At the sound of the little voice, Dom lurched, forcing himself not to reveal where he was. It was the critical point, the most dangerous moment of any exchange. His hand fumbled into his jacket, withdrawing a blowpipe he'd once promised his mother he would never use again. Breaking that promise in this instance seemed worth it. If anything went wrong, the men holding the little girl were going to come down with a bad case of dead.

There was a gun still leveled dangerously at the thief, who was crouched on the ground, her back to the trio who'd come through the portal. Nothing else mattered to her now but her daughter. The man in charge nodded his head and the little girl ran to her mother, who enfolded her in her protective embrace. "Touching. Now, where's the emerald?" that man's voice demanded again.

"Go to hell," Elle murmured between clenched teeth, breaking one of the coins Dom had given her. Just as space folded around them to carry them to safety, one shot was fired at point-blank range to stop them, but before the men could realize what was happening, the thief and her daughter were already gone.

At the moment the gun went off, Dom blew hard. The man who had fired the shot wouldn't live to crow about it, that much was obvious even as he pressed down on the stone in his ring, thinking of Maple Grove. The familiar pressure of a translocation spell crushed in around him, and a moment later, he dropped onto his knees in the safest place he knew - the panic room beneath Maple Grove Manor.

Dom hadn't stayed long enough to see the reaction of those he'd left behind. He hadn't seen the man drop to his knees and then to the ground, or the others around him startle at the unexpectedness of both that and the woman's disappearance. Clearly, she'd had help of some kind, but there was nothing they could do about that now. What they did after that was anyone's guess, but one could be sure this was not the last she would hear of them. Back at Maple Grove, all hell was breaking loose, nearly as much as it was in the Marketplace.

A child's scream broke the silence of the panic room as two people materialized as if out of thin air - a woman crouched low holding the form of a small child protectively in her arms, as though shielding her from harm. "Mama!" the little girl screamed, her arms clasped about the woman's neck so tightly it would be hard to pry the pair apart. There were tears on both of their faces, while the woman stroked the little girl's hair lovingly and whispered her name over and over. Terror was plain to see in the little girl's eyes, and the woman's face was pale and drawn, a dark stain spreading slowly near her right shoulder.

Given a head's up by Dom's call, Vicki was already waiting in the panic room, curled up on a chair with a book, taking her turn in the watch, just in case they had company. The sudden arrival of an unknown woman and child had her bolting into action, dropping her book to slither out of the chair toward them. "Bloody hell," she muttered, dipping her head to catch the woman's eye. "Hi, you're safe, I'm Vicki." Her hand gently stroked the little girl's hair, concerned not so much for the sobbing child as she was about the blood spreading over her mother's shoulder. "Okay, pumpkin, let go ....we're going to make sure your mama is absolutely a-okay, I promise you."

She reached out and punched a button on the nearby console, hoping like hell someone had remembered to renew Rebecca's supply of coins. It was handy to have a healer on call to the Grove sometimes.

Elle met Vicki's gaze and without having to ask instinctively knew this was someone she could trust, someone who had a child of her own. "It's all right, Daisy," she whispered to the little girl, her accent not much different from Vicki's, obviously English, possibly London. "Everything's going to be all right now. This lady is going to help. No one is going to hurt you ever again. I promise," she told the child, who didn't dare let go until her mother gave her that assurance.

"You won't leave me, will you?" the little girl asked, tears staining her face.

"No, darling. Never." She nodded to Vicki, giving her permission to see to Daisy, all the strength suddenly going out of her.

"Your mama's not going anywhere, I promise," Vicki assured the tearful little girl, gently easing her out of her mother's grasp and into the warm, practiced circle of her own arm. The other arm wrapped about Elle's back, keeping the woman upright as much for her sake as for her daughter's. It was a relief, however, when Dom stumbled onto his knees from a whirl of sudden light, stuffing something away into his jacket. "Excellent," Vicki declared, nodding at her husband's cousin. "You ....come here and see to mama here. There's a healer on the way."

Blinking in surprise at the order barked his way, Dom couldn't help chuckling, glad to find that someone had been ready for them, and hurried to take Elle's weight against himself, pressing a hand to the wound in her shoulder to hold in the blood. "If you fall asleep on me, I think your little girl might attempt to kick me to death for it," he warned her, deliberately light in tone and content.

