The Mafia's Daughter

Disclaimer: I don't own Good Luck Charlie or that Dog with a Blog

A/N: So I've combined my love for the mafia with GLC, and you know me, you'll love this. Do enjoy. Inspired by, yes, an actor's involvement in both shows.

Chapter 1 (On the Run)

Jo 'Avery' Keener gazed from the window of her bedroom, sighing mournfully as she curled her fingers on the end table beside her. On the table she had a photo, usually stashed away in the drawer, of her former boyfriend Gabe Duncan. It had been a couple years since she'd seen him last, or the Duncan family as a whole. At least she could say life had become very interesting since she'd left, given the fact that her family now owned a talking dog. Gabe would have had loads of fun with that fact.

She had to give up many things she enjoyed throughout her life. Of these things, martial arts was included. The family didn't know about the history she and her mother had, and surely if they did, it couldn't possibly end well. Bennett, the counselor dad who didn't know as much as he'd like to think, Tyler the airheaded big brother, and Chloe, always getting herself into trouble. She loved them already, and she trusted them, but her mom never wanted the truth to come out.

Jo had seen a lot of violence growing up in Colorado, more than she and her mother had been accustomed to. The reason she was always so tough on Gabe when they dated, she had to be. After a while she told him what was going on, and he still loved her, despite the fact that her father could easily cut off his fingers at any time. Her heart tore against the points of her ribcage as she moved her hands over her heart and closed her eyes, no longer wanting to gaze at the glossy windowpanes. She breathed out his name as the door began to creak.

"Who's Gabe?" Jo screamed out and spun, glaring at the white and brown dog now sitting on her bed. Stan smiled at her the way dogs typically do, then beat his paw on the bed. "Sorry if I startled you, the whole family's been wondering why you've been pent up in your room lately." She spoke softly and glanced towards Gabe's photo.

"Sorry Stan, it's just…that time again…" Stan crinkled his nose, then rubbed it with his paw. Seeing the act, she raised an eyebrow and though of the wording in her statement. "Not like that…"

"Sorry. Consider me the esteemed listener of the house. What's going on?" He laid on the edge of the bed and looked over to the picture of Gabe. His tiny eyebrows lifted into the air and his ear perked up. "I haven't seen that photo before, is that Gabe? Here I thought you were seeing another dog." Stan grinned comically, but Jo didn't laugh. "Come on Avery, throw a dog a bone."

"This isn't a time to be funny. Gabe was my boyfriend a couple years back." She slowly walked towards the door and gazed out with an arched brow. Instinctively, she shut the door and looked back, sighing heavily. Even in hiding, she still looked over her shoulder. They could be anywhere. She wasn't one to give the whole spiel of her past, but she had to get it off her chest. "This is the anniversary of when we separated. Granted…neither of us wanted to part, but it was for the best…"

"Why break up if you didn't want to?"

"My dad." Jo moved to the edge of the bed and sat beside Stan. She ran her fingers through his thick coat and looked up to the ceiling. It wasn't that her dad didn't like Gabe, he did, but the problem was the lifestyle. "My name isn't really Avery, Stan. Mom's name isn't Ellen either." Stan's jaw dropped open and Jo turned her eyes towards the door. "We haven't told the family because…it's for their own protection. I don't want to see anything happen to Bennett, Tyler, or Chloe. Or even you."

"I don't understand. Why hide who you are?"

"Because…Dad's the don of the Colorado mafia." Stan did a double take and perked his head up. Jo turned her gaze towards Gabe's photo, smiling tenderly, yearning to hold him. Her voice softened and her eyes began to dampen with tears. "I loved Gabe so, so much. He was my world, my everything. But then Dad wanted to move out of the country, the police tagged him in the middle of his mafia's drug trade so he was going to move to evade the police. Mom and I didn't want that, so she divorced him and we…ran…the price-"

"Leaving Gabe behind, huh?" Her heart sank as Stan put his head onto her leg, whining softly. "Any idea what happened with Gabe and his family?" She slowly shook her head and fell back onto the bed, gazing up at the ceiling fan. Her hope was that they were living a happy life, safe from the hands of the mafia. "I thought the Italian mafia was big here."

"They are…" She moved her hands beneath her head and looked down her nose to see Stan gazing curiously at her. "They have an outlet here."

"Two different mafias in the same state?" The Italian Mafia was the biggest, they were spread all along the Eastern coast, having taken over several states. They had outlets in various other states, but would not take over them unless a war broke out. "I don't understand." Being the daughter of the don meant she had to understand and know everything there was to know about the mob, who their allies were and who their friends were.

