Memories returned (Emily Niah and Invite)

[Emily Niah (DELETED 5213)]

Emily watched him as he headed for the stairs. It was a lot to take in, she knew, maybe he needed time to take in everything. Maybe she should not of hit him with so much at once. He had just returned and she had heard stories of the military changing people and it could of been some of that too. She looked to the clock on the wall and it was late and he must of been tired so that too could of been a factor in her brothers response.

"Hunter." She walked closer to him "We can talk when ever you want. there is no rush."

She smiled at him and then let out a yawn and walked back over to the other sofa her mother was not on and she curled up and quickly went back to sleep.

[Robert Pratt]

He didn't have to go too far before he found a house with a sign outside denoting it as a B+B. He checked the time and frowned because it was a ridiculous time to be looking for a room. If he knocked now and asked for a room, he'd be turned away he was sure. There was nothing in the area that he knew of that would warrant someone arriving late at night and needing a room. Instead, he simply cast a quick look around and then wrapped himself in the cold shadows of the night. A shiver ran down his spine as he felt them slickly wrap him in darkness and hide him from any prying eyes. He hated the dark and the damp that lurked there. It was as if there were something palpable within the shadows that tried to ooze through his every pore and change him from the inside out. He knew there were forces and people out there who wanted to change him - or destroy him - and he could feel their influences the strongest when he embraced what he was and the powers he had.

Once more he called upon his powers and broke through the barrier that would have otherwise kept him out. The shadows leeched out from around him and felt their way to that invisible shield that was supposed to keep people safe from things like him and his kind. Exerting a little pressure, he felt it bend under the strength of his will and with a little more concentration he felt it tear asunder. The shadows wrapped and pushed their way in through the little crack until the entire thing shattered around him and he was free to come and go as he pleased. He took a moment to calm himself, centre himself and shrug the shadows off from his heart and mind. He needed to remember who he was, what he was, what he believed in and what he stood for. He couldn't let the darkness of his life take over his mind as it had before. He was and always would be human at his core. The compassion for life would always be there and he would not allow the hatred and the darkness to control him. He was the Light that walked the Earth and he would save them all. One day.

His hand finally found the doorknob and turned it quietly, letting himself in. Silently he crept around the B+B and checked various rooms until he found one that was obviously unoccupied. As soon as he was in the room, he let the shadows drop from around him and he simply collapsed to the bed. He was exhausted both physically and emotionally, and he needed to sleep. Eyes closing, he drifted off into the sleep of the dead and was, luckily, left undisturbed throughout the entire day. As the sun went down and the night glistened with the starlight on the left over rain, he awoke once more and headed back out into the night and go back to his house.

Slow, steady steps drew him homewards and with every step a weight seemed to gather and sit in his chest as his mind raced and wondered what he'd find when he got home. Once more, he drew the shadows around him and felt them creep and cling to his frame as he vanished from sight. Up to the door he walked and then his footsteps faltered and stopped. His hand reached out, as did his senses, until his fingers came to rest on the wood of the outside wall. There was no resistance, no barrier protecting the place from him - and his eyes went wide. The only time he'd ever found a place to be unprotected in this way, was if he owned it or had been invited in. No new owners could know of him to invite him in, which meant...... he still owned the place. Which meant, this was his family still here, in the house, meters away.

He could hear voices coming from inside, though he didn't know if it were people, TV or radio that were creating it. Part of him wished he'd brought Leyna with him, because she could have simply walked through the walls unseen and unheard and he'd have then been able to see through her eyes and hear through her ears all that went on. However, he'd not known how she'd have coped outside of Harper Rock and he'd had another job for her. Though with what he'd seen in his dreams last night through her eyes - he'd wondered why he'd even bothered, why he'd cared, why he'd loved. He dragged his mind from those thoughts, not wanting to fall into despair again, and decided that he'd deal with that later. For now, there was more important matters at hand. Steeling himself, his hand once more reached out and this time grasped the door handle. Giving it a turn, he opened it silently and stepped inside. He was home!

