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Of Kings and Pawns (IC)

"Best best friend, huh?" Thalia smiled shyly at the comment. All of her past 'best friends' either grew to hate her or were killed. She didn't want either to happen to Karin. and she'd damn well protect her from any danger that comes her way. No matter what Tony says or assumes about her reasoning. Thalia's intentions were solid and righteous, unlike her rival detective's, which were corrupt, unhealthy, and desperate. "Well, I can say the same. Best best friend." She ended that with a wink, leaning her elbow on the back of the couch, laying down against it with her arm as a stilt to keep looking at her friend.


Tony seemed to be making it his priority, rather than to get Melissa back from the wretched clutches of Ra's, he instead was putting a greater focus on getting on Karin and Thalia's respective bad sides. Calling names, targeting vulnerable family members... and his own threat to call CPS and tattle on Karin frightened Thalia. Charlie... He was coming soon, and Tony would surely find out about his mere presence. And there was no hiding that the boy was her brother. Thalia wasn't his legal guardian... but would he dare make a similar threat about her mother? As much of a grudge the two had, Thalia wasn't going to stand for any threats on her remaining family. She lost her father yesterday. She didn't want to lose anyone else. Period. End of discussion. The only loss she would accept from here on out is Ra's and The Ten. Nothing further. And if Tony enjoys crossing the line, Thalia would happily do the same thing if given the chance in a 'respectful' way. Not by life threatening ultimatums, but something more painful and safer.


"Why is it any of Tony's business if we're fucking?" she laughed, taking the whole thing as a joke. "Did he overhear me say that I MIGHT, key word, might, have fucked you in that alley if things went down differently? I doubt he was even here when I said that, but whatever. I feel like Tony has a problem with WHOEVER I'm fucking, to be honest. You, Frank, next thing you'll know, he'll accuse me of touching Joseph inappropriately. I bet you he'll do it. He thinks just because I'm Ra's' bride, he calls me a whore, and my many thefts while having sex, top that off that I'm bi, then boom: you have some sort of sex addict who will fuck whatever she sees? Pfft. I've never see anyone think THAT narrow. Seriously, can I not have a friend that I don't want to lay down in bed?" She sighed in a bit of annoyance. It was a valid theory. Tony might just think like that, after all. He had a problem with when she and Frank were in private, and now he's taking it to the next set and assuming Karin is something more than just a friend. "Seriously. I think he just got so uptight that Melissa just gave on him. They became that couple that sleeps in separate beds from how furious he makes her, both of them just dying to get laid but can't stand each other. Why does she fucking stay with him? If this is how he acts at home, I really feel bad for her..." Then came a naughtier idea to propose. "Maybe if I fucked his girlfriend for real, maybe he'll realize how precious she is to him. Just a theory." She rolled her eyes. Thinking of Tony like this was an uneasy topic, and it had her on edge. Maybe a nastier thought would lighten things up. "Maybe we both could bang her, make him extra jealous. He keeps saying she's 'prettier than me'. I bet I could hit that. Then he'll lay off." She joked, nudging back. "Kidding, kidding... from the looks of it, Mel's a bit old for me, given she's Tony's age or something."


Karin with brown hair? That's surely something for the books. "You? Brown? That's fucking perfect, damn it," she giggled, covering her mouth briefly with a single hand and shaking her head, just envisioning how she'd look under a different color. Brown hair, blue eyes. She couldn't help but laugh at the thought, how cute sh'ed look. She had to one-up her potential looks, though. "You must've looked adorable back in the day, why the hell did you dye your hair? We're both like, perfect combinations from heaven in the eyes of desperate men. We'd double date and get laid every night in the bar if we tried hard enough. If things don't work out with our boyfriends and you go back to dark brown, we better do that. Or at least flirt." She winked. "You won't look weird. You would rock the look. At least to me."


As the devil passed over and left with a pair of dirty looks focused on him, another rather dirty thought came to the redhead's mind. Disturbing, too, but she had to make a joke out of it. "How much are you willing to bet Tony was sitting in the hall with a hand around his dick just waiting for us to make out on the couch? Then got so disappointed when nothing happened?" She laughed. "His poor flaccid one-inch-wonder. I think that's why he's so obsessed. He's probably waiting to get it up at the sight of some lesbian action. I swear, that's what he's after. All because he's shit in bed and his girlfriend doesn't fuck him anymore. I mean, he speculates about us. Can't we speculate about him?" It was only fair, but an eye for an eye was never really a pleasant experience. Tony was asking for it all, though. The jokes about his manhood and relationship. None of this was uncalled for.


Business came back into the equation, as it always did around here. She sat up properly, legs crossed like she does as a force of habit, and spoke,


"Oh, yeah, I heard James, but figured he didn't want to be disturbed, so I just left him be. He's pretty good, you know. You lucky bitch," she smirked. "Musically talented? I mean, I find rock guitarists more attractive, but come on. Not like we can resist musicians of any kind." A genuine compliment towards James, which she should deliver to the source soon enough. "Actually, Karin, I want to talk about something first, before we go to James. Between us, please?" Before Karin could even think of getting up, Thalia reached forward and placed her hand on her arm, keeping her in place for the moment. "It's a bit... private." Her voice diminished into a whisper as her head peeked over the couch to ensure nobody would sneak up from behind them. From the hallway to the bedrooms and from the kitchen, it seemed clear enough. Her voice remained soft as she spoke. "Kar... I really don't mean to offend you, and I admire what you've done to raise Joe by yourself. But I'm afraid that... me and Frank just might be Jordan's permanent caregivers. If we are an item like we say we are..." She sighed, her gaze lowering slightly, a bit ashamed of what she was about to say. "I really don't want to sound shallow when I say this. I like kids, believe me. And I can't wait to meet Charlie and hang out with him. But... that's different than raising a traumatized kid we basically just met, and pretty much kidnapped, too. And I'm not going to get up in Frank's face and make him choose between me and the boy. THAT would not be fair to him. But my point... Karin, I just got my freedom back. For the first time in eight years, I got what I ran away from home for: to be free to be the person I've always wanted to be. I want to live my life. Do all the crazy shit... within reason, that I missed out on all of these years. Put a life together that I wanted this whole time.... Can I possibly throw this chance away because Frank feels obligated to protect this child?"


It was a dilemma bothering her for the longest time, ever since she saw Jordan clinging to her boyfriend the other evening while she and Karin took a swim. She sighed, a bit ashamed that she had to speak like this. "I know you had plans for your life. Then life slapped you in the face. You lost your parents at a time when you should've been exploring the world and going nuts. You had to become Joseph's carer. I guess the difference is that I don't have to be Jordan's. I know, it's selfish. That boy lost his parents and sister all in front of his eyes, and I know what it's like to see someone die in front of you. It's not pretty. My god...." Vivid memories of her fellow clanswoman's execution returned to mind. The sight of her head in her room for so long. It was her fault for it after all. But her scared, uneasy voice continued to elaborate on her situation. "I feel bad for him. I really do. But I guess what I'm trying to ask is.... What do I do? Is it that bad if I tell Frank that I can't take care of that boy? I mean, I know I'm picking up on things with you around. I think I could make myself eggs or use a fucking microwave if I really needed to. Make a sandwich maybe? I could do that stuff. But I don't know if I can raise a broken human being. Is it that selfish of me to tell Frank that? I figured I could ask you, since you've been there before. You know what it feels like. Any advice? It's been bothering me for a while."


It's what made her kiss with Jenny so painful. That she did that and didn't even express her concerns to Frank. And the guilt was devouring her.


--


Clearly, Tony blatantly drinking straight from the carton was found offensive in some way. He might be a germophobe, if anything. Or just not like someone else's spit in his milk and looking out for his peers. Well, he didn't exactly mind if the girls get whatever he has in his mouth. It's times that that when he wished he had some disease then give the girls the milk as a kind gesture. Just to be mean and ruin their lives. Why such cruel intentions? The bitterness sure was spreading and turning into something far more malicious. He oddly wished harm upon those girls as well as sex with Thalia. If Melissa ever found out, she would be disappointed. But... maybe Tony lost hope after all. And now he was rooting for something more intimate with Thalia. And Karin, if his guesses were accurate, was standing in his way. His attention was diverted off of Frank, at least... unless they had a threesome going on. That would be creepy.


Tony and Melissa's sex life over the past few years has been almost non existent. The once happy couple found themselves getting into more fights than they liked. Yelling, screaming, arguing over plans for the future, payments, disagreements over their families... and the list could go on forever. It's one of the reasons Tony hadn't proposed. After living together for so long, the intimacy and spark they once had died, especially as Melissa's career took off. Partner that with Tony's oftentimes obsessive nature towards his cases, and neither have time to be with each other. And the times they do take together are bitter and unpleasant. Tony wouldn't be surprised if his significant other was cheating on HIM. It's half of what put him at ease as he lusted over the mystery redhead. And she was everything he could hope for out of an attractive woman. Young. Experienced. Open-minded to whatever crazy sexual fantasies he had in mind. Wild. Feisty. Sexy. Alluring. Unique. Whereas Melissa was getting old. Stale. Unwilling to go to the extents he wanted. Slowly becoming more and more unattractive in his eyes. Whatever he'd said to Thalia about being prettier was simply to make her jealous. Tony's taste was changing. And way too quickly. If Melissa were to ever find out about how he feels, their relationship would crash and burn. How would it be when she comes back, though?  Their relationship was in pieces. The feelings of love in any way, shape, or form were long gone with little hope of returning. All issues about his relationship that he didn't speak of around others. Tony was considering breaking it off for good. Setting it in stone, rather than proposing, unlike what he told Frank a few days ago. Happily in love? A lie. Not anymore. It was over long ago...


...Or would this entire ordeal bring them closer together instead? Only time will tell.


Either way, Tony obeyed Frank and poured the milk he'd been drinking from into the glass. Off of that little disagreement... Plenty of good news came from him. Things were looking up after a terrible day yesterday. "That's amazing, kiddo," Tony grinned to the boy, ruffling his hair from behind. Surely that wouldn't be interpreted negatively. It was purely playful. "I mean, the kid's even talking. That's really brilliant. He's on the road to recovery because of you, Frank." Leaning against the counter, he continued his talk with his partner. "Remember when you asked me if I've ever dealt with kids on the force? You were a bit shaky... but I must say, you're a natural. Just look at the progress you've made in a matter of hours. You might just be his beacon of hope."


Now... how were things for Tony? "Well..." he sighed, about to hide the truth of his relationship from his partner once more. "Today's probably the day we get Mel back, so all I'm waiting for is James to finish pretending to be Beethoven in his little corner of paradise and discuss the terms of how we exchange Roland for her. I'm sure he's heading that up. We won't need the girls for that, will we?"


Actually... they'd at least need Thalia. That, he didn't expect.
 
The thought of everything Thalia said was enough to make Karin crack up and start laughing her ass off. Tony sitting around the corner, dick-in-hand, and waiting to see what would happen between the two. It was a hilarious and grossly comical possibility, one that Karin didn't want to picture, but couldn't help but think about. Naturally, as he was the eldest of them all - the eldest, and right next to Frank, in terms of net worth and what they'd done in their lives, was one of the least successful. Was there bound to be a clash between the men purely because of that? Both Marcus and James had lived the lap of luxury for years now, at least Marcus had before prison. LAPD salary was generous, but, not that generous. 


Frank, after looking at their team mates, realized that the one teaching of 'crime doesn't pay' became untrue very quickly. It wasn't something he particularly enjoyed finding out, given the fact that everything seemed so... Falsified in terms of police work when he saw just how much money you could be making on the other side of the law. From what they knew, James was nothing more than a vigilante and hadn't killed any innocent people. Sure, murder is murder no matter the circumstances, apparently, but... Whatever James was doing was a lot better than the run-of-the-mill murderers they dealt with almost daily. Most people killed for simple reasons - greed, pleasure, anger, grudges. James had... As strange as it sounded, reason behind every bullet that left his gun, it seemed.


And looking around, Frank knew that it paid well. He had contacts all over the place, a big house in one of the nicest neighborhoods just outside LA, he had more money than he knew how to spend, and drank the most expensive milk. What more could the guy ask for? Meanwhile, Frank lived the life of budgets and making sure there was plenty left over. He wished he could be in the same position as James, where he could go out and buy a car and not worry about his income, because he could practically get it back overnight - or he could rely on interest to carry him through. Frank wasn't always a jealous man, but when he thought more and more about how his career wasn't even a skidmark against what James could achieve, and had already achived. Painful in some ways, but, something he had to deal with. 


He didn't know how Tony felt about it all, because he didn't know all of the problems with his romantic partner. If he'd known more about that, maybe the idea of being surrounded by beautiful women and richer men would appear as more depreciating to Frank, from Tony's perspective. At least McAllister was now the eldest there out of all of them, so, people would at least stop seeing Tony as the 'grandpa' of the team. 


Or would they? His attitude and general mood still seemed to be the weighing factor on how they treated him.


"Honestly, Thalia, it wouldn't surprise me." She laughed, loudly. "I don't like to picture that, but, as much as I don't want to, I can't help but imagine that it's true." 


There were more serious things to discuss, though - Karin didn't really expect the things Thalia was saying, but at the same time, she knew she should have expected it at the end of the day. Thalia was young, Thalia needed to do things of her own - Frank had already had the chance to live the crazy years, and she knew just by the way he acted when he was laid back that his crazy years were long before his 21st birthday. His time was in high school, the time Karin wished she'd had her wild days instead. She never got the chance to have those days, which was why what Thalia was saying was hitting a little too close to home. She knew Thalia knew how it was a sensitive situation to be talking to her about - Karin wasn't offended. Offended wasn't the right word, and she was trying her best to tell herself that Thalia was in no way trying to belittle what she'd done in the past. Nor was she trying to deglorify it. Karin was the only one who was experienced in this, and sadly, she knew what it was like to be in Frank's position, and to have the same skepticism given to her that Thalia was feeling towards Frank.


"Look..." She sighed, then held up her hands for a second. "As much as I want to... Give some sort of heroic input on all of this, for one, you need to know before I say anything that given everything I've done and everything I've been through, chances are the way I word things might sound slightly biased towards Frank, but... I do understand what you mean. Ever since it happened I dealt with rejection from guys who didn't want anything to do with me because I had a kid under my arm." She sighed. "And look, I do get it, and I'm sure Frank will, too. Frank's been very upset the past couple of days, you've seen that - Since Jordan came onto the scene. When I look at him, I see a mirror of Joseph. A vulnerable little boy who's experienced way more loss than he deserves. That's why it hurts my heart so much to even glance at him, but..." She took a deep breath. "I knew the risk I was taking by looking after Joseph. I knew that even though I was only eighteen, I had no choice - People in our shoes, Thalia, like me and Frank, we don't have a choice sometimes. I mean, Frank could have panned off the kid to social services, left him to the system and said farewell... But he didn't. That alone says something about what sort of person Frank is, and where he plans to go with it from here." She looked down at the ground, then placed a hand on top of Thalia's.


"No family's stepped forward, no one's been on TV begging for his safe return. And I know that if it did come down to it, it'd be painful for both of you." She said. "But like you said... You've got freedom for basically the first time in your life. Looking after a kid, it... Teaches you a lot, and it grants you freedom in other ways - But you can't be crazy, and the times you can be crazy don't usually last more than a night or a weekend. Adult life isn't being able to go to a rock bar every night, or clubbing every Saturday - It's a lot more than that, but, it's not something you should go into if you don't feel ready." She explained. "Thalia, if you're skeptical about this now, then... Honestly, I'd say what you just said to me, to Frank - but for the love of god, don't say the whole 'I have a choice' thing - He might take that the wrong way." She let out a single laugh. 


It was still painful to think about.


"I know that this whole topic probably hurts, but, you need to think about what would be best for both of you, too. Can both you and Frank do whatever you wanted in life if you both have contradicting ways of doing things, contradicting capabilities, and a kid in between all that?" She asked. "Sometimes... Sometimes the best thing to do is take a few steps back before things get too heavy, before things get damaged beyond repair, y'know? Because... I've seen the way Jordan is with Frank. He talks to him, trusts him... If I even go near him, he locks up and acts like I'm about to strangle him from behind. He's not... Not someone you can just give a few years to let himself get better. He's a kid much more than that, and..." She closed her eyes and squeezed Thalia's hand.


"If you don't feel like you'd be able to offer that for him? There's nothing wrong in admitting that. I think... I think Frank would appreciate it if you were honest with him, so you can both deal with it in a friendly and mature way - If you just avoid each other, he's going to figure out that something's up, and... I don't think either of you deserve to be causing each other any pain. Look - the best thing you can do is talk to him as soon as you get a minute away from everyone else, just explain to him... Frank, as much as I really want to help you out, I don't think I'm capable, not now. Sometimes just being honest is enough to straighten things out without issue, okay?" She said, then looked at her.


"Regardless of what I do and don't disagree with, you know I've got your back, okay?" She offered her a smile.


--


Tony being friendly was nice enough, and Jordan didn't really take it in any other way. He was able to recognize positive emotions still. He hadn't lost that. It was true what Frank said, though - he needed more clothes, clothes other than a shirt and underwear. All in good time. 


Frank had a nice compliment from Tony, too. Was the boy really on the road to recovery because of him? It looked like he was. Even if the situation they were in was shit, and they could both be locked up for kidnapping and also have the murder of the family pinned on them, at least things were gradually getting okay. He knew there was a whole world of emotion in Jordan's head, but chances were he was doing his best to block that out for the time-being. His head must have been pounding from the vast amounts of crying he'd done the day before. He needed a rest; maybe just mentally he was blocking out everything that happened, storing it all elswhere. Hopefully that wouldn't spiral off into anything else.


"I wouldn't say I'm a natural, but, I guess I'm better than I expected." He smiled a little bit. "Thanks, Tony. It means a lot." He whispered, simply, then looked back to Jordan and smiled at him - surprisingly enough, he got a tiny smile back. Aw. It was heartwarming, in some ways. He wasn't expecting Jordan to ever smile again, but here he was, smiling at the only trustworthy person he had left in his life at the current time.


"Why don't you go talk to James now?" He asked. "It doesn't sound like he's doing anything important. The piano can wait, I'm sure." He laughed.
 
Although it was a bit depressing for Karin to act as Thalia's mentor now more than her friend, it was for the right reason, especially when the latter was this lost in her decisions. After so long of crushing over Frank, followed by a day of her getting closer and closer to climax with their alone time in the late hours of the afternoon while Tony and James were taking care of unfinished business. The memories of their one on one encounter were still fresh in the redhead's mind, and it hurt to have to abandon them now. But it's not like having a child in the picture would give them time to do something like that again. It was probably one of their last intimate moments, one of the last times they could let loose and not give a care in the world. It only spoke for itself: Thalia was a child at heart. Frank had grown past that stage. Two different people from two different worlds. Cop and robber. It would've never worked, topping that element with their different reactions and decisions regarding Jordan. But faking the existence of a relationship with Frank was one thing. Completely ending it in reality? In all honesty, no heartbreak has ended well to Thalia. This might just be a continuation of the cycle, but she still wanted to be his friend. Recollections of what she and Jenny talked about on the bus: their rivalry is what caused all the hard feelings when there really wasn't a need for it. If only they could turn back time. Make everything right all those years ago. But it was far too late for that, but it seemed like Jenny wanted to repair that divide. Now, it was an idea Thalia could entertain. Not because this childhood friend would function as a rebound, but because she wanted that feeling of closure with her friend. Maybe it didn't have to go that far with Frank. They could see other people and maintain their friendship with no hostilities, still hang out with him and Jordan... but Thalia couldn't assume that responsibility. Not now. Maybe in a different time. But most definitely not now.


"Believe me, I respect Frank's decision to take Jordan as his own..." she sighed, her voice growing more disappointed at the idea of having to let him go. "He may not say it, but I knew from the second I saw them together that there was more than meets the eye. It's just hard to stomach forgetting what we had for the sake of the child, is all. Just a few nights ago, I thought we had it all. Like some foolish dream. I thought we could do whatever we wanted, as wild and free as we could be, side by side, overcoming the difficulties of the world together. Forgetting whatever we were bounded by in the past for something beautiful. It's that empowering feeling with someone you love. I don't know if you've ever felt that... I don't know, that was me and Vanessa back in the day. I also know from those days that moving on after feeling that is painful. Hits like a brick wall." She shook her head, her smile slowly fading away. "I guess I'm really not my age, am I? I'm 13, living in the body of a 21 year old. All because of my own decisions. Or it's just whatever's fucked in my head that's holding me back. I can hardly take care of myself as is. I'm learning, sure, but me and Frank are just on different sides of the spectrum. I want to live my life and discover what I've been looking for in this world so badly. I thought I could do that with him, but... I guess not? I think Frank's already found it. And I just feel like I can't live up to that standard." She sniffled. "Karin, I can't do my own laundry, hardly feed myself anything healthy, and I even..." She gulped, afraid of mentioning the murder she committed yesterday. "I-It doesn't matter. What matters is we both know I can't raise a child. Not as I am."


Karin was a very different case, clearly. "I admire you in so many ways, you know," Thalia admitted, accepting Karin's grasp and gripping back. A smile didn't return to her face unfortunately, but her comforting hand did work its usual magic. "Who knows what Joseph would be today if it weren't for you? You raised him well. And I also admire what Frank's doing, and how he's the only one that Jordan responds to. Social services... it's not a kind process from what I hear. And if he has no family? We're going to let this kid keep getting his heart torn out from foster home to foster home? Hell no..." Thalia didn't understand the process all that well, seeing she never got caught, but she could understand what it does to the psyche. She took a deep sigh and bowed her head in shame, shielding her face in her hair. "I feel so lame. Such a horrible girlfriend. My boyfriend's in there taking care of a child on his own. And here I am, fortunate I can wipe my own ass, getting upset because I'm pathetic and well aware that if you put another life in my arms, I might just get him killed for forgetting to feed him. Because all I am is an incompetent child. Not even close to an adult. And whose fault is that?" Rhetorical, of course. Thalia knew it was her fault. "I know I'm immature. And you're probably ashamed of me, too. What grown woman has a child for a best friend? But I guess I'll learn someday? Maybe not anytime soon. But eventually. Maybe someday I'll be able to take care of a child. But probably not anytime soon, sadly."


Accepting that she was vibrating at a different frequency than Frank was difficult and was kicking at her heart with each attempt to remember. Her head crashed onto Karin's shoulder, just trying to find something to lean on as she rubbed her eyes quickly, keeping her hands to herself rather than just hugging out of nowhere. "I wish I could do it, but I can't, Karin. I wish I could stand by him through this and take care of that boy with him like his mother, but I know I'm not able to. I'm sorry. I can't be like you were with Joe. Or like Frank is with Jordan. It hurts to know that I have to back off now before this gets complicated and hurts more to do. But I'm going to be honest with him. No more running from the situation. I wanted to bring it up last night... but I drowned it away by making out with him. Because maybe that's all I'm good for, right? Sex. It's all I really have been." She didn't believe that, and her sarcastic tone even said that. Frank was so different for so long and she had to get used to him being a thing of the past. Sniffling, her left hand toyed with a few locks of her own hair, feeling a stinging sensation on the inside. "My heart hurts, Karin. Is that normal if I've only known him for three days?" It was clear this was all depressing for Thalia and she needed the comfort of a friend. No better friend than Karin who would understand.


