Small Sacrifices: A Sister's Love
Title: Small Sacrifices: A Sister's Love
Author: speedy
Fandom: General Hospital
Rating: PG
Summary: When Georgie and Dillon get in over their heads with Lorenzo Alcazar and Faith Rosco, Maxie makes a deal to save her sister's life. A deal that puts her own life in danger.
Disclaimer: I'm not the Rat, so obviously the characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them for awhile.
Notes: Just moving this over from my now defunct website. Takes place Summer/Fall 2003.
Maxie watched her little sister say goodbye to her boyfriend, sighing in annoyance. Georgie and Dillon were cute, but sometimes they were so sickeningly sweet it made Maxie's stomach turn. She was happy for her sister, but wished Kyle was a little more affectionate like Dillon.
"Bye, Dillon," the younger girl said, smiling brightly, before turning back to her sister. "I am so crazy about him," she said dreamily, sitting back down.
The girls were hanging out at Kelly's after school, playfully harassing their cousin Lucas while he was working. Maxie just shook her head at her sister. "You're crazy alright."
Maxie joined Georgie, Dillon and Lucas at Kelly's after school, as they almost always did before Dillon and the girls had to go to work. She read her history assignment while the two lovebirds flirted and Lucas waited on other tables.
Hearing the door open, she glanced up curiously to see Faith Rosco, the most notorious of the local mob bosses, walk inside and immediate set her sights on Dillon. The girl just watched with concerned interested as the scene unfolded in front of her.
Faith slinked up to the young man, smiling devilishly. "Hello, Dillon," she said, licking her upper lip and sliding her hand seductively down his chest.
The teen stared at her nervously, her attentions obviously unwanted. "What do you want, Faith?"
"You," she whispered, her face just centimeters from his.
"Um, I don't think so."
She arched an intrigued eyebrow. "Then I will just have to change your mind."
"Listen you... you... skank!" Georgie shouted at her, grabbing the woman's arm. "He doesn't want you! Get that through your thick skull!"
Faith looked at the girl as if she were a bug in need of squashing. "You're still around? Here's a piece of advice. Little girls that get in my way have a tendency to get their hearts broken. Literally." She grabbed Dillon's face and kissed him forcefully. "When you decide you want a real woman," she smiled smugly, "and I guarantee you will very soon, I'll be around." She sauntered out of the diner, taking one last look as she walked through the door.
Georgie grunted furiously. "I hate her! What makes her think she can just walk in here and... do that?"
"I don't know," Dillon replied, running his hand through his hair, disturbed by what had just happened.
Maxie looked on in confusion. Georgie had mentioned nothing about Faith Rosco. The woman was a psycho, capable of anything violent to get her way, which meant Georgie could be in danger. "Did she just threaten you?" Maxie asked her sister, but she already knew the answer. There was little doubt as to the promise that Faith's words held.
"It's no big deal, Maxie," the younger girl said defensively.
"No big deal? Faith Rosco wants you dead. I'd say that was a big deal."
"Dillon talked to Alcazar. He's going to take care of her."
"You're trusting Lorenzo Alcazar with this?" Maxie asked in disbelief. "After what his brother did to us?"
"He scares me, you know that, Maxie, but Dillon trusts him and he made a promise."
She couldn't believe her sister's naivety. To actually believe Lorenzo Alcazar was going to help her just because he promised Dillon. "You've got to tell Mac about this, Georgie!"
"No! He'll ground me for life!" Georgie whined. "He'll keep me away from Dillon! I couldn't live with that!"
"Maybe that's a good thing right now, considering someone is threatening to kill you because of him."
"You don't understand, Maxie!" she cried. She turned away from her sister. "I love him and he loves me. That's all that matters."
Maxie sighed. "I do understand, Georgie," she said softly. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."
"Look, it's being taken care of it," the younger girl assured her. "Alcazar said he would protect me and he will."
Maxie sighed. There was no point arguing with her sister. She just wasn't going to see this clearly, not when it involved Dillon. "Well, he doesn't seem to be doing a very good job," she grumbled.
Georgie was in danger and Alcazar could stop this whole thing with a few words, but obviously hadn't. Maxie had little confidence that he would go out of his way to help. He was benefiting too much from Faith's other actions to stop her. Maxie knew what she had to do. She would have to have Faith Rosco taken care of herself.
Maxie waited in the shadows. She'd followed Capelli down to the docks and saw him meet with Lorenzo Alcazar. Part of her wanted to confront the arms dealer about what he was doing to protect Georgie, but she knew he'd probably only brush her off. Not that he would have an answer for her anyway. Capelli was the one she wanted.
