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Paige tensed a little, but otherwise didn't react badly to the pat on the back. She held nothing against Sam for laughing at the word "spork." Hell, everyone did that, it seemed, and she learned to get used to the fact that her mutation was rather funny at first glance.

"I was a cheerleader in Junior High school; you know, pretty, popular, athletic...one day at practice, one of the football players snuck up behind me and scared me. I sporked, instantly. In that instant, I went from being popular to the one who was always picked on. Well, I would have if I hadn't beaten the crap out of those who picked on me. So, I just became somewhat of an outcast, but still retained a measure of popularity because of my family's having a butt-ton of money."

She laughed a little at his next statement. "I'm sure you could have. I mean if they thought all three of them would be needed to take me on and avenge their friend...they couldn't have been that tough...But I appreciate the help. And I'd have paid to see you take those guys out with a spork." She smiled, looking over at him as they walked.

Paige sat, mind wandering a bit as she drank her soda. It wasn't really anything of importance, for the most part, except for wondering how her family was doing. She hadn't heard anything out of her parents for about a year, after all. Maybe more...

Seyta's voice snapped the spork shifter out of her daydreaming. "Oh, yeah," Paige replied, not sure of anything else to say.

While Seyta was getting ready, Paige made herself at home on the couch, looking around the place. It really wasn't that bad a place, and Seyta didn't seem all that bad, herself. Even after wiping the floor with her in a battle of musicians. No one else likely would have been so kind, even after Paige sporked. And now she was getting Paige into something that could help her get back on top again.

Standing up, Paige made her way to the kitchen to take Seyta up on her offer. She grabbed a soda, her eyes looking at the beer, thinking...debating. No, that was for another thread. Popping the top on the soda can, she made her way back to the couch, taking a sip as she waited for her friend...? Acquantance...? Seyta. She drank her soda as she waited for Seyta.

THUNK!

"Ow! What the hell, Dad? You ****ing flipped me!"

Alec chuckled a little as Paige glared up at him from the floor, flat on her back. "You wanna learn how to fight better. The best way to improve is to apply. Don't worry, I'm going out of my way not to hurt you."

Hopping to her feet, Paige took her stance, throwing a punch as she blocked Alec's left hook, but he caught her arm and flipped her again. Thunk!

Paige grumbled, lying on the floor and glaring at the ceiling. Reaching down, Alec helped her up. "You're trying to stand toe-to-toe and trade blows with me. With your size and athleticism, you shouldn't do that. Ever. You wanna keep moving. Hit fast, but stay on guard. Don't just go for the face. Aim for the torso; chest, stomach, then go for the blow to the head. Or if you can upset his balance, take it to the ground, lock him in an armbar or a chokehold."

Paige nodded, sitting up. "It's not something you're gunna learn in a week. Keep at it."

Alec's head snapped toward the door all of a sudden. "Someone's here," he whispered.

"But I don't--"

"Ssh! I need you to shift. Now."

At this point, Paige swore she heard a car engine shut off, and footsteps on the steps outside. Paige shifted, her body becoming a spork. Alec picked up the spork, putting it in the silverware drawer in the kitchen.

Paige couldn't see anything, and her mind was racing; she had no idea what was going on, but she swore she heard the door being kicked open. Then after that, an earth-shattering roar. Was that...a bear? In the screams and commotion that followed, Paige couldn't make heads or tails of it. But the gunshots and roars of pain made her fear the worst.

And then, quiet. Dead, eerie, silence. Shifting back, the silverware drawer exploded, showering the kitchen in forks, spoons, and butter-knives, coupled with chunks of the drawer. The blonde stared, horrified at the sight. The place was destroyed, and she counted five bodies. But no sign of her father. On the counter, she saw a torn piece of paper, a scribbled note.

Secure Storage. Locker Number 27. Combination 2694. Leave as soon as possible, and don't come back. They'll be watching.

Paige wiped tears from her eyes as she went back to her room, grabbing her bag of clothes. The guitars had been destroyed, the bed by the door was broken in half, and there was blood all over the main area. Wait...

In the mess, she saw pawprints, which became boot-prints. Taking off out the door, she followed them, but just like that, they disappeared. She looked around outside, nothing. No sign of him. So, she made her way to the storage unit in the note, expecting to see him there. Nothing.

Inside the unit were a couple of guitars, an amp, a box of assorted picks, and a few other odds and ends. On top of the box was another note.

Paige, I'm sorry it ended this way. I'm okay, but I'm afraid you won't be seeing me for awhile. The guys that attacked the building were part of what's left of the mob I was a part of. The mob I'm taking down, piece by piece. Everything in here is yours now. It's not much, but it's what I had left from LA.
Take care of yourself, Paige. I love you.
Daddy.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Paige put the box of picks in her bag, grabbing one of the guitar cases, before closing the unit and closing it back. Just like that...he was gone again. She was alone again.