In almost the nick of time, a contact sent Thalia a message on her personal phone, the vibration and hum felt and heard from the couch as a whole. The contact? Jenny O'Donnel, the same Jenny from last night. A text this morning...


'Hey... wanted to apologize for last night in case you weren't comfortable. Hope everything works out with your boyfriend. You wanna meet up sometime today? Day off work today.'


--


James needed a talking-to. Soon. Even if his own relationship was on shaky grounds, Tony wanted this business over with. Girlfriend or no, Melissa was a human being, who is currently being kept in a cage by a mentally challenged animal with a god complex trying to assert himself in a big city. And he was succeeding unfortunately. While in the office yesterday, Tony was keeping track of the movements of Al-Asheera. They were making more and more advancements on the streets of Burbank, and could quite literally have it under Al-Asheera's submission by the end of next week. It was unfortunate, but true. It was just a sign that they needed to work quickly. This slower work wasn't going to cut it anymore. Ra's was no pushover, and he certainly wants to make good to his word that he can bring LA to its knees in such a short time. The question after: how long could he maintain it? How long will it be until a rival gang steps up and challenges him. Present-day LA isn't like Philly from 20 years ago. The latter was an easy take with no competition bold enough to step up to the plate. Not Los Angeles. Not a chance.


Frank seemed like he had everything covered here in the kitchen, him and Jordan at least. The child did have a newfound bond with Frank. It was incredible, really, and if Frank decided to keep Jordan under his custody until further notice, Tony would support him till the end. Finally, an idea the older detective could agree with. Not one he'd take control of. "One day, Frankie..." Tony began, "You will make an incredible father..." Or was he already with Jordan's unofficial guardianship? Would it ever be set in stone? The blond boy let out a smile, even if it was so tiny, it was still a smile. And that made Tony's day so far. Things would only get better with Frank  at the reigns.


But no more drifting off-topic. "I'm going to to go check on James, partner. If you could prepare me whatever it is you're making yourself... then we'll see what we do today. I'm sure the big guy has preparations, and I'll brief you. You stay here and watch Jordan."


It wasn't so much giving orders as it was knowing how things would go. It was clear as day anyway. Not far away from the kitchen that Tony marched off from was the room in which James was playing piano. So.... powerful. Emotional. This man was also musically talented? He could at least play piano for that fact. Was there anything James couldn't do for that matter? Unfortunately, though the piece was brilliant, Tony had to bring it to an unexpected end, clapping his hands and calling out,


"Hey, Beethoven. Hate to interrupt, but we need to talk. Roland. What's his status, and when can we get in contact with him again?"


--


Skye Towers Duplex/Al-Asheera HQ | 9:22 AM


Instead of their usual meeting place, Ra's was still resting in his bed. Some resting quarters he had, in a red fancy fabric for a comforter made out of some classical design. The gold poles holding up a matching tarp above his bed, again, in a rather old design made for a sultan from centuries ago. The mattress was comfortable. Expensive, too. The nicest one Al-Asheera had, and only two people ever slept in it: himself and Thalia. Quite an honor the redhead had in her time. But remembering the high standards of his bride-to-be wasn't Ra's' focus in the moment. The usual messenger servant had returned, head bowed before his master who sat in his bed, with his typical tidings, good and bad. But Ra's initiated the conversation this time.


"How are the streets, slave?"


Slave. Quite a term to use for him, but the lad didn't complain or question his leader. "Burbank should be conquered entirely in a matter of days. We are gathering new recruits, and a batch will be instated and tattooed today. I can assure you that."


Ra's nodded, pleased by this news. "Good. Now. I know you have bad news in the mix. So get it over with."


His head lifted slightly, eyes a bit surprised and an eyebrow arched. "Mawlaye, not every time I arrive, there is bad..."


And that was enough to start Ra's' first outburst. All without even looking at the slave, he barked, "I KNOW YOU HAVE BAD NEWS. SO SPIT IT OUT!"


Gulping, the servant took that as a cue to stop asking questions. So he continued. "I've retrieved the information on that girl you asked for. The one you thought was here in LA?"


"Get to the point, you fragile scum."


"The one Al-Jameela used to love. Her given name is Jennifer O'Donnel."


"I do not care about her name... will she become a problem?"


"No, Mawlaye. We have sent Al-Masaaf to her home to put a bandaid on the problem." [Al-Masaaf = The Medic]


"A medic for a job that needs patching up. You are quite the intellectual one, so you think?"


"Indeed, Mawlaye."


"GHOLTAN!" [You're wrong!] He barked back, leaning forward in his bed, his infuriated, bearded face leaning forward at the measly servant. "You sent another member of Al-Ashra to take care of a minor problem like some dumb girl who poses no physical threat?! Worse, during a time when YOU KNOW we are LOSING men very quickly?!"


"M-Mawlaye..." The servant shivered, his hands shaking at every booming word coming from the psychopath's mouth, the spit from his words showering on his face. His eyes were consumed with the fear that Ra's would do something terrible soon if he spoke more words of disrespect. The glass wound from yesterday still ached him and stung as he walked, and he didn't want a rerun of that blow-up. "Al-Masaaf should be fine..."


"Oh really? Then tell me. Where is Al-Nakoola?"


"No word back. Nor from Al-Yed."


"They are disappearing."


"Do you still suspect Al-Jameela?"


"Beyond the point. It is foolish to send our men like this out in the open. Especially sending our best. YOU are a fool. Say it."


"What will that benefit us, Maw..."


"SAY IT! ANA MAGHFAL!" [I am a fool.]


Once more, that fearful expression returned to the servant's face, backing away slowly, but ultimately echoing what he'd been told. "An.....Ana maghfal."


"There. Was that too difficult?"


"N-No?"


"Good," Ra's sighed, a bit displeased at the choice of hitman. But he dealt with it. "Stay on course. But if Al-Masaaf does not return, you will die. Understood?"


"Y-Yes, Mawlaye."


"Now leave my presence.


And so the flimsy servant retreated. He understood his orders, sure. But he was genuinely afraid that this member of The Ten would never return, simply vanish. Much like Roland, Nicholas, Bernard, and Thalia, every member of the Ten leaving the safety of their covers, they vanished like that. It was a huge risk, sending out Victor Niles, The Medic. If he vanishes, that's exactly half of The Ten gone. And Ra's would never accept that.


--


Motel in Old Washington, Ohio | Six Hours Prior to the Present Time


Unlike Thalia, little Charlie had... actual dreams in mind through the course of his slumber. Scary ones. None of them were in his span of memory during his dream stages, but the last one, he could recall very clearly. The little boy had envisioned by the power of his imagination alone a wicked black monster that resembled an anthropomorphic wolf four times Jon's towering height in figure with the textural features and characteristics of a shadow, its eyes red, its mouth foaming, and tongue out, thirsty for blood and hungry for flesh. An entity that would chase him endlessly in the fantasy of his mind. Quite a dark place for a hurting child to be in. He figured after all of the comforting words from Jon, it would fend off all of the horrible thoughts in his mind. But no. A combination of shocked feelings, disbelief, and fear created this nightmare. The blackened entity continued to chase Charlie in his head up until he reached a dead end. Is this was his dream would conclude in? That sort of stereotypical end-of-the-road situation where the eerie creature devours him whole? At least it would bring him back to reality once dream-Charlie dies. But no. It had to get worse when the wolf-like beast held his hand out forward clenched with something between his fisted hand... his father, afraid and begging for mercy. And it got worse when the figment of Charlie's imagination lifted the captured man to its mouth and instantly chewed the head of his father clean off, then following up with the rest of the body.


And it was that shock that brought the redheaded boy back to reality, screaming and panting for dear life. Afraid that the dream was real and that the monster was going to come for him next. He held his stuffed animal close to his chest in fear, tearing up in his eyes and wheezing and whimpering loud enough for the entire motel room to hear, his head bobbing forward and backwards.


"D-D-Daddy?" his poor voice uttered. It's a shame his father would never answer that call for help. 


And the first to hear his terror-filled voice? No other than his mother, Nicole. Now with her hair dry and dyed the new shade of brown, she instantly sprung from her bed up on hearing her son's voice. It was easier for a grown woman to cope with loss like this. But Charlie? It would all come back to him eventually, and it seemed like the horror was manifesting in his dreams, unfortunately. Rather than escaping his cruel reality, it only followed him. Hearing him so traumatized by a dream literally stabbed her in the heart. She couldn't take it, hearing his wails in pain and cries for help from a father that couldn't offer him the comfort he so desperately wanted. The best way the mother knew how to ease his worries was to get up from her bed and embrace him, holding his head close to her upper chest, one of her hands around his head, the other over his shoulder to hold him against her in a distant attempt to soothe the boy of his troubles.


"Charlie... It's me, Mommy..." she whispered into his ear to stop him from crying. "Shhhhhh... It's okay. It was just a bad dream. Mommy's got you. You're going to be okay, Charlie. I'm telling you. I-I'm sure of it."


That shaky stutter in Nicole's voice. Even she was unsure of what to do. There was only so much she could do for the boy. She was equally broken and trying to cope. They were lost in the same boat floating aimlessly in a sea of grief. And Jon was their paddle.
 
"I don't think it was some foolish old dream." Karin sighed, "I think you were both very serious, but, you didn't expect things to unfold like this." She said, "I know it all seems a little crazy - and in some ways, unfair - because... Well, you didn't predict this. How could anyone?" She asked. "I didn't predict my parents driving down a fuckin' hill, but hey, it happened." She let out a sad laugh. "They died, and at the age of eighteen, post-graduation from high school, dreams of college and an amazing future as a lawyer or something along those lines." She smiled. "But I couldn't do that. Just look at the amazing person I've raised now - He's kind, he's funny, he's a sweetheart who has big dreams, big dreams like I had. There's two types of people in the world, Thalia..." She paused for a minute and held her friend close in the embrace. 


"There's the ones that want their own life, and that's as simple as that." She said. "They want to chase their own dreams, they have something they always wanted to do, or something they've been craving for so long. It's simple like that, you see. There's a lot of people out there like that - it was the person I was once." She said. "Then the other type of person is someone who... Is willing to give those dreams up, sometimes for the greater good, sometimes just because... They don't have a reason to carry those dreams on anymore. That was the person I became after Joseph came into my life - My dreams didn't matter anymore, because his were the dreams I wanted to achieve. His dreams are the only dreams I'm ever going to have now - as long as Joseph does okay, I know I'll have done okay, too. I don't know why I took that path, but that's the one I chose." She sighed.


"All I know is this life isn't for everyone, T. I don't know about you, but, I believe in you. I believe that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. I believe in you, but, accomplishing things like this is... Different." She said. "When a kid comes into the picture, you need to think about a lot of things. Before you settle down in the evening to read a book or watch your favorite TV show, you need to make sure they're bathed, fed, tucked into bed, told a bedtime story, comfortable - You've gotta' make sure their clothes are ready for the next day, that you've got enough food in for their lunch to send them to school. You've got to make sure their homework's done and their equipment's packed. You need to make sure your alarm's set at least an hour before they need to wake up, and..." She shook her head. "A lot of nights, sometimes it's tempting to just order take-out, right?" She asked. "It's tempting to say 'fuck it, I can't be bothered to cook'... But, when you've got a little kid on the picture? You can't do that." She said. "At least not as much as a young adult would like to. The parties, the fast food, even getting money to go around. It costs a lot to raise a kid, in more ways than one." She explained.


"I wish I could put it different to you, T. A part of me wishes I could lie to you and convince you into sticking with it, but... I wonder if you'd really be happy. If Frank would really be happy knowing it's stressing you out more than you can handle." She said. "You're not a kid on the inside. You're a young woman. A normal young woman - sure, you don't have a high school education, but, that isn't what defines you as an adult." She said. "The real question is, Thalia... Is it really what you want? Sure, you'd gain a lot from having to help raise a kid. It's not a part-time job, obviously, and as much as I wish we could say that you could tuck Jordan away in a box for a few years until you feel ready... I... I'm afraid things just don't work like that, y'know?" She sighed, setting her head on her shoulder. The emotions were getting to her, too. Her and Frank made a good couple - maybe it wasn't meant to be, after all.


"Sometimes all we can do... Is do what we can to make sure the best can happen for everyone. Like, Thalia, don't let me shit on the idea completely, alright?" She said. "But it's about what you want, too - Sure, you'd gain a lot from raising a kid, but, you need to think of how capable you are. Do you feel like you'd be ready to fill the shoes of a motherly figure? Alongside Frank? Would you be ready to give up a lot of the things you could do and fill in the newer possibilities that are appropriate for... Well, a little boy?" She asked. She knew her marketing pitch wasn't great, but she wasn't going to plaster it in a shiny coat. She knew it could be gritty. "There's a lot to take into account. You'll have the nights when they wake up burning with a fever and expect you to lie in bed with them to make them feel better, the times when they catch the stomach flu, have an 'accident', and you have to be the one to clean it up. There are times like that. For a long time, I wasn't able to do that properly, and I still feel guilty. It's not an easy job to have." She said.


"This doesn't make you a lousy girlfriend, T." She said. "This changes... Everything." She sighed, sadly. "It's a big jump - three days ago, this man was single, free to do as he pleased. Now, not so much. It's probably not something he's fully sure of yet, but..." She shook her head. "Look, being honest with him and ensuring the two of you walk away from this with nothing more than a few tears in your eyes, then that's the best thing for it. I know it won't be easy, and your heart hurting is normal, but... You just gotta' make sure you work together, if you do decide to part ways... You can still be close to each other. Nothing would ever stop you from doing that unless you did something to force that away from happening, alright?" She said. "The only thing that would make you lousy, and I'll be honest, is if you keep this from him and gradually drift away. He'd grow to resent you, and it'd upset him, you know that." She said. "Just talk to him, Thalia. Most problems can be dealt with with just a five-minute conversation, alright?" She sighed. "This will hurt, Thalia, I won't deny that, but... Who's to say your dreams can't live on outside of love, right?" She asked. "You don't need to be fucking on the side just to make things happen - Your dreams of the future, all of that can still happen. Obviously any kind of romantic plans can't take place if you do step back, but, nothing's stopping you from carrying on everything you promised to each other, is there?" She asked.


"Just... Thalia, you need to do what makes you happy. You need to make the right choices for yourself - If you think you can take it on, then you can't go back on that. You need to be ready to give up some of those things that you might be dreaming of. Or you can be someone who's there for them, but just not on that full-time basis. Honestly, T, I'm not the right person to be speaking to." She shook her head. "You need to see what Frank thinks of all of this. It'd be wrong for me to assume how he'd take it all, okay?" She asked. "All I know is that at the end of the day, he'll be much happier if you're honest with him, no matter the outcome." She whispered. "Just don't beat yourself up about it. Remember, the time you've spent together still means something, no matter what happens." She smiled, gently rubbing her friend's back.


--


"Heh, I like to think I'd be a good dad one day." Frank smiled at him - Frank also wondered the same thing, though. Had things already began to set in stone? He knew it was a big thing to take on, but there was no way he was letting an innocent boy who had his family brutally ripped from him get shoved into the foster system. He'd seen kids and met adults that had been in the foster system in their younger lives, and many of them were fucked up, many of them still had problems sprouting from their chilldhood. Many of them couldn't even get attached to people anymore, all because they were bounced from family to family as they were growing up. The idea of Jordan going through that was horrific, and in his current state, it would take a lot to find a family that would suit his needs.


How could they find someone that he wouldn't just freeze up around? 


James was quite happy playing his piano, his fingers gliding flawlessly across the keys and pressing all the ones he needed to make a perfect melody. He had his sheet music in front of him, but the particular song he was playing, he knew well. He'd been playing ever since he was young - he didn't need to look at the sheets all that much, all because he'd learned this one well. He only needed to glance at them now and again, and he was quite enjoying himself, at points closing his eyes and just slowly nodding his head along to the sounds. Music was so soothing, which was something Frank was going to find out at some point.


"It's Bach, actually." He took his hands off the piano and turned around, slowly, smiling a little at Tony.


"Roland is in a good state, from what I've heard. He's stable. Beaten to fuck, but, his infections have been treated, his breaks have been seen to and he's set in a cast and everything. He's on painkillers. He's well enough for someone to talk to now." He explained. "So, as soon as we're ready to make a move, we're going to head out there." He explained. "We're probably going to need Thalia to be there. I know Roland's been damaged enough now, but, we need her there just for the scare, I think." He explained. "If Roland gives the fuck yourself treatment again, and she's not there, that's more time wasted for saving Melissa." He said. "I don't know how this exchange is going to work, but, go take a shower and get dressed and everything. Once I've made some breakfast and got dressed myself, we can make our way there." He said, then rose to his feet.


"If that works for you?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.


--


The wheezing and whimpering got to Jon quicker than he ever thought it would, and immediately, he was wide awake. Was Charlie in danger? Whatever it was, it was something bad. He immediately sprung from his bed and ran straight to Charlie's bed, armed with him was nothing more than his fancy shoe, heel at the ready. The heel was heavy, and could pack one hell of a punch if you swung it right. He was wrong to assume that he was in danger, but it was a safe situation. He was sat there in his mother's arms, and his mother didn't seem all that great in terms of emotions, either. Someone in a state wouldn't help him recover - He knew he was safe now, at least, or did he? He was a young kid. For all Jon knew, he desparately wanted to talk to someone about the nightmare, wanted to have someone clarify with him that the horrors he saw in his dream weren't real. He knew he was safe - but in a kid's mind, being safe from the monsters in dreams can only last for so long. 


Jon was willing to do a lot to make Charlie feel safe again, even if it involved convincing him the monster had been killed by his grasp - even if meant taking the monster by the throat and knocking its teeth out. It wasn't something that was physically possible, but, if he was a protector of Charlie, he was going to do whatever it took to make him feel better. As soon as he saw Charlie was safe, he tossed his shoe back over towards his bed. Now, it was time to get in there and help out. To Charlie he went, and when he was close to the two of them, he put a gentle hand down on Nicole's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze, then just nodded at her. He wasn't trying to come between her and her son, but, he knew there was chance that Charlie needed to talk, needed to vent, needed to have a real cry and not just a few tears like he had earlier. If he could cry away all the emotion, no matter how long it lasted, then that would hopefully be of some help.


His nod to Nicole was a sign of one thing - he was going to step in and help out. Would she appreciate the help? He wasn't going to shove her away, of course not. She could sit right by his side if she wanted to, but... Did she need a moment to gather herself, too? Make herself emotionally strong for Charlie's sake? Jon wasn't sure what she wanted, but, he wasn't going to force her away from anything. Maybe it'd be a good idea to get Charlie out of there for a minute, though, just to make him comfortable? If he'd have a bad dream, Jon doubted that he wanted to be sat in the very bed that he'd had that bad experience. First, though, he sat down beside him, and ever so slowly, he put an arm around his body and drew him in a little closer, followed by giving him a few soft words.


"Hey, buddy..." He said. "Hey, come on." He looked down at him. "Don't worry... You're safe, pal. Everything's alright." He said, his voice strong and certain, but gentle enough to hopefully soothe him a little bit. He could see that he wasn't okay, and he could see that whatever it was that had crept up on him had left him pretty frantic. He had to think for a minute - What would be the best bet here? Maybe getting him out of the bed and just getting him doing something else to hopefully calm the sobs and cries, even only slightly, would be the best bet. There wasn't much around them they could use. There was no living room they could walk to and sit down in, there was no big patio out in a big back yard that they could chill in for a while - Jon had to make-do with the resources they had.


"Hey." He pulled him a little closer to him, "Charlie... How about you come with me to the kitchen and get a glass of water, yeah?" He asked. "Then maybe we could go out on the balcony where it's quiet?" He asked, and after a few more moments of silence, he gently rubbed the side of his furthest arm. "You want to do that, then sit down with me and maybe talk about what's upset you so much?" He asked. He didn't know if it'd be like previously, where Charlie flew into his arms and clung to him for dear life, or if he was just going to nod along and glue to his side - whatever it was, it was something Jon was willing to do. A glass of water to cool off a little, wake him up a little bit, then the chance to sit outside where it was quiet so they could talk about whatever it was that had troubled him.


He hadn't seen him in this much of a state, so, Jon was assuming it was something that sent his mind into overdrive. 
 
Taking up this torch of staying with Frank and becoming Jordan's full-time carer was truly a point of no return. This was a human life in the balance - a damaged one, too. Thalia was already damaged as is. Considering this option only put the thought in her head of getting something wrong and ruining this child's life... and it would be her fault. Nobody would ever forgive her for subjecting a child to such circumstances. Yes, maybe one day, she could take care of a child, perhaps her own. But someone else's? In Frank's position, she'd be a wreck, too, but she wouldn't know what to do. She seemed more like the kind of woman who'd surrender him over to child services. She had hope in her capabilities to change her life, break free of her old organization and get her freedom back. But she didn't have hope that, right now, she could become responsible of another helpless life. At least not on a full-time basis. Part of what Karin said almost felt like guilt tripping. As if she didn't want Thalia go give up so easily. She had an immense amount of hope in her friend, but it was probably greatly misplaced. Thalia knew that things might be okay in the beginning, but she hardly has her own life together. Either she'd fall apart, or Jordan would. But if Karin was able to survive it all and raise Joseph the way he is today... who's to say she couldn't beat the odds and do the same thing? Simple: Karin had life experience. Thalia, not so much. Happiness? Non-existent if she chooses this life, so she thought. It was selfish to have to take that into consideration, but these few days have been the most happy, yet bittersweet, days of her life. If she could take the better parts of this week and have moments like that in her new life, it would be perfect. Unfortunately, it couldn't work that way with a child in the mix. She couldn't be the crazier, unorthodox personality she knew herself to be. It would be a massive wake-up call for herself, but not one she wanted. No, it simply couldn't go both ways, a boyfriend to go nuts with and a child in the middle. At least, it couldn't work that way with Frank, a man who has his life together, lived his life to the fullest, and now wanted to settle down. Thalia couldn't settle down now. Not with so much to explore and make up for after a wasted youth. And for a while, she assumed her new boyfriend would do it with her. It may have not been a choice Karin would want her to make, but her mind was decided.


"I hate to admit it, but I think I'm like the first type of people," she sighed. "It's all I've ever wanted, to just live without something keeping me restricted. And now when I have that opportunity, I can't just throw it away. Not when it's within reach. It's really selfish of me, I know, but I know for a fact I'm not capable. I don't want to give up my dreams this soon. I know you did, and that worked for you. But look at me. I'm not you. What's worse is that I feel awful that I'm not cut out for this. That I have to basically tell Frank that it's me or Jordan. I mean, not in those words, but it's going to sound like it." She shrugged, her facial expression clearly showing her sadness and regrets for the decision. There was a lot that she couldn't go back from. And it was eating her alive. "Maybe one day I'll be a great mother, of sorts. But that isn't today. I'm sorry..."