Though she would normally not allow herself to succumb to such weakness, she had, admittedly never been shot before. Thankfully, she was among people who seemed happy to help her, at least for now, if only for her daughter's sake. "Thank you," she told Vicki, letting go of her daughter as she sagged against Dom. Daisy seemed to sense safety in the nice lady's arms and sobbed against her wearily, terrified to let her mother out of her sight.

"It doesn't matter," Elle informed Dom weakly. "So long as Daisy is safe." Like any mother, the most important thing in the world was the safety and well-being of her child. Nothing else mattered. Not her own life, not the emerald - nothing.

"Don't be an idiot," Dom informed her pointedly, rolling his eyes. "Who's going to be mommy if you give up now?" It may have been harsh, but it was the truth - there was no guarantee Daisy would end up with someone Elle would have trusted if Elle wasn't around anymore.

Across from them, Vicki wrapped Daisy up in her arms, pulling the little girl onto her lap as she rocked her gently, murmuring soothing nonsense as they waited. "Someone's coming who will make your mama all better," she promised the little girl. "And then you and Mama can go to sleep in a nice room that's all yours while you're here, okay?"

Elle smiled up at Dom, a little amused at his warning. "Is that an order?" she asked, leaning heavily against him. His face seemed to be fading before her eyes, and she knew she was close to passing out, but it didn't matter. She felt happy and at peace knowing her little girl was safe, and thankful she had made the right decisions for once. "Thank you, Dom," she said, for the first time calling him by his first name. "I knew you were one of the good guys." And with that, she closed her eyes and surrendered to blissful darkness.

Dom looked at her, his own brow rising as she requested a condition. He'd already decided that if that condition included allowing her to come along, he was not above sealing her in this room with her daughter until it was all over. "And what condition would that be?"

"That you don't get yourself killed. I can't properly thank you if you're dead, can I?" she asked, with a faint smile that bordered on flirtation again and why not' He was an attractive man and they were both grown adults, though she couldn't see anything serious developing between them. He was a respectable man, after all, and she was, well, not so respectable.

He chuckled, relieved at the content of her condition. "I have no intention of getting myself killed, you can be sure of that," he nodded confidently, trying not to notice how lovely that tiny smile was. How lovely the whole woman was, in actual fact. "How else am I going to be able to keep an eye on you in future?"

The future" There went that slender eyebrow again. "Mr. Granger, if I did not know better, I might think you are teasing me," she said, suddenly feeling all too aware of the borrowed pajamas she was wearing that were comfortable enough but entirely not her style. "You are the first man in a very long time who has called me an idiot, by the way."

"Teasing you? I wouldn't dream of it," he teased her, a sparkle in his eyes that hadn't been there for several years. "I am, however, informing you in advance that you are not going to be able to do anything stupid for the foreseeable future without me standing over you calling you an idiot." He made no mention of the fact that he had already called her an idiot; it had worked, after all.

She adjusted the blankets about herself and her daughter, as if to make them both comfortable, though it was more a hint of her nervousness. "Hmm, the way you say it, you almost make it sound like I'm a prisoner here, but I know it's for my own good. For a little while, at least. I hope your family doesn't mind. I will do what I can to make myself useful. I promise not to steal the silver," she added with a small smile. She couldn't help but notice the sparkle in his eyes, wondering why she hadn't noticed it before, or perhaps it had only just appeared there but why' It couldn't be because of her, could it"

Dom shook his head, rubbing his hand through his hair. "You're only a prisoner here for a few days," he assured her. "Until I've dealt with your friends. After that, I may turn into the most amiable stalker you will ever meet." Her joke made him snort with laughter. "You could try, but I have a feeling the dog in this house might object. He doesn't bite, but there's every possibility he could drown you in drool."

A few days, she thought, and then what? She couldn't go home, at least, not until she was sure it was safe there. There was nothing there for her anyway. Her most precious possession was right there, tucked into bed beside her. Nothing else mattered, but to start over seemed a little overwhelming. She couldn't help but laugh at his mention of the family dog, however. "How menacing. I'll consider myself warned." She wasn't sure what it was about him that put her at ease, but she felt very comfortable in his company and very safe. "And just why would you want to stalk me, Mr. Granger?" she asked, insisting on the cordial address until he insisted otherwise, though she wagered he wasn't all that much older than she was.

