Songs About Me

Thank you for reading. I also want to thank Emy for suggesting this song. I love this song but I don't know why I didn't think of it. If I didn't use this song, then this chapter (a different song) would've been extremely long.

Rated M due to language, violence and/or adult subject matter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, Green Day or these lyrics.

Chapter 38: Still Breathing

"As I walked out on the ledge / Are you scared to death to live? / I've been running all my life / Just to find a home that's for the restless / And the truth that's in the message / Making my way, away, away" -Still Breathing, Green Day

Reading the paper her uncle holds, Rachel blinks several times. She looks up at him then back to the paper. She repeats this with her aunt and both of her cousins. Her mind is whirling. She can't find any words.

When she finally does, it's only the beginning of different questions she can't finish. "What …? How …? When …?" Eventually, she can speak, "Is this real?"

"Yes, it's real," says Marc, smiling.

The Madsens say in unison "We're adopting you!" Cody barks with excitement as Rachel's friends cheer. Smiling, each of the Madsens hug Rachel. She can't stop smiling herself.

She laughs out loud when Lottie gives her a bear hug. "I've always wanted a sister," adds the younger girl.

Rachel can't believe this is happening. Catching her breath, she asks, ''This is really happening? You're adopting me? But how? How can you do that? What about Mom? I don't want her thinking I abandoned her."

"Don't worry, Angela knows about this. Once we knew we could do this, we asked her to see if she was all right with it. She was a little worried at first. She didn't want to lose you but she wanted you safe and cared for. So she temporarily signed away her parental rights."

Rachel's eyes widen again hearing that. She feels her heart beating faster. Does that mean her mother's giving up on her? Does this mean she's still mad about the move to Jump City? Rachel knows she's almost seventeen but she still needs her mother. "Mom signed away her parental rights to me?" That's all she can think about. She's afraid of losing her mother more than she already has. "Doesn't she want me? Does this mean she's not my mother anymore? I'll never see her again?"

"Oh no, of course not, it's nothing like that," says Marc trying to soothe Rachel's concerns. "My sister temporarily signed away her parental rights. Angela is still your mother and always will be. Once she is better and can handle things, her rights will be reinstated. It doesn't matter how long it takes."

"And what about Trigon? Did he temporarily sign over his rights?" Rachel's almost afraid to ask about that. After all the trouble he's caused, she's certain he'll put up a fight.

"No."

"He didn't?" Rachel's disappointed but tries not to show it She can't image her father letting her go so easily.

"No, he fully signed away his parental rights. According to the courts, Trigon is no longer your father."

Rachel's surprised by that. She never thought she'd be free of her father. She's relieved.

"So, what do I call you two? If you're now my parents, I can't keep calling you Aunt Chelsea and Uncle Marc, can I?"

"No, I guess not. That would be a little strange."

"Do I call you Mom and Dad?" Rachel doesn't know how she feels about that. To her it seems too weird. That might have been all right if they weren't already related; if they'd been strangers.

Chelsea takes Rachel's hand. She seems to sense Rachel's uncertainty. "You already have a mom and that's Angela. I'm not trying to take her place and I'm not going to. We're just here to help you. We want to help you and Angela get back together." Chelsea wipes away a tear. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to get so emotional."

Marc hugs his wife. He teases her, "You know how she is when it comes to happy endings of movies." Rachel smiles and nods. She doesn't trust her voice right now. She feels a little emotional herself. Marc continues, "Why don't you just call us Marc and Chelsea? That's who we are. Next week we have to court to finalize things but that's just a formality. We thought today would be a good day to tell you."

"It's the best gift ever." Rachel leans over and hugs her new "parents". "Thank you. I promise I will do everything I can to make you proud of me."

"We're are already proud of you. We want you not to worry and to be happy." Rachel nods. "Now go see your friends "

Rachel goes to the kitchen to join her friends. To give the family some privacy, they go to the kitchen soon after they hear the news.

"Wow! What a surprise," says Vic upon seeing Rachel.

"Yeah, I know." Rachel runs her fingers through her hair. "I never would've guessed that they'd do that. I was getting worried that they might be tired of me."

Giving her friend a hug, Kori says, "You worry entirely too much. You over think things too much. You should not do that."

"Yeah, Kori's right. Overthinking will just cause you more trouble. That's why I don't do it."

"It does help to think some times," jokes Vic.

Gar makes a face at Vic. "Ha, ha, you know what I mean. I do think. How else did we come up with the idea for Rachel's gift? So, do ya like it?"