Thalia found comfort in leaning on Karin. A bit lame, sure, but it put her at a bit of ease while dueling with her thoughts. "I think I need to be able to handle myself before I handle a child. That's the thing. Not keep asking you to make me food or help me do something I don't know anything about. That's not how it'll be if I have a kid. All that stuff you're saying? If I can't keep that in order myself, you expect me to for someone else?" She sniffled. "I'm not knocking your life decisions. I'm just saying I can't do it. I won't be happy. Jordan won't be happy. And worse, neither will Frank. We'll just drag each other down. Nobody will be happy with how things are going, and it'll end badly. And I know I can't just be Frank's girlfriend and neglect the fact he has a child with him now. It really is a choice for him, and one I won't make him pick between. If it's me or the boy, the best thing I can do for him is get out of Frank's way so he can give him everything he deserves. I know, I sound so shallow and selfish for being that way, especially when I'm saying this to a girl who's turned off so many guys for having a kid to worry about. That's why I feel like a child, because I feel that way. I probably can't handle all of those little problems without just... breaking myself. I hope you understand."


A talk was in order, no matter where things go. Thalia sat upright in her place, still close to Karin and keeping her voice down. Nobody needed to hear this. "I will talk to him, soon. I will ask him if this is going to be something permanent. And we'll talk about what we do next. It's not something I want to keep waiting and let build up and get hostile. But if it came down to me? I think I'd just leave him with the child. It hurts, and it probably will for a while, but I think it's too necessary. We'll just drag each other down. I'll be no help and the boy might resent me. I'll still be his friend, sure, and I'll visit the boy from time to time, but he can't possibly depend on me. It's all why we need to talk, figure out what we're gong to do with ourselves... Strange, isn't it? One day, we're in bed together just letting our hearts out and toying with ideas of the future... the next day, one complication comes up.... and here I am unable to brave the storm." Her head fell into her palms, just thinking about how shameful her actions were. Shameful but necessary. "You must think so lowly of me just giving up like that. That's usually not me, but I think walking away is the best for us both. Even if my heart feels ripped to pieces."


This heartbreak hurt differently than her past ones. Maybe it was because she'd gotten her hopes up so high in just a day, all to be shattered by a child. It almost made her feel sick that she'd have to tell Frank it's over. "Whatever dreams I had, I can still do them without Frank. I guess it wasn't meant to be if that's what fate decided for us. Who knows... there's plenty of fish in the sea, right? I'll find love someday. I'll get my life together. Who knows what'll happen when this is all over. Maybe we'll get back together? Maybe I'll be with someone else? Who fucking knows.... Whatever me and Frank had was beautiful. But I figured it wouldn't last. Not much I can do, huh?"


What else could she say? She just had to wait for him to come by to start a conversation. She didn't want to have it with Jordan around and definitely didn't want to pull him aside to talk in private. This had to wait, unfortunately. She sighed and uttered a few other words, "I will get my life together, Kar. One day I'll be worthy of having a kid. Just not now."


Now would've been a good time for that beer she brought home if it weren't the middle of the morning. Some breakfast that would be. She felt depressed and wanted to feed that depression in a way. This isn't what she had planned after last night, that kiss at near midnight hinting at a possibility to fix things with her first crush. Could they? The idea became more prominent in her mind now, trying to find any excuse possible to get her mind off Frank.


--


Hell, Tony was no musical genius. It was the one course he did terribly in during high school. So fumbling the name of the composer wasn't something he took as a surprise. He figured he would. But that wasn't important. James seemed like a wizard on the keys, but he's even better at something else: plotting.


Roland was recovering, and that was a sweet, sweet relief for Tony. He's also well enough to trade from the sounds of it. Things could go in a better direction today than yesterday, and it made Tony crack a grin. "Perfect..." It's not like saving Melissa from a monster like Ra's would salvage their relationship in any way, but now, Tony just wanted to make sure she's safe. She didn't deserve to get dragged into any of this. A cop's natural instinct to protect and serve, in a way. Finally, some righteous thoughts running through the veteran's head rather than ones of infidelity and lust. He'd have to stay there for his long term girlfriend for a while. Breaking up with her after rescuing her was a terrible idea, and he even knew that, fortunately. But once things settle down, he'd try to get Thalia's heart for himself. Whoever it was that she was in bed with - Frank, Karin, or otherwise - he wanted to prove himself the alpha male. Quite a plan.


But Thalia would be present for the exchange. Something he didn't exactly want or approve of. And he had a good reason.


"No, no, it's great, just.... I just wanted to ask of two things..." Tony continued, taking a few steps closer to James. A personal request? After last night's stunt, he probably wouldn't be allowed such a privilege. "First, isn't it a bad idea to put Thalia out there in the exchange? Wouldn't that blow her cover if she were demanding Melissa's release? I think it should just be me and Frank out there in the open. Sure, Thalia can be not far away as a threat, because we don't need him threatening us or giving the 'fuck yourself' treatment. But that's one thing. Second thing?" He sighed, pocketing his hands into the pajama pants. "Roland. I want a moment alone with him. The bastard had a hand in my girlfriend's kidnapping, and I want to just ask him a few questions. My own interrogation. It'll be civil. I promise you that much."


Yeah, right. After everything Tony had pulled these past few days, that might've been a bit hard to believe. He might just kill Roland before they have a chance to exchange him.


--


Jenny's Apartment | Encino, CA | 9:49 AM


The Philly-born girl moved to Los Angeles after she completed her high school years, and, similarly and probably in a better way that Thalia, took her freedom upon herself. At 18, Jenny started with a job as a cashier at a local market while taking a gap year between school and college while making some extra money. With some funding from her parents back home to get herself started, she landed herself a small apartment in Encino in order to reside and keep herself above water. Living with someone was an option, but she sided against it for now. She needed some alone time. One year after arriving, she began to studying for a performing arts degree through an online program, a way for her to not worry too much about travel time for a college and still work reasonably. Sure, there was a lot of video conferencing involved, but it wasn't a problem for Jenny. She enjoyed where her life was going at this point. At 22, she was living comfortably with just one year left for her degree to be official. She'd grown to be very independent, hardly leaning on her parents anymore...


...But she'd always felt lonely. No friends, nobody to love, nobody to hold close. She left a lot behind when she left Philly in hopes of starting something fresh in a new city. On the contrary, it made her feel more lonely. Then fate stacked her up with Thalia, of all people. It's why she sent that text. Even if the redhead was taken, she wanted to spend time with someone. Maybe the kiss at the end of their encounter was a bit overkill, but Jenny's intentions to make things right with her first love were genuine. They ended things terribly back in the day. Could they ever fix it? She had high hopes for it. Little did she know things were over with Thalia and Frank. Could they create a brand new start now? This late in their lives? It would certainly feel good for her.


So short lived however. Thalia's wretched eight years were about to bring Armageddon to Jenny's doorstep. Her place was a mess, clothing pretty much everywhere on the single couch and floor, boxes of takeout left behind... so this was the price of freedom. It was that sort of life that Thalia wanted when she first ran away. Maybe when this was all over, she could move in with Jenny? Enjoy the lifestyle together? Perhaps. But for now, the young woman lay on her couch in the early Saturday morning off from work, just browsing the internet and listening to music on her laptop, a piece of tech from a few years ago but still usable for the girl. She was dressed in a black tank top, blue shorts, and knee-high black socks, curled up with her legs beneath her body on the couch with the mobile computer by her side. She was honestly waiting for whenever Thalia wakes up to reply to her text, to see if they'd meet up. And given Thalia's circumstances... she just might accept.


But the last thing Jenny expected this morning? Guests? Or someone lost in the building complex? Whichever it was, Jenny stood up from her place on the couch, ripped the earbuds out from their places, and walked to the door. Her facial expression? Confused. This was an anomaly. She didn't have guests often, and she didn't tell Thalia where she lives just yet. Clicking the chain lock and bolt open, she gripped the knob and took a look at the man at the door. A black haired man with his hair tied back into a ponytail, a goatee-stache combo going for himself. He was in what looked like a blue plumber's jumpsuit with a briefcase in his right hand. But it wasn't his carry-on that was suspicious, but what his hand had inked to it. That tattoo... it's the same one on Thalia's hand. And Jenny recognized that. Coincidence? Probably? Or was the design just that popular? Glancing from head to toe at the stranger, she asked,


"Can I help you?"


"Miss O'Donnel?"


Jenny nodded. "Yes? This is she."


"Good morning, first of all," he began, sighing at how he should get across this point. He spoke with an American accent, but little did Jenny know that he also spoke Arabic. "The plumbing company that the building outsourced has told us that... you might be experiencing problems with your sink? The pressure's acting up or something?"


Lost, Jenny shook her head. "I don't have problems with my sink. You sure you have the right room? Right name?"


He nodded. "Oh, most definitely ma'am. It isn't particularly you, after all. Many apartments here in this complex have been filing complaints, so the owner has issued it mandatory to perform maintenance checks on all the systems here."


"Do you have a permit for that?"


A complication. Jenny wasn't an idiot, and knew that if there was a problem of that caliber, they'd need permission and signatures to do it. This sassy punk chick crossing her arms and acting like a smartass isn't what this man had in mind, glancing to the ground and dropping his baggage with his gaze. He propped it open and began digging into the contents. It looked like it was standard plumbing tools, and it were. He pulled out what Jenny could only guess was a wrench, but she had no time to react to it before the metal object swung in her face, directly at her eye, knocking the defenseless girl back in a flinch, screaming and holding the location of the cut in pain. With that distraction out of the way, the fake plumber allowed himself entry into the apartment with his belongings, slammed the door, and set the locks into place.


Jenny was in for one long, painful morning with The Medic.


--


Fortunately, the only pain that Charlie was suffering was his own imagination. The contents of his racing mind creating some fictional creature that he dreamed taking his father from him. Since had no face to his father's killer, it's all he could imagine when he thought of the event. Then again, Al-Asheera were animals at heart, so their behavior was similar to that of the entity in Charlie's dream. Real or not, the idea was still haunting his mind and bringing him into the downward spiral that any child would fall into at that time with his mother holding him close in an attempt to calm him. Never had Nicole seen her child so traumatized or upset in her life. He'd had nightmares, sure, but nothing this tragic. Worse, she didn't even know what he saw that caused him so much pain. Jon came almost in the nick of time, but also unsurprisingly. Charlie was crying rather loudly, so if Jon didn't hear his weeping, then he clearly wasn't as good at his job as he made it out to be. He gripped the hurting woman's shoulder in a way to get her attention and turned her head in his direction, her son still held close to her. Maybe Jon could calm him better? A stronger figure in his life? Those thoughts were enough to let Nicole's grip on her son loosen slightly from earlier. Enough to let his other guardian show some affection as well. 


Charlie felt the incoming touch from Jon and lifted his face from Nicole's body. He stared down his fellow 'agent's' eyes and immediately threw himself into Jon's arms, clinging to him for dear life. He was afraid, and subconsciously, he knew his mother was equally afraid and weak because of everything going on. Jon knew how to deal with the grief, and that's what this boy wanted. To learn to be strong, even though he severely doubted his own strength due to his actions. But all he did was cry at full force into this older man's shoulder trying to let out all of his frightened unstable emotions. He was loud, certainly, but it was unlikely the neighbors would say much. Children cry, and when that happens, it could go any which way. And with his mother around and not the source of the abuse, there wasn't any reason for alarm.


Though consumed in his sorrows, Charlie could understand what Jon was saying. getting some water, going to the balcony to clear his head. He let out a few words through the tears, "I saw Daddy...." he whimpered. "I saw Daddy die in my dream. A...." He sobbed a bit more, his words not exactly clear. Just those sounds coming from her boy frightened Nicole. Charlie has cried before, and had nightmares, but nothing this extreme for either one of them. He was out of his mind. "A monster ate him... the monster killed him, Jon!" He didn't go too deeply into the details of the monster, even though it complexions were still vividly in his mind. He felt too weak to even describe it. But his grip was tight around Jon's body, refusing to let go. It was a source of comfort, one he refused to let go of easily. And Nicole noticed this as well. Jon offered to take him around for a bit, and she happily accepted, nodding back to the man caring for her son.


"Charlie... how about you go get something to drink with Jon. Trust me, you'll feel much better when you do."


Sniffling a bit, clenching Jon's shirt, his muffled voice let out, "I saw Daddy die...."


It took a while, but the trauma was getting to him. It's all he could think of. And all Nicole thought would be a good idea was if Jon did what he said he'd do. "Go, Jon. Take him around for a bit. Get him some water, some fresh air, maybe he'll calm down. Please?"
 
"I've already said, Thalia, there's no shame in admitting that." She said ."It's a big job to take on, and to be honest, I'm amazed Frank's stepping up to the challenge, too. Maybe it's just his heart that's letting him do it, maybe it's his own childhood which has helped him form a big connection with the little one in there. I don't know what it is, but, Frank's older, got a lot more experience in many fields. He knows how to take care of himself, and he's worked a job for four years where all he does is keep other people safe. You can still help him out from time to time, of course, you can still be there for him. God, maybe once things straighten out a little, you could offer to be a babysitter on some nights - even simple things like that, I think it'd make you both a lot happier than the two of you trying to... Force two odd puzzle pieces together, I guess you could say." She said. 


"I know you're not trying to shit on what I did with Joseph, or anything like that. Believe me, I know." She said. "You know what's best for you, and that's simple. It hurts that I have to agree with you in saying that... Well, all of this is just... Coming to a close, but, sometimes, things ending is a good thing. Plus, you know how Tony would be if all of this ended and you guys came out in a relationship. He'd go batshit, and I wouldn't put it past him to arrest you on the spot just because of that." She said. "I do think one thing, though, and that finding a guy in Frank's position - You know, cop, young, successful, accepting, and... I don't know. Wise? That's a bit of a one-of-a-kind deal, but, that's not to say you can't find someone else who's good for you. There's plenty of people out there, T. If it comes to it, all you gotta' do is find someone who falls in love with you as a person, rather than some sort of physical craving. You'll be fine, don't worry." She rubbed her friend's back again. "I do understand where you're coming from, Thalia." She clarified once again.


"As wonderful as having a kid to look after is - It's not all doom and gloom, believe me - there are things about it that a lot of people don't like the idea of." She said. "And that much I get. I managed it alone, just about, and there were a lot of stressful times, but I wouldn't change it for the world. Jordan..." She sighed. "Jordan's a little boy who's lost everyone he cared for. He lost his mom, his dad, and his sister. An awful thing to go through, but..." She laughed a little. "If he's got Frank... The fact that he's found someone who might be able to fill the fatherly gap? Trust me, the two of them will be okay. You don't need to feel guilty, and if you ever did hang around with them, you wouldn't ever be in the position where you'd need to take Jordan into the women's restroom if he needed it. Believe me, I've been in that spot with Joseph. It feels unrealistically awkward." He laughed.


"All you need to know is that the two of them will get on - they've already clicked, and we know Frank well enough to know he won't just... Give up." She said. "All of this, when you talk to him about it, might come as a surprise to him. It'll definitely pack a punch, but there's nothing you can do about that, alright?" She said. "You don't need to feel terrible about this. There's nothing you can do to change all of what happened, and most importantly, you need to know that this isn't your fault. It's not anyone's fault other than those animals that took the boy's family away from him." She explained. Would Frank and Thalia ever get back together? Karin hated to say it, but she found it an unlikely possibility. A few years down the line, she imagined Frank would have moved on. After all, this relationship was very short-winded. What if he started moving on almost right away?


"I don't know what the future will hold, Thalia." She sighed. "I guess this is just a life lesson. An adult life lesson. I mean, I doubt you need me to tell you that nothing great lasts forever. A sad truth." She sighed. "But this is a learning curve, okay? You know where you stand in the world, what you want to achieve, and everything you want to do. I won't deny that telling Frank all of that will hurt him - because it will, but it's going to hurt both of you to have that conversation. Just keep that in mind, okay?" She patted her back. "And just like I said, you can still achieve everything you wanted to achieve. Even with Frank as a friend." She said. "He might even be able to help you achieve them - don't assume things are going to be terrible after this closes." She smiled a little, and after thinking for a moment, she figured there was something else they could do.


Frank and Jordan were in the kitchen, sure, but, she didn't imagine they'd be there for much longer.


"Wanna' help me make some breakfast?" She asked. "Joseph should be getting up soon, so, I should make something. You want to join? Might learn a thing or two." She winked at her.


--


James nodded, "I didn't say we should have her there doing the exchange. That much I disagree with, even though things seem very sour between Thalia and Ra's at the minute." He said. "She can be on the sidelines if you want her to be - it depends, we have to plan this with her, too, no matter how much you two dislike each other." He chuckled once. "As for the exchange, you and Frank work fine. I know Karin will be able to look after Jordan while Frank's gone - I'm hoping that'll be the case, anyway." He said. "Even so, we take her with us when we pick up Roland, just so he knows she's not off the picture. He's going to be immobilized, at least to some extent, unable to fight back. He's going to be even more terrified of her, I reckon." He said, simply. "A bold statement to make, but, I think that'll be the way it is." He said, simply.


Tony had a request to make, though. Another bold move on his part, especially after last night, but the things he were asking for didn't seem too bad. A moment alone with Roland - but there had to be terms for that. He wanted time to interrogate him, but, James didn't trust him enough after the physical displays he'd shown over the last few days. As it was most likely going to be in the doctor's house that he got a moment in private to talk to him, they had to be careful - James knew that if he didn't stop Tony from doing anything major, the doctor would. He'd just fixed the guy up, for god's sake. The last thing he was going to appreciate was someone coming in and laying down damage to him, was it? Either way, James had to voice that. Standing there thinking about it would do no one any favors.


"I'll give you some time with him, but, the rules are we aren't far away when you do it. Just outside the room or wherever you may be." He said. "Secondly, no physical shit. If he doesn't talk, then so be it. Get Thalia to ask him questions, or have Thalia there just to get him to talk. Something like that." He said. "Either way, your time alone is restricted. You find out what you need to know, and you leave him alone. Don't even lay a punch down on this guy. If we return him to Ra's any more damaged than he already is, we're going to be in deep shit. Last thing we need is to piss him off to the point where he puts a bullet in Melissa."


Dark.


"Sorry, but that's the way it is. We've pushed the limit too much over the past couple of days." He said.


--


When Charlie flew into Jon's arms, Jon was quick to take him into a big hug and lift him a little so that he was sat on his lap instead. At least that way he could have maximum comfort - immediately, he was going on about seeing his daddy die, and that was a painful thing to listen to. He was talking of a monster and everything, and that was quite horrific. Jon knew it was a terrible dream for a young boy to be going through - one where he sees his father die. Even if his father wasn't dead, having a dream like that would probably upset him regardless. It'd upset any young child to the point where they'd need to rush into their parents' room for some reassurance that everything was okay. The only difference here was everything wasn't okay - his father really was gone, but, Jon needed to show him the monster wasn't real. He needed to be that anchor for Charlie's ship stuck at a stormy sea. 


"Hey..." He said in a soothing voice. At Nicole's cue, he rose to his feet, holding Charlie tightly and comfortably in his arms. "Hey, hey, hey, take a deep breath." Jon said, quickly. He knew if it got any worse, there was a chance Charlie would have a full-scale panic attack, which would possibly make him hyperventilate. That was the last thing anyone needed him to go through - Jon had had a few incidents of hyperventilation throughout his life, many of them around the time his father died. As a kid, they're not pleasant. You can feel the consciousness gradually slipping away from you piece by piece. From Jon's experience, it was horrific. He needed to calm the boy down, so, the first thing he did was make a beeline towards the kitchen. "Come on, let's get you some water... Then we'll sit and talk." He said. 


He knew Charlie was in a bad place, one he needed pulling out of. If his mind was so heavily focused on... Well, it was more of a night terror than a bad dream, but even so, if he was locked onto that, then that needed to change. The poor kid would never sleep again if he convinced himself it was real, Jon thought. Even so, keeping Charlie held in one arm (under his legs to keep him elevated), he got a glass from the cupboard, washed it out with some hot water, and then filled it with some cold water instead. A little something to hopefully bring Charlie back - in addition to that, they needed some fresh air, so he walked in through the other room and went out the door to the balcony. Immediately, a gentle breeze hit them. It was still summertime, but, it wasn't a sticky outdoor heat. It was comfortable, cooling, and for Jon, quite relaxing.


Still, he sat down on one of the plastic chairs and kept Charlie sat on his lap, and after putting the glass down on the plastic table, he hugged Charlie tightly again, and just rocked him a little bit for a few moments. "You're okay." He whispered to him. "You're safe with me, you know that. You know I'm gonna' look out for you and your mommy, don't you?" He said, gently rubbing the boy's back. He needed to find out more - he couldn't tell Charlie his fears were irrational if he didn't know what they were. He needed details to disprove it all. The fact that Charlie said it was a monster was quite a vague description - to a child, a monster can come in many forms. He picked up the glass of water again and gently loosened his grip on Charlie and brought the water closer.


"Cmon, son, take a drink." He said - 'Son' wasn't necessarily said from a father perspective. Just more of a friendly one - many adults referred to other kids and younger adults as 'son', anyway, and it was a common thing among friends in casual conversation. Was it really just a friendly thing in this situation, though, or was there more behind it? Right now, that wasn't Jon's priority. His priority was making sure Charlie was okay. He'd have to check on Nicole once he'd settled the boy down and maybe got him back to sleep, too. He'd make a promise to stay by his side tonight, if that's what Charlie wanted. Even if it was as simple as just lying beside him and giving him one of his arms to hug, or something, as long as Charlie got a good night of sleep once this had settled, that was the priority.


Even so, he held the glass close to his lips for him - he'd hold onto it if he needed to. If Charlie was in too much of a state to hold the glass, it was probably best he supported him.


"Now..." He said, calmly. "Seems like you had a pretty bad time, pal." He said, rubbing his back again. He left Charlie to hug him, obviously, but one hand looped around and slowly rubbed his back while he was sat there. "You wanna' talk about it like I said?" He asked. "Why don't you tell me about it? Tell me about this... About this monster you mentioned, yeah?" He said in a gentle tone. "Just remember, you're safe with me, no matter what. I promise." He said. A bold promise to make, but probably one that Charlie needed to hear.
 
