The Taxi pulled up with a yelp from the brakes in front of Jennifer's childhood home. If she had taken a picture of the house when she left at eighteen and held it up to what she was seeing now, even though it was eleven at night, the entire area looked the same. The shingle on the lower front of the two-story house's roof was still flipped up and not performing its duties as required. Her childhood bedroom window still had the same fogginess to it, all the stickers she had applied and peeled off left residue all over.The front yard was plastered with hard wet snow as were the pitiful looking bushes that outlined the porch, each side flanked the stairs and made the area feel significantly smaller than it was. Jennifer gently tapped the weathered rose shaped door knocker and waited patiently for someone to welcome her into the house.It was not long before she could see her Mother through the decorative glass at the top of the solid oak door. She was stumbling down the

PART 2Just when you thought the tale of our Christmas Darling had drawn to a close, here we are again. Together, like a happy loving family. The reason why we have family; when you desperately need someone to rely on and friends or acquaintances just will not cut it; family can always be the wind in the sails, righting the ship twisting it towards logical solutions and happy nostalgic memories.A pale, shivering man lay out on the concrete floor of a soon to be manufacturing center. His face was battered, like how a person that had been mauled by a large angry dog would look.The skin around his eyes burst from the internal bleeding, two beautiful blood grenades blossomed and exploded in unison. His suffering made it all worth more, the pain and agony on his face created a lustful feeling in our Christmas Darling.The whimpering man reached for his nose and released a hellish scream when his brain pieced together the fact that it had disappea

The vigilante justice duo rode the rest of the way in silence. The silence wasn't awkward, nor was it tense, it was merely silence. They both knew there was something to discuss but neither wanted to ruin the bliss of a successful mission with arduous banter about something that may not be a horrible idea.Jennifer tugged on Derrick's long-sleeved shirt about four blocks from his place, "Let me out here, just in case they're watching us." An increased paranoia had entered the lives of the Christmas Darling Duo, especially with the surprise Christmas roadblock.Who's to say the SDPD had not decided to tail Jennifer, and anyone associated with her, in the hopes of catching the slightest of mistakes. Plan for the worse, hope for the best. That was the new motto the duo lived by. No reason to take extra chances when things are under such heavy scrutiny.Derrick lugged the ambulance to the curb and gave Jennifer a look of concern, "Jen, if you're not there in t

Max sat impatiently by the massive front door as Jennifer closed it behind her. The door, full on metallic, inches thick could detect when someone had the access card with them and knew when to lock down the condo. It was special ordered from North Korea; the importing costs alone had to be five figures.A voice rang out just as Jennifer took her first step off the concrete patio, "This home is armed. Please leave the area." The robotic voice was just one of the Level one features Derrick had installed specifically for his condominium. Why he felt he needed all this safety lock down no one enters equipment was beyond Jennifer as she was accustomed to one doorknob lock and a half functioning deadbolt.This side of town did see much crime either. You know, except for your parents randomly showing up and trying to barge in for God knows what reason. Soon, if she were lucky, Jennifer would know why they were here and possibly a way to get her parents out of her bunne

Jennifer and Derrick met up in the living room with a fire dancing and a low dose of calming music filling the air. Jennifer knew she had something she wanted to discuss, in fact, multiple things, but Derrick thought this was just another lazy night chilling in his super secure condominium.With a light bump of the arm, "D, we need to discuss some things. I have a few questions for you, and I'd like to talk it out to see where we are heading." She clasped her hands as if a prayer were in order. "I have a lot of questions and concerns and I need to confirm with you to ensure we are on the same page."Derrick smiled and nodded his head, "I'm all ears, Jenn. What's the first topic you'd like to address?" He was not trying to be condescending, but it certainly did come off that way.Jennifer took a moment to decide which topic was up first and finally settled on one, "Well, when I was reviewing the footage from the other night, you know, my parents and all, I