"Yes, yes I do. It's the second best gift I received today. I can't believe this is happening. I don't think I've smiled so much. If I keep this up, I'm sure my cheeks will hurt at the end of the day."

"I'm glad and excited for you," says Richard as he leans against the counter. "It looks like your adoption is going smoother than mine."

Rachel's smile fades as her brow furrows slightly. "You had a hard time with your adoption?" Richard rarely talks about his past. She doesn't know what he went through. Now, Rachel wonders if she'll have similar problems.

Sensing the change in Rachel's mood, he quickly explains, "I was just a little kid. I was scared and confused." Kori leans against him as she laces her fingers with his. "I didn't know Bruce and I lashed out at him. Now I see he was just trying to help me."

"Sooo," says Gar after the group is quiet for a moment. "Are you still Rachel Roth or are you gonna be Rachel Madsen?"

"I don't know. I never thought about that."

"I kept my last name. But I think it was so I could keep something connecting me to my parents. Besides, Richard Wayne doesn't sound right, does it?"

They all try that name in their minds. They all decide those two names sound weird together.

"You're could hyphenate it," suggests Gar. "You would be Rachel Roth-Madsen. And then when you get married, you could hyphenate it again. You'd be Rachel … wait, what's your middle name?"

Rachel crosses her arms. "I'm not telling you."

"Aww, please. This way you could have one of the longest names."

Rachel rolls her eyes, "Fine, it's Tara."

"Cool, thanks. You'd be Rachel Tara Roth-Madsen-Smith. See? One of the longest names around."

"If you married someone with a long last name, your name would be even longer."

"I don't have to worry about that. I'm not getting married."

"What? Why not?"

"Kori, I'm only sixteen. I have a long time before I have to be concerned about that."

A few days after Christmas, all of the Madsens and Rachel go to the courthouse. It's simply to finalize the adoption. By lunchtime, Rachel, now Rachel Madsen is officially adopted. She decides to take her mother's maiden name. She feels as if she's a little closer to her mother. Moreover, she has no connection to Trigon.

Though out the day, the dark-haired teen can't stop smiling. She can't remember a time when she's had a reason to feel so optimistic.

This new optimism is exciting yet a little overwhelming. Since she's so happy, a part of her expects something bad to happen. That's the way it's been in the past but maybe things are different now. It might take awhile for Rachel and everyone else to get used to her being uplifted.

That night, when Rachel's getting ready for bed, she thinks about her life. A lot has changed for her. Saying the past couple of years haven't been easy is an understatement.

Rachel gingerly touches the scar on her abdomen. She smiles sadly. Her little one would've been about three months old if everything had gone right. Even though she probably would have given him up for adoption, it still hurts that he's gone.

Then again, if things hadn't gone horribly wrong, she never would have been pregnant. Rachel's stomach flips as she realizes that her own personal tragedy happened almost a year ago. In a few days it'll be the anniversary of that night.

Gradually, Rachel's locking away those horrible memories. They're still there but she's learning how to safely keep them restrained. It's upsetting when one surfaces but it doesn't happen as much anymore.

Going to bed, flashbacks are creeping into her mind. At first she's not even aware of it. They are like smoke seeping under the door.

With those memories come nightmares. Tossing and turning, plagued by a nightmare, Rachel gets tangled in her bedding. Even asleep, fear consumes her. She bolts up, jolted awake.

In a cold sweat, Rachel gasps for air. She doesn't know if she cried out. Trying to catch her breath, she listens. It's quiet, no one is coming.

Clutching her blanket to her chest, Rachel lets out a relieved sigh as she drops back to bed. She knows they know about her nightmares but they don't know about every one of them. She doesn't want them to know how frequently she has troubling dreams. Not every dream is a nightmare but most aren't exactly pleasant.

Curling up, Rachel tells herself to calm down. It was only a dream and no one is going to hurt her. She is safe and part of a loving family. It takes some time but eventually she falls back to sleep.

In the morning, Rachel feels as if everything is going wrong. So many things annoy her. It ranges from the radio playing her least favorite songs to forgetting her money at home when she goes out with Kori.

Irritated, Rachel snaps at her friends and lashes out at her family. Everything they do is annoying. Whether they are or not, Rachel feels as though they are hovering.

After being out with her friends, Rachel decides to work on her homework at the kitchen table. Cody chases the cat, Sasha, onto Rachel's lap. She spills her glass of water on her books and papers. She yells at the cat and dog. When Lottie comes into the kitchen, Rachel yells at her, "Why can't you keep these stupid animals under control?"