Depression wasn't a foreign concept to Thalia, but certainly was one that never got easier to cope with. And heartache from the idea of letting Frank go was prevailing. What was she thinking, anyway - a lustful advance that would've been something deeper? And under an extreme circumstance, too? It was built to fall, unfortunately. But love was something she didn't taste very much, and when she did, she often fell too hard for her own good. Very few times was she able to resist the temptation to let her mind overthink things and envision something pleasant in the moment. She did exactly that with Frank from the moment she saw him at Karin's place. But what about the end? So many times her heart had been broken by someone she felt close to, or it was swung at by a forced separation, death or otherwise. Did she think she'd ever love again? Who would? She's just an attractive face. If anyone would want to get a piece of that, it was for the sex and nothing more. It's what Tony wanted after all. Is it all Frank wanted? Apart from a few deep conversations and concern for each other, it was mostly physical. Moreover, was Thalia capable of a stable relationship based of solely emotions, without the sexual element to it all? That she didn't know. It's not like she knew anything better for most of her life. After her first rejection, she was left an outcast for her own sexual orientation, labeled a deviant, and therefore remained reserved. But that secluded behavior was let loose like a hungry dog similarly to when she made out with Frank in the bunker. She was just surprised she didn't pull anything like that with Karin. Why, though, especially with the thoughts she had at first for her? More mysteries she had to make sense of alone. But her own condition: Was that something that could be helped? In time, or with the medical help she said she'd get.


"I don't think I could come up with a better father figure for that boy," Thalia mentioned, finally getting the courage to speak. "Frank's amazing, maybe too amazing for me. We're far too different for it to have ever made it off the ground. I should've never forced it..." She sighed. Karin mentioned how maybe someday she could babysit for the boy, or come by as a visitor. "Maybe. Somewhere down the line, I'll catch on. It's a shame Frank can't... well, wait." No man would ever wait. When there's plenty of fish in the sea, he's bound to lose interest if they part ways. Maybe Thalia will, too. And maybe it was for the best that they do. And in some distant future, they might bump into each other again and see how far they've each come since then. Pleasant, perhaps. But until then... Thalia needed to find her own way.


Tony, just remembering his name was a burden in her mind. "Fuck Tony. I don't care what he thinks or knows. He could've found out about me and Frank and it wouldn't change how I felt about him. He can think I'm fucking rocks and I still wouldn't care. Keep in mind he's the same ass-backwards mind who thinks WE'RE fucking. So that should say a lot about his credibility... but him aside, I'm not afraid to say I love him. I'm just afraid to forget. It should get easier, shouldn't it?" It didn't feel like it at first, but remembering how many people she's let go, it reminded her of her strength and tenacity over all of these years. A reminder that all hope wasn't gone. It was only beginning. A beginning to a life she was going to love. "Plenty of fish in the sea. I've gotten that before. Maybe I just have to wait for another lucky catch." She whisked a bit of Karin's hair from the side of her head, trying to entertain herself and forget. Her face did seem rather gloomy, after all. She needed a way to cheer up. And that moment was enough of a temptation for her to look at her phone. The mere notification of a message from Jenny felt like it was sent from the heavens. Was anything possible for those two after all of this time? It did crack a smile on her face, though. No doubt about that. Who would've thought her first love and the girl she considered a foe just three days ago would be her beacon of hope later in her life?


Taking Jordan to the lady's room? Thalia knew the opposite and laughed along. "I think my dad did the same thing when my mom wasn't around for whatever reason. Going to the men's room is just as creepy. Trust me." More ways to cheer up and try to smile. She took Karin's hand and continued talking, "I've learned a lot with you. Not just in love and romance. It may feel weird, but you're helping me grow up. Be an adult. But at the same time, we can still kick back as friends. I couldn't ask for more from a friend. What's up ahead? I dunno..." Her voice began to clear up, clearing her eyes one more time with her free hand. "But I'm glad I've got you to help me get through it. All I can hope is Frank doesn't take this too harshly. He's really connected with Jordan, and maybe he got his hopes up that we could take care of him together. I'm just afraid he'll be as crush as I am."


Breakfast. More learning opportunities. It got her hopes up a bit more. A chance to learn to cook. "Heh... good point." She stood up from her place, still holding Karin's hand and pulling her up as well, but into her arms to hug really quickly. "Have I ever mentioned you're the best?" She sighed in a more positive tone of voice. She couldn't keep moping about this forever, and with that, she parted from the embrace and lead her friend to the kitchen hand in hand. And when they entered? Frank and Jordan were still there.


"H-Hi, Frank," she told him with a smile. Nervous? Most definitely. But she was keeping her head cool and trying not to overreact about anything.


--


The terms were fair enough, and James was even compromising. Tony was going to get his alone time with Roland, under the condition people were nearby and he didn't get physical. But he wouldn't have to. At least democracy was in order now, and his input was being accepted into the equation. He had ideas and plans. Maybe some that James wouldn't like, but it would be too late by the time he finds out the reality of things. "Thalia on the sidelines not far away would be a good idea. Think she can handle a long-range weapon? Maybe to shoot Roland's.... dick region again? Or his ass. Kinda like what happened to me." He chuckled, remembering his thrilling injury that he and James discussed in the car the other day. Certainly good times. "But Roland needs a scare. The last thing we need is the 'fuck yourself' treatment and putting us at a dead end here and now."


Acceptance for the meeting? Perfect. It's exactly what Tony wanted. "You don't have to worry about me getting physical with Roland. I have no need to do that if Thalia has already intimidated him. She doesn't even have to touch him, for fucks sake. He will shit himself just by hearing her name. No, instead..." Maybe Tony was a compulsive liar after all. As good as Thalia. "All I want to do is face him. My girlfriend's kidnapper, or at least someone who had a hand in it. The Ten had the largest hand in this whole thing. Those dick-loving sadistic pedophiles who think the world is theirs for the taking. They think LA's all theirs in a few weeks? Pssh. Don't make me laugh." He paused, shaking his head. "No. James, all I want is a few words with the man in private. Just to know what was going through his head. I want to know how many lives these men have ruined. It probably extends pretty far, you know. I've studied Al-Asheera well enough to know that. It's just a personal satisfaction... You know, a few days ago, Frank and I had nothing to go on from these guys. Now? Almost half of their inner circle is either turned, dead, or seriously maimed. It won't be long until it's just Ra's in our crosshairs."


Indeed, it won't be. The takedown of a lifetime. It would make wonders for Frank's good, surely.


"No physical action. Gotcha. It will be civil, and you can have someone on the other side of the wall to make sure of it. I know the consequences if we piss these guys off too much. So I'm not going to risk them killing Melissa when we're this close to a resolution."


Seemed like the two were done for now. Nodding, Tony announced, "If you excuse me, I'm going to go shower. Get dressed. The usual grind. I believe Thalia and Karin are in the living room, if you want to go say hello." With that, Tony excused himself in the direction of his bedroom. Seemed like most of the rooms in the house were master bedrooms. Everyone gets their own bathroom. Perfect. A private warm shower after so many restless days. At least the older detective slept well last night, too.


--


Just the sight of Jon hoisting Charlie off of the bed and out of the bedroom made Nicole's heart glow. Almost instantly, her son threw herself at what was once a complete stranger in a desperate call for comforting arms. He was barely getting any words out, and needed someone strong to bring him back to reality. Nicole could make him feel better, but that's about it. She might not be able to do much more than that. Jon, thought, sounded like he had a plan to help him out. Perhaps he's been there before? Charlie was on the brink of a panic attack from the looks of things, and she would hate to see him fall into that sort of state. All from a nightmare that felt too real for his liking. Kids get nightmares all the time. But of a real life occurrence that seemed like it actually happened? No doubt the trauma was starting to kick in, the terrible thoughts in his mind twisting and showing themselves in unimaginable forms. It all gets worse the more you dig into his mind. She couldn't bear that kind of agony, so she let her son go into the arms of their protector. She developed enough trust in him to have him go it alone.


Going back to sleep felt scary to Charlie. Even blinking to cover his vision with darkness, even for brief fractions of a second, seemed like the monster in his dreams would return and continue the chase from before. While he wasn't on the brink of hyperventilation just yet, he was afraid and burying his face in Jon to hide himself from whatever he thought was following him. He only pulled it away when he was handed a glass of water. Maybe a drink would soothe his nerves, even slightly. He took it in both hands, both shaking from horror and his face still evidently horrified at what his imagination created, and slowly lifted it to his lips to take a sip. Cold, it felt distracting from the stinging sensation in his brain and heart. It helped ever so slightly. Then, the two continued their walk, Jon leading the way, over to the balcony. After being stuck in the confinements of the motel room for a while, getting outside and looking at the summer skies was a significant distraction. It was so much more lively than the images in his head - the sights and sounds of the nightmare still engraved in his mind. The reassuring words from this man were actively battling the darkness, now envisioning what seemed to be a scenario in his mind of the wolf-like entity battling with Jon hand-to-hand. A continuation to the nightmare, indeed. Occasional sips from his drink, assisted by Jon himself, were also helpful as the wailing stopped, but tears still falling from his eyes. It was clear he'd been drying them into Jon's shirt, but it didn't seem like he minded that all too much. Now seated in the man's lap, Charlie had calmed down significantly with respect to before, after all the screaming and wheezing, getting to a point where he couldn't focus or breathe from the degree of panic overcoming him. Now, he felt like he could describe the monster more clearly. As best as he could.


But 'son'? Even Charlie noticed that was an odd choice of words. It was outside the cover story, but he accepted it.


"The monster..." he whimpered. "It looked like a wolf, but it stood on its back feet. It's teeth were sharp and its eyes were red... It wasn't colorful. It was totally black, and looked more like it was a shadow. But it looked so real..." He took a breath before taking in another sip of the water. His eyes were wandering around the scenery around them off the balcony as he let out what was on his mind. The shivering eased up a bit, bu this voice still shook with every word. "The wolf was trying to grab me, and it chased me and chased me and chased me... I ran but it wouldn't stop, and kept going faster... Then when he cornered me... He showed me he had my father in his hands and.... and...."


The horrible part when the wolf devoured his father. Charlie couldn't even say it as the tears peaked in frequency once more. His head bowed down with the drops from his eyes falling slowly to his legs. Sitting in Jon's lap was a comfort, but he was still mortified. "You're not going to let the wolf get close to me again, Jon right?" He was too distracted to throw himself into Jon's embrace once more, but his head did roll over onto his upper chest and part of his neck. It wasn't hard to tell that the boy was scared. And he needed the comforting hand of this adult figure.


--


What started as an encounter between a plumber and an apartment owner turned into a hostage situation. This impostor didn't need much effort to subdue Jenny, the wrench to the face being enough to knock her off her feet and defenseless. The thoughts going through her head: the tattoo on his hand: it was just like Thalia's. What was going on? Did she send a hitman to kill her first lover? Was it a form of revenge from middle school? It was hard to envision Thalia being this vengeful, but this clue was too close in proximity to be simply bad luck, an accident, or a sheer coincidence. And no way that her particular design was THAT popular. Jenny's heart was racing in fear, now handcuffed to a radiator, the chains of the cuffs around the loops of the polls with both hands bound by the bracelets. She had a gaping cut from where the brute had bashed her with the wrench, but apart from that, no injuries. For now. She was afraid of what there was to come. If this was a simple execution, she'd be dead by now. This had to be something more. It seemed too unbelievable that this was Thalia. Or was it something more? She had the reasoning enough to believe that things were too vague to make assumptions now. But seeing she wasn't taking a dirt nap just yet, there is clearly time for a conversation.


"What do you want?" she asked, clearly scared, her big blue eyes just staring at this savage who forced his way into her house. He had his box of tools laid out on her dining room table digging through the materials to find a weapon of choice.


"Fuck yourself," he uttered. Typical, especially from an Al-Asheera clansman. But Jenny didn't know that, her jaw dropping and jolting her hands in the binds.


"No, YOU fuck yourself!" she barked back. "You know there are many people in this building that will come running in here or calling 911 if I scream, right? Even if you kill me, you won't get away in time."


The clansman, The Medic, Victor Niles, only chuckled at her threat. "Argument's not all that valid, my lady. Before I came up to your place, I murdered everyone in this building ever so quietly. You know. All the families, women, children, senior citizens around here... even that girl next door, you know? The one you got coffee with the other day?"


Jenny was in a state of pure fear. He killed EVERYONE? And he got away with it. Her screams would go unnoticed if that were the case. Was sort of homicidal maniac was this who she came into contact with? "Why am I still alive, then? And what do you want from me? If this is a robbery, just take everything. Take the money, the jewelry, just take it, please, and I won't tell the police you were here. I'll act like I had no idea everyone here is dead." Of course, that threat of killing everyone could've been a bluff, but she didn't consider calling it out just yet. After all, she screamed from the second she was swung at, and so far, no help was on the way. Everyone might be dead after all. It left her shaking and cringing against the wall behind her.


"Oh, I'm not here for money..." he snickered, turning away from his toolbox, now with a phone in his hands. He turned the display on with a swipe on the screen and showed it to Jenny, kneeling to her level. "I'm here because you know her."


Her... the picture in question was her and Thalia yesterday. The moment she pulled her friend closer to kiss. Whoever that was... they were following one of them. Odds are, following Thalia, but it could go either way. Jenny shook her head frantically, almost about to cry. "N-N-No.... You don't understand. Thalia's an old friend of mine...."


"Looks like more than an 'old friend'."


"She was my first kiss, okay? We ended things on a bad note back in the day, and... all I wanted to do was make it right. We didn't plan this, I swear. We met on the bus, out of nowhere..."


"Shh..." He took the phone out of her face and covered her lips with a single finger. "Not a word. I know you didn't have this planned out. You got lucky. But Thalia is a disobedient member of Al-Asheera who thinks she can outsmart our leader. And as punishment, we have been assigned to rid her life of anyone and anything that has meaning to her."


Did meeting Thalia come at this great a price? She was a member of that gang from Philly, Al-Asheera? Things were making sense now about WHY Thalia was in town. But disobedient? Was this against her will? For sure, Jenny's life was surely in danger as a result, but she held no malice towards her friend for it. She wanted to hear the full story first. "In that case, why am I alive? I don't know much about her. We only talked for so long. I have her phone number, and that's it. I don't know where she lives or what she's doing in LA. And why didn't you just follow her after the bus stop?"


"She took a weird path home. Went through bushes and someone's lawn. We lost her," he sighed. "But that's not what I want. I know you have no information about her. I just want her to be in for a surprise when she finally finds you. You'll be dead, of course. But there'll be more than just death to the tale."


A wicked grin spread over Victor's face, only scaring Jenny further. There was nowhere to run, and kicking him would probably get her nowhere. He was too far away for her to reach. But her face showed how terrified she was of her fate. This man looked like he was capable horrible things, and it even got worse when he leaned forward, his fingers under her chin lifting her face to meet him eye to eye. "Please... whatever you want. I'll never speak to Thalia again. But I'm begging you, don't hurt me."


Victor scoffed, then leaned closer to peck Jenny's lips, who took it with disgust, pulling her head away distastefully. "Aww, what's wrong? Oh, wait. I've read your file. You don't like men."


"Shut up."


"This will be even more fun knowing you won't enjoy it when I bend you over and--" Now that he was close enough, Jenny lifted her right knee up to kick her assailant in the jaw. It knocked him back a bit, but not too far. Her legs retreated to their place, still in fear of what was to come, as she watched him repose himself and lean closer. "Be glad I didn't break that leg for you. But what's the fun in breaking your legs..." His fingers traveled from her face down to her collarbone. "When I still need that lovely body of yours for my own devices...."
 
"You're right. There's no better candidate for looking after Jordan right now." She nodded, "After what Jordan went through, it's no surprise that Frank's the first one he clung to." He said. "Seeing as, from what I've heard, Frank was more or less the one who found him and dragged him out of there. He did him a lot of favors by getting him out - Imagine if he'd just been left there in the house?" She sighed. "He would have had to have found and seen everything that happened to his parents. There's no coming back from something like that. At least now he has the chance to live a somewhat happy childhood. He won't forget how Frank helped him, believe me." She smiled at the thought and looked down at the floor, even though the spot Thalia and Frank had found themselves in was rather depressing.


"I don't think it's because you're not good enough, or he's too good. It's nothing to do with that." She said. "Some things just happen, and... I guess Frank is making a sacrifice. Even if he doesn't want to." She said. She hadn't really thought much about that - A breakup may not even be in Frank's sights. He didn't want to throw everything away, for all Karin knew, and that was a moment where she had to bite her lip and hope that things worked out alright for both parties. Jordan would do no good if his only carer fell into a deep depression and couldn't get out of bed in the morning. Hopefully any talks they had could avoid all of that, because no one would benefit from Frank being borderline suicidal. At the moment, she was thinking a lot about Jordan and how he'd fare in a drama such as that.


He was only six, and a vulnerable one at that. At least Frank and Thalia were grown adults, or at least had better control and understanding over things. Karin knew kids well enough to know that they didn't do well around big dramas. They had their own ways of understanding things, and it wasn't fair to put them through that when it could be avoided. There was a twisting feeling in Karin's stomach, one that made her feel nervous. She knew that ultimately it wasn't her business or her relationship to worry so deeply about, but there were a lot of factors to take into consideration. For now, she just wanted to comfort Thalia. She knew this wasn't going to be easy for her, but, it was something they were going to have to face before too long.


"I wish I could tell you that Frank would wait, too, but... Part of growing up is this anxiety that you'll spend the rest of your life alone." She said. "Kinda' sad, I know, but, Frank's a few years older than you, right? Chances are he's pretty worried about settling down by now, especially now that he has a career and everything. I'm sorry, T, I really am." She said, squeezing her shoulder. "It's not the end of the world, though, just remember that. I agree in saying - fuck Tony. You don't need anything to do with him, you never will. As soon as this is over, just get as far away from him as possible." She said. "You and Frank did a good job of standing up to him, and that's something you can't let go. On the upside, as depressing as some of this may be, at least he'll leave you alone once he realizes that things have settled down, I suppose." She shrugged.


Karin didn't want to talk anymore about Frank's possible reactions - many of them were depressing. For now, breakfast time. She quite happily walked through to the kitchen with her, and when she saw Frank, she did her best not to look nervous either. Frank looked at Thalia and a soft smile came to his face, then he nodded to Karin, too.


"Hey, guys." He said.


"Hey, Frank." Karin said, then looked at Jordan and gently ran a hand over his head, "Hey there, cutie." She said softly, giving him a little smile. Once more, Jordan completely blanked her and stiffened at her touch, but, he couldn't hide from people forever. Frank knew that interacting with others was the best way to get him to gradually recover. As much as Jordan probably wanted to infinitely cuddle to Frank for the rest of his days, that simple wasn't something he could do. Hopefully the future would be brighter - even so, ignoring the fact that the boy still wasn't comfortable around them, Karin went to Thalia and smiled at her. "Okay, so." She said, then walked over to the fridge and got some stuff out. Eggs, sausages, bacon... From the cupboard, baked beans, some bread, some tinned tomatoes. It was time for a big breakfast today.


"We're gonna' cook something good and proper today." She said. "Whole breakfast... You want come cooking pointers... We can start off with the meat - I'll cook the eggs because the yoke breaks easily if you're not careful. You need a pro doing that." She winked. "But, you can help cook the sausages and bacon. I usually fry bacon and grill the sausages, so..." She reached over to the oven and turned a couple of dials. "Make sure they're on the right setting, obviously. On the hob, I'm sure you know already, but, heat up some oil... Which is just over there." She nodded over next to the microwave. Olive oil. "And whack the sausages in there. Just think, slightly brown all over. It won't hurt to cut them down the middle to test if they're cooked or not." She said. "Sorry, I don't mean to treat you like a kid in a kitchen here - I just don't know how much experience you have." She grinned.


--


He put his arms around him again when he had his head set against his neck and his chest. They needed to talk, but, not immediately. He didn't want to overwhelm the boy with information on things, not at all. He just needed him to take a few deep breaths, have a think about what happened, and hopefully relax when he saw that there was no one around that would hurt him. He was safe in Jon's arms, and Jon hoped he knew that. There was always going to be the chance that Charlie would be a little jumpy and maybe a tad bit emotional for a while, but, as long as Jon could settle him down enough so he was comfortable to go back to bed, that was the main thing. They had a long day of travelling ahead of them tomorrow, and chances are it wouldn't stop there. There was no way in hell that Jon was going to have them fly directly into LA's airport. That was too risky.


"Hey, Charlie..." He said, "Let's just sit here for a minute, okay? Nice and quiet." He said, keeping his arms wrapped around the young boy, holding him close to his body. "Just take some deep breaths with me, relax, cool down... Then I'll answer your question, alright?" He smiled, and with that, he just fell quiet for a minute or so. He stayed quiet and took deep breaths that he hoped Charlie could follow him with, and alongside that, he just continued rubbing the boy's back. Sure, it was still quite dark out, and the night was dead in terms of how many people were around. Aside from the odd car driving by for god knows what reason, there was nothing else, not even a sound.


He hoped sitting in silence and just unwinding for a minute would do him some good, though.


"Right." He eventually said, his voice only slightly above a whisper. He reached up with one hand and gently wiped at Charlie's eyes with the back of his finger. "Dry those tears, kiddo. Let's talk." He said. "The wolf... Well, I have to say it sounds pretty scary." He smiled a little bit. "But, you gotta' remember something else... The wolf? The only place the wolf is real is up here." He reached up and gently tapped the side of Charlie's head. "He's not real anywhere else. He's not real in Mexico, Geneva, Peru, England, Florida, California, France - he's not real in any of those places, alright?" He smiled. "Now, whatever the wolf did... The only reason he exists for you now is because of the fear of the unknown, Charlie. You don't know who... Who exactly took your dad from you, so what your brain's doing is filling in the blanks, alright?" He explained.


"I know when I was just a young boy and I lost my dad, I had more nightmares than I could ever remember. A lot of them had me up at night crying - I had dreams about monsters, men, women, children. I saw it all, pal. One of my biggest nightmares that I had? It was this... Creature, sorta' looked like it was made out of sticks and things like that. I don't know why, but I always had dreams about that coming in through my window." He laughed once. "But, once again, he was only real in my imagination. Nowhere else." He said. "A large shell from an anti-aircraft missile is what took my dad away from me, pal. I knew that, obviously, but sometimes things aren't as simple as that." He sighed. "Sometimes it's not as simple as accepting it. I understand that." He rubbed his back again.


"But you can be sure, Charlie, that if anything out there ever tries to hurt you? Be it man, woman, or monster - you can be sure that I won't let them. I'll be right there to take them to the ground and stop them from doing as much as touching a hair on your head, okay? And that's my promise to you. I give you my word, you'll be safe around me. Forever and always." He explained. "The dream you had is very common, you know. Running from a monster or a bad person, and eventually getting cornered by them." He explained, and then thought for a moment. "Let me ask you something, buddy..." He looked down at him. 


"I know there's a lot on your mind right now, I know that there's a lot of things going on that you probably don't feel so great about. Your dad... He..." He sighed. "He didn't get killed by some monster, by some big wolf with red eyes... I know it doesn't mean much, but, I swear to you, your dad didn't... Suffer, alright?" He slowly brought Charlie into another big hug. "No monster came in and hurt him too much, no one put him through a lot of pain... He passed away in a way he didn't really... Feel any major pain or anything, okay? I know I was always worried my dad was in a lot of pain when he died - simply put, I never actually knew if he was or not. There was no way to tell, as his helicopter was shot out the sky and all." He gulped. "I know that doesn't mean much, Charlie, but you deserve to know that it was painless for your father, alright?" He explained.