"The Colorado mafia is just a state mafia big on violence and aggression. The Italian mafia retains the old school ways of respect and negotiation. They align themselves with other mafias, like the Colorado Mafia here. There's the basic agreement of: You don't cross our paths, we don't cross yours, no problems." The Italian Mafia owned half of the state of Colorado, including Police Chief Doug Dooley, as well as the state Governor. The Colorado Mafia had the Denver mayor on the payroll, and their Consigliere was one of the state's most powerful attorneys. "The Colorado Mafia is very careful not to piss off the Italian Mafia, as aggressive as they are, because they know….despite the 'peaceful' nature of the Italian Mafia, those guys can take them out in a heartbeat if a war began."

"So the Italian Mafia racked up more allies through peacemaking?"

"Like I said, they're old school. If it comes to blows it comes to blows, but they try to make deals first. Colorado Mafia just makes enemies because they go in guns blazing. They hardly strategize." She could only imagine what would happen if a war broke out, the Italian Mafia would take Colorado for their own. Another state where everyone is on their payroll. She smiled heartily and closed her eyes, dreaming of the protection of the Italian Mafia.

"Do they know much about the Italian Mafia?"

"Not really. They just know the don, he moved to New York a while back. Don's daughter was dating someone around here last I checked, I think she's promised to someone. Her boyfriend is set to be the next don of the Italian Mafia, but I think that guy might be a capo right now." She didn't remember a whole lot, as it had been about a year or so since she and her mom escaped. "My real name is Jo, by the way. You can still call me Avery."

"Probably would be best if I did, wouldn't it?"

"Yes."

"So why can't you let anyone know who you are?" Shrugging her shoulders, she moved her hands to her stomach and sighed.

"My dad would find us. I don't want anything to happen to you guys, and if Dad found us, he'd kill you. I can't bear the thought of that." The door opened an Ellen walked in, frowning as her eyes turned towards the photo on the end table. Jo met her mom's concerned gaze and slowly sat up. "Hey mom…"

"Sweetie…You're thinking of Gabe again, aren't you?"

"I miss him." Ellen sat beside her and hooked her arm around Jo's neck.

"I know you do sweetheart. It's just the way the mafia works…" On the run forever, that's what it felt like. She hated it with every fiber of her being, but sadly there was nothing she could do about it. One slip up, and they could be goners. "I made some pie…" She crinkled her nose and saw Stan move his paws over his nozzle. Ellen sighed with defeat and let out a nervous chuckle. "Even the dog doesn't like my cooking…of course…"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm really not in the mood right now. Just really want to be alone." Ellen lifted her hand and groomed back Jo's hair, gently kissing her forehead.

"All right honey. I love you."

"Love you too, Mom." She watched as the woman slowly left the room. After a few seconds, Stan examined Gabe's photo and left her to rest. Her teary eyes studied the image of her smiling boyfriend and she turned to her side, resting her hands beneath her head. "Wherever you are, Gabe…" As long as he was safe and out of the hands of the Colorado mafia or her father, she was happy. Maybe one day they'd see each other again, or perhaps not, only time would tell. "I love you."

In Denver, Gabe Duncan sat on the family couch with a newspaper he was reading. PJ was in the recliner, chatting on the phone with Skyler. The two were still together, despite the move. He never thought much of it, it didn't really concern him. His thoughts were primarily on the girl whose photo remained in his wallet, his former girlfriend Jo.

No matter what, he could not get the image of her soft brown hair and her sweet smile and bright blue eyes out of his mind. The glow that radiated from her on their first date at that ball had never faded. He was intent on finding her. A noise grabbed his attention from behind, he looked over his shoulder to see Teddy walking by with Toby in her arms. Spencer and Charlie were at the top of the stairs, with Charlie smacking his leg with a stuffed animal. Something she commonly did, but never offered up a reason why.

Bob and Amy were in the kitchen, trying to figure out what dinner was going to be. Unfortunately Gabe wasn't planning on sticking around for dinner, he had work to do.

It had been Mrs. Dabney's son, Rodney, who caught onto Gabe's nefarious ways. The sleazy deals, cunning schemes. Rodney was a high rank in the Colorado mafia and convinced Gabe to join about a year ago. It was a secret life, away from the eyes of his family. He wasn't going to stick around, but when he heard that Jo had been involved, he used this as a reason to stay. He wasn't sure how involved she was, but any involvement was a sign that she could be found.