Alcazar turned and left, leaving the detective alone on the docks. This was the moment Maxie had waited for. She stepped out into the light and cleared her throat.
Capelli spun around, shocked. "How much of that did you hear?" he asked, glancing back in the direction Alcazar had left.
"Enough." She guessed he had to be worried, being caught by the police commissioner's daughter. "Don't worry, I have no intention of blowing your cover. I need to talk to you."
"About?"
"I want WSB protection."
Capelli laughed humorlessly. "WSB, huh? What makes you think I have any more pull with the WSB than your father, the police commissioner?"
"My father is Frisco Jones," she corrected. She saw a spark of recognition in the man's eyes and smirked smugly. "My uncle was Robert Scorpio. My godparents are Anna Devane and Sean Donley. I grew up with WSB protection lurking in the shadows. Believe me, I know an agent when I see one. I can spot you guys a mile away."
The detective glanced around again. "So why don't you take this to the commissioner or your father?"
"I can't go to Mac with this." She looked down and frowned, her eyes burning with tears. There was a part of her that still missed Frisco, in spite of how little a part of her life he was. "And my father died three years ago."
"Why should I risk my cover for this?"
"Faith Rosco is planning to kill my sister. Lorenzo Alcazar promised he'd help, but he hasn't done anything as far as I can tell. Faith is still walking around and making her threats." Capelli didn't look convinced. "I want my sister safe," Maxie told him, urgency in her voice. "And I'm willing to do whatever the WSB wants in return."
"Lucas, I have to do this."
Maxie and Lucas were talking in her room. She'd explained the situation to her cousin while she pulled clothes out of her closet. He shared her concern for Georgie, but hated her solution.
Lucas ran a hand through his short hair. "There's got to be another way, Maxie. What about Sonny?"
"Sonny can't even protect Carly, how am I supposed to trust him to protect Georgie?" She sighed. "Don't you think I would've found another way if there was one?"
"But the WSB? You're going to get yourself killed, just like..." He stopped, knowing the rest of that sentence would upset her.
"Just like who, Lucas?" she snapped, throwing down the shirts in her hand angrily. "Dad?"
"Yes." He sat on the bed near her bag. "Look, I think it's great that you're trying to help Georgie, but putting yourself in danger is not the answer. Can't you talk to Mac about this?"
"Georgie would've killed me. She's worried Mac will try to keep her away from Dillon," she said, her voice laced with annoyance. "But when I thought about it, I'm not sure what Mac could do, short of locking Georgie up. I know the WSB can do the job without tipping Faith or Georgie off. She'll be safe."
"Maxie, I don't want to see you get hurt either," he said softly.
She smiled. She could always count on Lucas to love and support her unconditionally. Aside from Georgie, he was the best friend she had. "I'll be okay, Lucas. I promise."
When he looked up, she could see the worry and the sadness in his eyes. "Uncle Frisco said the same thing. He came home in a coffin."
She exhaled sharply. She didn't need any reminding of how her father had come home in the end. "Are you going to help me or not?"
"Alright, I'll help you," he said grudgingly.
"You can't tell Georgie anything either."
"If I help you, Georgie and Mac are going to come to me when they notice you're gone."
"Tell them you don't know anything," she said nonchalantly with a shrug. "I asked you to help me sneak out and you just assumed I was meeting Kyle. They won't know any different."
"What are you going to tell Georgie?"
She sat down on the bed next to him. "I'm just going to tell Georgie that I made sure she would be protected and I have to leave. If she bugs you about it, that's all I told you, too."
Lucas sighed, looking at his cousin frustratedly. "I don't like this."
Maxie kissed his cheek. "I love you, Lucas, but trust me. I have to do this."
Kyle pulled Maxie closer, running his hands up and down her back. "You can't leave, baby. Not now."
Maxie pushed his hands away. "I have to, Kyle. I don't have a choice."
"What am I going to do without you?" he murmured in her ear.
She rolled her eyes, a reluctant smile forming on her lips. "I'll miss you, too."
He kissed her lightly, taking her face in his hands. "Then don't go. Stay here with me."
She pulled away from him. "I told you, I have to go."
"No, you don't. You could stay if you wanted to."
"No, Kyle, I can't."
"But I don't see why you have to go."
"This isn't up for discussion," she said firmly. "I just came to say goodbye."