"Other than that, kid... Is there anything that's really on your mind right now?" He asked. "If you were running away from something in your dream, that often means that... Well, there's something troubling you in your real life, too. Is there anything that's really worrying you? Do you feel like you're in danger? Confused about anything at all? If there is anything, even if you think it's nothing, you're more than welcome to talk to me about it." He said. "Then I've got something to tell you, too, something that might help you a little more, maybe give you something to look forward to, too. But I'll let you talk first if you need to." He offered.


He didn't know what could be going through Charlie's head right now. Everything had piled up throughout the day - they'd left home, and Charlie had knowledge previously that 'bad people' had taken his dad away. There could have been a whole array of things on his mind, and Jon just wanted to help ease some of those fears, if he could. The promise of protection was already there now, so he hoped that if anything, that meant something to him.
 
It was that feeling of teenage sorrow for a girl's first serious breakup that was really taking over Thalia. Rather late in her life, but seeing she never experienced this any younger, there had to be a first time for it eventually. Still, she was only 21 and still had many years of her life to live. Would Frank wait for her? Odds are... no. No he wouldn't. Would Thalia have waited for HIM if the roles were reversed? It was hard to tell, and at this rate, she wouldn't blame him for forgetting everything they've had these past few days if she calls it off now. And indeed, after how real it all felt, it pained her to know that it all had to come to an end for the sake of a weaker, defenseless life. Undeniably, though, Frank's actions, his sacrifice for the boy, were very noble, and she gave him credit for that at least. Not many men would do that for a child. Thalia nodded to Karin for bringing that up. "He's got a big heart. And I don't think that heart of his can let him just sit back and wait for the worst. Be it he sees his parents dead or he gets spotted by police or those thugs from earlier. He didn't have to see any of that... I'm glad Frank did what he did. Even if it's at the cost of my thing with him..."


It only occurred to Thalia in that moment.... how would Frank take it? Was he already moving on at the moment? Or did he expect her to join his cause and become the motherly figure in Jordan's life, despite how she wasn't capable of doing it. Sure, she could learn, but that wasn't a life she wanted to lead right now. It would be so hard to explain without coming off as selfish. Ruining her good image in Frank's eyes. It was so unfortunate that this had to be the fate of their relationship. Till death do us part, my ass. Nothing lasts forever. Maybe it was a truth she'd abide by from here on out? Or did she have hope in a future romance with another? There were plenty of fish in the sea. The possibilities were endless in her eyes. She wouldn't actively search for a rebound partner, but instead, just let things flow naturally. She'd be careful, though, and not throw herself at a guy like she did with Frank. In hindsight, that was rather foolish and risky. All for what? A child to enter the picture and ruin it all for her? It was unfortunate, and hopefully it wasn't too shallow of her to think that way.


Tony backing off? Part of the thrill was the risk of getting caught. Even Tony's crude, inappropriate pokes and pries at their personal lives... there was something exciting to the secret. Unhealthy, especially because Tony would find out eventually, but it did serve as a playful instrument to toy with in their relationship. Creepy, but it was still a part of the fun. It was sad to just watch it... go away. Karin expressed how sorry she was for it all. Thalia shook her head as a response. "You don't have to be. I've lost people I loved before. I just don't get why this hurts this way. I'll get used to it. I'll talk to Frank when he's... alone, though. Not with Jordan. Sounds good?"


Frank's smile the second she entered. The way their eyes met each other as Thalia entered the room. Lost, once again. She remembered all the good times over the past while. And she didn't want to look away, unfortunately. How could she? This was someone she wanted to get serious with at some point, and she was going to tell him 'screw it because you have a kid' now? How could she? He wouldn't take it lightly. She'd make another enemy in the hen house. Or he'd fall into depression. She surely would if she doesn't get her act together. But for now, a smile came across her face after thinking so negatively before. Frank made her happy unconditionally. How could she forget or mask that from now on? Perhaps when this was over and the detectives leave for good, they won't see each other again. Sure, she'd still see Karin, how could she not? After all she did for her, Thalia was never going to leave her. But Frank and Tony? Their only investment was their gang takedowns. And when that was over, so was any connection they had. And if she wasn't an item with Frank, it would permanently sever the ties between them. Maybe necessary? But for now, at least the redhead could enjoy her time near her boyfriend, though she tried not to interact with Jordan too much. She was too afraid to get attached herself and make her dilemma more difficult. What would unfold when she tells the truth about how she feels about him? She feels bad for him, sure, but she couldn't become his care giver...


Cooking? At long last. Thalia had observed Karin making food before, but this time she got to participate. Karin did show off, calling herself a 'pro', which made the redhead give her a playful nudge on the shoulder. "Shut it, give me a week or two, and we'll let the cookoff begin." Back on the topic of friendly competition.... it brought her thoughts back to Frank. Like it or not, competition was already near. Jenny. She was offering to meet up soon. And after that kiss at the bus stop? Clearly she was opening to starting a closer relationship with her. Did Thalia still love Jenny? Not if her actions from over ten years ago were anything to go by. But she apologized, and it all seemed so genuine. Not that she'd make it her life's work to make Frank jealous, but it would happen with quite literally anyone. Frank might become the next Tony, pulling assumptions out of his ass to satisfy his ego and give his cravings and jealousy some grounds and justification. She'd hate to see that become of him. It might just be HIM calling Karin and Thalia out for being an item next thing... But she could hope not.


At least Thalia was good at following instructions, listening to what her more experienced friend had to say. Perhaps Karin was babying her slightly, but she didn't mind. "Well, I don't exactly look like I've cooked anything before, but at the same time, I'm not the kind of stupid to shove my face in the oven and see what happens," she smirked, glaring at Karin with a smile. With a shake of her head, she stepped closer to the microwave, where she was directed to the olive oil. She grabbed it and turned back to the stove. "If something explodes, put the blame on me," she shrugged, even though she knew the odds of her blowing something up under these circumstances was very slim. She unscrewed the lid on the bottle and, very carefully, poured it over a pan over the hob, but not too much. She figured she shouldn't pileload it, but she still wasn't exactly sure of what she was doing. But for now, she moved on to retrieve the plastic bag of sausages from the fridge, cutting open the tough plastic with her bare hands. She had some physical strength, but this much? She was surprised. Then again, she hadn't done THIS before, so everything was so strange to her. She kept he bag torn open, shaking the pan from the handle over the heat slightly, watching the oil work sizzle slightly.


"I'm... doing this right, yeah? Nothing's going to explode?" Thalia was naturally paranoid. If she were doing something wrong, she might as well laugh it off as Karin swipes everything from her hands and fixes the mess before it blows up in her face. Maybe even literally. "Please tell me you taught yourself to cook. It'll give me some hope that I won't fuck this up."


--


As Jon's breaths slowed down and became deeper and more relaxed, so did Charlie's, slowly inhaling and exhaling in an attempt to calm himself down. He'd seen his mother doing such exercises with other kids at recess at school when they were stressed out or crying, but he never figured it would work. Boy, was he wrong. He found himself breathing more easily, still crying, but at least he wasn't struggling to catch his breath now once he took things a bit slower. Venting felt good around Jon. He knew this man could motivate him to get back on his feet for the coming day. They had a long road and many 'missions' ahead of them. And Charlie couldn't be upset and restless throughout the trip. And he knew he could pull himself together one way or another. Especially with this man's help. And once he was breathing steadily, Jon continued.


Made up. That's all that wolf was. It wasn't real. It was just a way for Charlie to make sense of everything. A reality, really, and one simple enough for a child to comprehend. And Charlie certainly thought so. A scary wolf-like creature chasing him and swallowing his father... just a figment of his imagination trying to create a scenario that filled in the blanks. The boy simply nodded in response to the explanation. Then Jon went on to explain his nightmares. How after he lost his father, his mind would run wild and create these fictional scenarios to explain what didn't add up upstairs. The unrealistic: monsters, stick figures, evil creatures... similar to what Charlie just described. And he knew what killed his father. Charlie still had no idea that it was Al-Asheera that took his father. And worse: he didn't know WHY they did. It wouldn't be easy to tell a small child that his sister's life decisions costed their father his life. But once again, it wasn't that black and white either. Thalia didn't ask for her father dead. Ra's took that initiative on his own. But it would still haunt the boy if he knew it was because of his sister. So that was to remain quiet. Not like Jon knew any of the details.


Running and getting cornered by a monster in dreams was a rather common occurrence, even in kids. It wasn't the first time Charlie had such a dream.  No, this was the first time he had a dream where it ended in his father's death. Usually, it ended in Charlie himself being eaten alive, and he wouldn't wake up so panicked and uneasy. But one thing that Jon did reassure: his father had a quick death, and not to a vicious wolf like the one he dreamed of. It wasn't something the boy thought into all that much, but it was a bit comforting to know his father didn't have a painful death. He was shot into several times after death, but that part was left out. A child didn't have to hear that detail. But painless? It felt... slightly better. "Everyone loved Daddy... who wanted to kill him?" he uttered softly, his gaze lowered to the floor beneath. It was a genuine question. Jacob was a beloved member of the community he was a part of. Charlie was still assuming his killer was someone he knew. But no. It was a stranger. He just didn't know that much.


Was there anything bothering Charlie? Apart from the dream, that is. In real life? Nothing really. What was there to bother him? His life was as good as it could be. He sighed and went on. "Mommy's sad, isn't she?" he asked, but rather rhetorically. "She hasn't been the same since he died. She's afraid, isn't she? .... Are the mean people who killed Daddy going to hurt us? Are they chasing us on the roads? I just..." he sniffled. "Thank you for protecting us, Jon. If they got to Mommy... I...." he shook his head, crying a bit more. He cared for his mother, for his whole family. He wanted to be strong in the absence of his father. He let his head crash into Jon's chest to vent out whatever was left on his mind. "Do you know why they killed Daddy? Are they going to find Thalia, too? I know you want to protect me, but I should protect myself, too. And my mommy... I don't want her to die, too, Jon... please don't let her die."


With those words, Charlie went quiet, just burying his face into Jon's chest and embracing him as if to cling for dear life. He was scared and brought up several concerns beyond his age. How would Jon answer him?
 
"Life is unfair, but it's still good, I guess." Karin said. "Without sounding too offensive towards you, obviously, by Frank doing this, what has he enabled?" He asked. "Has he enabled the chance of Jordan having a better life now, purely because he got him away from there? For all we know, Jordan would end up running away from a foster family, or leaving the foster system and immediately turning to something bad. Be it drugs, crime, alcoholism, or all three. I know this isn't easy, and I know accepting that Frank's done this isn't an easy thing either. Chances are it's going to hurt, and it might make you feel unwanted as well, but... I don't think that's the case. Worst case scenario is that he thinks everything between you will continue as it is. If that's the case, you need to discuss that with him instead of me, obviously." She explained. 


"Sometimes the game of love is nothing but loss. I was in his spot more times than once, more times than I remember. I had a guy's interest, and as soon as they found out I had Joseph under my wing, funnily enough their numbers never answered and I never even saw them again. It's strange how it unfolds, and it hurts, but..." She shook her head. "I guess things sometimes just unfold that way. Sometimes the smallest thing can cause a break so big, but, that doesn't mean it has to be made into something terrible. I'd rather see you both happy as friends than miserable as a couple, if I'm honest with you." She said. "You're an easy girl to get on with, Thalia. You're a lot nicer and a lot better as a person than you give yourself credit for. You need to work towards seeing yourself from a higher perspective. I don't think you'd be able to go wrong if you were able to do that." She said. 


There was tension in the kitchen, quite clearly. It was getting increasingly obvious, and with Jordan being on-edge around Karin and Thalia, and Thalia, Frank, and Karin hardly even saying a word to each other, it wasn't hard to tell that there was something up. Frank didn't want to imagine that there was a problem now, but, at the same time, he found it easy to picture why there would be one. There were plenty of reasons why there'd be a problem between the people in this room. Not a possibility he liked imagining, but one he knew he'd have to face. Why didn't she kiss him when she had the chance? There was no one here who would find it unusual. Tony was gone, and it was just the four of them here. He was already asking himself questions - Thalia's nervousness showed just in the way she said hello. From that moment on, maybe Frank just sort of knew that something wasn't right, knew that some things weren't meant to be. He'd cling onto the bit of hope he had left, though. He couldn't just give up on the idea of a successful relationship with Thalia.


The cooking was going well enough, though. Nothing was on fire just yet.


"You're doing that just fine, yeah." Karin said. "All you gotta' do is put the sausages under the grill now. I mean, they're frozen, so, you need to give them maybe five or so minutes all over? Y'know, just keep turning them with a fork or something. They shouldn't take more than fifteen or twenty minutes. We'll call it twenty to be safe." She said. "Once the oil's smoking in the pan, though, lay the bacon down in it. Don't throw it in, because you'll splash oil all over yourself if you do. Make sure you use a spatula to flip that, because chances are the oil's gonna' spit anyway. Best to just keep out of harm's way." She said. "Don't worry, I more or less taught myself to cook, yeah." She said. "Believe me, cooking is the easiest thing in the world after you've cooked all the meats at least a few times. After that, everything becomes simple. The internet can teach you everything overnight, basically. They have it down to how much oregano you should put on chicken - Or roasting herbs, I mean." She shook her head. "Trust me. Piece of cake." She said.


Usually she'd be swearing a lot more, or at least a little, but... Jordan was here, after all.


Given how much she'd heard Thalia swear in casual conversation, she was going to guess that was another reason the life as a mature parental figure didn't appeal to her all that much, either. Small things like that can make all the difference.


Soon enough, however, James walked into the kitchen. He wasn't showered or anything, but, he did hear commotion from the room, so off he went to explore. And in there were no one other than his favorite people - once more, though, Jordan was on edge. Another person to deal with, another person he hardly knew beyond hello and goodbye. Frank could see the discomfort rising in the boy's face just as he tried to keep his eyes glued to the surface of the kitchen island. Could he maybe get him involved? Get him to get used to everyone here?


James approached Karin, though, and wrapped his arms around her from behind, "Well, hello." He said, simply. "Didn't think I'd see you here." He grinned, planting a kiss on half of her cheek and half her lips from behind her. Karin didn't know if this was appropriate given the situation with Thalia's love life - she didn't want to upset her or even make her the slightest bit jealous (although she didn't take Thalia for the jealous type) - still, though, James didn't know a thing about it. He assumed things were all great right now. "Making breakfast, huh?" He asked. 


"Maybe." Karin smiled. "If you're nice enough, I might just be generous and make enough for you."


"Oh, how kind." He rolled his eyes, "Is Joe up?"


"Not yet. Wake him in a bit. Let him get an extra ten minutes or so, I guess." She chuckled. 


Frank spoke out, "Jordan, have you met all these guys?" He asked. Jordan looked at him and said nothing, but then, as Frank pointed at them, he slowly turned and ran his eyes over all of them. "You've met Karin, sort of." He nodded to the white-haired girl. "There's Thalia, there." He nodded to Thalia, "And there's James. You've seen them around, right?" He asked.


Jordan turned back to him. "Yeah." He mumbled. Frank could see his efforts to try and comfort him were to no avail. "Can we go outside?" He asked, quietly.


Frank looked at him, then up at the others in the kitchen. Maybe it'd be best for him to step outside, give them a chance to talk. Things seemed too quiet towards him to feel normal. "Good idea, buddy." He sighed, then hopped off his seat. Immediately Jordan followed him, taking him by the hand and walking with him out the back door and over to the poolside. He just wanted to sit down somewhere quiet again. At least he wasn't bawling his eyes out, though, at least not yet. Frank knew business was going to call eventually, and he was going to have to leave Jordan in the care of someone else. He wanted Joseph to come along so that he and Jordan could hopefully become friends. If Jordan had a friend, Frank was sure he'd be much more willing to part from his side for a little while.


James was happy for one reason to see them go - Business talk.


"Right, ladies..." James said. "Particularly you, Thalia." He said. "We're making plans to go and see Roland today, maybe make the exchange. I don't trust Tony enough to do all of this himself, so, sadly, you've gotta' come along with us." He said. "You, Tony, Frank... Tony doesn't want you on the exchange meeting, though. He wants you to avoid having your cover blown and trust lost... Unless it's already too late for that." He said. "To think, I wasted time and resources getting that million. That sorta' stuff doesn't fall from the sky." He sighed. Was there annoyance behind the fact that the money had gone to waste, almost? In a way, yes, but... "Then again, I did suggest we tell Ra's to fuck himself over the money." He said. "So, now we have a million dollars to play with. How about that?" He asked, laughing. "Still, though, if you come with us... Tony wants five minutes alone with Roland to ask some questions - Are there any other things you want to point out for the sake of the exchange? You know how Ra's works, after all." He shrugged. "Is he likely to try and screw us over?"


--


Everyone loved daddy.


Those were sad words to hear, because it was all so true. Jon was never a religious man, but he heard talks of Reverend Jacob Griffin now and again. A man loved in the community, a man who was almost a mini-celebrity, in some ways. It was a shame, but the thing was, there was always going to be people who didn't like you, even if you didn't know that. He needed Charlie to understand that before the end of the night, but, he didn't want to break his heart anymore. He'd have to be careful with the wording.


"I know everyone loved him, Charlie." He sighed, hugging the boy close still. "Everyone did love him, yes, but, the thing about that is..." He sighed, "Were you ever told about Gandhi in school? I doubt it. That's more middle school stuff, but, he was a big-up on... I think racism and rights and everything. I can't remember all that well - either way, he was a peaceful protester, never did as much as little as kick sand at someone. He had friends all over the world, technically. Everyone seemed to love him, but, then... Well, he was assassinated. Shot in the street as he walked." He sighed. "You see, Charlie, people will love you. People will like you just because they can, people will like you for a reason, or they won't - the same applies to those who don't like you, you understand? No matter where you go, you'll find someone who doesn't like you. It's sad to see things like that, but, your dad? He had a lot more people that liked him compared to those that didn't. It was just the odd one guy that took things too far." He sighed.


"There's quite a few sayings about all of that. You can't be everyone's cup of tea - things like that, and it's true. As we go through life, we find people that love us, we find people that like us, and we find people that hate us. Some people have reasons for hating us, others... They don't. They hate everyone just because they can, because many of the people like that? Many of them are sick. Sick upstairs, y'know?" He tapped his head. "And if you're sick for long enough without anyone to help you out, sometimes you do things that aren't you. Sometimes you'd do things you'd never usually do, because you've been lost to some sort of... Void." He gulped. "That wasn't your daddy's fault, Charlie, if a man like that took him away." He said. "Your dad did everything he could for all his friends and family - he's not to blame for what happened. No one is." He explained, his voice as gentle as he could manage. "Chances are, Charlie... The man who did it wasn't someone your dad knew well. It wasn't a close friend or anything like that. Don't think that the good people in the world would ever do something like that. There's a lot more good people than the bad ones, believe me." He explained.


Charlie had a lot of fairly dark questions, not questions and requests that your average eight-year-old should be asking. They were questions Jon was willing to answer, though. 


"Mommy... Mommy's bound to be sad, Charlie." He rubbed his back. "Yeah, she's sad, because she lost a man she loved very much, too. She'll be sad for a while, probably, but... That doesn't mean she's any different. It just means that you and me have to be there to look out for her, right?" He smiled a little. "Sadness... It doesn't last forever. Like I said to you earlier on about going to bed and waking up, wishing things were different? Same for your mommy. She'll go to bed at night feeling sad, sure, but one night she'll sleep just fine, and the next day, she'll wake up feeling that little bit happier." He explained. "And that'll continue on. It'll keep going and going until she's... Better, I guess you could say. There'll be the bad days, but... Bad times put the shine into a diamond, kiddo. We can't live without the bad days, even though we sometimes wish we could." He said. 


"The people aren't chasing us, I swear. If they were, me and Eric would know. And you probably would too, because you're one of my agents. You're smart, and you know what you're looking for." He said. "If I even thought for a minute someone was trying to chase us? My first priority would be to make sure you were okay, to make sure you and your mom were safe. As for Thalia? Well, kid, Thalia's been out in the world since she was only five years older than you. If she's been okay for this long, you think a single guy out there's gonna' be able to stop her? Nah." He chuckled. "I'm sure your sister's gonna' be fine, and you know what? She's with my friend, James. James knows what he's doing. He'll keep her safe, I promise you. He'll help keep all of us safe once we get to California. You'll see what I mean. He's a real good man, a good friend I should have kept a lot more contact with, but, you know." He shrugged.


"Like I said, the man who took your dad... He might have just been sick in the head, or... Maybe he had something burning up inside of him that he couldn't stop. I don't know the exact reasons, but, whoever did it? Remember how I told you that James is gonna' stop the people doing things like that? Well, he'll be able to make sure the man that did it to your dad gets locked up in prison where he belongs, alright? He'll be locked away where he can't hurt anyone else. James will promise you that himself, just ask him when we meet him." He said, softly. "Your mommy's not gonna' die, either. I won't let that happen." He said. He didn't want Charlie to break down again.


When Charlie put his face in his chest, Jon put his hands on his shoulders and slowly inched him away. "Charlie, look at me." He said, simply. As soon as his eyes met the tearful ones of the young boy, he smiled, and with one hand he reached up and dried the tears away. "Listen... Mommy will be fine. I promise I will keep you and mommy safe no matter what happens - you don't need to worry about defending yourself, okay? Don't fill your head with fears of how you might have to do that. I don't expect you to be a fighter, alright? You don't need to be as long as I'm here." He smiled at him, and of course, he winked. "Tell you what... Me and you? How about this... I'll watch your back, and then me and you can watch out for mommy together. That way, we know she'll be extra safe. Eric? He can look out for me - We'll be one big team, almost. Eric's looking out for your mom right now, too, so you don't have to be scared, Charlie. You're safe here with us. I swear." He said.


"There's one thing I like - Remember this..." He thought for a second. "Hard work pays off, dreams come true - Tough times don't last, but tough guys do." He gently nudged his shoulder with a grin on his face. "One other thing, Charlie... I've made my mind up on something..." He said. "You and your mom - especially you... You've taught me a lot. We haven't even known each other for a full day, but I feel so much wiser having met you and spoken to you." He smiled, warmly. "At first, I was planning on helping you and mom get to California, and then I was gonna' go home, but..." He held up a finger. "Now?" He asked. "Now... I've changed my mind." He looked down and smiled even more, before finally looking back up at him. "I'm gonna' stay around in California, Charlie. So I can keep on seeing you and your mommy, so me and you can still hang out and work together as spies. Plus, we need to watch the Mission Impossible movies, remember?" He smirked. "But, I'm getting my business transferred, and I'm starting it back up on the west coast. Cars, fancy cars - I'll go back to doing what I'm best at, and... As spies, we need cover jobs." He said. "I'll have my car business, but... I certainly can't do it alone, Charlie..." He said, simply.


Hopefully Charlie was beginning to figure out what he was saying by now...


"How would you like to help me out with all that? Maybe be my little business partner?" He asked. "There's definitely some allowance money in there for a job well done." He whispered, a big grin on his face.