Marc and Chelsea come to see what's going on. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry, Rachel," says Lottie.

"They ran in here and jumped on me. I spilled my water on my paper." Rachel's face is red with anger. "I've worked on it all winter break and now it's ruined."

"It was just water? Here, let me see them."

"I don't have time to start over."

Marc takes the dripping papers over to the sink. "I'm sure they'll be okay. They just need to dry."

"I have worked all winter break on this," repeats Rachel. She's obviously upset. Tears fill her eyes, threatening to fall. "It's a big portion of my grade."

"I'm sorry, Rachel, we were just playing and I didn't think …"

"Maybe you should've thought something like this could've happened. Maybe you shouldn't play like that inside. Why'd you have to ruin my stuff just so you could have your stupid fun?"

"Rachel!"

"I'm sorry," whimpers Lottie. "I, I didn't mean to …"

"Yeah, right," growls Rachel.

"Enough, Rachel. Lottie said she was sorry."

"But …"

"Marc's seeing to it. I don't think there's any permanent damage done to your paper."

Rachel feels like they don't understand. "Fine!" She glares them before she runs up the stairs. They hear Rachel's door slam.

"Mom, Dad, I'm sorry," says a tearful Lottie, "I didn't mean for that to happen. I didn't mean to make Rachel mad."

Chelsea hugs her daughter as she looks over to her husband. "I know sweetie. Try not to worry about it. She's not really mad at you. She's upset about something else. Maybe she's frustrated about her paper? Why don't you go outside and play with Cody?"

Lottie wipes her eyes as she grabs her coat. As she goes out the door, her mother repeats, "Try not to worry about it. I'll talk to her, later when she's calmed down."

In her room, Rachel sits on her bed. She's angry about everything but mostly with herself. She knows what happened wasn't Lottie's fault. Even if it was, she shouldn't have yelled at her like that.

It nobody's fault for her foul mood. At least, it's nobody who is currently in her life. She's angry about how Trigon and Slade hurt her.

Rachel knows she should go apologize to Lottie for her outburst. She so furious right now, she's afraid she'll make things worse. Her insecurities make her worry that they'll change their minds about the adoption. After all, they didn't know she had such a bad temper.

She decides to stay in her room. That's something she's used to. Not having much rest the night before, Rachel soon falls asleep.

When Rachel wakes up, she feels a pit in her stomach. She hates that she argued yesterday but today's the day she's been dreading. Today is the anniversary of her personal tragedy.

As she gets dressed, she tries to do what Dr. Patterson said, not to dwell on it. She needs to focus on her new life, on being happy.

Rachel wants to do that but can't help thinking of all the things she did wrong. Her mind keeps wondering to the what-ifs and the if-only.

Nobody, not Rachel's friends or family know what day that unspeakable event happened. She doesn't speak about it much. They only know it happened around New Year's day but after Christmas.

Marc and Chelsea notice Rachel is more quiet than us, even for her. Since learning about the adoption, she's been almost chatty. Now, Rachel's not only very quiet but distracted.

They wonder what's going on. Her outbursts are uncharacteristic for her. When Rachel accidentally squeezes ketchup onto her salad, they know something's wrong.

That afternoon, Rachel's trying to help Chelsea with the laundry. Chelsea tries several different subjects but Rachel remains quiet. She's distant, lost in her thoughts.

After Rachel folds a shirt for fifth time, Chelsea stops her. "Rachel, what's wrong?"

"What? Oh, nothing's wrong."

"Are you still upset about yesterday with Lottie and the pets? You apologized for that and she understands."

"No, no its not that but I am sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at her like that."

"Then what is it? You seem worried about something. Is it school? Are you worried about your paper?"

"No, I'm excited to get back to school. And my paper is alright. Marc was right, it just needed to dry out. Again, I'm sorry, I overreacted."

"Then what's bothering you? You know you can always talk to me or Marc." Rachel nods but averts her eyes. She tries to fold the same shirt for the sixth time.

Chelsea tries to think of what would've ups or worried Rachel. The older woman's heart sinks when she thinks she's discovered the reason for Rachel's mood. Chelsea again stops Rachel from folding the shirt for the seventh time. "Rachel, did it happen last year? We're you raped a year ago today?"

Rachel drops the shirt as if it's suddenly on fire. She nods slightly and says softly, "Yes. A year ago today, a little after midnight, I…" She lets the sentence trail off. She can't finish it.