His senses were immediately swamped with the sights and smells of his past. So many familiar things, sparking memories in his head left and right. It was an intense moment, but he relished it all because they were such happy memories. Even tinged with the sadness of all he'd lost, there had been some truly joyous moments in this house for him and he took a moment to enjoy them all. A clatter from the kitchen brought him back to the here and now, and his feet silently padded through the house to let him slip into the heart of the home. Something caught in the back of his throat as he saw Marie there, cleaning up after dinner, and a small, strangled noise escaped that made her stop and look around. She of course saw and sensed nothing, so put it down to her imagination - while Robert simply stared. She'd aged - as had he - but she still had the elegant lines and beauty that had made her striking when they'd been younger. He'd always wondered how he'd managed to get her, and even now as he stared, he wondered the same thing.

He could feel tears pricking at his eyes as conflicting emotions battled in his head and heart. Something in him wanted to rush to her, take her in his arms and hold her tightly. His lips wanted to press to hers in that electric moment where they used to melt into each other. He wanted to bury his face in her hair and take a long, slow breath and just remember all they had been... and could be again? His face curled in on itself in anxiety and pain, he knew there was no way they could be together now - not after what he'd done in abandoning her. For all he knew, she'd moved on with her life.... though a quick look at her left hand showed the same ring he'd given her on their wedding day, still on her finger. He couldn't take it anymore, and it felt like his chest was going to tear apart, or his head was going to explode. He needed to get away from her before he did something really stupid - driven purely by emotion as opposed to logical thought. So he slipped through the door again and out into the hall, resting against the cool wall with his eyes closed to just take a minute to himself.

As he stood there, the faint notes of a song floated down and invaded his thoughts. opening his eyes, he looked around and then up the stairs where it seemed to be coming from. Carefully, he climbed the stairs and made sure to miss the creaky step that had been there since they'd moved in. They'd never fixed it, thinking it would be a good way to tell what time the kids came home - once they got to that stage - as well as how drunk they'd be. Once more he felt a stabbing pain in his chest as he'd missed all of that with Hunter, and Emily was out in the world on her own already - obviously an accomplished and independent girl. Once again, he pushed his thoughts aside to deal with later and silently chuckled to himself at all of the unresolved thoughts and feelings he'd have to be dealing with at some point. It was getting ridiculous.

At the top of the stairs he looked between the two open doors and wondered if both of his children were in there or not. He'd seen Emily before, so he knew how she looked and that she was well. But he'd not seen Hunter yet, and he felt more desperation to see him and what he'd become. Slowly, he took in a lung full of air and then walked into the room and looked around. Hunter was there, doing something or other at a desk. Rbert didn't care what he was doing, and paid no attention to it. He was interested in the boy - no - the man himself and it was him he stared at. He walked around to the side to get a profile view of him and couldn't help but notice the similarities between himself at that age and Hunter as he was now. He seemed, whole, and well from what he could see. But a visual didn't tell him much of anything, because it was the mind that could tell you about a person more than anything. He wished he could see within the boy's mind, to see what he'd been through, how he'd been..... and then it happened!

It was fuzzy at first, but then words began to form like some sort of internal monologue, or a very basic book about his life... Hunter's life. Quickly, Robert scanned through them all where he could. He knew this had to be one of the telepath's powers - he had after all, just recently developed ind speak which could mean that this one was the one where you could read someone's memories. He tried to scan to the important parts of Hunter's life, but as it was a power he knew little about, and had only just realised he had - he had no idea how to control it yet. His eyes were glazed over as he concentrated on something unseen to all but him, the shadows moving over his body like something alive and wet. It was a horrific feeling, but one which he ignored now as he found memory after memory of Hunter's life at school. How he'd been bullied for the normal kid stuff, but also because of Robert himself. They had known what he'd done, who he was, that he'd died and killed his sister - and Hunter had therefore been the son of a murderer. Tears ran down Robert's face as he read about the little boy trying to defend himself, crying himself to sleep, bleeding from the fights and suffering in school scholastically. All of which had led him to the military where he'd wanted to make a difference and fight for those in need as no-one had for him.