He'd hoped he'd comforted enough, and he hoped he made him happy with two things: One, dropping the news he was sticking around, and two, giving him an offer to help out in his very own business. Obviously, Charlie wasn't going to be a floor manager, but, that wasn't to say he couldn't help out Jon on weekends, or something. It'd definitely give him some responsibility, something to do, and something to make him feel grown up. At least that's what Jon thought, anyway. He wanted Charlie to feel special - he wanted him to feel like he was the only person that existed in Jon's world.
 
After years of being belittled by the next worst thing to a slave driver, it was hard for Thalia to see herself in a brighter light. Every remark she had about herself was unreasonably negative and demotivating. It wasn't just because of being called a 'whore' almost daily by her betrothed, but also the sexually degrading remarks of the other members of Al-Asheera. Roland was a prime example with all of the occasional touches and wolf-whistles whens he wasn't paying attention. The only person in her organization that actually treated her with respect was ultimately killed for it. So hearing Karin one-up her was very strange. Unnatural. It's part of the reason she doesn't consider herself attractive. How could she with what she endured? How could she with the lives she's ruined? All different matters that had an impact on her. Then came this new experience, some people better and kinder than others, and it felt... good, for once. It's of the reason why heartbreak hurt as much as it did. She, for once, believed someone when they admired her. Surely, if things had to fall out between her and Karin, a similar heart-breaking feeling would endure as well. Two people she genuinely believed for once. And that's why it killed to have to be honest with Frank. But who knows? Maybe they'll compromise? Maybe he'll beg her to stay and she'll cave? Who knows?


Frank felt the tension, much like Thalia did. But what could she do? She found it sort of inappropriate to greet him with even a hug, not because of Jordan in the room, but because she had something rather serious to discuss in the near future. Show affection, then break up? That surely wasn't a mature way to handle things. But immediately, Thalia felt the regrets of now even showing the slightest of glances to Frank while she was trying not to fumble while cooking. But so far, nothing has exploded. There wasn't a fireball emerging from the pan or anything. What was she so afraid of? Nothing, truly. And Karin continued on with the advice. What to do next, and how she could learn online. It was a plan at first, and now something she'd genuinely consider on her free time. Smiling back to her friend, she winked. "Well, in that case, I might just try something alone. at some point. Hopefully won't blow the place up, right?" She was so worried she'd do exactly that. Why, though? A memory of herself making the elementary school mistake of putting aluminum foil in the microwave and watching it spark. Something that went down during her time in Al-Asheera, back in her first few months. There was something wrapped in foil that she put in the microwave, and, well, she saw the aftermath. It landed her a smacking from Ra's as a result, but a lesson well learned to never try anything cooking related.


Cursing was a habit Thalia never really paid much attention to. She knew she had a potty mouth every since she left home, probably provoked by how strict her parents were with watching her words at home. Once she took her freedom by force, she was quite literally off her leash, letting out all of the obscenities in her heart with no limits. It was another reason she knew she wouldn't make a good mother. She hardly even noticed she was cursing around Jordan. Would he pick up on those words, then Frank blame her for teaching him curse words? It would be worse if she was the official motherly figure in his life. Quite embarrassing on her account.


Then came James, who instantly greeted his girlfriend in a way any madly-in-love man would: a hug from behind and romantic kiss. Of course, this caught Thalia's eye, just watching them so happy together without a care in the world. If James could put up with a child, why couldn't Thalia? For one, Joseph was older and probably more mature, given the few conversations she had with him so far. Next was that he wasn't traumatized by an immediate death in the family. Third, James knew what he was signing up for; Thalia didn't expect Frank to return from work yesterday with a child clinging to him. Jordan was a massive handful, one that Thalia figured she couldn't handle. But the intimacy between Karin and James through the idea of childcare? The redhead wasn't sure if she was the jealous type, mostly because she's never had anyone to be jealous of. But in this particular moment, she and her best friend - who hooked up with guys at nearly the same time - and Karin's romance was blossoming while Thalia's was on the brink of failure? It made her reconsider everything. She focused more on her cooking though, simply so nobody would get a hint that she was looking too much. The last thing she needed was being caught jealous. Was she? Just a little.


It occurred to Thalia that she hadn't been formally introduced to Jordan. Frank did those honors, and almost instantly... the boy retreated, asked to leave the kitchen. Understandably, and Frank allowed him to and took for a door. Leaving so soon? Just because the boy was uncomfortable around a crowd? She didn't blame him for his own trauma, because deep down, Thalia was recovering from losing her father, too. She was just getting over it in a mature manner. But she wasn't going to let Frank just... up and leave like that. It hurt too much to be distant. She hated that feeling in her gut. Guilt. She couldn't just tell him no now. If James could cope with Joseph, so could she with Jordan. Fuck it. I can't do this. Dropping her things while cooking, she ran after him before he could exit. Almost out of nowhere, she threw her hands over his neck and left a desperate, passionate kiss over his lips, lasting for a good while before slowly drifting her head away. Her eyes were wide open, sorry, guilty for acting as she did this morning, and fabricating an excuse that wasn't her getting cold feet. "I-I'm sorry... I just had a rough night last night. Bad dreams, and all..." A lie that could survive in these conditions. But after that, she let the man go. Not like there was much else to say. She just wanted those few seconds of intimacy. She should've asked to talk in private later, but... not now. She panicked, and forgot about the idea of breaking up.


Was she jealous NOW? Probably.


Now alone, James immediately brought work into the equation. Finally, something to take Thalia's mind off of this mess in her head. Her professional half returned as she stepped closer to James to explain what she could tell from right now. "So Roland's usable now? Perfect. He wants to be traded it seems, himself for Melissa. I'm telling you from now, Ra's WILL execute him the second he shows his face. I bet you already, Roland probably attempted suicide a few times at our doctor's place. He's begging for it; standard protocol, you know? First the guy from the station. Then there was The Transporter. He said it in Arabic, James, but he was asking me to kill him. Not that I should've taken it that far, but he had no use beyond what he'd said. If I didn't do it, he'd find a way to slit his wrists himself." She sighed, placing her hands on her hips, head tilted back to consider other possibilities. "Tony's right. I shouldn't be at the exchange. Ra's might be suspicious of me, but we're not on that sort of negative terms. The money? It's not useless. Ra's knows it's en route. So long as he knows I haven't thrown it away just yet, I can still toy with his emotions. So no, no honeymoon for you two with that million just yet." She laughed, winking to the two of them. 


Will the exchange be a bust? "Ra's is sneaky. He probably has a contingency if this goes sour. So the best course of action is to simply obey his terms and not argue with him too much. The more you try to pursue your own agenda, the more tempted he'll be to break the rules.... you heard what he did to my father, right?" A grim memory that held a truth in the situation. "He makes rules just to break them. And if it's not his own rule, he'll be even more tempted. So we take it easy, let him set the location, and we work with it from there. But we ask him for proof that Melissa's alive. If she's not there, we don't hand over Roland. That should be obvious, but important."


Tony wanted some alone time with Ra's. Strange, but she could probably guess why. "I don't trust Tony as far as I can throw him. So I'll come along when you go see Roland. Keep the bastard on a tight leash. There's no need to get violent around Roland anymore. He's already petrified of me as is. No need to kick the hornet's nest again."


--


Minutes into his brutal rampage, Victor took a break from his sexual advancement on the defenseless, chained Jenny. His plumber outfit had been rolled off of his upper body to expose his topless chest, and he sat on a chair not far away from the girl, just watching her exhausted and tired, also afraid of what was to come. Her shorts had been dropped to her ankles, but other than that, she was still full clothed but couldn't pull the shorts back up in her position. In her chained seating position, it was hard for her to do much other than squirm and kick. And watch her assailant grin at her seductively, of course. Her breathing was uneasy, her jaw almost permanently dropped at the horrific sight of this man who'd just assaulted her. Her forehead just above her eye stopped bleeding, but there was still a stream of red that circled around her eye and fell down her cheek. No other forms of physical violence were evident on the girl, as the attack on her was purely sexual moments ago. For now, Victor was worn out and taking a break. Whimpering and almost in tears, Jenny tried to keep her sights on the front door in hopes that his threat of everyone dead wasn't true and someone heard her screams of terror while she was violated by the likes of Al-Asheera.


"How old are you, you sick bastard...." she snarled, peeking back at him, just watching him chuckled at her comment. Then she noticed something on Victor: a silver band on his left ring finger. "You son of a bitch. You're married, more than twice my age, and you're still looking for someone old enough to be your daughter to do this to?"


He wagged his finger in front of her, impressed at her analysis skills. She was chatty. Thank god he wiped the building out before coming here. "Ahh, Jenny.... there's so much you don't understand about what my organization does."


"What? Cheat on their significant others and rape people just to get their dicks up?" She jolted her wrists against the radiator and adjusted her position to lean against the wall. A conversation was in the works, and a chance to downtalk the brute. "Kill them, too? I thought Al-Asheera were thieves. Their whole 'we don't kill' complex they made such a big deal out of. What happened to that?"


"We are. But we're so much more than thieves. And we only kill when necessary"


"Was killing all of my neighbors and swinging your dick around me 'necessary'?"


Blatantly ignoring the question, he continued, "Tell me. Thalia, yesterday. Did she tell you she was engaged to be married?"


Jenny arched an eyebrow at that comment. She knew Thalia had a boyfriend, but nothing more. "Why does that matter?"


"You kissed her out in the open."


"It was nothing more than that. We even got that straight right after. You've got it all wrong. I don't think she'd cheat on her fiance with me."


"Her fiance is the Head of the organization she's been disloyal to."


A small sentence held a lot of weight to Jenny. There was so much about Thalia she still didn't know. Would she ever be able to ask for the truth? "So something tells me she isn't exactly fond of her lucky man."


Victor shook his head. "And as a result, she must be punished."


"Well punish HER, damn it! Not me!" It was more of self-preservation that made her throw Thalia under the bus. She wished no harm upon her first love, but at this rate, it might be Thalia herself that would get Jenny killed. "Why me? She has people easier to find than the girl she kissed in spin the bottle fucking 11 years ago, something nobody even remembers."


"Aw, well, you remember."


"Because I'm the one that kissed her, you dipshit."


"What about last night? That wasn't spin the bottle. Steamy. A kiss under the moonlight at nearly midnight."


"Shut up. You don't tell me how to live. And she seemed so happy around me, just so you know. Probably happier than you and your clan of rapists. And the kiss? I bet she loved it too."


"Did you?"


Pausing, but eventually, Jenny nodded. "I wronged Thalia many years ago. She didn't deserve it, and I've lived with that burden for too long. And when she ran away, I never thought I'd be able to make amends. Guess I was wrong, right? Everything's great between us... but something tells me you won't let that last."


Victor shook his head, standing up from his position and adjusting the waistline of his jumpsuit to drop it lower and lower to expose his undressed lower body in front of Jenny's face. "Break time's over, slut. Get back to pleasuring me."


Unwilling and disgusted at this man's behavior, Jenny squinted at the man, her head leaning back, then discharging a wad of spit at the man's lower body. "Go to hell. I'm not sucking anything on you."


Instantly, the clansman knelt down to the hostage's head level and gripped her cheeks with a single hand. "No. You are going to suck EVERY part of me, like it or not. Or else I will have to, well.... enter out the backdoor. And after what we just did moments ago, I'm sure you don't like that, am I right? I bet you haven't had fun with ANY of this."


"Damn straight I haven't," she growled as he let go of her face. "And not because I'm lesbian. Because who fucking would? Who has fun being with someone like you? How can you look at your wife every day knowing you do things like this?"


Chuckling, Victor stood back up and gave his orders again, ignoring her questions about his wife. "Assume your position. Or you know your fate. Your choice."
 
The scene in the kitchen seemed innocent enough - even though Karin didn't quite like the fact that this whole interaction between her and James was probably emphasizing the shaky relationship bump that Thalia and her own loved one were going through. Karin hated doing that, but, she couldn't exactly shove James away. That'd be a bad move - as much as she wanted to be at Thalia's side until the end of all of it, she wasn't going to put her own love life at risk - understandably. She hoped that Thalia would appreciate it if she didn't want to risk her own love - it had been so long since she'd felt love in this way, with someone so gentle and kind. James had a violent and angry streak, sure, and probably a few secrets that she didn't know about, but that didn't mean she didn't love him. After everything he'd did in such a short space of time, it was hard for her to even think about falling out of love. Her and James were healthy, but sadly, it wasn't the same for her best friend, the one she was giving a cooking lesson to.


She thought from the beginning that Thalia was capable of handling the new life Frank had so suddenly been given - she knew it'd be hard to adapt, but, at the end of the day, kids were just little people. They weren't some alien breed - they were just younger people who said some funny shit at points. It was all a life lesson - she had faith that Thalia would be able to handle a lifestyle like that. But, she wasn't going to try and talk her into it when she seemed so uncomfortable with the idea. Yes, James was a good example of someone who was up and at the ready to have a kid in his life - but he was older, richer, and more capable. He could drive, cook, fight, play music, and put a lot of money on the table if he wanted to. Thalia was... Well, she could get the money, easily, but the driving, cooking, and all the other things a lot of adults can do? She was lacking that, but Karin had a feeling that it wouldn't take long before all those things washed in.


She was smart, and Karin knew that pretty much as soon as she met her. She'd pick things up quickly, and the wild life, even with a kid there, wouldn't be completely out of reach. Jesus fuck - that's half the reason parents love sending their kids to school. If they both get a day off work and the kids are in school? They can do whatever the fuck they please. Be it each other or another activity, or both. Karin didn't have a partner in her life to do all that with when Joseph was at school, but now she did. Now she did, and things were going to be okay. She may have spent all her time working when Joseph was younger, but, things were certainly a lot easier now, and it was only a couple of days into what seemed to be quite the successful relationship. She couldn't wait to see where it was going to go - James' touch was affectionate, not fake, not trying to play off some act. As much as she wanted it to stop for Thalia's sake, feeling that emotion from someone else just felt too good to let go of.


Then the unexpected happened.


Karin was quick to look as Thalia ran after Frank and stopped him before he left the door - It gave Jordan a fright, her rushing up like that, and even caused him to cower a little bit behind his one and only protector, but, there was no need to be scared. Jordan's eyes screamed surprise as soon as he saw her plant that kiss on Frank's lips. A risky move, as Tony could walk in at any moment, but it was a move worth doing. Frank appreciated it - maybe the magic between them wasn't dead? At his side he was squeezing Jordan's hand, whose grip had become tighter for a moment, but... It eased up eventually. He didn't know Frank was Thalia's boyfriend.


To be honest, at Jordan's age, he thought when adults kissed like that was kind of weird - but Frank and Thalia seemed to enjoy it. Huh.


Frank just smiled at her when she spoke after the kiss - he was very much into it, too, returning the same passion. Relief washed over him - he wasn't sure if he could let their dreams die. 


"Hey, don't worry." He said, quietly. "You... You lost your father, Thalia... There's no need for you to try and justify a change in behavior after that, alright?" He laughed once, but, once more, Jordan's eye shot up at her - She lost her dad, too? Seemed they had something in common. Did he now have more of a reason to be a little more trusting around Thalia? Possibly. It was going to be a long road when it came to people outside of Frank, but, gradually things would return. Hopefully they would, anyway. He stood there smiling at her for a minute more, then reached out and slowly ran a hand down the side of her arm. "Little man here wants to go outside. I think he's getting a little overwhelmed in here." He whispered. "I'll see you later on, okay?" He whispered to her, the smile still present, and with a wink, he slowly backed out into the yard. He didn't want to leave, but... He couldn't force Jordan to stay around in there. He knew if he got too flustered by everyone being there, all it'd do is upset him.


Meanwhile, amisdt all the romance and... Sudden slight rejuvination of a possibly broken relationship, Joseph walked out into the kitchen, too. Karin knew the food that was cooking would be just fine, so, she went over to him and gave him a hug. "Hey there, sweetheart." She smiled, kissing him on the top of the head. "You sleep well?"


"Uh-huh." He wiped his eyes and smiled up at her. "My legs ache after the soccer we played yesterday, though." He said, part of his glance going to James, whom of which played soccer with him.


James nodded, "Do some stretches, take a bath. That'll fix right up." He said.


"I'm just making breakfast with Thalia, Joe. You wanna' do your insulin and stuff for it?"


"Sure thing." He nodded. 


"Great." She smiled, "So, I bet you're excited for the soccer and the Jiu Jitsu next week, huh?"


"Yeah, I am... Kinda' nervous about the Jiu Jitsu, but... It looks pretty cool." He smiled. "I'm gonna' go check my blood and everything." He motioned a thumb over his shoulder, and Karin nodded.


"Alright." She replied with a smile, and watched him as he went off. Immediately after he was gone, she turned to James to express yet another concern. "James, are you sure the Jiu Jitsu's a good idea?"


"I'm certain." He reached up, gently stroking her cheek. "Give the kid some growing space. He'll be fine." He winked. "I'm sure he was nervous about his very first day of soccer practice, but, now he loves that sport. Give it time. Gotta' break the comfort zone now and again, otherwise he won't ever find the stuff he really likes." He explained. "Don't worry. He'll be absolutely fine - I guarantee he'll come home that night and tell you he loved it." He said. But still, there was more of a discussion to have with Thalia. "There's no way he'll be able to kill himself in the state he's in. He'll be so drugged up that walking won't be easy, and with two broken arms in casts? Not a chance in hell will he be able to suicide." He explained. "Don't worry, things are going to work out just fine. If the million might still come in useful, then we can definitely use that when we get the right chance." He nodded. "I'll have to stop by Karin's house later on to grab it. I can probably do that after the exchange, depending on how late that's done with. I've got package tracking, so, we'll know when it's close." He said.


"If Ra's breaks his own rules, we definitely don't want to turn him on with the idea of having someone else's rules to break. I suggest we do what we did the other day - sniper on standby for the exchange, so if he does fuck us over, he'll lose a few men, too. If we want to, we can even break some of those rules - You want some of The Ten busted out of the game? Then... Nothing's out there to say the sniper can't shoot in the direction of Tony and Frank, too. Shoot the ground around them, shoot the car, anything that makes it look like a rogue situation." He said. "That's just a suggestion, though. You know what's best for dealing with Ra's, so by all means, take lead on how we do things." He nodded.


"How do we deal with this if he'll just shoot Roland immediately? How in the hell will we get Melissa back if that's the case?" He asked.
 
All of this time, Thalia never found herself a suitable motherly figure. She wasn't very affectionate, nor calm, not very responsible, and incompetent at most adult skills. If she'd had a child at this point, it would either grow to resent her or simply be significantly maltreated. Kids or no kids, she planned on learning to cook and clean, which she'd been doing alright with so far under her friend's supervision. Nothing exploding or on the verge just yet. So far, this first attempt could be called a success. With eyes on her, at least. Next time she tries, she wanted to attempt to cook something alone. Maybe risky, but James has the resources and capital to refurnish his kitchen if she does cause any sort of catastrophe. She might also get kicked out of the house, but she had alternatives if that were the case. If Jenny got off the bus the same place as her the previous night, she can't be living too far away. A potential place to crash for the time being, and Al-Asheera wouldn't suspect a thing. Why on earth would she be staying at an ex-girlfriend's place anyway? It wasn't something that Ra's would look into, to her knowledge. Al-Asheera probably doesn't even know the connection between Thalia and Jenny, let alone that the latter is also in LA...


How wrong that thought was...


Off of that, Thalia was naturally a fast learner, as she told Karin a few days ago. Just by watching her prepare that one breakfast, she'd already familiarized herself with some basic unspoken do's and don't's of the kitchen. She might be able to manage at this rate, enough to feed herself something simple. Next was probably doing her laundry. Then driving, probably the more exciting skill of it all. The only issue with driving was getting a license. Her name would have to go through the system and would definitely expose her. It shouldn't be a problem with James on their side, his own adeptness in forgery could create a fake identification for her in no time. All so perfect so far...


Frank... how could she possibly break the bad news to him? She could tell from the way he responded to her kiss that he didn't want this to end because of this complication. It all seemed so passionate, so real, like it really was meant to be despite everything around them. But how could she handle becoming a full-time motherly figure for Jordan? She knew she'd feed him something she shouldn't, if she remembers to feed him at all, forget to pick him up from school simply by oversleeping... the list could go on of the room for failure. A list she didn't want to imagine to be the fate of her own child in the future. Her attention wasn't focused on Jordan during her approach, up until she felt a youngster's hand graze across her arm. Her heart skipped a beat when she imagined who it was. Jordan. Why? He was frightened when he saw her get too close to Frank. Now that it became more obvious that they were something more than just friends, and now, Jordan knew that Thalia, much like him, lost her father yesterday. Common ground between the two? Would it make for a good conversation later? If Thalia even had the courage to approach him. She was afraid of even getting close to him. But he was making the first advance by reaching out for her. Her eyes just dropped to the boy for a moment, then back to Frank. As risky as this all was, Frank enjoyed it. Was the magic they once shared still there after all? Could it still be rekindled? She still wanted to talk to Frank in private, but she kept that out of the conversation and let him leave, returning to the pan of oil to continue preparing breakfast. She also took a fork from a drawer to turn the sausages bit by bit in the pan. Carefully, of course. She didn't need to screw it all up now. On the bright side, she was smiling again. The day had taken a better turn already. She even gave Joseph a confident wink when he came to the kitchen. Among his array of new activities, had he forgotten about French lessons? Another topic for a different time. Because once he leaves, there was still business to discuss with James. But what a great kid Karin raised. It was quite an accomplishment to leave her life behind to put her brother first. Was it possible that one day, Thalia could do the same thing for Jordan? Then there was the romance between Karin and James... was that still a possibility for the wilder cop/criminal couple? They'd seemed so... distant. Less time around each other in comparison. Was this a sign of the worst?


Now that she could leave the sausages momentarily, Thalia turned over to James and continued explaining the plan. It was good to hear about Roland being immobile and unable to suicide, and that the money would arrive today if all goes well. But there was still the issue of the encounter itself and the problems it might present. An exchange. Though Thalia couldn't be present herself, she had to warn them of any and every possible way this could go wrong. "Unfortunately, Roland getting offed on the spot is a risk we'll have to take," she shook her head, a bit annoyed at the possibility this could all go amiss. If Ra's feels like it, he might shoot Roland without even asking any questions and dump Melissa's dead body for them to collect. But that was a worst case scenario that she refused to believe credible until it developed some sort of merit. "I doubt he will just shoot Roland immediately. There's a whole process Al-Asheera has to personal execution done by the Head himself. It's some sort of creepy absolution chant that I never understood. Again, this is Ra's we're talking about. I'd hardly call this religious in the logical sense, but for that nutjob? He considers himself god. So anything's possible." Then there was James' other idea. About a mystery shooter ambushing the entire trade. "But your idea could serve as a contingency in the event of a worst case scenario. In case we need a way to get Tony out of there. Proof of life for Melissa is necessary, if she's really still alive, Ra's will hand it over. If she's not...." She gulped, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head in dismay. "I'm hoping she's not. Believe me. Tony's a jerk, but that doesn't mean I wish harm on his girlfriend. But we all know Ra's has more enemies than friends. I read the report about the brothel. After the explosion, there was a sniper? It would make it pretty believable if he made a second appearance and opened fire on THIS exchange. It'll make him extra shaky, but we can't just make it rain hell without a reason. That goes without saying. Our priority is Melissa for Roland. Once that exchange is over and Mel's safe, then and only then can we start shooting and scare them off. If she's dead, we go nuts. But we need to be sure that it's a third party and not us. I'm not saying shoot whoever we'll have on the floor. But a few shots at their feet, a close shave or two... it could suffice in the moment. He'll never trust a trade-off with Tony again, but at least he won't have leverage on any of us anymore... And remember, we can't kill Ra's yet. Not until I can confirm that The Ten are all gone. Two are dead, one's in our custody, and another is... well, me. There's six left. Let's see how many Ra's brings to the trade."


