"Kid... I can't let you in here."

"My dad is in there, I have to talk to him!"

The security guy sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Like I said before, kid... ya' tell me his name and I'll go find him for ya.... but I can't just let a toddler walk into a bar."

The child huffed, her cheeks darkening, and she crossed her own arms over her own chest stubbornly. "Who are you calling a toddler, gramps?! I'm twelve. TWELVE!" The guy didn't budge, or change expressions... or anything! "FINE!" Throwing her hands in the air, she stomped off around the corner of the building... where two of her twins were waiting.

She'd show him who was and was not getting into that stupid building! "Okay... change of plans." One twin pried a finger from her nose, while the other dropped a stray cat she had found. "Wassat, Boss?" Elke glanced over her shoulder suspiciously, to make sure her whispers wouldn't be overheard, before leaning in...

Moment's later, she wandered back around the corner, and bee lined for the security guy. "You're a big, stupid meat head!" A swift kick to the shin set in motion the first step of her plan, and with a yelp and an angry holler, the girl took off down the sidewalk with the guy hot on her heels.

Elke watched from around the corner until the guy was far enough away, then grabbed the other two twins by the wrist and dragged them with her through the door of the bar while he was distracted. "Okay... you two stay over here in the shadows... I'll whistle if I need you." The twins nodded at her, and froze on the spot with equally determined expressions on their faces.

Turning from them, she glanced around at the inside of the bar. The sheer number of hunched over forms and dark corners was daunting... but she was on a mission, damnit! Dark eyes peered around the dimly lit room, as she wandered from table to table, peering into shadowy faces. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she spotted her fathers hunched over form at a table, with his back to her.

"Dad!" The man stiffened visibly when her voice cut through the laughter and chatter, and he turned with a frown on his face when she trotted over. "...What the hell are you doing here, Elke?"

The girl eyed her father for a moment without replying, before her gaze settled on the blonde woman sitting beside him. "Oh, John, is this your daughter? She's just adorable!" A hand reached out, long fingers gripped a her cheek and pinched... and Elke rubbed at the spot in a frustrated manner once it withdrew. The woman looked like a floozy... she was probably a floozy. "Dad.. mom sent me to find you. She needs you to pick up stuff on your way home."

Her father let out a frustrated sigh. "and the boys couldn't have done this why?" nose wrinkled and dark brows knitted together, she frowned right back at him. "Because they aren't home, and won't answer their phones..." The glare he shot her was fiery at best, molten at worst, but he made no further comment. "Elke... come with me, I need to call you mother." Her dad stood, but before he could drag her off, his... lady friend... intercepted. "Oh, John, leave her with me. I just love kids, and I'll watch over her while you're on the phone."

With a nod, her unmerciful father left her in the care of the strange woman. Elke nearly whined out loud, from the injustice of it all. "So, sweety, what sort of things do you like to do?"

The girl stared at the woman, before dropping her eyes to the full glass of reddish liquid sitting on the table just in front of her. Without a word, she reached over and knocked the cup over, spilling everything within right into the woman's lap.

"...Oops. Clumsy me." With a startled cry, the blonde was on her feet and wiping at the mess on her white dress with a napkin. With a huff of anger, she turned and clip clopped off in white heels toward the bathroom. Elke grinned, and watched her go, before picking the cup up.

"problem solved~" She hummed to herself, waiting for her dad to return.

The phone rang, and rang and rang, before someone finally picked up. "Hullo?" Great... she sounded like she had just woken up from a coma. "Honey, what the #$%&'s the idea? Sending her out after me, at this hour!"

The woman on the other end of the line sighed, the sounds of movement and rustling overshadowed her grumbling, before she spoke clearly again. "She's a big girl, John.. she's out there all the time. S'not like I can control her anyway... Just, just pick up the usual stuff on your way home, okay?"

The man growled, running a hand through his hair, before he relented and agreed. The both of them hung up without so much as a goodbye, which was more normal than it seemed to outside ears. The affection in their relationship had died long before Elke had been born, and had vanished completely when Honey had been in the accident.

John returned to his table, eyes already busy looking around for where his date has run off too. "Where'd Susan go?"

Elke glanced up from the small puddle of red on the table, to her father, and shrugged without comment. It didn't take him long to figure out what had happened, once he spotted the mess. He knew her well enough to already assume it was her fault. "Jesus christ..." He muttered, latching onto her arm before he turned and dragged her toward the door.

"Aren't you going to wait for Susan?" She asked, unable to keep her tone of voice civil. The resulting angry squeeze of her arm, and silence from the man told her that she'd gone and pissed him off pretty good. With a huff of her own, she yanked her arm away. "I'm sure Susan isn't going to be too happy that you're just going to leave her here!"

"Damnit, kid... " The tall man turned, and for a moment the shadows cast upon him made him look like a demon. Anger written all over his face, shoulders tense. Elke gulped, but stood her ground. He was a mean, stupid, annoying lunkhead of a father... but he had never been the violent type. "Why can't you just keep your nose out of trouble and leave me the hell alone, like your brothers?"

A commotion by the door caught their attention. John and Elke turned, as well as a good portion of the bar, and caught sight of the security man in charge of checking ID's and tossing out drunks, as he stumbled in with a child on his back, and one latched onto his leg. "Arg! Getoffame!"