For once, real emotion showed on Kyle's face as he stared at her sadly. "But I don't want you to go. I love you."
A single tear fell down her cheek. Maxie had waited so long to hear those words from him. And now she was leaving. She hugged him tightly and kissed him passionately. "I love you, too," she whispered, then she turned around and left, more tears falling down her cheeks.
When Maxie returned home, Mac was in the living room, waiting. "Where's your sister?" he asked immediately, obviously worried about something.
"I don't know," she answered, shrugging. "I haven't seen her. Why?"
"She stole my credit card," he told her aggravatedly. "She's probably with Dillon."
"Probably," she replied resignedly. Georgie was never with anyone else; everything revolved around Dillon lately.
"Do you have any idea where they could be?"
Maxie just shook her head.
He ran a hand through his hair and began pacing. "What are you doing tonight?" he asked, turning back to the older girl.
"I'm going to the movies with Lucas when he gets off work, then we're going to spend the night at Uncle Tony's," she told him as she had planned with Lucas. "Is that alright?"
Mac sighed, waving her off dismissively. "No parties," he grumbled.
She gave him a weak smile. "Don't worry, Uncle Tony will be there."
"If you happen to see your sister, tell her to get her butt home. She's grounded again."
She could hear the concern and tiredness in his voice. "Okay." She hugged her stepfather while she could. Who knew when she'd get another chance. "I love you, Mac."
He looked at her in confusion. "Well, I love you, too."
She glanced at her watch. She wasn't supposed to leave for awhile, but she had planned on Georgie being home. If she was going to have to track down her sister, she needed to leave now. "I should go. Lucas is probably waiting for me."
"Have a good time. I'll see you in the morning."
"Yeah," she said, rushing up the stairs to grab her bag.
As Maxie slung the strap over her shoulder, a picture on her dresser caught her attention. It was an old picture of her father, the last time she'd seen him, stuck inside the frame of a Scorpio-Jones family portrait. She opened the top drawer of her nightstand and moved some of the junk aside, pulling out a gun. Frisco's gun. Her fingers lightly brushed the cold metal. Kind of ironic that his service weapon was the only thing she had of his and now that she was about to follow in his footsteps.
She put the gun inside her bag, along with the picture frame, and walked out, taking one last look around her home.
Maxie sat at a table in Kelly's, staring at her cell phone. She'd left Georgie a handful of messages and then a few more for Dillon. She, like Mac, assumed her sister was with her boyfriend. They were together every other free minute of the day it seemed.
She glanced at her watch. If Georgie didn't call her back soon, she would have to leave without saying goodbye to her sister.
She sipped her coke and continued to stare at the phone, as if she could will it to ring. Minutes she sat silently, waiting alone.
She had to go. She was out of time, she couldn't wait for her sister any longer. She left another message on Georgie's cell. She stood up and looked back at Lucas at the counter. He smiled sadly and waved as she walked out, leaving her cell phone behind on the table.
Maxie wiped away a tear as she stepped out of the diner. She'd wanted to see Georgie so badly but apparently that wasn't going to be possible. Lucas would have to pass on the message for her.
"Maxie? What's wrong?"
Maxie turned at the sound of her sister's voice. Georgie ran up the block towards her, Dillon close behind her.
"You sounded so upset on the phone," Georgie said when she reached her sister, worry in her face. "What's up?"
Maxie took a deep breath, unable to meet her eyes. "I took care of Faith for you," she said quietly.
"What? How?"
"I made a deal. You'll be safe now."
"You didn't have to do that," the younger girl said. She smiled weakly. "I appreciate you taking care of me, though."
Maxie matched her sister's smile. "You're my sister. I couldn't let anything happen to you."
"You didn't tell Mac, did you?" Georgie asked sheepishly.
"No, I didn't say anything to him," the older girl replied, shaking her head. "But he's a little ticked at you right now."
"How bad?"
"He's says to get your butt home and you're grounded." She glanced at her watch. "I have to go."
"Why? Mac ground you too?"
She avoided her sister's gaze again. "No. I have to hold up my end of the deal."
"Why? What do you have to do? It's not dangerous, is it?"
"Georgie, don't worry about it, alright? Everything's taken care of." Maxie hugged her younger sister tightly. "We're both going to be okay, I promise." Georgie hugged her again, tightly. "I have to go now. But I'll see you soon," she said, her father's voice saying the same thing eerily echoing in her mind.
Maxie turned and left, taking one last glance at her sister. She disappeared into the night, leaving behind the life of Maxie Jones.