But as she made her way back to the mansion, she couldn't help but notice some sort of hawk flying over head, almost as if it was following her. Once there, she was greeted by a large, brown dog, walking with a slight limp in its front right foot. It walked up, tail wagging, then stood on its hind legs and licked her cheek before turning and walking away, back down the alley.
"I love you too, Daddy."

The dog turned around and barked, before disappearing into the cityscape.

The next morning came quickly, as Paige stirred in the old, yet oddly comfortably-thrown-together bed. The place seemed...different, than the night before. Looking around, she saw a few new outfits lying on the table next to the bed. On top of that, she heard guitar music, and...was that bacon she smelled?

Quickly, she grabbed a black top and skirt off of the pile and went into the bathroom to shower. Walking out, she noted the skirt wasn't terribly short, but it wasn't knee length either. She had to smile at how he remembered things like her style and sizes.

When she got to the kitchen area, she saw Alec sitting at the table, empty plate in front of him, and a guitar in his lap, quietly strumming at the acoustic instrument in a similar fashion to her own style--which was, of course, because he'd taught her.

"Morning," he said with a smile.
"Bacon's on the stove. It's not alot, nothing like the pampering I got you used to, but...it's better than nothing," he said.

"It's okay. You do what you have to," she replied, taking a couple strips of bacon in each hand and sitting at the table, her green eyes meeting his grey ones as he continued to play.

"Hey uh...Dad? Did you ever have trouble with your shifting? Like...did you ever shift when you didn't mean to, or try to shift into one thing but end up taking another form entirely?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Our shifting is heavily influenced by emotion, and takes focus to do it right. Keeping a lid on your emotions is hard, but not impossible. You just have to find a center. That one thing that drives you, makes you smile no matter what. Try that, then shift." Paige nodded, making a note. "I may be wrong, different powers work differently for different people. But, hey, it's worth a shot, right?"

With a smile, Paige nodded again. "Thanks."
"Anytime, Girly." With that, Alec's fingers resumed dancing along the strings and frets of the guitar while Paige watched in awe. It'd been too long since she'd actually sat and listened to someone else play.
"I got another one in the closet in there, if you wanna jam."
Without a word Paige hopped up and ran for the other acoustic guitar, and the morning passed with the two of them playing peacefully, with father and daughter bonding and lessons.

"I'm glad you made it," Alec said finally, after the hug had broken.

"Yeah...didn't think you'd find me after I was grabbed by that damn dog," she answered lightly, with a small grin. At which point, Alec's body began to shift. It wasn't instant, like her own, it took maybe thirty to forty-five seconds, allowing her to see every change as his dark hair began to cover his body and his clothes melted into his skin.

The shift complete, the dark brown dog barked at her, then shifted back into her father. "Oh, well that explains alot...Wait...why didn't you tell me you were a mutant too?"

Alec sat on the bed that was by the door, and Paige sat next to him, examining the room. It was fairly large, with boarded windows. There was a couch, a coffee table, and an old TV. On the other side of the room was a kitchen area, and farther back was a small bedroom.

"What is this place? Dad...what's going on?"

The big man sighed through his nose, brushing his hair out of his face. "Paige, it's a long story--
"I think I've got time," she snapped, before shrinking back a little. "Sorry.." she whispered.

"It's fine. I don't blame you. The thing is...for a long time, I was involved with...some shady people. Using my mutation to smuggle anything you can name, even take hits. But after a few years, I wanted out. So...I fled. And then I met your mother. We hooked up, got married...moved to California, where I used the money I'd made in my former years to start a life." He paused.

"They found me, and made me do jobs to keep them happy. I found out...your mother was the boss's daughter. When you were born, it stopped, so I could take care of you. That attack before you left...it wasn't for you. They were after me. When you left, I cut my losses and divorced your mother, then fled. Here. I'm going to have to lay low, disappear for awhile. That's why I got us here the way I did. I wanted to see you, offer closure."

"Whoa whoa whoa! You're telling me all this crap...but what am I supposed to do with it?"

"That's what you have to decide. I just want to give you closure. Let you know what was really going on. I've made some mistakes, Paige. But through it all...you're what kept me going."

Paige gave a slow nod. "I...can I stay with you a little while? You know, hang out, maybe show me some things about my mutation...fighting...guitar...before you go?"

He smiled, "Sure. I'll take the bed by the door. You get the bedroom."

"Why?"
"That way, they haven't found me, but this way, if they do, they'd have to get through me first."

Paige bit her lip, but nodded. "It's getting late, we'll talk more in the morning."