"This isn't going to work..."

"Relax!" Aslan smiles at his companion as he carefully navigated the car through the snowy roads of White Peaks, "it will work!"

"You don't know her like I do..." the man beside him chewed at his nails, nervously looking out the window, "she's not going to back down..."

"Well, I like a challenge!" he smirked, "and I don't intend to back down either, so I'd like to see her try and beat me!"

"Maybe we shouldn't-"

"Elijah," Aslan cuts the other man off, "we are going to see your ex-wife and she will be letting you take your daughter if Amy wants to go with you."

Elijah Young was a tall, 55-year-old man with short, layered blond hair and deep blue eyes just like his daughter Amy's. The only difference was that his right eye had an old scar running through it, causing the eye to appear dull and clouded. He wore a dark blue parka over his normal clothes consisting of dark wash jeans, a grayish-green t-shirt, a brown cargo-style vest and black lace-up boots. Elijah also had a pair of two small silver hoop ears pierced into each of his ears, which he tended to fidget with during the ride to his ex-wife's house.

Aslan was aware of the two necklaces the younger man was also wearing, one being a beaded chain with a fake animal tooth hanging from it. The second necklace was shorter and was made using a piece of thick, black nylon string with beads strung on it; the two outermost beads were hot pink, then came a set of bright purple beads, and in the center was a sparkly blue bead. The colourful necklace had been made by Amy years ago as a Mother's Day gift, but Miriam refused it claiming it was too ugly to wear. Elijah, not wanting to see his daughter upset after all her hard work, began wearing the necklace and has rarely taken it off since.

"You've never met Miriam..." Elijah sighed, "you'd have to be a stubborn as a bull to try and argue with her!"

"Well, my husband has compared me to an ox, so close enough!" Aslan laughed as he saw the road sign for the Young's home approaching, "besides, no turning back now, we're here!"

The blond gulps as the car turns into the driveway, "how did you convince me to do this again?"

"My charm and power of persuasion!" he answered, killing the engine, "now take a few deep breaths and relax, I have your back, Elijah."

"Please, call me Eli," he insisted while taking some slow, deep breaths, "being called Elijah makes me think people are mad at me..."

"Of course, Eli," the Turk corrects, "now, let's go get your daughter!"

The two men exited their car and approached the front door of the Young household. Aslan double-checked to make sure Elijah was ready, then rang the doorbell. Several tense moments of waiting later, the red door was opened and on the other side stood Miriam Young in all her *ahem* glory.

"Can I help you?" Miriam inquired, not seeing her ex-husband due to where he stood beyond the doorway.

"Yes actually!" Aslan put on what Adalet dubbed his "politician smile", "my name is Aslan Sadik-Halvorsen, I was hoping that your daughter was home?"

"My daughter?" she frowns, "why on Earth would you want to see her?"

"Oh, she's a friend of my daughter and we met a while back," he explains, glossing over the finer details, "I was hoping to introduce her to someone!"

"Who could you possibly-"

"Hello, Miriam," Elijah spoke up, stepping forward to face his ex-wife.

Miriam's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head and shatter her glasses, "Elijah!? What are you doing here?!"

"I've come to see my daughter," he answered, voice shaking slightly, "is she here?"

"She is but have you forgotten you are not allowed to see her?" she questioned, crossing her arms.

He bit his lip, "please Miriam, I haven't seen Amy in years, I just want to see my daughter!"

"Well you should have taught of that before becoming a drug addict!" she shot back, "honestly, what kind of a father did you think you could be when you were addicted to pain killers?! It's a miracle that girl didn't grow up addicted to them too!"

"I'm clean!" he cried, "I have been for five years! You know that!"

"Maybe you don't take those stupid pills anymore, but you've always been a spineless man!"

"Oi!" Aslan cut in, "Eli is clean and he certainly has a spine! Now, he has asked to see his daughter, so-"

"Oh no, he will not be seeing Amy," Miriam glared, "I still have that restraining order against him, and I will be calling the cops to come and arrest the both of you!"

"You do that," he says fearlessly, pulling a thick document from his shoulder bag, "but thank you for reminding me about that restraining order, I have a copy of it right here."

"What?! How did you get a copy of it?!" she demanded.