Author: speedy
Fandom: General Hospital
Rating: PG
Summary: When Georgie and Dillon get in over their heads with Lorenzo Alcazar and Faith Rosco, Maxie makes a deal to save her sister's life. A deal that puts her own life in danger.
Disclaimer: I'm not the Rat, so obviously the characters aren't mine. I'm just borrowing them for awhile.
Notes: Just moving this over from my now defunct website. Takes place Summer/Fall 2003.
Maxie watched her little sister say goodbye to her boyfriend, sighing in annoyance. Georgie and Dillon were cute, but sometimes they were so sickeningly sweet it made Maxie's stomach turn. She was happy for her sister, but wished Kyle was a little more affectionate like Dillon.
"Bye, Dillon," the younger girl said, smiling brightly, before turning back to her sister. "I am so crazy about him," she said dreamily, sitting back down.
The girls were hanging out at Kelly's after school, playfully harassing their cousin Lucas while he was working. Maxie just shook her head at her sister. "You're crazy alright."
Maxie joined Georgie, Dillon and Lucas at Kelly's after school, as they almost always did before Dillon and the girls had to go to work. She read her history assignment while the two lovebirds flirted and Lucas waited on other tables.
Hearing the door open, she glanced up curiously to see Faith Rosco, the most notorious of the local mob bosses, walk inside and immediate set her sights on Dillon. The girl just watched with concerned interested as the scene unfolded in front of her.
Faith slinked up to the young man, smiling devilishly. "Hello, Dillon," she said, licking her upper lip and sliding her hand seductively down his chest.
The teen stared at her nervously, her attentions obviously unwanted. "What do you want, Faith?"
"You," she whispered, her face just centimeters from his.
"Um, I don't think so."
She arched an intrigued eyebrow. "Then I will just have to change your mind."
"Listen you... you... skank!" Georgie shouted at her, grabbing the woman's arm. "He doesn't want you! Get that through your thick skull!"
Faith looked at the girl as if she were a bug in need of squashing. "You're still around? Here's a piece of advice. Little girls that get in my way have a tendency to get their hearts broken. Literally." She grabbed Dillon's face and kissed him forcefully. "When you decide you want a real woman," she smiled smugly, "and I guarantee you will very soon, I'll be around." She sauntered out of the diner, taking one last look as she walked through the door.
Georgie grunted furiously. "I hate her! What makes her think she can just walk in here and... do that?"
"I don't know," Dillon replied, running his hand through his hair, disturbed by what had just happened.
Maxie looked on in confusion. Georgie had mentioned nothing about Faith Rosco. The woman was a psycho, capable of anything violent to get her way, which meant Georgie could be in danger. "Did she just threaten you?" Maxie asked her sister, but she already knew the answer. There was little doubt as to the promise that Faith's words held.
"It's no big deal, Maxie," the younger girl said defensively.
"No big deal? Faith Rosco wants you dead. I'd say that was a big deal."
"Dillon talked to Alcazar. He's going to take care of her."
"You're trusting Lorenzo Alcazar with this?" Maxie asked in disbelief. "After what his brother did to us?"
"He scares me, you know that, Maxie, but Dillon trusts him and he made a promise."
She couldn't believe her sister's naivety. To actually believe Lorenzo Alcazar was going to help her just because he promised Dillon. "You've got to tell Mac about this, Georgie!"
"No! He'll ground me for life!" Georgie whined. "He'll keep me away from Dillon! I couldn't live with that!"
"Maybe that's a good thing right now, considering someone is threatening to kill you because of him."
"You don't understand, Maxie!" she cried. She turned away from her sister. "I love him and he loves me. That's all that matters."
Maxie sighed. "I do understand, Georgie," she said softly. "I just don't want to see you get hurt."
"Look, it's being taken care of it," the younger girl assured her. "Alcazar said he would protect me and he will."
Maxie sighed. There was no point arguing with her sister. She just wasn't going to see this clearly, not when it involved Dillon. "Well, he doesn't seem to be doing a very good job," she grumbled.
Georgie was in danger and Alcazar could stop this whole thing with a few words, but obviously hadn't. Maxie had little confidence that he would go out of his way to help. He was benefiting too much from Faith's other actions to stop her. Maxie knew what she had to do. She would have to have Faith Rosco taken care of herself.
Maxie waited in the shadows. She'd followed Capelli down to the docks and saw him meet with Lorenzo Alcazar. Part of her wanted to confront the arms dealer about what he was doing to protect Georgie, but she knew he'd probably only brush her off. Not that he would have an answer for her anyway. Capelli was the one she wanted.