Chelsea wants to hug her, to show her support. At the same time, she doesn't want to upset the teen. She doesn't know how much or what Rachel is reliving in her mind. "Would it be alright if I give you a hug?"

Rachel is hesitant. She's not a huggy person but maybe she needs to be more open. Rachel nods slightly. Chelsea carefully hugs the dark-haired teen. "I am so sorry that happened to you."

Rachel nods as she struggles to keep her tears in check. She does not want to cry. She wants to be strong; stronger than she was a year ago.

With tears in her eyes, Chelsea asks, "Do you want or need to see Dr. Patterson?"

Shaking her head, "No, I think I'm okay. We talked about this day at my last session."

"Did you want to do something? We could go see a movie? Anything you want to do to take your mind off of this."

Rachel shakes her head again. "Thanks, but no. Dr. Patterson said I could think about it but I needed to focus on something positive."

"What did you want to do?"

Rachel thinks about it for a moment. "I think I'll go for a run. I know I'm not very athletic but I've run a few times. I felt better after a run. I don't know why but I think I want to try it today."

"Sure, I understand. Why don't you go on that run now. I'll finish this."

"Are you sure? Thanks. I don't think I'll be too long."

"Don't worry about it but take your phone. That way you can call if you need a ride home."

"Thanks, Chelsea." Rachel gives her a hug.

When Rachel returns home she does feel better. She's not happy but she's not so irritated. She feels more peaceful. She's survived the worst parts of her life. She has no idea what the future holds but she has friends and family to help her through anything.

Rachel, Eli and Lottie leisurely walk through the mall one Saturday. They have all afternoon. They're on their way to another store when someone stops them.

"Rachel?" asks a man.

Rachel stops. She thinks he looks familiar but she's not sure. She feels as though she should know him but his white hair and scraggly beard throw her off. She takes a moment to study the older man. Her eyes widen when she realizes who this man is.

"Dad?" Trigon nods. Rachel is shock that she had trouble recognizing her own father. She hasn't heard or seen anything from him since that night he barged into the Madsen's house.

"Do you still like tea?" Rachel slightly nods. "Um, did you want to get something with me?" He seems apprehensive. That's not normal for him. "I'd like to talk with you."

Without looking, Rachel knows that Eli is defensive. Rachel, herself feels guarded and unsure about seeing her father again. She doesn't know what to do. A part of her wants nothing to do with the man who caused her so much anguish for so long. However she is curious. What does he have to say? Will he apologize or make some excuse?

"You know you don't have to," says Eli. His voice is calm but she knows he's upset. He stands beside her but in front of Lottie. "We can just go on our way and forget about him."

With her mind made up, Rachel turns to leave. Her friends enter her mind. Most of them lost one or both of their parents suddenly. They never got the chance to have their final discussion. They would probably jump at the chance to have a last conversation.

Rachel has that chance. She can have her say. She can hear what he has to say before they go their separate ways. After today, she will never see him again.

"It's okay, we'll be right over there. I don't think it'll be too long."

"But …" Eli wants nothing to do with the man who hurt his cousin and his father.

"Let's give them a moment," interrupts Lottie. She seems to sense and understand what Rachel's doing. "He'd be stupid to try anything here, with all these people around."

Eli sighs, "Okay, fine, we'll wait right here if you need us."

"Thanks." Rachel turns to her father, "Okay, I have some time."

With her elbows propped on the table, Rachel holds the cup of steaming tea with both hands. She's posed to take a sip of the soothing liquid whenever she wants or needs to. The steam rises in front of her. She realizes they both know she's using the steam as a screen but she doesn't care. It gives her a chance to study her estranged father.

Looking at the man sitting across from her, she thinks he looks nothing like the man she knew when she was growing up. Right now his red hair isn't just white at his temples, like it had been for the past few years, but white all over. There's not even a hint of the original color. His hair is getting long. It looks as though he hasn't had a haircut in months. His shaggy beard is another thing that's different about her father.

Thinking back to when she was growing up, Rachel always saw her father as well-groomed and clean-shaven. No matter what was going on, Trigon made sure he looked perfect. Even when he was going through his drunken tirades, he made a point to keep up appearances.

Rachel doesn't know what's changed in him. 'Is it more than just his appearance that's changed? Did getting arrested do what I tried to do but couldn't? Did that make him …'

"You look good. Uh, you're probably wondering why I wanted to talk with you?"

"Yes," Rachel admits, still holding her cup of tea as a barrier.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing. Are you happy? With the Madsens, I mean. Are you happy with them?"