"It's the one you sent Eli five years ago after he told you he was clean and wanted to return to White Peaks, he was kind enough to send it to me for review and would you believe that I found it to be invalid?" he smirked, turning to a page in the document.

Miriam pales, "what?! Impossible!"

"Oh but it's not," Aslan smiles as he read the restraining order, "you see, among other contradictions, spelling, and grammar errors that would most certainly make any judge laugh at this contract, it's not dated nor signed."

"What?!"

"You and Eli did not sign this document nor did you appear in court to finalize it," he clarified, showing the empty area where two signatures lines should have been at the end of the document, "therefore, this "restraining order" isn't valid."

"No, my lawyer drafted this up as a special restraining order, it didn't need our signatures!" Miriam argues.

"You mean you drafted up this restraining order using official paper from the lawyer's office you work for as a secretary?" Aslan replied, "nice try, Miriam, I checked with your bosses, they have no memory of making a restraining order for you!"

"Well... Elijah is still a drug addict! He was always taking pills! I will not have a man like that around Amy!" she refused firmly, but Aslan saw a crack in her facade.

"Because you made me into one!" Elijah yelled, startling his ex-wife, "if you hadn't thrown that broken glass at me, I wouldn't have almost lost my eye or needed those pills to deal with the pain! I never wanted to take the pills but you kept slipping them into my food and drinks! I know you did!"

"Oh, you're being dramatic again!" Miriam rolls her eyes, "always blowing things out of proportion! I tripped and the glass flew out of my hand! It was an accident! And I made sure you took your pills so you'd quit whining like a baby about how much your eye hurt!"

"Accident my right eye, I'm half blind because of you!!" he shot back, "I had to quit being a pilot! I couldn't work, I wasn't eating, I needed help and you pushed me away!!"

"You brought it upon yourself!" she argued, "you were always looking for attention, you wanted people to pity you! I did what I had to do to protect my children!"

"You abused me!" Elijah yelled, tears in his eyes, "you beat me, you put me down, you made me think that everything that went wrong was my fault but it wasn't! You were the one who was wrong!"

"You were always a screw-up! You can't do anything right!" Miriam spat, waving her arms around causing her ex-husband to flinch, "see! You flinch at the smallest movement, do you think I'm going to hit you!?"

"Yes," he answered honestly in a quiet voice.

She raised her hand, "why you-!"

Aslan intercepted her hand by grabbing Miriam's wrist in a bruising hold, "I wouldn't do that if I were you..."

"Let go of me! Who do you think you are?!" Miriam demanded, trying to pull her arm away.

"Apologies, I didn't give a full introduction," he wasn't sorry in the least, "I am Director Aslan Sadik-Halvorsen of the Government Investigations Authority, perhaps you've heard of us?"

"What?! How the Hell does Elijah know someone like you!?" she asked, finally getting her arm free.

"Why we met recently and bonded over our daughters working together," he replies lightly, "and after learning about how you were keeping him away from his children through fear tactics, why, I couldn't let my new friend suffer any longer!"

"Ha! Elijah having friends?!" Miriam laughed humorlessly, "preposterous! He's too annoying to have friends, though I'm sure you'll learn soon enough about that..."

He glared, "I'm sure I won't, but speaking about learning, have you spoken to your bosses recently?"

"No," she narrows her eyes, "why?"

"Well after I told them about how you used their office and name to fake a restraining order, they all decided they couldn't trust you with their client's information," he smirked, "you should receive your letter of termination soon."

"Elijah Atlas Young, you bastard!" Miriam exploded, "did you really convince this man that a drug addict like you was abused?! How delusional can you be?!"

"You abused me, Miriam," Elijah whispered but kept his voice firm, "I never wanted to admit it but you did, and you abuse Amy to and I won't stand for it anymore!"

"Please, I'm teaching Amy as best I can, she always has been your daughter," she said it like an insult, "and since you were clearly never taught this: Men. Don't. Get. Abused!"

"They do, and I did," he argued, touching his right eye, "the proof is literally on my face, I see it every day..."

Miriam raised her hand once more but before Aslan could intervene a yell stopped the woman dead in her tracks.

"Ms. Young! Lower your hand and step away from Eli!" Adalet ordered, standing tall at the base of the steps, her taser aimed at the woman's chest.