Alcazar turned and left, leaving the detective alone on the docks. This was the moment Maxie had waited for. She stepped out into the light and cleared her throat.
Capelli spun around, shocked. "How much of that did you hear?" he asked, glancing back in the direction Alcazar had left.
"Enough." She guessed he had to be worried, being caught by the police commissioner's daughter. "Don't worry, I have no intention of blowing your cover. I need to talk to you."
"About?"
"I want WSB protection."
Capelli laughed humorlessly. "WSB, huh? What makes you think I have any more pull with the WSB than your father, the police commissioner?"
"My father is Frisco Jones," she corrected. She saw a spark of recognition in the man's eyes and smirked smugly. "My uncle was Robert Scorpio. My godparents are Anna Devane and Sean Donley. I grew up with WSB protection lurking in the shadows. Believe me, I know an agent when I see one. I can spot you guys a mile away."
The detective glanced around again. "So why don't you take this to the commissioner or your father?"
"I can't go to Mac with this." She looked down and frowned, her eyes burning with tears. There was a part of her that still missed Frisco, in spite of how little a part of her life he was. "And my father died three years ago."
"Why should I risk my cover for this?"
"Faith Rosco is planning to kill my sister. Lorenzo Alcazar promised he'd help, but he hasn't done anything as far as I can tell. Faith is still walking around and making her threats." Capelli didn't look convinced. "I want my sister safe," Maxie told him, urgency in her voice. "And I'm willing to do whatever the WSB wants in return."
"Lucas, I have to do this."
Maxie and Lucas were talking in her room. She'd explained the situation to her cousin while she pulled clothes out of her closet. He shared her concern for Georgie, but hated her solution.
Lucas ran a hand through his short hair. "There's got to be another way, Maxie. What about Sonny?"
"Sonny can't even protect Carly, how am I supposed to trust him to protect Georgie?" She sighed. "Don't you think I would've found another way if there was one?"
"But the WSB? You're going to get yourself killed, just like..." He stopped, knowing the rest of that sentence would upset her.
"Just like who, Lucas?" she snapped, throwing down the shirts in her hand angrily. "Dad?"
"Yes." He sat on the bed near her bag. "Look, I think it's great that you're trying to help Georgie, but putting yourself in danger is not the answer. Can't you talk to Mac about this?"
"Georgie would've killed me. She's worried Mac will try to keep her away from Dillon," she said, her voice laced with annoyance. "But when I thought about it, I'm not sure what Mac could do, short of locking Georgie up. I know the WSB can do the job without tipping Faith or Georgie off. She'll be safe."
"Maxie, I don't want to see you get hurt either," he said softly.
She smiled. She could always count on Lucas to love and support her unconditionally. Aside from Georgie, he was the best friend she had. "I'll be okay, Lucas. I promise."
When he looked up, she could see the worry and the sadness in his eyes. "Uncle Frisco said the same thing. He came home in a coffin."
She exhaled sharply. She didn't need any reminding of how her father had come home in the end. "Are you going to help me or not?"
"Alright, I'll help you," he said grudgingly.
"You can't tell Georgie anything either."
"If I help you, Georgie and Mac are going to come to me when they notice you're gone."
"Tell them you don't know anything," she said nonchalantly with a shrug. "I asked you to help me sneak out and you just assumed I was meeting Kyle. They won't know any different."
"What are you going to tell Georgie?"
She sat down on the bed next to him. "I'm just going to tell Georgie that I made sure she would be protected and I have to leave. If she bugs you about it, that's all I told you, too."
Lucas sighed, looking at his cousin frustratedly. "I don't like this."
Maxie kissed his cheek. "I love you, Lucas, but trust me. I have to do this."
Kyle pulled Maxie closer, running his hands up and down her back. "You can't leave, baby. Not now."
Maxie pushed his hands away. "I have to, Kyle. I don't have a choice."
"What am I going to do without you?" he murmured in her ear.
She rolled her eyes, a reluctant smile forming on her lips. "I'll miss you, too."
He kissed her lightly, taking her face in his hands. "Then don't go. Stay here with me."
She pulled away from him. "I told you, I have to go."
"No, you don't. You could stay if you wanted to."
"No, Kyle, I can't."
"But I don't see why you have to go."
"This isn't up for discussion," she said firmly. "I just came to say goodbye."
