I'll keep you safe

Ill find you

It was a crisp September night, Asriel Belacqua was tending to his infant daughter who was merely days old.

"It's ok Lyra, your bottle is coming now" Asriel says to his infant child.

A lady comes into the same room with the bottle for baby Lyra. Before Asriel could sit down to feed his daughter, a loud bang startled the man.

"Here Maggie, can you feed her please?"

Maggie takes the small child in her arms and starts to sing a song she sang to her son when he was this little.

Asriel opens the door to a man.... A man he thought he would never have to see again.

"Edward? What do I owe the pleasure of your presence at my home?"

Edward steps forward so he is now standing in the doorframe, so if Asriel tried to shut the door in his face, his body would stop it.

"Did you sleep with my wife Asriel?"

Asriel played dumb as he knew who his wife was, the same person who is the mother of his child.

"No Edward, I wouldn't do that, not to you"

Edward knew he was lying. The smirk that grew on Asriel's face was making Edward madder.

"Now Asriel, I'm going to ask you one more time. Did you sleep with Marisa?"

Asriel looked down, then behind him as he could hear Lyra crying in the background. When Asriel went to look back at Edward, he saw a gun pointed at his face.

"Where is the bastard child?"

"I'm afraid I'm not going to tell you that Edward"

Edward stepped forward again, still pointing the gun at Asriel. "I know she is here, Marisa told me you took her. You know, she made me believe this child was mine. I didn't want children, till Marisa told me she was pregnant, then I was hoping for a boy so I can pass everything onto him. BUT you took that away from me you bastard. Now she has to die. You ruined my life and my wife's. Goodbye Asriel"

Edward pushes Asriel out of the way. Edward could hear a faint baby cry.

"MAGGIE, HIDE LYRA" Asriel yelled out. He got up, went to the draws closest to the front door and grabbed his gun he kept there. "Edward your fight is with me not my daughter, she didn't ask for this"

Maggie quickly hid herself in Asriel's closet as it was deep and not everyone would think of looking in there. Lyra started to get upset, Maggie tried her hardest to keep the young child quiet.

Another voice could be heard, it was female. "Edward don't. Asriel no. BOTH OF YOU PUT THE GUNS DOWN" screamed the unidentified woman.

"BANG"

"BANG"

The loud bangs startled Maggie and Lyra. "Oh no" is all she could say. Maggie waited a few minutes, she couldn't hear anything, the air was still. Looking everywhere for Asriel to see if he was ok, she saw a female figure over Edward's body.

A loud gasp left Maggie's mouth "Oh no, Asriel" she quickly put down Lyra in her basinet that was off Asriel's study and ran to his body. Thinking he was dead, Asriel let out a big gasp, the other figure came over to see if he was ok.

"Asriel, you can't leave me, not like this, think of our daughter. She needs you...... I need you"

Asriel took one look at the woman then at Maggie. "Please take care of my Lyra. Make sure Marisa isn't in her life"

Maggie nodded to his request, then looked at Marisa. The real reason Asriel is dead, the real reason Lyra lost her father that night.

"Don't even think about keeping me from my daughter Maggie, you don't know what I'm capable of"

Moments later the police were there to investigate the murders of Edward Coulter and Lord Asriel Belacqua. Marisa stayed behind to be a witness...... baby Lyra and Ma Costa were gone, like they never lived there.

---------------------------------

Five years have passed, Lyra is a little Gyptian child who knows her real roots. Since the Gyptians were so close to Asriel, Lord Fa had no problems with Maggie taking in his child after his death and raise her as her own. Lyra liked the Gyptians and adored Maggie but always thought about what her life would have been like if her father wasn't killed. That's all Lyra knew about her dad, a stranger tried to break into their home, and he shot her father. That's all Maggie wanted Lyra to know and kept her word that Marisa wouldn't be part of the girl's life.... That didn't stop Marisa Coulter though.

Marisa never left her flat unless it was for work. She became the woman whose husband was shot over a love scandal and it embarrassed her. Marisa paid someone to search for Lyra and to report back anything and everything that they find about the child. At the beginning the private investigator would always turn up empty handed, which always made Marisa mad. After that, Marisa went out looking for her daughter every chance she got, all she wanted was one little glance.

Maggie made sure she kept Lyra hidden away. One thing Gyptians were good at was keeping their word/promises to others even if they weren't a Gyptian.
Marisa finally got her first glance of her daughter. The Gyptians made their fortnightly trip to the markets of Oxford to stock up on items they needed and swap for other things they needed. Lyra was off playing with the other Gyptian children, when one of the older kids kicked the ball a little too hard. Lyra ran off after the ball till suddenly it stopped, a glorious woman with a golden monkey daemon stopped the ball, bent over and picked it up.

Marisa had a huge smile on her face, finally she has found her little girl. "Here you go sweetheart"

This little face who reminded her of Asriel and a little of herself peering up at her and her little daemon as a field mouse on her shoulder. "Thank you" said the soft little voice. Marisa attempted to lead Lyra away from the Gyptians till the other children started yelling out to Lyra.

"C'mon Lyra, hurry up and bring back the ball"

Hearing that, Maggie quickly looked up from what she was doing and saw Lyra talking to a woman. She knew exactly who that was and immediately went straight to Lyra.

"Lyra, darling what have I told you about talking to strangers. Come along now"

Lyra looks back at the stranger one more time and waves goodbye.

The next time Marisa saw Lyra was roughly six months later. Lyra was walking hand in hand with Ma Costa heading back to the boats. This was around the time Marisa started the General Oblation Board and was scouting for lost children, orphans etc.

Some Gyptian children started to disappear, the families were starting to get worried as this wasn't normal. Marisa made sure the men she chose to kidnap the children, didn't touch Lyra till she gave them the ok to do so. Her plan was to have them take Lyra and then bring her to her flat, where she will keep Lyra safe from the rest of the world.

More Gyptian children were going missing, Lord Fa decided to bring forward a roping to have it out there that his clan will help the other clans to search for their missing children.

Maggie grew concern as she didn't want Lyra to be taken so she decided to keep Lyra grounded to the boat to keep her safe.

Word got out to Marisa that Lyra was alone on a boat. She sent her men out to grab her while the Gyptians were busy sending out search parties.

"You'll be mine again Lyra. I can't wait till you're back in my arms my darling"