"Yes, they're good to me. They listen to me and give me my space when I need it. But I know they're there for me." Rachel thinks she sees him wince at the last comment. She wonders if he feels guilty for how he's treated her.

"Good, you deserve it. I'm sorry I wasn't the kind of father you should've had. I, I didn't want to hurt you or your mother. I guess it was just part of my nature to be so controlling." Trigon shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I see now that I never should have married Angela. There are some people who shouldn't marry or have children."

Rachel is completely surprised by what she hears. 'For so long, I thought he was just mean to be mean. Maybe he has something wrong with him. That doesn't excuse any of it and the pain I felt was real. But knowing that he has regrets helps some.'

Her silence seems to make him uncomfortable. "Um, Rachel…?"

Rachel's certain her father doesn't expect what she says next. "Maybe you're right." Trigon does look surprised. "I've wondered about that myself. Maybe it would be better if I never marry or have kids. I'd hate to pass anything bad onto someone." She shrugs, "Guess it doesn't really matter anyway. Right now, I can't image getting close enough to anyone to let that happen."

"What do you mean? I think you'd be a good mother, I mean, in a few years. You certainly know what not to do."

"After what happened, after what Slade …did to me …" Rachel averts her eyes away from Trigon's. "I'm too messed up to let anyone close to me. I do have a friend who wants more than friendship but I can't do that. I can't image myself with anyone. So, like I said, guess it doesn't matter anyway."

They are quite for a moment. Both are lost in their own thoughts.

"It's not the black guy who wants to date you, is it?"

"No," annoyed, she shakes her head, "it's not Vic, but it wouldn't matter if it was him. But we don't see each other like that. Vic is more like a big brother to me. He won't let anyone hurt me, not anymore."

Trigon nods. He understands what she's saying. "Good. That's the way I should've been for you. I should've been protective instead of destructive. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for all of that to happen to you. I didn't want you to get hurt that much."

Rachel sets down her cup. She looks at him with a mixture of disgust and confusion. "You wanted to hurt me but you didn't want Slade to hurt me? You sent him to our house."

Trigon looks away from his daughter's glare. "I know and I was wrong."

Shaking her head again, Rachel says, "You know, I've always wondered about that night. Why did you hate me so much? What did I ever do that you'd have Slade do that to me?" Angry tears sting her eyes. "The only way it could've been worse was if you had done that to me. Instead, you just walked away."

"I, I didn't know he would do that. I only told him to scare you."

"Well, he did that and more. He shattered my soul. What do you mean, you didn't know Slade would do that? You had to know what he was capable of doing. You warned me to stay away from him. I wanted nothing to do with him but you shoved us together twice. First, the night he had to rescue me when you beat me, then that horrible night.

"Like I said, I often wondered why you hated me so much. You made me think Mom hated me. I ended up hating myself. I thought I had ruined Mom's life. I was so messed up that I thought everyone would be better without me."

"That's not true. You've done nothing wrong. I have."

"I know that, now. I have a good therapist who is helping me. He's helping me see that my future shouldn't be defined by my past." Rachel pauses as she stirs her cold tea.

"You know, I never thought I'd see you again. I didn't really want to. But if I ever did, I've thought about what I'd say to you. I thought I'd tell you how much I hate you and list everything you did wrong."

Trigon is quiet and serious as he listens to the daughter he alienated. "But, I'm not going to do that," says Rachel, who's obviously upset.

Trigon is surprised and confused. "Rachel, I …"

"No." Shaking her head; she has more to say. "There's still plenty of blame to lay on you but you know what those things are. I don't need to tell you.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still very angry with you. I'm angry about what you put me and Mom through." Rachel self-consciously wipes away a tear threatening to fall. She hates showing emotions around him. She understands he thinks it shows how weak she is.

Rachel sits up straighter in her seat as she comes to a realization. 'I wouldn't have survived this long if I was as weak he thought I was. It's been hard and painful but I've survived everything he's thrown at me.' She looks at him, "I will never forget what you've done. Someday, I might forgive you, but that's only for my own healing. I need to get rid of the hate and pain. I need to heal, I need to move on."

Trigon remains silent. It appears their conversation is over. Rachel sighs as she gets up. She stops when he speaks, "I hope you do find peace."

"I hope you do, too. I hope you get the help you need. And … thank you."

"For what?"

"Thank you for giving me my freedom and letting the Madsens adopt me." Trigon simply nods. "Good-bye."

"Good-bye," repeats Trigon as he watches Rachel walk away.