For once, real emotion showed on Kyle's face as he stared at her sadly. "But I don't want you to go. I love you."
A single tear fell down her cheek. Maxie had waited so long to hear those words from him. And now she was leaving. She hugged him tightly and kissed him passionately. "I love you, too," she whispered, then she turned around and left, more tears falling down her cheeks.
When Maxie returned home, Mac was in the living room, waiting. "Where's your sister?" he asked immediately, obviously worried about something.
"I don't know," she answered, shrugging. "I haven't seen her. Why?"
"She stole my credit card," he told her aggravatedly. "She's probably with Dillon."
"Probably," she replied resignedly. Georgie was never with anyone else; everything revolved around Dillon lately.
"Do you have any idea where they could be?"
Maxie just shook her head.
He ran a hand through his hair and began pacing. "What are you doing tonight?" he asked, turning back to the older girl.
"I'm going to the movies with Lucas when he gets off work, then we're going to spend the night at Uncle Tony's," she told him as she had planned with Lucas. "Is that alright?"
Mac sighed, waving her off dismissively. "No parties," he grumbled.
She gave him a weak smile. "Don't worry, Uncle Tony will be there."
"If you happen to see your sister, tell her to get her butt home. She's grounded again."
She could hear the concern and tiredness in his voice. "Okay." She hugged her stepfather while she could. Who knew when she'd get another chance. "I love you, Mac."
He looked at her in confusion. "Well, I love you, too."
She glanced at her watch. She wasn't supposed to leave for awhile, but she had planned on Georgie being home. If she was going to have to track down her sister, she needed to leave now. "I should go. Lucas is probably waiting for me."
"Have a good time. I'll see you in the morning."
"Yeah," she said, rushing up the stairs to grab her bag.
As Maxie slung the strap over her shoulder, a picture on her dresser caught her attention. It was an old picture of her father, the last time she'd seen him, stuck inside the frame of a Scorpio-Jones family portrait. She opened the top drawer of her nightstand and moved some of the junk aside, pulling out a gun. Frisco's gun. Her fingers lightly brushed the cold metal. Kind of ironic that his service weapon was the only thing she had of his and now that she was about to follow in his footsteps.
She put the gun inside her bag, along with the picture frame, and walked out, taking one last look around her home.
Maxie sat at a table in Kelly's, staring at her cell phone. She'd left Georgie a handful of messages and then a few more for Dillon. She, like Mac, assumed her sister was with her boyfriend. They were together every other free minute of the day it seemed.
She glanced at her watch. If Georgie didn't call her back soon, she would have to leave without saying goodbye to her sister.
She sipped her coke and continued to stare at the phone, as if she could will it to ring. Minutes she sat silently, waiting alone.
She had to go. She was out of time, she couldn't wait for her sister any longer. She left another message on Georgie's cell. She stood up and looked back at Lucas at the counter. He smiled sadly and waved as she walked out, leaving her cell phone behind on the table.
Maxie wiped away a tear as she stepped out of the diner. She'd wanted to see Georgie so badly but apparently that wasn't going to be possible. Lucas would have to pass on the message for her.
"Maxie? What's wrong?"
Maxie turned at the sound of her sister's voice. Georgie ran up the block towards her, Dillon close behind her.
"You sounded so upset on the phone," Georgie said when she reached her sister, worry in her face. "What's up?"
Maxie took a deep breath, unable to meet her eyes. "I took care of Faith for you," she said quietly.
"What? How?"
"I made a deal. You'll be safe now."
"You didn't have to do that," the younger girl said. She smiled weakly. "I appreciate you taking care of me, though."
Maxie matched her sister's smile. "You're my sister. I couldn't let anything happen to you."
"You didn't tell Mac, did you?" Georgie asked sheepishly.
"No, I didn't say anything to him," the older girl replied, shaking her head. "But he's a little ticked at you right now."
"How bad?"
"He's says to get your butt home and you're grounded." She glanced at her watch. "I have to go."
"Why? Mac ground you too?"
She avoided her sister's gaze again. "No. I have to hold up my end of the deal."
"Why? What do you have to do? It's not dangerous, is it?"
"Georgie, don't worry about it, alright? Everything's taken care of." Maxie hugged her younger sister tightly. "We're both going to be okay, I promise." Georgie hugged her again, tightly. "I have to go now. But I'll see you soon," she said, her father's voice saying the same thing eerily echoing in her mind.
Maxie turned and left, taking one last glance at her sister. She disappeared into the night, leaving behind the life of Maxie Jones.