"I have to get moving," Gabe muttered, pushing himself from the couch. He learned a lot from the mafia, they had to put him through training of course. He'd not taken any lives, yet, and he couldn't imagine doing the deed. Not unless he had to, of course. PJ raised an eyebrow at him and pulled the phone from his ear.

"Where are you going?"

"Dabney."

"Why?" PJ, he always asked questions. What did it matter what he was up to? Hell, PJ himself was almost as secretive, despite the fact that he didn't even live at the place anymore. "Dinner's almost ready." Gabe exhaled and began moving towards the door, knowing the ramifications of being late.

"I'm going to miss it."

Within the hour, Gabe arrived at the corner of Smith and Lee where Rodney and another man were waiting for them. They were wearing brown suits, unlike the Italian Mafia that wore black sports jackets and black slacks. He was supposed to go into the barber shop on this corner and convince the owner to take the protection of the Colorado Mafia.

What this meant was quite simple, for 'protection' the owners of the establishments and rackets would have to pay a certain percentage to the mafia. That shop, or racket, would then become part of the Colorado Mafia territory. There really were not any other Mafias to compete with, aside from the Italian mob, but things were always tense with them. While the agreement was to stay out of each other's way, it seemed like the mere tickle of a feather could set guns blazing throughout Colorado between the two mafias. So he had to tread lightly, making sure not to end up taking territory from the Italian Mafia without realizing it. He did not want to be caught up in the middle of a war, if he could avoid it.

"All right, this is another of those tests of yours, go in and convince the owner of the shop that he needs the protection of the Colorado mafia. For about 60% of his earnings, he gets the protection of the mafia." Usually protection of the Colorado Mafia meant the owner has to give a greater majority of their money to the mafia and only have one or two soldiers ever at their place. The Italian mafia was a bit lighter, only requiring 40% of the earnings and would station a certain number of their soldiers depending on how large the establishment was. It was also usually known when a location had the protection of the Italian Mafia. Hands off was the common rule of thumb. "You got that?"

"Yes." He didn't dare to work against them at this point, it wasn't worth it. Once you were in with the Colorado Mafia, you couldn't leave them. Unlike the Italian Mafia, you were free to leave if you had to, but you could divulge secrets.

Gabe made his way into Allen's Barbershop and turned his eyes towards the cash register. There was a man at the desk, looking through a tiny pamphlet. Nobody else was in the shop. "I'm looking for Allen." The man looked up from his furry grey eyebrows and his curly grey hair, smiling politely.

"I am Allen."

"Okay." Gabe made his way towards the cash register and leaned forward beside it, gazing into the man's eyes. "I'm here to offer you the protection of the Colorado Mafia. There's a lot of naysayers out there, dangerous thugs who might try to break a fragile old man like yourself. For about 60% of your earnings, we'll station a couple soldiers here to prevent that from happening."

"Are you kidding me?" Allen furrowed his brow and stood straight, scoffing at him. "All over we see you people. Colorado Mafia, Italian Mafia, I don't want to get caught up in the middle of your shit. My friend just had to sell out to the Italian Mafia!"

"Yes…" He rolled his eyes and reached for his back pocket. He'd been given a small snub nose revolver by the mafia, he never wanted to use it, but he felt it would happen eventually. Today wasn't going to be that day, but it was a good negotiation tool. Spouting out lines he'd been told by the capos above him, he started to grip the gun, not really ready to pull out. He caught Allen's gaze studying his hand and smirked at the sweat dripping down his forehead. "I think you know what I have back here. Do I need to bring out my negotiator or are we going to deal the easy way."

"You know what…fine. I don't want trouble. Tell your people I'll deal with them, but they can go fuck themselves at the same time."

"Gladly." He moved his hand back over and shook Allen's hand, then casually walked out of the building. His stomach was flipping like mad and his nerves were frayed, but he couldn't let Rodney see it. He looked towards Rodney and nodded briefly. "Consider Allen's Barbershop protected by the Colorado Mafia."

"Good," Rodney replied, "We'll send a few men out to collect each week. Now, give me that revolver and you can get yourself back home."

"Great." He was more than glad to be rid of the gun, as it might raise more questions from PJ, and he was truly irritated with all the questioning. "You need anything else, you know where to find me." He had to keep reminding himself, this was all to find Jo and nothing more, but he sure didn't feel safe with the Colorado Mafia. There was always something in the back of his mind that was just raising suspicions and doubts for him.

What do you think of the first chapter? This is gonna be good and hopefully you'll be stickin' through for the long haul. Surprises in store here, plus one mystery character whose identity will be revealed much later, but keep on the lookout for clues in each chapter!