Perfect. It all seemed to be in place. She took a few steps closer to James and asked, "So, when are we going to see the dickless wonder?"


--


One man's pleasure was at the expense of another woman's suffering. And Victor was surely not through with Jenny. He just wanted to know how far he was permitted to go in his slew of abuse. It had been primarily sexual, but he had other sadistic plans in mind: mutilation, desensitization, maybe even making this girl hate Thalia to the degree that she'll beg to be killed. That was the plan. But only when the Head gives the greenlight for stage two. As he separated himself from the woman once more to give her a break, he reached for the cell phone from before and dialed a number as he glanced down at Jenny, proud of his work. Her face told a story of pure misery, begging to be spared and just let go, simply because in her eyes, this wasn't worth it. If this were an attack on her friend, what good would it be if she were dead? It's not like she and Thalia were best friends or anything. They hadn't spoken in years. How did they make the connection was a mystery to her. But all she could do is lie on the floor as if she were crippled and wait for her abuser to act next. Her badmouthing tactic would go upon deaf ears, or he'd at least try to belittle her further. But this phone call, out loud and on speakerphone, might give her more opportunities to talk with the man.


"Mawlaye, she has been immobilized." For once, a conversation that isn't in Arabic. "I've taken out some of my... stress into her." He took a peek at Jenny from the edge of his eye, licking his lips in some sort of sick pleasing manner. "What are your orders? How far am I to go?"


"As far as you please. She dies in the end. But you may exploit her to the desire of your heart. She is yours, Al-Masaaf."


"With pleasure, Mawlaye."


That was the conclusion of the phone call. So brief, but it was all The Medic needed to proceed. There wasn't much Jenny could extract, other than she was a dead girl at the end of all of this. A name, though. 'Mawlaye'. She didn't know it was the way that the leader is formally addressed, just a title more than anything else, but she had to ask,


"Who's Mawlaye?" Silence. "At least tell me that. It seems like I'm going to die anyway. I might as well know who ordered my death."


Chuckling, he left the phone on the coffee table and returned to his sleazy stare at his hostage. "He is my lord and savior. He showed me the light and the way of life I was destined to fulfill. He is the reason I do what I do, and he has given me full ownership of you."


Scoffing, she continued, speaking clearly what was on her mind about this mysterious leader, "You talk about him like he's some sort of god or prophet. What, like he fulfilled some sort of prophecy and you're a part of it?" Her infuriated eyes squinted in his direction, questioning his every motive. "He's nothing. You're just another brainwashed piece of shit of the many that this bastard has."


He knelt down to Jenny's head level, scratching beneath her chin in a way to elevate her gaze to center into his eyes. "Ah-ha. Do I hear blasphemy about Al-Ra's? Perhaps I should've started with the punishment for that."


Punishment wasn't all that threatening for the poor woman anymore. She'd already been punished enough over the course of the past thirty minutes. A bash to the head, taken as hostage and someone else's 'property' in her own home, and now being exploited for this man's amusement. And she knew she was going to die, on top of it all. "What is it? Thirty lashes?"


Victor shook his head, leaning forward slightly to bite her lower lip. "I'll leave it a surprise for now. But for now, you're going to stand up so we can continue.... having fun. Hm? Isn't this fun?"


In disgust from the kiss, she scowled, "Go to hell. You and your leader. This isn't honorable. You're not fulfilling any dumb prophecy. All you're doing is becoming savages to the mainstream and overglorifying yourselves as gods. You think you're gods?" Lunging at him as far as she could reach, she hissed, "Just by this, you've proven otherwise."


"Blasemphy!" He barked in her face, unhappy at her insults.


"You're delusional. So whatever you're gonna do.... you can shove your baby dick up your ass when this is all over."


More dick remarks to a man from an organization that, for some sick reason, takes pride in their manhood. It made Victor's blood boil, but he kept quiet.


Ignoring the return of fire, the clansman reached into his jumpsuit pocket and retrieved the handcuff key buried within it. He reached forward at the chains through the radiator to undo her binds and cuff her elsewhere. Raping her while she was in a corner was tiring and uncomfortable for him. It must've been miles more uncomfortable for Jenny, but her comfort wasn't on his mind in the slightest. But Jenny was surprised that her hands were going to be free, even ever so briefly. Even though she wasn't a fighter, she'd proven that she can express a more brutal side if need be. She noticed her hands separating from their close proximity and her body raised up to her feet alongside the man. He had her shoulders gripped in each of his hands and his head leaning closer to her. There wasn't really anywhere she could run or escape from, especially not while he was expecting it. No, while she was weak and disoriented, Victor leaned closer, pinned Jenny to the wall, and pressed his body against her own in a long, aggressive kiss. Jenny gave him no satisfying return for the pleasure, only because she felt absolutely none from his. Her hands gripped his elbows in an attempt to push him away, but it only provoked the monster further. Now slightly more aggravated, his touch dropped from her shoulders down her chest, gripping and squeezing her chest to pin her against the wall at full force. Amidst the moaning of displeasure and attempts to push him away, it was all futile up until now. Until he pulled that stunt, freeing her shoulders. It made her feel beyond uncomfortable for this man to make such a bold advancement on her body, and Jenny wasn't going going to stand for it any longer. She knew her apartment better than anyone, and she knew that she had a mop right by her radiator, on her right side. Almost too perfect. Victor would never see it coming, far too consumed by how lucky he'd been, now with permission to do such things to a woman of his choosing. But Jenny had had enough. Her right arm extended as far as its span could reach to grab the green stick and lunge it at full force into the side of her attacker. It caught him off guard enough to separate him from the kiss, which gave the victim enough time to pull off a strong push to get him off of her, shoving him several steps back. None of this he saw coming, which caused his rage to return in his eyes. No more mister nice guy. But ashe plotted his own revenge, Jenny had reached over for a lamp off a nearby table, ripped it out of the power socket, and swung it at Victor's skull, dropping him to the floor in the process. No fighter, but she certainly hit hard.


If any time was considered an emergency, it was now. While her imminent threat was neutralized, Jenny quickly pulled her shorts back into her legs properly and over to their place and just watched as he groaned in pain. The hit was right down the center of his forehead, and he was in pain, crawling in the direction of his toolbox. Oddly enough, not for her. He must have a gun or something. Frantically, she grabbed her cell phone from the couch where she was once sitting and ran for the door. Victor had locked it by the chain and the padlock, so Jenny quickly unbarred the door and opened it, ready to make a run for it without even looking back to see if her assailant and rapist was back to his feet or even behind her to drag her back into place by her hair. She dashed off in the nick of time, too, as the sounds of suppressed bullets making contact with walls resounded in her mind and made her scream. But now, all she could do is run. It took a flight down the stairs, but she eventually arrived to the lobby of her apartment to find the unthinkable....


Victor wasn't bluffing. He murdered everyone in her complex. Her neighbors, men, women, and children, some of which passing through the lobby all had bullets between their eyes. It halted Jenny in her tracks just seeing all of these people she'd known for so long, all offed because of her connection to a girl who disappeared eight years ago. But was this Thalia? It's not like the mystery redhead made this call herself. No, it was the Head of her organization. But she needed to ask Thalia herself to be sure. She wasn't one to make assumptions, at least not now. And the fact that they happily exchanged phone numbers said something about their potential relationship. Thalia didn't want this. This was beyond her. The sounds of heavy footsteps on the stairs got Jenny's attention off of the bodies on the floor. Victor was coming, and the sounds of his weighty boots were echoing from the stairway. Jenny had to keep running. But the sight of all of those people - her neighbors and some of them her long term friends - wouldn't leave her mind. She'd never witnessed death before. And the sight of the lobby looked like something a serial killer would do. All of this to hurt Jenny. She couldn't stay here even if she wanted to cry over the body of that friend of hers that Victor mentioned, just so she could say she was sorry. There was no time for that. Any more hesitation could be the end of her. So for now, she ran. Anyone who might see her would know something is wrong with the cut over her eye and how frantic she looked. Escaping was priority. Then Thalia. Then 911.


What was worse? Ra's wouldn't be happy if he finds out about Victor's carelessness. And that same carelessness would cost him so much more than his dream woman.


--


Nicole couldn't resist but to eavesdrop on her son with his new guardian out on the balcony. Not in plain sight, but from the other side of the curtains behind the glass doors. She just had to hear what Jon was telling Charlie to get his hopes up. The sight of her precious little boy so panicked and afraid after a simple nightmare just wouldn't get out of her mind. His wheezing, his cries, the way he leaned on her from the beginning... it was awful. It also ran through the teacher's mind: who did this? The words of that police officer from earlier still rang in her head, that her daughter might have something to do with the shooting. She was still unaware of Thalia's connection to Al-Asheera, but that wasn't something she needed to burden herself with. Her husband's gone, her son is traumatized... but her daughter is found at long last. While it was a silver lining, it still didn't make up for all of the trouble this family had been through. Charlie's words... 'Everyone loves Daddy.' The boy loved his father and looked up to him deeply. Losing such an important figure in his life would have to take a toll. And the questions the boy asked were years beyond his age and very curious. It must've been so difficult and quite a weight on Jon's shoulders to be overloaded with such questions. Nicole had dealt with carrying such a burden from students in the past, and even her own burden from the disappearance of her daughter. But never have any of her past traumas, to herself or others, involved someone as close as her husband. Jon, on the other hand, seemed to have things under control in a time where she couldn't be strong. This James person who sent him must've really known what he was doing. There was no better choice of man to help her son in a time of need.


Meanwhile, Charlie could only listen to the wise words of the older man in response to his questions. Questions about the fate of his family. Who killed his father, and why? No doubt Jon didn't have all of the answers. But he seemed like he was trying to put the boy at ease as best as possible. Reassuring that he, his mother, and his sister would be safe. All he did was listen and try to make sense of the situation while letting out his tears into the man whose lap he sat on. There was talk about how the man who killed his father was a bad person who was probably messed up in the head. Talk about how they weren't being followed. Talk about how Jon would protect them. That his mother would get better in time. She'd sleep easier; she'd wake up just a bit better as each day goes by. And from a boy asking such mature questions, he could understand the answers in an equally mature manner.


The crying eased at long last, looking up to Jon when asked. His touch, his words, his eyes, it all felt like a source of comfort for a lost boy whose heart was ripped from its place and his entire life turned upside down because of a group of brutes trying to make a statement. The boy wasn't aware of the depth of everything, but he didn't have to. His understanding was sufficient, and he's already picked some of his confidence back up. "We're going to protect Mommy... They won't hurt her. Or us. We're going to make sure of it..." It felt more like he was echoing what Jon had just said, but it was Charlie's way of convincing himself of the future being better than how things were now. "This James person seems like a really good person, and really cares about us. You said he's with Thalia, right? Is he her boyfriend or something?"


Of course, Charlie would assume something like that, a faint impression of a smile coming over his face upon the thought of his sister being with someone.


"I mean, why else does he care so much? Unless he's a superhero or something. But that would make sense... because you're a spy and all. Right?" Children have the wildest of imaginations, and Charlie was no exception. Quite the ideas he had about his sister and the entire situation around them. But they were good ideas. He'd also become extremely attached to Jon. It was almost unbelievable to himself and to Nicole how he'd become such an important part of their lives so quickly. He was saving their lives after all. And, at least in Charlie's eyes, he seemed like a really good man. Nicole? She knew there was more than meets the eye to his background, but if he wanted her and her son dead, why would he drag them all the way over here? Why would he take so much time out of his day just to ease the boy's nerves? Become his friend? Win his trust? If this were something far deeper, she didn't know, but it seemed very unlikely that this was a nightmare waiting to happen. She slipped the curtains back slightly to view her son in Jon's lap just letting his heart out. The tears were going away, and the boy didn't sound as sad as before. More confident, stronger. His attitude and excitement was rejuvenated thanks to Jon, and Nicole couldn't ask for anything more.


Then came the shocker: Jon was going to stay in LA with them? Neither expected that, especially not Nicole. She assumed that when his 'mission' was over, he would disband and return to Philadelphia. It seems not. Was he really considering this? Changing his life for a family like them? Then there was Charlie. While the mother only widened her eyes despite how tired she was at this hour, Charlie gasped, a smile from ear to ear over his wet cheeks. He was staying? "You're going to move with us to LA?" He repeated in disbelief for a moment. "Like, to stay with us? I'd love that!" He screamed in job as he threw himself at Jon once again, his smaller arms around the man's neck and gripping him tightly, but this time, not in a terrified manner. No, he was excited to get to LA with him. He'd hate to imagine what it would be like if he just vanished after all of their spy adventures. "Please stay with us, Jon! There's so much we have to do together!"


Be it their little spy charade or watching movies together, there really was plenty to do. And then came the offer to help out with Jon's 'cover job'. Working with cars? He couldn't be more enthusiastic for the trip and the greatness that awaited them at their final destination. He literally couldn't wait. As an indirect way of accepting the deal, he yelled to the heavens, "You're the best, Jon!"


Oh, how that put a smile on his mother's face from the other side of the glass. Things were getting better already, Charlie was forgetting his bad dream, and Jon would tag along in LA. It was all perfect...
 
The bad news and deep talks would come eventually, but, in the meantime, Frank took Jordan by the hand and walked off to the poolside, where they sat down on two of the chairs. Jordan sat on the end of one, and Frank lied back on the other. He knew Jordan probably had a lot on his mind, and the feeling of being overwhelmed by all the people that began to crowd around him had probably amplified that. Sure, he was only sat there in his t-shirt and his underwear, but, it was a hot day - he was fine like that. He couldn't sit out in it for too long, for obvious reasons, not without sunscreen, but, some quiet time was yet another thing he needed. He sat there with his hands in his lap staring down at the ground. Frank just looked at him for a few moments - he knew that in his head, Jordan had made a connection with Thalia, even if it was only a tiny one. They'd both lost their dad - both lost a man they loved dearly. Would something as small as that change things? Frank could only wish that Jordan would start talking to others soon, but that was wishful thinking.


He wanted to ask if he was okay, but, he figured opting for staying quiet and letting him deal with it himself would be the best bet. He didn't want to force Jordan into talking about something - if he wanted to talk, he trusted Frank enough just to call out to him and fire away. For now, it was silence under the summer sun. It wasn't unpleasant, either. The main thing Frank was worried about at the current time, seeing as Jordan wasn't crying his eyes out, was that the poor kid was simply bored to tears. He'd done nothing but cry, sit in silence, and sleep since he'd been dragged out of the nightmare that was made of his home. Once again, it was a big reason behind why Frank hoped Joseph would be up for playing soccer with him. Not only a good distraction, but something to keep him entertained. For now, though, the situation was all about merely letting the dice roll.


"Ra's is not a religious icon, and nor are his actions. No matter what he says, the guy's a fucking quack." James shook his head, a small smile coming to his face. More a smile of disbelief. "The thing about gods, prophets, all of that - is that in my mind, they're nothing more than a theory. A theory, if you find something to counter it, immediately becomes invalid. Proven or disproven." He shrugged. "Ra's' theory is that he's a god - We can easily disprove that theory. Gods think they're untouchable, gods can't be killed, nothing like said." He said. "So, all we have to do, after stomping out The Ten, we get to him, and we put one right between his eyes - If you ask me, prison isn't suitable. If he gets out, which he probably will before he dies, given the fact that no crimes other than his parents' murder truly link to him. Plus, there's always going to be people to take the fall for his shit." He said. "If you ask me, the guy just needs to have a bullet in him as soon as his elite army has been taken out. If he builds up another empire in prison, same shit will happen all over again. We need to be able to stop that. We'll be protecting the future - We'll protect the future of Joseph, Charlie, Jordan, and all the other kids out there that have probably already been knocked into a state of fear by these pricks."


In other news, though, Joseph hadn't forgotten about the French lessons. He was still buzzing for that.


"The sniper can be organized." He said. "And best of all, the sniper itself can be operated from a tab in Google Chrome while I'm lying in bed butt-naked if I wanted it to. The joys of modern technology, eh?" He asked.


Quite the visual. One Karin already knew of, but hey.


"We piss off Ra's enough, like I said, chances are he's going to send people out the rabbit hole to look for whoever's fucking with him. From what I can tell, the guy's not used to people being able to tackle shit he pulls. We're the first ones to make a full push against him. We're not going to give up, but at this stage in the operation, we need to be careful. If Ra's even catches wind that there's a redhead woman walking anywhere near here, regardless of whether or not it's you, chances are he's going to have people all over this neighborhood." He said. "We can't risk that. Not with how many people we'll have here - A vital man for The Clover Boys. Tony, Frank - soon-to-be three kids, and another innocent woman dragged into all of this." He said. He was obviously talking about Nicole in that sense. "We need to be strictly careful, at least until I can organize some sort of other place for some of us to stay. When Jon gets here, the man escorting your family, he'll be a big help. Extra security. Trust me, as much as I believe in you, Frank, and Tony, Al-Asheera and LAPD training can only go so far." He winked at her and smiled. It wasn't a dig, obviously.


"We'll go see Moby Dickless after we've had something to eat. We'll have breakfast, get ready, and then we'll set off." He nodded. "So, eat up, people. Well, just as soon as the food's actually ready, of course. I'll be waiting." He said with a grin, then sat down at the kitchen island. Not long after - all well-timed, Joseph returned, gently rubbing a single spot on his thigh with his hand. He'd done an injection, clearly. James was still baffled by his independence with all of it - you don't see a barely-ten-year-old kid that's willing to stab themselves with a needle very often. Even so, he sat down beside James right away, but, just as proof he hadn't forgotten, he turned to Thalia.


"Thalia, are we gonna' do that lesson today?" He asked. "If you're busy today as well, that's fine. We could do it in the afternoon or the evening, or something." He suggested, simply. He was pretty chill about it - he had all summer to learn this stuff, after all. There was no major rush - if he knew the severity of the situation at hand, he'd be telling Thalia to wait until the drama was over before she even thought about lessons, but at the same time, he'd be even more scared to go outside than he already was. He still had his fears from the diner incident, obviously, even though most the threat behind that had been neutralized now that he'd met Thalia.


--


Jon nodded along as Charlie more or less repeated what he said, "That's right, we'll look after her. You don't need to worry, buddy." He patted his back. "As for James... He's a very good man, yes." He said, simply, then thought for a minute. Why was he doing this? Why was he being so nice and helping Thalia so much? From what he could understand, James had put his neck on the line quite a few times in recent days. He'd exposed himself more in a few days than he'd previously done in years. It was strange how things changed - Jon personally thought one thing, and he was going to be honest with Charlie about it.


What Charlie said did make him laugh, though. 


"Heh, her boyfriend? I don't think so." He shook his head, "James has always been quite the good man, quite the noble one." He said. "He's helped a lot of people in the past. He's helped families, too, like you and your mom and sister." He smiled. "I think what it is, Charlie, is..." He sighed. "I guess James is lonely, too." He shrugged. "You see, he's never going to admit that, no matter how much you ask him. The guy's tough to reach out to in some ways - he's not someone who'll empty their heart onto a plate for everyone, but, I think the simple truth is the guy's sick of being so alone. Lives in a big house basically by himself, and all his talents, social skills, and confidence were going to waste. Maybe he just snapped and couldn't take being alone anymore." He said.


"You'll like him, though, don't you worry." He said. "In some ways he is a hero, yeah, but... All heroes are human, you gotta' remember that." He said. "And humans need even the most basic of things. He's just like us - a spy." He grinned. "A spy of sorts, anyway. He's a great guy, knows how to have a good time, and just like me, he loves cars. He drives some real nice ones, last I remember." He said. "Only issue is, Charlie, when I met him..." He chuckled, "When I met him I was a one-man army. I wasn't looking for a real partner way back when - he was just a friend, and... I think maybe I should have been a better friend than what I was. Maybe he'd be a lot less lonely if I had been, but, there's no point dwelling on the past." He explained, "Plus, if I'd done anything differently, I wouldn't have my awesome little partner right now, would I?" He asked, winking down at him.


Other than that, Charlie's excitement warmed Jon's heart - the sudden change in emotion was fantastic, and to top it all off, he was this excited just because Jon was going to be hanging around? It certainly warmed Jon's initially cold heart. Charlie had been gradually warming it up all day, and what was once frozen had now thawed for the most part. It was the best feeling he'd felt in a long time, so, when Charlie threw his arms around him, he could only do the same in response, hugging the young boy close to him once again. Charlie's own excitement rubbed off on him, and he even gave a little excited laugh at the whole idea of what the future looked like.


"Alright, alright." He laughed, "I already said I'm gonna' stay. You don't need to beg me, pal. I'm definitely staying, and don't you doubt it." He grinned. "We've got a lot of stuff to do together, you're right - Movies, spy work, and then there's the business we'll work on together, yeah?" He said. "I'm far from the best out there, pal, but, I can tell you I'm doing my best to, well... Be the best." He laughed again, and for a moment, he hugged Charlie tightly to him. The bond they had was stronger than he'd ever predicted, and it all started when he walked into his room and sat down beside a tearful boy who'd lost his dad. It went on to getting him involved with a facade of spy work, and from there, they were flying. Things were going to get exciting - he was dead-serious about having Charlie help him out with his work. He could teach him a few things - learning to fix certain parts of vehicles is an important life skill to teach kids, apparently. Or at least teaching them to change the oil is important.


He'd show Charlie the whole spectrum - it's not like he'd be in any danger if Jon was supervising it.


He figured it was high time that Charlie got back to bed, though. He'd sit at his side until he went back to sleep, if he so wanted it. Charlie may have been in a good mood, but, it was probably safer not to take any chances.


"Anyway, mister." He said, rising to his feet and lifting Charlie with him once again. "We have a very long day tomorrow, and a very exciting one at that. You need to get some more rest. We all do." He smiled, walking back in through the patio doors. He stopped when he was outside the bathroom, though - after a stressful dream, he wouldn't be surprised if Charlie needed to make a stop there. If he did need to go, then, quite simply, he set him down and waited outside for him; whenever he returned, he lead him through to the bedroom. If he didn't need the bathroom, then quite simply, he carried him right through to the bedroom and sat him down on the bed he'd originally slept in. 


He still wanted to check on Nicole, though.