"Capt. Adalet!" Miriam cried, faking a panicked tone, "thank goodness your here! These men are trespassing!"

The Turk raised an eyebrow, "really? From what I just witnessed they were just standing here when you decided to suddenly attack one of them!"

"I have a restraining order against this one!" she pointed at Elijah, "he's not to be anywhere near me, my house, or my children!"

"You mean those papers with a bunch of meaningless words? Dante would turn it into paper airplanes, it's all it's good for," she smirked, lowering her taser slightly, "now I won't ask again, step away from Eli!"

Miriam seemed to realize that this wasn't going her way and took a few steps away from the two men. Adalet nods in satisfaction and puts her taser away before walking forward to stand beside her father.

"Hello, Adalet!" Aslan greeted cheerily despite the glare his daughter was giving him, "what brings you here?"

"Baba," Adalet acknowledged, crossing her arms, "Amy messaged me saying you we here arguing with her mother, and something about her father being with you?"

"Ah yes, we met recently when I took a trip to Alaska!" he explains, "wonderful place, not nearly as snow-covered as I was expecting! You should consider visiting it sometime!"

"I see... So it's a strange twist of fate that you two met?" she questioned, already guessing the truth.

"Of course! It's rather hilarious when you think about it!" he laughed.

"Capt. Adalet I demand you remove these men at once!" Miriam ordered.

"Unfortunately, they've done nothing wrong, Ms. Young," Adalet responded, "you on the other hand tried to attack Eli, I can arrest you for attempted assault!"

"What?! How dare you threaten me!" she yelled.

"How about I also throw in some abuse charges and forging legal documents?" she offered.

"You don't seriously believe these men?! Their lying!" she insisted.

Adalet raised an eyebrow, "Baba is many things: he's often late, he can never remember where he leaves his keys, and he's terrible at keeping on top of his dye jobs, but a liar he is not!"

"My hair is not that bad!" Aslan argues, examining his gray and black-streaked bangs.

"Baba you look like a graying zebra when you forget to redo your dye," she teased.

"Where is this sass coming from?! You're supposed to be nice to me and say I look handsome!" he complained with fake anger.

"Go look in a mirror and you'll know where my sass comes from," she grinned, "but if it makes you feel better, you look like a handsome graying zebra, you make all the other zebras swoon!"

"I only have to make Dall swoon," he replied cheekily, "now, if you don't mind getting back to the matter at hand?"

"Of course," Adalet turned to Elijah, "Mr. Young, would you like me to arrest your ex-wife for attempting to assault you?"

Elijah looked surprised at the inquiry, "er... I just want to see Amy, I don't think I want to press charges..."

"It's your decision," she smiles as she pulled out her handcuff, "Miriam Young, please turn around and put your hands behind your back!"

"Have you lost your mind?! Elijah is not pressing charges!" Miriam exploded, "it's the first things he's ever done right since I met him!"

"True, Elijah isn't pressing charges," Adalet agreed, "but your bosses, sorry ex-bosses are! You forged legal documents for your personal gain, so the lawyers at White and Co. Law want you to be charged for your illegal forgeries. Now I will repeat myself one more time, put your hands where I can see them or else I will be forced to make you and while I would love to have the opportunity to put you in your palace, I'm not sure my Chief will turn a blind eye to it..."

Miriam finally seemed to realize that she couldn't yell her way out of this, so she turned around and put her hands together behind her back. Adalet quickly put the cuffs on the woman's wrist while reading the blonde her rights trying to keep the satisfaction out of her voice. Once Miriam was ready to be taken to the station, Adalet guided her into the back of her police car and shut the door behind her. The captain left Miriam in the car and rejoined her father and Elijah on the front porch.

"You... actually arrested Miriam," Elijah breathed, staring wide-eyed at the car his ex-wife was sitting in.

"Of course," Adalet smirked, "don't tell Amy, but I've been wanting to put cuffs on Miriam since the first time we met! I know you don't want her charged for trying to assault you, but if you ever change your mind..."

"I... I'll think about it," he promised, "I remember calling the cops after Miriam beat me unconscious for the first time... They believed her story about me falling down the stairs so easily..."