"I've already told you to call me Dom," he pointed out. "I won't tell you again." He leaned back in the chair before answering her question, however, not entirely sure of the whole truth of his reply. "To make sure that you don't do anything that will put you or your daughter in danger," he told her firmly. "I think I'm right in guessing that you are all she has. You don't have the right to make stupid decisions. I'm making that my business."

She arched a brow at him, unsure whether to take what he was saying as a threat or a promise. "You don't know anything about me, Dom," she told him, emphasizing his name this time, since he'd both insisted on her calling him that and on insinuating himself into her life and that of her daughter's. "Wasn't it you who said earlier not to talk about things I cannot possibly understand" You would do well to take some of that advice for yourself."

He leaned forward onto his thighs, holding her gaze calmly. "What part of being a thief was the correct decision to make for a woman with a child?" he asked her, his tone gentle. "I can understand if there was no other choice, but this is Rhy'Din. There is always another choice."

She flinched a little at his attack, though it was only verbal. Who was he to judge her, who had been born into a family such as the Grangers" She did not doubt he'd seen his share of hardship, but that hardship was not quite the same as hers. "Shall I become a waitress, do you think" Or perhaps, hmm ....perhaps a maid." Both honest professions, but not quite how she planned on making a living.

"You clearly have a keen eye and a well-trained mind," he said, ignoring her flinch. Some things needed to be looked at straight - she couldn't afford to stay in this line of work, no matter what her excuse had been for starting it. "The museum would take you, or any number of jewelers within the city. You could hire onto archaeological surveys in the nearby area; you could become an assayer yourself. There are always choices, and not as limiting as you seem to have been telling yourself."

"You must be joking. A museum is going to hire me, a thief?" And there was no point in even considering a jeweler. Then again, no one knew her here yet, which could work in her favor. "You seem to assume I plan on staying here in Rhy'Din," she added, softening a little. It wasn't his fault she'd had to endure the life that she had, and he was only trying to help, after all.

"I have assumed that, you're right." He sighed, looking away for a long moment. It had been a long night, and he didn't think holding this kind of conversation right now was appropriate, but since it was happening anyway ...."I apologize," he added, looking back to her. "But I would recommend considering it seriously. Your trouble came from Earth, after all."

"Trouble is everywhere, Mr. Granger," she pointed out. "It has a habit of following me, no matter how hard I try to avoid it, but I will take your words to heart. You are right in that I have more than myself to think about now, and there is nothing I would not do to keep my daughter safe," she said, touching her daughter's hair as if to underscore what she was telling him. "I apologize, too. It's been a long night for both of us, and I know you are only trying to help. Please understand that I am unaccustomed to such kindness."

"We'll see what happens in the morning," he told her gently, moving to his feet. "For now, you should rest. And don't worry about being up in time for breakfast in the morning ....Daisy's already met Vicki and Jon, and they're capable of keeping an eye on her while you sleep. You're safe here, both of you."

She suddenly felt an unexpected pang of regret as he moved to his feet, hoping she hadn't pushed him away, though she thought that might be best for them both, but she couldn't argue she was tired - weary to the bone. It would do them both good to get a good night's sleep and see what the morning would bring. "Tomorrow, I will tell you everything you need to know," she promised. Things he needed to know if he was going to make good on his promise to put an end to this nightmare she'd been living. At the very least, it would give her an excuse to see him again.

"Tomorrow," he nodded in agreement, hesitating. A part of him wanted to kiss little Daisy goodnight before he left, to kiss Elle goodnight, too, but that just wasn't appropriate. So he straightened almost before he'd begun to bend, nodding to her once again. "Sleep well."

She wouldn't have minded a kiss, either for herself or her daughter or both, but she was too weary to make the first move, so to speak, and too proud to ask. They were from two very different worlds, and it was unlikely anything good would come of a romance between them. It was better to merely admire him from afar, though admire him she would. "Good night, Dominic, and thank you again," she told him quietly and politely. They would indeed see what the morning would bring. She only hoped he would make good on his promise and not get himself hurt. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to him because of her.

((The plot thickens, sort of. Trouble just follows the Grangers around, doesn't it' Many thanks to Elle's player!))