Rachel meets up with Eli and Lottie. Eli is curious about what happened with Rachel and Trigon. He wants to ask but her expression tells him it's not a good idea. Thinking about it, it's probably better not to say anything around his little sister.

When Lottie is looking at something, Eli asks Rachel, "What happened? What did he say?"

"He said he was sorry. Sorry for everything he did. He's never said that and meant it."

"You believe him? Couldn't he just be telling you what you want to hear?"

"I thought so at first but he was sincere. He truly was sorry."

"You're not gonna forgive him, are you?" A thought enters his mind. "You're not going back to him, are you?"

"No, I will never go back to him. I won't put myself through the anxiety or the fear of wondering when he'll snap. And I don't forgive him right now but …"

"You're gonna forgive him for all the abuse he did to you?"

"Some day, I might, but it's for me not for him."

Marc and Chelsea are upset when they learn about Rachel seeing Trigon. They're worried Trigon is up to something. Does he want Rachel back? Will he breaks up their family? They calm down when Rachel convinces them no matter what Trigon wants, she's not going back to him. She repeats that she'll forgive him but that's only for her own healing.

Rachel's seventeenth birthday does include the car Vic worked on in the garage. Even though she had her suspicions, she is still surprised.

Rachel's birthday party is simple. It's just immediate family and friends. It's the kind of party Rachel's longed for years ago.

Rachel's surprised when the doorbell rings. The party's been over for about a half an hour. The doorbell rings again. No one is answering it.

After it rings a third time, Rachel wonders why nobody's answering the door. 'Fine, I'll get it.'

Opening the door, Rachel can't believe her eyes.

"Jinni?"

"Yeah, it's me. Happy birthday!"

"But you moved to the east coast. What are you doing here?"

"It's your birthday. I couldn't miss that, could I? Are you gonna let me in or are you gonna just stand there staring at me?"

Seeing each other after almost a year ago and half has passed, the girls hug each other. They stay up all night, catching up. There are times when they laugh until they cry. Other times, they cry until they laugh.

Marc and Chelsea are pleased to see Rachel so open with her emotions. She's come a long way but the teen with platinum and hot pink hair does more in one night then they had done in a month.

Everyone, including Rachel, can't help wondering if she hadn't been so isolated, would such horrible things have happened to her? That's all in the past. Rachel is now surrounded by friends and family who love and care for her. Now she has a chance to be happy. For the first time in a long time, Rachel is looking forward to the future.

After all the excitement of the holidays and Rachel's birthday, things settle back to normal. The only fighting there is, is the typical, simple squabbles between siblings. That now includes Rachel. Some might consider things boring. However, Rachel will take boring with a loving family over excitement sprinkled with anxiety anytime.

While Rachel helps Eli and Lottie clear off the table after dinner, the phone rings. Lottie races to the phone. She wants to beat her brother to it. Eli also goes for the phone but since Lottie's closer, she answers it.

Lottie listens to the person on the other end. She wears a confused expression. Covering the mouthpiece, Lottie whispers, "Rachel, it's for you. It's a guy. It sounds like he has a funny accent. Maybe it's a British accent?"

Rachel is confused. It sounds as if it could be Malcolm but why would he be calling her? Taking the phone from Lottie, Rachel says uncertainty, "Hello?"

As Rachel listens, her dark eyes grow large. "What!"

Everyone stops what he or she is doing when they hear the alarm in Rachel's voice. The Madsens look at her with concern. Something must be wrong.

"How bad is it?" Something is wrong.

"My dad's alright, right?" There's a pause while she listens. "You haven't seen him but you don't know if he's home? Yeah, no, that's okay. Thanks for letting me know. I'll probably be over soon."

"Who was that?" "What happened?" ask Marc and Chelsea at the same time. They both wonder what Trigon's up to now.

Rachel is slow to speak. She's trying to process what she just heard. "That was Malcolm Drake. He was my neighbor when I lived with Dad. Malcolm called to tell me my old house is on fire."

The others express their surprise.

"Oh my," Chelsea says as she goes over to Rachel, "how bad is it?"

"Malcolm says it looks pretty bad. There are a couple of fire trucks there working on it."

"What about Trigon? You asked about him. Is he alright?"

Rachel shrugs her shoulders as she shakes her head. "I don't know. He didn't know. He didn't know if Dad was home or not. He didn't know if Dad is safe or …" Rachel doesn't finish her sentence but they all know what she didn't say. Trigon might be trapped in the burning house.

Reviews welcome.