5.04 Cat-Burglars

"Your Daddy is home.", announced Sally at 11:58 pm. "I didn't hear Kim's car.", disagreed Jessica, who had been listening very hard for it for the last ten minutes. "Really?", commented Sally, poking Jess with a finger, "Even though your pretty little ears are pointier than mine? You still didn't hear it?".

"Did you have a good time Daddy?", Jess asked asked as her father, scooped her into a big hug. "Yes, it was quite pleasant, I was a bit nervous when we got to the cinema, but as Kim said, you couldn't see any of the other movie goers from the private box, so it was quite comfortable.", Edward explained. "Did she give you any trouble?", Edward asked the baby sitter.

"None at all, she was a perfect princess.", replied Sally. "Fantastic.", said Edward, "Do you need a ride home?". "No thanks, I have four perfectly good legs, besides, with my mother's cooking, I have to exercise every chance I get, or bloooomp!", Sally laughed, using her arms to show a rapidly expanding stomach.

Jessica was looking forward to the next 'Black N White' movie night almost as much as Edward.

The week flew by with Edward focusing on fishing,

and building up his business.

He also focused on improving his artwork, both drawing and painting.

He was quite proud that he had finally gotten Izzy's smile right,

and replaced the two previous drawings with a new drawing

and a painting for Jessica.

Kim received a phone call ten minutes before she was due at the office, she held the phone to her ear for a minute before she could reply.

"I suppose it was Joe?"

"Federal police, what did the feds want with Jack and Alice?"

"Oh, I didn't know about that."

"They what?"

"That's not good at all!"

"What about Delilah?"

"She what?"

"Are you sure, she is far too young to be able to change!"

"She's what?"

"As soon as I hang up, you call the council offices and tell them nobody talks to her, nobody even goes in the room until I get there, no feds, no child services, nobody, I don't care if its the president of Sim Nation, nobody but me. Got it?".

Kim went with lights and sirens all the way to the council offices and bounded up the stairs to the courthouse.

 After an hour or more arguing with child welfare and federal officers, Kim walked out of the courthouse with Delilah. "Dammit, I'm her Godmother, and I'm not going to let them take her out of the Hollow.", Kim yelled as she slammed the door on her way out.

"Do you know Delilah Lightfoot, from school?", Kim asked Jessica the next day. "Yes, I talk to Delilah sometimes.", answered Jessica, "But she is shy, and doesn't say very much". Kim tried another question, "Do you know who her friends are at school?".

"Well, I tried to be her friend, but she said I shouldn't talk to her, otherwise nobody else will be my friend, and I told her I don't want lots of friends, I just want good friends, and if nobody wants to be my friend because your my friend, then they are probably not very good friends anyway.", Jessica replied. "Why?"

"Oh.", said Kim, taking a moment to decipher Jessica's logic. "Delilahs not herself at the moment and won't be at school for a while, that's all.", explained Kim.

"If Delilah isn't herself, who is she?", asked Mia as Jess walked to the school bus. "I don't know, I thought Kim meant she was sick!", said Jess out of the side of her mouth.

Authors Note:

I'd like to thank this guy for reminding me the house doesn't have a burglar alarm system, even though I don't think they trigger them.

One sided phone calls! I love em. Hopefully between this chapter title, and the hints I've dropped since the first mention of Jack and Alice, some readers have some idea of what's going on. If not, I drop the smoke and mirrors and make it clearer in the next chapter.

Oh, I found this while surfing the web and adopted it....... (The picture, not the pup)