There were various romantic liasons, some which were more important to Hunter than others - but Robert didn't feel he had the right to read about those. Nor in fact, did he want to. That was just..... weird. He wasn't watching the boy in the room and had no idea what he was doing, he was too focussed on the memories now. More tears fell as he read about Huntr planting a tree for him in the back garden, just as he'd done for his children in the front garden. He was such a thoughtful, kind and caring boy - he only hoped that the military hadn't knocked that out of him, that he'd managed to retain his soft edges. So that was what he searched for next, anything pertaining to the boy's military career. However, what his power brought to him wasn't what he'd been expecting. Not at all! There were places he recognised here, places in Harper Rock in fact. These were very recent memories, and Robert felt himself recoiling as he realised that both of his children had somehow gravitated to Harper Rock and him. How much danger they were both in just by being there, and if it were ever to be found out who they were by the community he was a part of..... But then, there were memories of tattoos, of seeing things that made no sense, of a man who promised all sorts, of feats and powers. Of paladins.

The shock of it snapped Robert from the boy's memories and made him stare at him in the here and now. He found himself staring into the boys eyes and panicked, quickly checking that the shadows were still around him and he was still invisible. He was, but he could only guess that Hunter could sense something or other - he was after all, a Paladin! Once more a swell of emotion reared it's head at this and confusion ran rife in his mind. He'd had a few dealings with the Paladins of Harper Rock, and none of them were good. He didn't like them and found they didn't understand a lot of what was going on around them - but they weren't willing to try and learn and listen either. They were all just too..... RAWR for their own good. Not to mention, they were hunted left and right by the vampires, and killed without mercy. He couldn't have that for his boy, he had to protect him somehow. A voice at the doorway made him tear his eyes from his boy and he found himself staring at Emily now.

He paid no heed to the conversation they had, as if his ears were deaf to all around him. Instead, he stared at her and felt such a surge of love towards her, just as he had with Hunter. Like with Marie, he just wanted to go to her and hug her tight. He needed to apologise to her most of all, for the conversation they'd had about her father - him - when he'd not had a clue who she was, nor even that she'd existed. It was no wonder she'd cried as she had, nor that she'd clung to him as he'd tried to comfort her. Once more, he felt his powers extending out towards her and into her mind and memories to see how her life had been. He could see a Christmas from when she was younger, some sort of stuffed toy being given to her with a locket. The way it was described in her memories - he knew it to be the one in his possession, and it came with a note that plucked at his heart strings. "Daddy Loves You" it had said, and he knew she still had the note and the toy somewhere, just from the feel of the words of the memory and the emotion around them. He would have to leave the locket behind for her to keep, when he left. There were happy memories of camps in the summer as she grew up, though one thing caught his attention - she didn't know how to swim. He wondered if he could perhaps be a 'Dad' and teach her? He would love to try, to be a proper Dad and do something that others must take for granted.

There was an incident that had stuck with her, something about a date and Robert was going to ignore it and skip on by, but something about it made him pause and continue reading. The boy had tried to take advantage of her.... Robert could feel his temper flaring, wishing there was a way to actually see the boy's face, or to find a name. He didn't care that it was a few years ago, he wanted to find the boy and smack him one. Though, as he read on - he discovered that she had in fact done so herself. He was so proud of her in that moment, standing up for herself and taking no ****. Proper Daddy's girl. Again, there's a memory of the camp, though this time she's there as an employee as opposed to a camper. Though there was something wrong with this memory, and Robert didn't like the feel of it nor where it was heading. There was some sort of creepy - his interpretation - religious man taking her into the woods with some others. He could feel his hands balling into fists as he read, wanting nothing more than to smack the guy as he thought he knew where it was going. However, it didn't. Instead - he read about her being tattooed and called a Paladin, along with others, and then trained up to fight the 'unholy spawn of the devil'!

"****'s sake!"

Once more he was dragged back into the room from her memories and he stared from one to the other, not realising that in his shock at finding out that both of his kids were Paladins, and in Harper Rock, he'd actually spoken out loud. Unfortunately, the shadows could only hide the sight of him, they couldn't hide the sound of him. Which was probably why two sets of eyes were now wide and staring round the room, and he had no idea!

[Hunter (DELETED 2392)]

When his foot met the first step, he heard Emily’s voice and halted. He looked her in the eyes as she spoke; that same seriousness blotted out the familiarity between them, making him feel like he was looking at a stranger. Hunter sighed and shook his head, making his way up the stairs to his room. He headed right in and closed the door, slumping his bag onto the floor and himself on the bed. He was oblivious to the fact that his mother had kept the room looking the same after all these years. He took off his boots, peeled his jacket from his shoulders and lay on top of the covers just staring at the ceiling; his eyes sank into the whiteness and he hoped his mind would assimilate the emptiness. Hunter didn’t want to think about what had happened, he just wanted to sleep, to wake up again and believe that it had all been some weird dream. He lay there silently for a little while longer just listening to his own shallow breaths and the invading ticks of the alarm clock on the dresser next to him. When he closed his heavy eyes, he drifted slowly to sleep and the rest of the night passed him by.

