Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Two: What We Do For Family

The Knights of the Last Order and Chuckles stood completely terrified against Marion, who was looking at them suspiciously.

Charlie looked at TJ, who was pale. They had completely forgotten about Marion in this equation.

“What's going on out here?” Daniel walked out as well. “You all look like ghosts. Don't worry, Marion isn't going to kill you.”

THAT drew a gasp from the group. Daniel groaned.

“Am I REALLY that scary?” Marion asked.

“Yes.” Replied Sammy and TJ. Sunny scowled at them.

“It's not you…it's just…there was an incident at City Hall today.” Charlie swallowed back his fear. “A Crusader broke into Judiths office and started firing. Belle called and let me know.”

“Belle Masters?” Marion asked. “She's doing all of Judy's work while she's in hospital, right?”

Charlie nodded.

Marion sucked in a deep breath. This was NOT what she needed with her sister in hospital with a baby on the way. Especially with the condition both Judith and the baby were currently in. If Judith was stressed out or hurt in any way, the baby would die, and that would destroy Judith. Marion couldn't let that happen. No matter what the family rules decreed, Judith would ALWAYS be Marions baby sister, and NO ONE messed with Marions baby sister.

“This is NOT what we need right now. Not with Judy and the baby in danger as it is.” Daniel groaned.

“And the Crusaders have Daryl, who I know still talks to Mum, who hears about everything that goes on through City Hall from Dad.” Sunny said. “So it wouldn't surprise me if the Crusaders quickly found out that Judith's in hospital.”

“You're Daryls sister aren't you?” Marion asked. Sunny nodded. “He's always been a little prick hasn't he?”

“Understatement of the year.” Sunny muttered. Marion looked at the younger woman, with her dark hair and the scar under her eye. Marion suddenly realised that it could very well have been Daryl who gave Sunny that scar.

“What are we going to do?” Tammy said in a small voice. Marion nearly jumped a foot in the air – where did SHE come from?!

“I don't know what we can do, except try to keep Judith as safe as we can.” Daniel said. “Which means staying around the hospital as much as possible.”

“Well, we've been doing that anyway.” TJ pointed out.

Marion meanwhile quickly composed herself, Judith was counting on her.

“I'll handle it from here. Best you stay away and don't get involved.” Marion stalked out of the hospital building, determined to have a word with Demon Jones and sort out this mess before her beloved little sister got hurt…or worse. The doors slammed shut behind her, leaving the friends stunned.

“You know, I completely forgot that Judith and Marion are sisters.” Charlie piped up after a minute of stunned silence.

“I totally did too.” Sammy added.

“I wasn't allowed to forget. Judith talks about Marion a lot.” Daniel shrugged. “They might have had their issues recently, but once upon a time they were really, really close.”

“They're not any more?” TJ asked.

“Not really, more's the pity.” Daniel sighed. “It was pretty awkward in there while Marion visited. It's like they want to be best friends but because of the Misneach rules there's always going to be a wall between them. Like it or not, Marion is always going to be a Misneach and Judith is always going to be a Jofrey, and the Jofreys are always going to suffer because of the Misneaches.”

The group sat in silence for a while, letting that sink in. Two sisters who couldn't be sisters because of their family rules.

Charlie got up. “I need to go canvass for more signatures. I still have forty I need to collect.”

The others looked up at him, blinking.

“You're going to canvass for signatures NOW?” TJ asked.

“We just talked about staying around the hospital to protect Judith didn't we?” Sammy added.

Charlie groaned at their complete lack of understanding.

“Don't you get it? If there was no Mobsters of Misneach, then Marion and Judy would still be best friends. They'd be doing things like hosting baby showers and going maternity bra shopping together – BUT THEY CAN'T.” Charlie gritted his teeth. “If I got seperated from Lizzy and Izzy like that…”

Gritting his teeth, he stomped out of the room, not wanting to finish that sentence. Not wanting to even think about what it would be like to go through what Mobster Marion Misneach and Counsellor Judith Jofrey had to go through.

But he was going to do everything in his power to make sure it never happened again.

“CHARITY!” Demon Jones yelled as he walked into his manor. “For Glob's sake woman, get down here NOW!”

“Yes dear?” Charity Jones nee Denison made her way down the stairs to the front hall.

“I need you to talk to that son of yours. Someone tried to kill Judith Jofrey while she's on maternity leave.” Demon glared at his wfie.

“I'll have you know 'that son of hers' is right here.”

Demon looked up to the top of the stairs. Sure enough, Daryl Jones was standing there, glaring at his father.

“I've told you he's not to come into this house!” Demon yelled at Charity, who flinched.

“My stuff is still here thank you, I'm allowed to get it.” Daryl sulked.

“YOUR stuff? You mean the stuff I paid for.” Demon shrugged off his jacket and handed it to Charity.

“Stuff you. I didn't ask to be brought into this world, yet you dragged me here.” Daryl fought back.

Charity sighed. The father and son had once been so close. Where had it all gone wrong?

“I can fix that.” Demon glared at his boy. “What do you know about what happened to Judiths office today?”

“Why should I know anything?!” Daryl snapped.

“Because it was a Crusader that tried to kill her!” Demon yelled.

Charity slipped out of the hallway to the heavily decorated lounge room. She went to one of the cupboards and pulled out a small vial of white powder. She opened the vial and shoved it up her nostril and breathed deeply. It was the only way she could cope nowadays, with neither of her children being particularly fond of her and her husband being stressed out all the time. What had happened to their dream family? A strong, handsome son and a beautiful, submissive daughter. They should have been a family that was the envy of the Bridge Club, but now they were broken.

Suddenly there was a crash from the hallway. Charity capped the vial and shoved it back into it's hiding spot and bolted out to the hallway, where Demon and Daryl were at each others throats, knocking over a table into one of the ornate mirrors in the hall.

“STOP IT! THOSE MIRRORS ARE EXPENSIVE!” She shrieked, watching her idyllic life continue to fall around her ears..

Daryl shoved his father away. “I told you I know nothing. It wouldn't surprise me if Crusaders started acting on their own, but it's not my problem!”

He stormed out of the house, slamming the door and making his mother shriek again.

Demon growled to himself, before turning to Charity. “Oh shut up you.” He grumbled, before storming off to his office.

Charity looked shocked. Then she began to cry. Why had everything gone wrong?

In his office, her husband was thinking the same thing. Only his answer was more disturbing – he blamed it all on the birth of his daughter Sunny.

“To think we produced that unwanted bastard.” He muttered to himself.

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