Ice and Fire

Joe then made a gesture with his two fingers to show his Mommy how much of a small difference it was between him and his Daddy's looks.

Cherry laughed again when she saw how funny her son was, and replied, "Pumpkin, you're even more self obsessed than your Daddy is." She then looked towards the kitchen, and asked to her son, "Are you hungry? Let's go and eat something!"

"Okay!" happily replied Joe. He then held his mom's hand and they walked together towards the kitchen.

After he had just two bites of food in the kitchen, Joe asked Cherry, "Mommy, is Daddy coming home tonight?" Joe stared at his mom and waited for her answer.

"I don't think so, your Daddy has some things to do in the army, and he won't be coming home tonight, " replied Cherry, while she was eating.

Joe was very excited after he heard what his Mommy had just said. He cried out, "Mommy, then I want to sleep with you tonight!"

After Cherry thought for a while, she put down her chopsticks, and said, "Joe, Mommy has to go out for a while, because I need to finish some work in the office. If I won't come back before nine, can you go to sleep first and not wait for me? Can you do that for me?"

Joe could tell from the look in his Mommy's eyes that she was preoccupied. He knew that something must have happened to her, but that she was unwilling to tell him any of the details.

"Fine, " simply replied Joe, a little bit upset.

son was wearing a sulky face, Cherry softly said, "Joe, you know that you're Mommy's good boy. Mommy will come back as soon as she finishes her job, and then she'll sleep with

nodded. He wanted to ask his Mommy more about her business, but eventually

and Bill to go to bed early and then went upstairs with

enter into his bedroom

car keys from the shoe cabinet and immediately walked out through

Stephen and ask him who the man in the picture was. Why did he know him? Did Sally have anything to do with the man? She also wondered if Stephen was going to tell her something after she

driving. She thought that maybe Stephen

arrived back home, he noticed that there were no other cars in the yard except

walked inside

turned on the light while he put on his sleepers, and he glanced around the living room but saw nothing. He thought

own room, he first went into Cherry's. There was no sign of Cherry there, and Jackson felt sad and hollow when he noticed that she wasn't in the

Jackson knocked on Joe's door and his son almost

Jackson

but without feeling as excited as he normally was when he saw his father.

am. What are you up to?" asked Jackson as he took his son into