Movement woke him. He could hear the clatter of activity in the kitchen; his mother was probably preparing breakfast. Hunter kept his eyes closed. It was punishing enough that he was conscious and even behind his eyelids he could feel the morning light pricking at his skull. He rolled over and threw his arm over his face, his shirt strained against the effort and the fabric irritated his skin. As he wondered why he was still dressed, memories of the night before came flooding in and he surrendered any hope of sleep. Rolling back over, he opened his eyes, sat up and checked the time; somehow he’d managed to sleep uninterrupted for nine hours. Blinking away the sleepiness, Hunter sat up, his gaze fixed to the jet black sky outside the window. Correction, maybe it was more like 19 hours. He was used to sleeping through the days or not sleeping at all – his shifts were always scheduled for night after all – he just couldn’t believe he’d manage to sleep through a whole day.

Hunter didn’t know what to do with himself. His mother and sister had obviously just wanted to leave him alone, let him deal with what had happened when he’d turned up yesterday. He didn’t want to go downstairs and face them. Obviously he didn’t want to think that his sister was crazy, but because, selfishly, he didn’t want to think that craziness was in his blood. What if all those strange occurrences in Harper Rock had really been just his imagination? What if he’d been brainwashed by those people calling themselves Paladins? What if they’d drugged him to make him think he really had powers?

Hunter threw his legs over the side of his bed and reached for his bag. Indecision cramped in his arms, he couldn’t bring himself to unzip it right away because he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to go through with it or not. He hadn’t just brought the bare essentials over, he’d also brought some paperwork, newspaper clippings, journal entries, videos, recordings – his research. It was somehow important to bring them with him; he couldn’t remember why. Hunter took the bag over to the desk in front of the window, clearing a space so he could dump it down and start scouring through his collection. For twenty minutes all he could hear was the rustling of papers, the clattering of pens, recording devices, memory sticks and various mobile phones as he dug through their contents; he didn’t hear the door. Emily had called to him, she started speaking – he wasn’t listening. Hunter did enough to hide some of the more sensitive documents, but he didn’t shoo her out or try and turn around to see her. He didn’t want to. It wasn’t that he was so invested in his work that he couldn’t pry himself from it, he just – plain as day – couldn’t face the truth.

The sound of the door had gone completely under his nose, but he couldn’t ignore the sound of a man’s voice. He stood and crossed into the middle of the room, his eyes were everywhere. It sounded like it had come from behind him, inside his room, certainly not from outside, but there was no one there. He felt like he was being watched though; goose bumps trailed across his arms, the fine hairs stood on end and a chill ran through him. Something wasn’t right and all of his instincts told him to grab his mother and sister and just get the hell out of there, but he didn’t move. He couldn’t. What if he’d just imagined it? He looked to his sister’s eyes, they were searching around as well.

“Emily. Did you… hear that?”

[Emily Niah (DELETED 5213)]

Emily had been sitting on her bed. She has been thinking of how last night had gone and she felt she needed to do something about it. She had been waiting all day for Hunter to wake and she finally heard sounds coming from his room just a few feet from her own. She got up off her bed and walked to his room. She could care less what he was working as she started to explain herself about last night. It does not take long before she hears something. She knows it was Hunter and she stops talking as he turns and asks if she heard what he had. She slightly nods her head as she moves into the door way more.

[Robert Pratt]

Did she hear what? What had happened?

He looked around the room, aware of nothing at all that had happened as ever so slowly, a feel of complete dread crept over him as his mind ran back and figured that there was only one explanation. He'd done it himself. He'd made some noise, or said something in his surprise, and they'd heard him. Well, of course they'd heard him. It wasn't exactly some massive hall or set of grounds where a softly spoken word would go unheard and unnoticed. It was a bedroom, that was on the small side, with only three people in it. Any noise was going to be noticed by everyone - except for the dooley in a trance, making said noise unawares. Apparently.

