I developed a much closer bond with my Mom after our special “mother-daughter” time together.

On the following Sunday morning, I came downstairs early, knowing that she would be preparing a big breakfast while my father and younger brothers slept.

She was lost in thought and clearly surprised to see me so early, and I startled her a bit.

“Goodness!” She exclaimed. “Oh, Good morning, Honey Bunny!”

“Morning Mom…I was wondering if I could help you get everything ready for our breakfast this morning?”

When William McLennan decides to dress as Wendy the witch for Halloween she has no idea what awaits her at a deserted house on the edge of town.

Lara Croft 2.0

by MonicaS

How a role model can influence your life

Chapter Three - Relax and Take What I Am Offering You

William's transformation into Wendy is complete. Now she must perform maid duties for her next-door neighbor Mrs Cashmore but she doesn't realise fully what all of those duties entail.

Part Sixteen

Unfortunately, the city decided that the best way to introduce Lady Green to the public was to have Vic not only present at the official welcoming ceremony, but to have her formally "hand over" protection of the city to the new hire. Vic and Drake both tried to get her out of this, but Brade reluctantly told them they had to participate.

"Aren't federal employees supposed to avoid endorsing local governments?" said Vic, on the conference call in Drake's office.

Part Fourteen

The trio tried to dogpile her. At the moment, Vic assumed they weren't using firearms because they didn't want to alert the cops down the block. Or maybe saw the armor and knew bullets weren't likely to work. In the light of subsequent events, she later decided they just weren't thinking too well right then.

Part Twelve

"Local police are saying that the word on the street is that whoever financed the theft of the swords is having a meltdown, because they didn't get them."

"Are you telling me," said Vic, slowly, after her boss delivered this bit of news at the next Monday morning briefing, "that the people who stole the swords are keeping them instead of turning them over to their client? If so, are they trying to get more money? Maybe from the original client or someone else?"

Part Ten

"I've got a bad feeling about this," said Vic, as she, Murphy, Muravachick and Medura left the briefing.

"You're not the only one," said Murphy, in an irritated mutter.

"Well, why don't we all wait by Vic's car, and if things do go south try to... do something constructive?" said Medura, with an uncertain movement of her hands.

"Sounds like a plan," said Muravachick, tiredly. "It's vague, but open-ended and flexible."

Part Seven

Part Six

"Has he started puberty early, or something?" said Randy (Template) Devon, pacing irritably around the kitchen.

"He's ten years old," said Karen (Colossa) Devon, patiently, as she stood by the central table, hoping her husband would be reasonable about this bit of childhood mischief. "You have to expect some rebellious periods. As well as needing time to learn which pranks are going too far."

"Sarah is five, and a lot better behaved!"

"Well, since she got over the Terrible Twos," said Karen, trying to use humor to bring her husband's mood down.

Part Four

"This time it was a sound attack of some sort," said the Detective, as Vic came hurrying onto the crime scene of yet another "super drive-by."

Unlike the previous two attacks, this one had been during business hours. Additionally, the target was not a crowd, but a downtown real-estate company. This turned out to be one of the business working to refurbish and resell abandoned houses in the Detroit area.

Part Three

Vic - in her old armor, the helmet in her left hand - got out of her Corolla wagon at the scene of another "super drive-by" attack. This time, what was apparently the same black SUV from which the energy blast had been directed at the theater crowd days earlier, had made a different type of attack. Vic found it odd that even though there had been several more-traditional drive-by shootings lately in Detroit during that same period, the energy blast attack - and now this one - were "the" drive-bys on the minds of most police and civilians alike.

Masks 24: Part Two

"What is with this city, anyway?" said Michelle, as, together, she and Vic moved into their den and the couch in front of the TV.

"Part of it is that it's a crossroads," said Vic, shrugging as they sat and unconsciously snuggled closer. "Part of it is that all the empty - in many cases abandoned - properties and even entire neighborhoods here make hiding illegal activities relatively easy.

Matching Maids
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

She went way too far, and I let her. The fact is that I wanted to be her boyfriend so much, I would have (as the man said) caught a grenade for her.

When she insisted on the all body waxing, I should have refused. It was just that the chance to lay beside her and go through the same pain, seemed like something special to share.