your beds for you right now. You'll be safe with us for a few days."

"Will the bad man come after us?" Trey asks uncertainly. "I don't wanna be in trouble."

"No." Marvin's tone is almost too sharp. "Jackie and I won't let anything happen to either of you. Neither will your Mam, I promise. You trust me, okay? I'll protect you."

"Will you protect dad too?"

"Yes, we'll save your daddy."

When they finally pull up to the manor, Stacy's running outside, tears flowing freely down her face. She doesn't wait for the car to shut off as he pulls the car doors open, hauling her children out so she can hug them fiercely. They both cling to her tightly. "Mam!" Lydia cries. "Mammy I'm hungry."

"I know baby, I know," Stacy whimpers. "Let's go inside. You two can sleep in my bed tonight. Mm, I was so worried about you both." Without letting go of them, she waddles her way back inside. She ignores Jackie, who's hovering by the doorway. He steps aside to let the family pass, but his gaze is on Marvin, who's slower to enter the manor.

"You need to tell me again what exactly Jacques said to you," Marvin says quietly. "I know you hedged because of Stacy, but it's just the two of us now. I need to know details."

"He threatened to kill me," Jackie says, face void of any emotion. "Said he could easily take us out any time he wanted."

"You're still not telling me something," Marvin growls. "What else did he say?"

Jackie looks over his shoulder, closing the front door before stepping closer to Marvin. "If we don't act fast, I don't think he'll just keep Chase permanently brainwashed, I think he's going to use Chase against us. He already doesn't recognize us, what do you think's going to happen if Chase acts out under Jacques' control? You know how strong Chase is, he could take me on in a fight and last awhile. I'd rather not see what happens if he somehow wins."

"Shit." Marvin rubs his face. "Do you think Jacques knows about the pistol Chase owns?"

"I guarantee you, Chase would tell him anything at this point," Jackie replies. "I have no idea how to break his hold over Chase, and I'm pretty fucking sure you don't either."

"You're right, I don't. It's not straight up magic, so..." Marvin's shoulders slump. "We gotta figure something out."

"We can't let him take the kid again either," Jackie says. "Not while Jacques is running free. Even if that means we get Stacy to file a restraining order."

"You're heartless!" Marvin snaps. "Those are-"

"We're all in danger as long as Chase isn't thinking straight," Jackie responds flatly. "You want to trust me to make the calls for all us egos? This is my call. Chase can't have the kids until he's back to normal. Stacy is going to file a restraining order for herself and them if it comes down to it. I'm not repeating today, ever again, and this is the only way I can ensure everyone's safety." With that said, he marches back inside.

Marvin watches as the door closes on him. "How did this get so fucked up?" He whispers to himself. Everything now feels hopeless.

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