Emily was blocking the door and Hunter looked poised to move at any moment as he stood there, inches away from Robert's face now. He'd got up so quickly and easily that Robert could see the military training in him. He could see the hairline trigger behind the boy's eyes, ready to make that choice between fight and flight. He called him a boy in his thoughts, because he was his boy, his Hunter. But his eyes told him differently. This was a wirey, lean, muscular man who had that look in his eyes that spoke to what he'd seen, what he'd done and the fact that his mind just couldn't quite come to terms with it and relate it to 'life'. He remembered holding the boy in his arms, bouncing him on his knee and a very large part of him wanted to just lift his arms, reach out, and pull him into a hug. In fact, his arms had risen unbidden and he couldn't help but think of those mothers who had lost children and said their arms were empty, like there was something missing and they just yearned to hold their child one more time and never let go. Robert could completely empathise with them now, as he stood there, looking into the faces of his two gorgeous, handsome, amazing kids.

However, he was getting distracted, sidetracked from the issue at hand. He wanted to meet them - well Hunter for the first time and Emily again - but like this? Standing in his son's room. The son who'd thought him dead. He presumed he didn't think so now, sure that Emily or Marie would have told him what had happened and this was why he was now home. So, what were his options? Teleport outside. Reveal himself here and now. Try to squeeze by Emily. Whichever he picked had it's risks, because while he didn't know a lot about Paladins, he knew they did have a way to track or sense vampires. Perhaps if he used his powers to teleport out, they would sense it, know that something had happened. He didn't have a clue and he was totally and utterly stumped. He could not see how suddenly appearing, here, in the room, was going to be a good idea and conducive to a good relationship between them all in the future. Which left only one option available.

Summoning his strength, he imagined the garden in the front, imagined himself standing in it, and then willed it to happen. He vanished from the bedroom and reappeared outside, in the front garden, behind one of the trees. As he stood there, looking up at the house with a sigh - he figured that enough was enough. He could try and work out how to do it perfectly for the rest of his life, and no way would ever make up for the last 16 years. Which meant there was only here, and now, and it would be as perfect as any other time. So, with heavy feet and dread in his heart, he made his way to the front door again - dropping the shadows before emerging from behind the tree - and this time, knocked sharply and waited to see who would answer and how they would take it.

[Hunter (DELETED 2392)]

At his sister’s affirmation, Hunter tried to step forward again, but was stopped. He felt a force against his chest, like some unseen hand was keeping him from moving any further and turning his legs to stone. The force didn’t’ feel particularly sinister and it didn’t feel fabricated either, which left him with an uncomfortable and alarming proposition: either this was real or he and his sister were sharing in a delusion. He felt the fear creeping into his throat and the chill on his arms beginning to burn, and then, just as suddenly, he felt the feeling intensify before it completely vanished. Hunter loosed a breath he didn’t know he was holding and stepped forward, freely, effortlessly. He took the first step as if someone had finally taken their finger off the pause button, and then he crossed the room to Emily with purpose. He put his arm around her back, keeping her under his wing, and stared into the room. Whatever it was, he’d felt it leave, but he wasn’t going to turn his back too soon. What if it came back? He’d keep Emily safe. But what if it went after their mother?

“Emily, we’re going down—”

His words were interrupted by someone knocking on the front door, but that wasn’t going to stop him. Hunter kept Emily at his side and moved toward the stairs till they were in view of the front door. They paused momentarily, Hunter’s mind falling back to thoughts of his firearm and how he’d wished he’d been able to bring it with him. He could still handle himself in a fight though; his frame was lean, but he had the kind of elastic strength and dexterity that could catch most people off guard. He had enough combat training to inspire his feet to take the steps downstairs, but it was desperation that had him race past his mother to get to the door before her. He never felt like the man of the house, not once in 16 years, but he was going to take that role regardless. He had to protect his family. He opened the door and stared into that familiar face.

Fear and disbelief broke over his body, putting ice into his bones. He’d dreamt of a day like this, when his father would come back to him, to Emily, to his mother, and then he’d wake to the sour reality that such a thing would never happen. That sour, bitter feeling remained with him as he looked into those eyes, gazing at the figure in front of him. What stood before him, it looked like his father, but whatever it was, Hunter was convinced it wasn’t really him. The creature had stolen his father’s face, but it couldn’t replicate his soul, and regardless of whether or not Hunter was actually sane or insane, he still had enough sense to follow his instincts. He closed the door sharply and looked to his mother. His eyes narrowed to a pinch, accusing her of something he couldn’t even understand, begging her for answers. Had she seen what he’d seen? Had Emily? Were they imagining all of this or were they victims to some cruel prank?