"Sonofab--" Her father was cut off as she let out a whoop of glee, and raced around him to join in on the fun. The three, both twins who were already trying to pull the guy to the ground and the one now joining in along side her, latched onto where ever they could and tugged. All of her twins managed to find proper holds, but before Elke herself could climb on, or so much as let out a war cry, she was scooped up from behind.

Her fathers muscular arm gripped her around the waist, and try as she might she couldn't wiggle free as he carted her out the door.

Her clones were left behind. She didn't know what form of punishment awaited them, but it probably involved cops, and or the boxing of ears and a strict finger waggling.

Her own punishment, however, was far more severe. Her father tugged her by the arm toward his car, ignoring her stubborn protests, and upon reaching the vehicle he opened the door and pointed. "IN."

The temper in his voice told her not to screw with him. So she relented and climbed in, but she didn't have to like it, damnit! The protruded bottom lip and wrinkled, angry brow was enough to tell anyone looking at her that she was not happy. The passenger door slammed shut, and her father circled the car to climb in the other side.

"Seat belt."

The abrupt command only made her scowl more, and she refused to budge. Arms crossed, eyes pointed out the dark tinted window of his truck. "No." Her answer was curt, sharp, and saturated in stubborn.

With a sigh, the man didn't even bother arguing. He simply leaned over and buckled her in himself. Elke didn't bother adjusting it so that her arms were over rather than under, nor did she move the upper park of the belt from resting against her chin. Nope. She. Wasn't. Going. To. Move.

Unless you counted as tightening her arms across her chest as moving, that is.

"Why do you have to be such a pain in the neck, kid.. really." She stayed quiet for a few moments as the engine roared to life, and her dad backed the truck out of it's parking spot. She noticed a ticket on the dash, the kind you get from pre-paying for overnight parking. It looked as though he was leaving a lot sooner than he had wanted too. Hmph. Served him right.

"...Why do you hang around women like that? Why don't you take mom out anymore?" Her question met silence, until they ran into the first red light of many.

"You already know the answer to that." Was the muted, lazy reply back. She turned in her seat then, uncrossing her arms and wiggling into her seat belt properly. Her dark, angry gaze landed on him. "You never do anything with her anymore! She just sits at home all day... maybe if you would just take her out with you we could be a real family aga--"

"That's enough, Elke."

"But dad, I--"

"I said enough!" The man stomped on the breaks again, stopping for yet another red light, and turned to face his daughter. She had averted her eyes, scowl still present, and her arms were back to being crossed over her chest. "Nothing in this world is ever going to put this family back the way it was. Things are different now, and they always will be. You need to get used to that, and grow up."

She remained silent as the light shifted and they started to move again. The man glanced at her from the corners of his eyes, and muttered muffled curse words under his breath. If there was one thing in the world he hated dealing with most, it was children. "Your mother never should have sent you out here. A bar is no place for a child."

"...Grandpa thought there was hope for us..." She muttered finally, ignoring his comment. Her father sighed again. "Your grandfather had Alzheimer's.. he didn't know which way was up and which was was down by the time he passed. I hardly--"

"NO HE DID NOT!"

Fury rose in her the moment he accused her grandfather of such a thing, and if it hadn't have been for the seat belt she forgot was on, she would have launched herself at the man. "TAKE IT BACK!"

One giant hand pushed her back into her seat, and her dad's equally angry eyes met hers. "He's dead, Elke! DEAD. Nothing is going to change that! He was wrong then, and still wrong now. The sooner you stop moping around over that, the sooner you will become less of a pain to be around!"

Angry tears stung the corners of her eyes, and she slapped at his hand until he withdrew it. Then she proceeded to wiggler her way across her seat until she was pressed into the door. As far away from him as possible.

The rest of the car ride was tense and silent. Neither wanted to say anything to the other, and it was probably best that way. The sky was dark, street lights were out, and other people were on their way home.

...to their families. In their nice houses... with their happy kids.

Screw em'.

She didn't need a perfect family. She didn't need a carbon copy mom and dad. She was just fine with what she had.. it worked for everyone that way.

The truck rolled along, until finally they reached their destination. Only... it wasn't her home. Black eyes landed on her Social workers office, and her heart sank a little. She... she really should have known better. Without a word, she turned and looked at her father. He refused to meet her eyes.

"Go on... You know you're not allowed at the house. We'd get in trouble if they found you there." He didn't even bother shifting the car into park, or unbuckling himself. This wasn't a happy goodbye. Her eyes settled on her feet, dirty sneakers of mismatched colors, before she slowly unbuckled herself.

Elke let herself out of the car, pausing before she closed the door. Her face contorted, and with the grace of a fifteen year old boy, she hawked a glob of spit through the trucks interior at her dad. It struck him on the shoulder, earning her a curse as a reward. "Goddamnit Elke--!"

"I HATE YOU!"

With the final word in her court, she slammed the door hard enough to rock the truck slightly, turned, and ran off down the side walk. It was just another average day, with another average argument, ending in the average way. Her father stepped out of the truck briefly, to yell something after her, but notice Susan (Elke's case worker) wandering toward the front door of her office, and decided against staying. The girl wasn't his problem anymore... he wasn't her keeper. The truck shifted into gear again, and with a roar from the engine it rolled off down the street before Susan got out onto the sidewalk.

She peered both ways, then watched taillights vanish around a corner. With a frown, she cuddled her sweater closer to her, shook her head, and wandered back inside.

[End]