She smiled sadly, "I'm sorry they failed you, Eli, but don't worry, I don't intend to let Miriam near you again, maybe Dante could write a restraining order against her!"

He chuckled slightly, "he, he... Maybe... Thank you, both of you. I don't think I'd have had the courage to face her alone."

"It's our pleasure, Ei!" Aslan beamed, "I love any excuse to argue!"

Adalet rolled her eyes, "I'm surprised you quite being an Ambassador then... Gods know you enjoyed yelling at people at council meetings!"

He smiles proudly, "it was a great stress reliever! Anyway, here are two copies of that restraining order, I highlighted all of the issues on one of them and the others a clean copy, and the digital copy and email Miriam sent Elijah five years ago."

Aslan handed his daughter two manila folders, each containing a copy of the restraining order. He also gave her a USB stick which had a digital file of the restraining order and a copy of the email Miriam had attached the restraining order to.

"Thank you, Baba," Adalet says as she took the items, "I'll get these processed as soon as I get to the station."

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm scared to meet your husband," Elijah confessed, "if he's as scary as the two of you, I don't want to get on his bad side!"

"Ah, Heimdall is a sweetheart!" Aslan assured, "and thank you, Adalet, best not keep your prisoner waiting any longer!"

"Hmm... I'll take the long way to the station, make sure I pass as many people as possible on the way," Adalet hums, kissing her father on the cheek, "love you, Baba."

Aslan returned the gesture, "I love you too, I'll see you later!"

Adalet walked back to her car and opened the driver's side door. The men could hear Miriam shouting nonsense from the back and they watched the Captain toss the documents onto the passager seat, give them another eye-roll, then get behind the wheel and drive off towards the police station.

"Shall we?" Aslan inquired, gesturing to the inside of the Young house.

Elijah took a deep, shaky breath before stepping into the home he hadn't been inside of for over five years. It was like nothing had changed, the furniture was the same as it had been the day Miriam picked it out, the fireplace still had all of Duncan's awards proudly displayed above it on the mantel, not even the pictures on the walls had been updated.

He stepped further into the house and in the back of his mind noted that Aslan had entered behind him and closed the door, cutting off the cold air from outside. Elijah stripped off his coat and boots by habit, hanging his coat on the peg he always used in the entranceway and neatly tucking his boots on the shoe mat to dry. He felt as if he had just run to the store to pick up groceries like he always used to do, not as if he had been gone for over half a decade.

Hearing the sound of soft footsteps descending the stairs to his right, Elijah turned and found himself face to face with his daughter after so long apart. Amy wearing comfy clothes and her favourite fuzzy pink slippers on her feet as she stared in shock and surprise at her father.

"I'll just be in the kitchen," Aslan excuses himself, heading to the back of the house where the kitchen area was located.

Neither Elijah nor Amy spoke for several tense minutes, not wanting to shatter the illusion before them and discovered that it was a lie. After several more moments of silence, Elijah did the only thing he could think of doing; he opened up his arms wide.

Amy gave a choked sob as she rushed into the embrace and held her father's shirt tightly as if he would disappear if she let go. Elijah in turn held his daughter close, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling the scent of her strawberry shampoo.

"D-Dad!" Amy sobbed, "I-I missed you s-so much!!"

"I missed you more," Elijah breathed, a small hiccup escaping him, "I'm so sorry that I left, Amy!"

"You're back now, that's all I care about!" she exclaims, feeling her father run his fingers through her hair, "oh Daddy- Duncan-!"

"I know, I know..." he whispered, "I heard about what he did... I'm sorry I wasn't here for you two... I should have been..."

She sniffled, "are you clean now? For good?"

"Five years and counting," he pulls back slightly to smile at Amy, "I don't even buy Advil or Tylenol anymore! I'm sorry I let myself get so bad... If I had been stronger-"

"No," Amy cuts him off, "you're the strongest person I know, Daddy, you put up with Mother for so long... She... She's the only one I blame for what happened to you..."

"But if I hadn't taken so many pills at once I never would have..." Elijah trails off unable to finish his sentence.

Amy's eyes widened, "the night you overdosed... Dad, that wasn't your fault."

"Oh, Amy, I know you don't want me to blame myself but-"