Of all his thoughts, his questions, his feelings spinning around, not once did Hunter think that this was real, that his father was actually standing on that doorstep. He’d never question his mother’s honesty on this subject. You could lie about Santa, about the Tooth Fairy, about where babies come from, but you never tell a child that their father’s dead if he really isn’t. Still, Hunter saw some kind of shame in his mother’s expressions. Hunter didn’t know what he was seeing, or rather, he wasn’t sure he could trust what he was seeing. He could question her, ask her straight-up what was going on, but what if there was nothing to answer to? What if he’d just imagined his father was standing there, a delusion spurred by Emily’s crazed ranting from last night, and he’d slammed the door on someone else’s face? If he started asking crazy questions, everyone would see how much he’d lost it and then they’d send him to… God only knows where.

Hunter turned to address the door and he heard his mother’s voice. “I’m sorry, Hunter… I’m so sorry.”

His grey-blue eyes honed in on her. “What are you talking about?”

“I didn’t think you’d understand…”

“Understand what? What are you talking about?”

“The doctors said there was no hope, that he’d never remember… We thought-we thought it was better for everyone this way…”

Hunter watched the tears draw silver lines down his mother’s cheeks and as she sobbed, he felt his rage building.

“I’m so sorry, Hunter.”

In a moment, he looked to Emily and thought about what she’d told him last night. He’d thought she was insane, but now that insanity had jumped ship. Hunter looked to his mother, betrayed, confused and angry. As the questions and the thoughts began to mount in his brain, suffocating him with their weight, Hunter made for the front door again. He wrenched the door open, stepped out, then closed it behind him. He didn’t think about what he was going to say, he just let the bile come flooding out.

“Oi, you,” Hunter said, stepping up to this being who was supposed to be his father. “What the **** are you? Why are you here? What do you want?”

[Robert Pratt]

He could hear the footsteps in the house racing down stairs and then along the hall. He couldn't tell whos they were, but he could imagine any of them in the place at thefront, looking to get to the door first- though he had no idea of the why. He could just remember a time in the past when there had been a knock at the door and a tiny Hunter had toddled towards it, looking to answer it and see who might have been there. As the door before him opened, for the smallest of seconds that tiny, blonde haired boy stood there looking at him as he had when all was well and they had been a family. But with a blink of his eyes, the boy vanished and the man appeared, his smile fading from his face as the years all came crashing down upon him and all he'd missed - simply imagined and seen in his mind. His mouth opened to speak, but before a sound could be uttered, the door was closed and he was sure that echoing snap of it closing would remain with him forever.

He thought of the look on Hunter's face, and he couldn't imagine the emotion that must have caused it. There was so much there, so much that had passed in those few seconds.... Robert just simply couldn't fathom it. He knew that Emily had thought him dead, but he was sure that Hunter must have known, must have remembered him. Something in the boy must surely have known that his father lived - or so he had hoped. The look on his face there though, said otherwise and spoke volumes to his ignorance in the matter. The problem was, what did he do now?

He couldn't just walk away, shunned and rejected. Even if that's what Hunter, Emily and Marie wanted. He needed to be there, to be here, with them and to try and make things right. He needed to apologise for the years of being missing, with no word from him in all that time. He had no excuses, because how did you apologise to your children, to your wife, for - of all things - forgetting they even existed. He knew that he himself could forgive a lot of things, but to be forgotten about? He didn't know if he could forgive that so very easily. However, his thoughts were interrupted as the door swung open once more, and again Hunter stood there before him. His mouth opened to speak, but Hunter stepped forwards, closed the door behind him to block the others from sight and sound, then began the interrogation.

Robert took a step back from the boy, who was nearly as tall as he was, and couldn't stop the lopsided smile that grew on his face. His eyes once more roamed over Hunter's body, taking in the details of his frame and muscular structure. He seemed healthy, well, though obviously not all that happy.

"Hunter"

He said softly, his baritone warm and gentle as he tried to keep his own emotions in check. This was a moment like no other, and he was well known for ******* everything important up. This, this could not be one of those. This one needed to be the exception - and if he were only to ever get one thing right for the rest of his life, this had to be it!

"I'm sorry. For everything. I.... didn't know!"

His voice softened at that final confession, the one that was so heinous to even himself.

"I just..... I want.... Can I...."

So much for not ******* this up. Well done Robert!

He thought to himself, taking a large sigh and trying again.

"Robert. Robert Pratt. Your father, your Dad. Back from.... well, the dead I guess."

Oh the irony

"I just, I want to reconnect. If you, and Emily, are willing? She.... seemed to be. When I met her. In Harper Rock. So - I guess. I need to know. Are..... you?"

He stood there, resisting the urge to reach out and wrap the boy in his arms. It was the most overwhelming feeling he'd ever had. Quickly followed by the urge to drag him inside and wrap Emily into a second hug with them both too. He just... he needed this. More than he felt he'd needed anything else before in his life. Or death.

[Emily Niah (DELETED 5213)]

She stood there almost frozen as Hunter walked past her and down the stairs. She had heard the voice and had felt the sickening feeling that she had come to know all too well while in Harper Rock. The voice though. She KNEW it. She heard the door open and slam again down stairs. She made her way down and had gotten half way down when the door opened again. For a brief moment she thought she had seen Him over her brothers shoulder.

"It can't be."

She said more to herself then to anyone around her though he mother was just below her. She took the last few steps two at time before just jumping the last four. She ran over to the window to see who was there and it was Him. Her father was here! At their home! She quickly ran past her mother to the door and flung it open, not bothering to close it behind her. Hunter stood in her way but luckily for her he had always been bigger then her so she had to become faster then him. She rushed past him and with arms open, like a little girl greeting her father after a long day of work, wrapped her arms around him "Dad!"

[Hunter (DELETED 2392)]

The creature before him gave him a handful of words, none of them particularly useful and none of them answering his question. The thing was just mumbling, like a Zombie, and Hunter inspected him as such. He didn’t have any weapons, but he could handle himself – he was sure. Zombies generally shuffled and their movements were sluggish; he could handle this. Maybe this thing before him was a little fresher than the ones he’d been in contact with before, but Hunter couldn’t get over his own metaphor. This thing radiated death in the same kind of way so maybe it was a ghost, maybe it was a fresher Zombie, or maybe it was one of those bastards with the fangs. He wanted to call them Vampires, but that felt stupid, almost as stupid as calling those walking, shuffling corpses Zombies. There was probably a reasonable, scientific explanation for all this ****, but since he didn’t have any, he was resigned to call it as he saw it. Harper Rock was infested with the undead – he wasn’t crazy.

When the Zombie started calling itself by his father’s name, Hunter wanted to punch him in the throat. And he would have done so too if Emily hadn’t come bounding out of the house like a sheepdog. She wrapped her arms around it, called it dad – Hunter almost puked with rage.

“Emily,” he said sternly. “Get away from that thing. It’s not dad. I don’t care what it’s said to you. It ain’t him. So back away from it. Now.”

[Robert Pratt]

Robrt culdn't help but smile as Emily can barrelling out and wrapped her arms around him. Automatically, his hands wrapped around her, picked her up and spun her around as he used to do with Hunter when he was a toddler - and that he'd never had the chance to do with Emily. His head lowered and pressed a kiss into her hair as he held her close and just took in the scent that was no longer that of a baby's. He could feel the tears pricking at his eyes as he held her, though they narrowed as Hunter told her to get away from him and that he wasn't her father.

"Hunter.... I know.... this is a lot to take in. But I am your father."

It sounded cheesey, and he had to do his utmost to not try and impersonate Darth Vadar. Mostly, because he couldn't ignore the fact that Hunter had said 'it' instead of 'he'. 'It isn't your father' instead of what you would expect with 'he isn't your father'. He set Emily down, but left an arm around her shoulders as he faced Hunter and studied the boy's..... no.... the man's face.

"Why don't we all go inside again and discuss this? You can ask any questions you like. Both of you."

He gave Emily a squeeze, looking down and smiling at her fondly.

"But out here, isn't exactly the best place for this conversation. And I'm sure your Mother will want to join in too, or you'll have questions for her too. Yes?"

He took a step back towards the door, waiting for Hunter to reply.