"Okay, fella... I'm gonna' check on mommy, okay?" He gently ruffled his hair. "You get comfy, and when I get back, I'll sit here 'til you can sleep, yeah? You just let me know if you need anything, and if at any point you think that some... Monster or whatever's gonna' come for you? Just remember I'm right here to scare 'em off." He grinned, lifting his arms to his side and flexing his muscles ever so slightly - it was only a jokey thing, but, hopefully a little more sense of security for Charlie. "Think, by tomorrow night, we'll be in California. We've got the whole summer before you're back at school, so, once all my stuff's moved down here, the first thing me and you can do is get an awesome car in and fix that up. Sound like fun?" He asked with a chuckle. "And... As we're going to be in a real scenic state, remember that Harley my dad had that I told you about? I'm not so sure if I want to ride that thing alone, so, if you're up for it, maybe we can take a ride on that together somewhere." He said, then winked at him.


He looked over his shoulder at Nicole, then back to Charlie. "Right, get comfy. I'll be back in just a minute." He ran a hand over the top of Charlie's head again, then rose up and wandered over to Nicole, presumably stepping out back so he could have a word in private with her. He knew there was no real common ground between them at the minute other than the fact they both cared deeply for Charlie, but, a part of Jon wanted to involve her in the little world he had. God knew that finances were going to become a problem for her at some point, too. There was no more combined income, she was leaving home, and she had a kid to look after. He imagined she had a lot on her mind as well - If Charlie was this stressed about it, he couldn't even begin to imagine how she must have felt.


"Hey, Nicole." He said to her, quietly. "I won't keep you up for long. I just wanted to... Check up on you, I guess." He offered her a small smile. "I know it's been a long day, and I apologize that I haven't really... Y'know, paid all that much attention to you. I've been trying to keep Charlie's mind off of things. He deserves at least all that in all this chaos. I just hope his spirits can stay high for tomorrow." He said. "How are you doing, anyway? Hope you're not finding the journey too stressful." He said.
 
If there's any religion Thalia could abide by now, it's that her once-god for a fiance was a fraud, and James said it perfect. Now was the time to prove that the man isn't immortal and that his time would come soon. But one thing about the hacker's intentions caught her attention the most: kill him. Because prison would never be enough for the lives he's destroyed. Either way, a court case would be nothing but silence from Ra's. The only murders he had that were confirmed were his parents and foster parents, and all he'd get for that would be the equivalent of his mental state: a trip the asylum, only for him to get out and do it all over again. Given he does get life in prison, who's to say he won't conduct his operations from within his cell in solitary confinement? Who knows if he'll come off as charismatic and motivating to the inmates on the inside and build a new Al-Asheera from there? For people like James, killing him would be a social service. For Thalia, it would be nothing shy of vengeance. The psychopath ruined her life for the past eight years and only caused her more pain and misery, not to mention how he was taking the lives of people she loved and cared about. In reality, pretty much every human being had their reasons for wanting the brutal reign of Ra's to come to an end - Philly, LA, or otherwise. He was a man that everyone feared, from the civilians to the police force to other gangs, and also prayed for the day he'd take a dirt nap or get the electric chair. Among those people were this elite team of victims of his doings. 


On a brighter note, Thalia got a kick out of the mental image of James undressed and in bed. Sure, it wasn't for her eyes, but it was a thought to entertain. "You're a lucky gal, Kar. But in all honesty, you wouldn't me going into detail about the features of Frank's penis, now would you?"


Well, it was only fair to reverse the mental image.


Joseph also asked his sister's friend a question: about the French lessons. Even for Thalia, those were the last thing on her mind in this whole thing. Not that she no longer wanted to teach the boy her codominant tongue, but after everything that happened yesterday, it wasn't something that was readily burning on the top of her head. But when it was recalled, she gave the boy a smile and nodded. "I thought you'd never ask, Joe. Maybe later tonight, when things are a bit quieter and I get some errands done with Karin? Y-Your sister and I have plans for the day.... safe ones. Don't you worry. I won't forget you when it's all over." She felt the need to specify safe, because last time he caught his sister and this new friend of hers making plans and messing around alone, they were shitfaced before noon. A huge mistake which neither of them would make again. 


Upon agreement on the terms of what was to come, all that was left for the girls as a sort of order was to make breakfast, which they returned to doing. In her mind, Thalia was thanking the heavens that she didn't set anything on fire or turn James' kitchen into ground zero for some large scale explosion. Eggs, bacon, sausages, and Thalia even matched it with some orange juice from the fridge. Having a proper breakfast never felt this good. Before she met Karin, it wasn't exactly delicious or normal. Just whatever leftover takeout they'd had from the previous day. It's amazing that even with an unhealthy diet, Thalia was still extremely fit. And she took pride in that. It must've been what Frank enjoyed when she strip teased for him two days ago. Hell, there must've been a lot on her body that this young detective enjoyed. After all, when she was in bed with him, she surely could tell he was... aroused, to say the least. Did it all have to be over? Or was there a chance for her to adapt and remember who she was at the end of the day? That unorthodox, hyper girl who also learned things quickly? It was quite a vague terminology to use for herself, but in all fairness, the redhead was still discovering herself, who she'd be in this world, and beyond. It was a complicated ordeal to go through, discovering who you are at this late of a stage. But for now? All she knew herself to be was a girl with a troubled past recovering from it all with her new best friend over a home-cooked breakfast. She actually... cooked? She couldn't even believe it for a second. Maybe she could do this alone after all?


"You do know I fucking owe you, right?" she remarked to Karin while they ate, elbowing her friend gently with a wink. All she was hoping was that whoever eats her cooking doesn't end up with food poisoning the next day. Well, she made sure the sausages were cooked well enough. What could've possibly gone wrong?


Except the food going wrong was about to be the least of Thalia's troubles, her problems about to follow her in a form she'd never predicted. The runaway had her cell phone on the table between herself and Karin... and a call reached her end. Jenny O'Donnel, read the caller ID, in full view of her best friend. And Thalia had only mentioned on girl named Jenny to Karin: her first kiss who shunned her from the class immediately afterwards. A girl that once caused her a world of pain and tears but now wanted to make amends. But a call this early? Did she seriously want to meet? What needed explaining was why there was a girl named Jenny calling her at this hour. And why she was smiling at the sight, on top of it all.


"Heh.... Before you say anything about the name, let me just say, I'll explain everything later. Long story," she told her friend briefly, not noticing her face becoming slightly red from the sight of the name. She answered the call and placed it on her ear. "Hey, Jen."


"T... I need help. What the hell did you get yourself into when you ran away?"


That wasn't the greeting she was expecting, the happier emotion on her face diminishing. Did she figure out she was a part of Al-Asheera? But something was deeper than that. Jenny was panting on the other end of the line, clearly the sounds of the wind indicated she was running as well. "Wait... what are you talking about?"


"You were with Al-Asheera. Right? That's why you had that tattoo. And your boyfriend is their leader."


Clearly something was very amiss. Jenny knew a lot about her, some of which not even true. "I... I can explain."


"Really? You better explain this: Did you send a hitman to my house to rape me?"


"Wait, what?!" Did Ra's connect the dots between Jenny and Thalia THAT quickly? Even the latter was surprised at that. And the Head must clearly be unhappy to tell his hitman that there were no holds barred, to the point he was allowed to rape the target. "Jenny, what the hell is going on?"


"Please tell me this wasn't you... Tell my you didn't order that sick bastard to come and kill everyone of my neighbors just to abuse me."


"Never," She shook her head in a frenzy. How could Jenny even think that was on her? Not after all the words of wanting to make peace. One thing Thalia did know about her ex was that even if she was a snake in middle school, she wasn't a fool to believe her gut on something she wasn't sure of. That's why she formulated her questions that way on the phone, and not calling her out and blaming her for all of this. "I would never do that. Just tell me what happened so I can help you...." She sighed, getting up from the table and leaving her breakfast behind, facepalming in the process. At this rate, she was probably going to have to leave the house. "Yes. I was with Al-Asheera. Past tense. I left them. I'm not like them, Jen, at all; you have to believe me..." Even Thalia's voice was evidently concerned. Worried about her newfound friend now that she's been dragged into this mess, too. "And even if I believed in everything Al-Asheera preaches, I'd NEVER let them get close to you, no matter what kind of past we had."


"Then why is there a man chasing me, huh? Why did he try to rape me?"


How far was Ra's willing to go? To kill every last person that even knew her? So many people she cared about were now in danger. That was the last thing she wanted from her friend she'd been reunited with yesterday. "Tell me where you are. You have to trust me, Jenny, I will help you. I won't let that man touch you. Just tell me where you are."


"The bus stop we kissed at yesterday. Hurry!"


Thalia knew how to get there. Her memory of the streets never failed her. She mumbled under her breath, trying not to make it obvious what she was saying as to not frighten anyone, "Don't call 911. I'm coming, and I'll take you somewhere safe." And without any further hesitation and without regard for whoever was in the house, she hung up the phone, pocketed it, and made a run for the foyer. She was leaving regardless of what anyone had to say, or if anyone saw her walking out the front door. Jenny was in trouble because of her. If they'd never exchanged numbers, she might be dead by now. But how would James react to one more face in the house? This mansion turned from a lonely hideaway to beyond crowded. Still, there was no way Thalia would leave Jenny to get raped and killed by one of Ra's' lapdogs. It went beyond their disagreement of the past. And she couldn't wait for backup. This girl was nearby, and even if it had to be in a one-man-army way with no weapons, she'd go save her friend even if it put her own life at risk.


And of course, as Thalia threw the front door open and ran outside, Tony had to catch her as he exited his room in a white polo shirt and black suit pants. His face looked refreshed and clean and his hair still a bit damp, newly showered, after all. But Thalia taking off in the morning like that? Rather suspicious, but not in any way he'd expected. Thank god he walked out right on time. Karin probably noticed the outburst as well. For one thing, Tony was going to report this to James the next time he sees the man. But Karin? That was up to her what she does.


--


The dynamic between Jon and Charlie was only becoming more and more exciting in the boy's mind. There was a certain appeal to Jon's entire presence around the Griffin family, or what was left of it. In the event of an extreme circumstance between them and what the elder daughter had conspired with, Charlie found a new friend, one of the easiest he's ever bonded with as for an adult. Sure, he got on fine with boys his age. But people older, as in, his father's age? Not many besides his old man. Let alone has he ever come into contact with someone as interesting and appealing to him as Jon. The bond they had? It would be a shame if it were broken by the need for the older gentleman to separate himself. It's what made the boy's embrace even tighter. A plea to never leave, which he accepted. It only built on to his excitement and empowered emotions more and more. Not to mention the attachment and warmness in his heart. On top of that, the similar emotions of closeness had spread to Nicole. No adult has ever grown this fond of her son before. But now, when he was at an all-time low not long ago, he's been brought back and reinvigorated by a stranger she'd allowed entry to her home? What would've happened if she didn't? Would the men who killed her husband have caught up to her and taken Charlie away? Or just murder them both on the spot like they'd done to her husband? Jon was right all along, and she shouldn't have doubted him from the beginning. What was strange enough, even she developed an attachment to Jon after all he's done for her precious child. Was it the events of the extreme circumstances? Or their feelings for Charlie? It was sort of half and half, but the feelings were there. She just needed a moment to properly thank him.


Bed time. And this time, Charlie wasn't petrified of closing his eyes. He wasn't afraid that he would encounter the vicious wolf he'd seen moments ago in his dreams again. It was practically slain by the powerful words of Jon and the reassurance that things would go well for once. That things would be amazing later. Being around and fixing exotic cars? Watching spy movies? Meeting a man like James who'd been protecting his sister for so long? Meeting this sister that was an enigma to him for so long? All were in his mind and keeping him motivated to get some shut-eye and wake up fresh and lively for the next day. And that smile from ear to ear on Charlie's face made Nicole's heart glow. Her son sure was in good hands. In a time where she couldn't be the strong disciplined woman she knew herself to be for so long, a man like Jon was a perfect fit. She simply sat back and watched as her son made a pit stop at the bathroom, then took to bed. Everything Jon did - the meaningful gestures and mannerisms for a child, the huge promises for exciting activities, even waiting outside the bathroom for him - all made her wonder why he didn't try harder to be around his children. He would've made a great father in that regard. He was a perfect substitute for Charlie's after all. That smile on his face. She'd never forget that. Neither would she forget the man who put it there.


"I can't wait to go to California," Charlie added on. "There's gotta be a lot we can do there. Riding your bike, seeing all the sights, going to the beach, watching movies, fixing cars together... Maybe we can bring my sister, too!" So much excitement and life now shined in Charlie's voice alone, his smile speaking beyond his own words. In his mind, he couldn't wait to take these dreams and make them real. These are the things he wanted to see when he closes his eyes. And at this point, he was sure he would. "Good night, Jon!"


Nicole, now alone with Jon, didn't even know where to begin. She stood up from the chair she'd sat on on the couch and tried her best to come up with something meaningful. "Jon... I'm a grown woman. I can take care of myself. Yes, it's been tough trying to process everything as of late, but things are slowly but surely getting better for me. I'm coping, I'm still moving, and I can assure you I don't need a babysitter..." She shrugged, then peeked over to the bedroom... Charlie tossing and turning in bed to get comfortable, as he usually does. "But the one thing you could do to help me, I see you're already doing: putting a smile on my son's face. Believe me, Charlie has never been this happy with a man in his life since his father when he learned to ride a bike, or when he scored his first goal in a basketball game." She sighed, but a happy one, taking a step closer to Jon. "What he needs is hope that he can create more memories like that someday, even if things didn't look so bright earlier. And while I couldn't give him that hope, you have. You are putting a smile on little Charlie's face, and I am forever in your debt for it. Thank you. Whatever it is you need, you just say the word, and I will do my best to supply you... After all, I heard you are sticking around, right?"


How could she ignore that? It was perfect news to hear for both of the Griffins. Jon had become irreplaceable. It wasn't even a selfish desire for Nicole, seeing she'd need the alternate source of income alongside her teaching. But it was her own hope that the man Charlie grew so fond of wouldn't just take off.
 
The dirty talk between the girls seemed to ring out quite a lot, even in the midst of serious conversations. First James in bed, then the talk of Frank's downstairs area. What fun this was turning out to be, right? Karin was never going to object to having a bit of a laugh about all of that business. They were both in love and had both experienced a kiss that lead to something much more. Could they really ask for anything other than that? As quickly-formed best friends, it only seemed like bringing it up at the worst time was the best thing to do. Even though James was sort of left as a deer in the headlights, Karin was laughing and closing her eyes, doing her best not to picture vivid details of what lied beyond Frank's underwear. Just like Thalia had gotten a kick out of imagining James in bed naked, Karin got a kick out of picturing that, too, but quickly did her best to rid the thoughts of it from her head. She didn't need to be thinking of that - even though Frank, in her eyes, was a cute guy, she wasn't even going to start thinking anything dirty of him.


But then again, it's just human nature to have dirty and/or moderately sexual thoughts about people around them, no matter who they are. They just tend to beat themselves up over it after. Not majorly, just more of a 'what the hell was I thinking?' kind of thing. The usual sort of thing when it comes to that, but either way, they quickly moved on from that.


"Don't bring me into this - It was James that said it." She laughed, and with that, did her best to further shrug away the image of Frank's manhood. The morning went on, though, and now that James and Thalia had agreed on something, it seemed like things were going to be okay. Little did they know about the call, but, when it was going to come through, there was going to be something right there that annoyed James - not only the fact that there was someone else being dragged into the house where there was no longer any room to stay, but, there was also the fact that James had said one thing. Be careful. He spoke all about how dangerous simply walking around the neighborhood could be from this point on, how it could endanger everyone in the household. Liabilities and all. It was something they'd have to deal with eventually, though, so, all in good time.


"You don't owe me anything." She said. Joseph was more or less happy with what Thalia said, too - plans of some sort. He'd figure things out, but he was in a good mood, so nothing could really ruin his day. James was in a funny mood, however. This operation was becoming overwhelming to some extent, but, he didn't show it. He was worried that eventually something bad was going to come of it, too. He didn't want Joseph to be continuously let down by empty promises that couldn't be kept in a situation like this one. He didn't necessarily blame anyone for it, but, he couldn't let any more serious issues just fizzle away into nothingness. There were some things that people had to be held accountable for, really. But not now. Now things were fine. 


After breakfast - the breakfast that Thalia helped Karin cook (she was proud to a good extent), Thalia had a contact name pop up on her phone. Jenny?


She didn't really get the chance to say anything to her, because what happened next was unexpected. She got up and she took off, and that was all. Was this how it was going to end? James couldn't help but think she'd get careless - she seemed shaken up, worried, and before anyone could ask she was gone. 


They could only pray she'd come back - James knew by the time he'd been able to give chase, she'd probably have been long gone. Plus, he couldn't put anyone else at risk - and he didn't want Joseph to panic. He was sat at his side eating his breakfast with not a care in the world, but his expression quickly changed as Thalia bolted out. There was maybe a tinge of worry in his eyes - what was he thinking? Was he running all possible scenarios through his head of what could be going on?


There was no point panicking. He'd just have to trust Thalia to get back safe, maybe give her a stern word on being reckless to some degree, and leave it at that. It was getting to the point where someone would have to stay up at night to make sure no one gets the drop on them. If Thalia was careful, though, she'd be fine. She wouldn't be followed. 


--


"Frank?" Jordan said, quietly.


"Yeah?"


There was silence for a moment, and Jordan took a deep breath. "What happens when you die?" He whispered.


What a question to be hit with - Not something a six-year-old should be asking, but, that's what it was. He was asking them right after tragedy - no big surprise there, but, still painful words to hear come from his mouth.


"Well..." Frank leaned forward, but then shuffled over a little on his seat and patted the now-free space beside him. "Come here, buddy."


Jordan got up with his head hung low and dropped himself down beside Frank, and of course, Frank put an arm around his shoulders. "When you die... Well... Lots of people think lots of different things. What do you think happens?"


Jordan looked away for a second, and with a sigh, he started talking. "I was told you go to heaven." He said. 


"I suppose that's one thing." He nodded, "I think a part of you stays with the world, no matter what." He said. "A part of your... Spirit, just sort of hangs around, y'know?" He smiled. "It stays around so it can keep an eye on the people it loved in life."


There was more silence.


"Do you think my mommy and daddy are watching me?" 


"Knowing your daddy, I bet he is, yeah." He rubbed his shoulder.


"Frank?" He whispered. Yet another question was coming - this time there were tears building up, and a single one rolled down his cheek.


"Yep?" He took a deep breath, knowing that tears were becoming inevitable. He brought the boy closer in the hopes he could comfort him a little more.


"Why did they kill my sister?" He choked, his voice broken. "She never did anything wrong." He added, his voice being almost silent by the time he was done speaking. A single sob erupted from the boy, so, Frank simply picked him up and sat him on his lap instead, then put both his arms around him. 


"Listen, Jordan..." He sighed, "There's going to be a lot of things in life that you don't understand. There's still a lot of things that I don't understand." He said. "One thing a lot of us don't understand is why bad people do the things they do. Bad people... There's not a lot of them, but, bad people exist, just like a lot of good people do. It's good people like me, Tony, James, Thalia, and Karin... It's people like us that stop people like that. There's one more man that you haven't met yet, one man who's gonna' help us put the bad people that came to your house in prison, okay?" He rubbed his back. 


Jordan put his head against Frank's chest and let out another sob. "They... hurt her..." He sniffled. "So much."


"I know." He gulped. "Don't worry, Jordan... Things like this take a long time to come to terms with." He said. "You know, I..." He sighed. "Do you have any other family? Any aunts, uncles, grandparents?"


"Nuh-uh." He said.


"Alright." Frank hugged him closer and set his head down on his shoulder. "Alright, that's fine."


"Am I gonna' have to live with another family, Frank?" He whimpered.


"No, no, of course not... Of course not." He closed his eyes firmly. This was getting fucked up, but, Frank's mind was made.


--


"Heh, we'll see how it goes, but, we've definitely got some fun ahead of us." He said, simply. "Like you said, riding bikes, fixing cars - driving the cars we fix, running a business together. You name it, kid, and we'll have it." He chuckled. "Like I said, though, I'll be back with you in just a minute. Goodnight." He said, "C'mon, one more hug. Had me worried for a while back there, but, I had a feeling you'd pull through like the tough guy you are." He said, and, after giving him that last hug, he tucked him in again - it was at that point that he vanished off to talk to Nicole, of course, and after saying what he had to say, she had some things to say, too.


A grown woman indeed, but, Jon knew that no one was invincible. He didn't want her to have to play the 'tough mom' idea for too long. He knew that sort of thing could break people beyond repair, or at least lose them to a void of some sort. He wouldn't want that to happen to her, so, for now, it seemed the most he could do was give her some space by keeping Charlie occupied and everything.


"I know, no babysitter required." He laughed. "I just wanted to make sure you're alright. You lost someone you loved, too, and believe me, as hard as it might be for me to be on the same level as you in terms of, well, loss in that degree... I can at least relate to Charlie." He said. "I lost my dad, too, as you know by now." He shrugged. "If losing your dad's even somewhat similar to losing the person you're in love with, then... I'm sorry. The pain lingers for some time, but, just looking and listening to you... I know you'll be just fine." He smiled at her and winked, too. "I'm doing what I can for Charlie. He's a great kid. In a lot of ways he's really opened my eyes - how close we've become is... Amazing, given how long we've known each other. I'm glad I can be that person for him." He said.


"I'm serious in everything I say. In California, I'm staying around, and the business is being opened back up. On a slightly more depressing note, I understand that teachers aren't paid anywhere near as much as they deserve, and, I get that for Pastors the salary can be very... Up and down, depending on how things go. From my own childhood experience, I understand that the savings left behind tend to diminish very quickly. I suppose what I'm saying is... Given the business I've done in the past, plus the legal business I'm going to be switching to full-time... I've got a lot more than I know how to spend. I can't exactly take the money with me when I die, either, so..." He sighed, but then smiled. "Anything you need... Just let me know. I'll be getting a place of my own in California once the bad business is sorted with James and everything. If you and Charlie needed a place to stay, a place to call your own, you can consider that a home." He nodded to her.


"I also get another thing... I know it might be sort of hard to take my word that I'll be sticking around, but, I promise I'll be showing you that with actions rather than words." He said. "Plus, Charlie seems keen on the idea of being 'business partners', so, I wouldn't dare take that dream away from him." He smiled. "Speaking of which, once my business is all set up, if you need some sort of... Laid back work. There's always an office-based thing for you, if you'd want something like that." He offered. "You'd be paid, of course. Just as a little something for when Charlie's back at school." He said.
 
The bus stop where they kissed yesterday. It was rather vague, but with the way Thalia has been familiarizing herself with the streets of the LA area, it shouldn't have been too hard to retrace her steps to somewhere quite memorable the previous day. But what was terrorizing her thoughts was the questions. Why would Ra's go after someone like Jenny, a figment of Thalia's past that was long behind her and pretty much forgotten? How could he possibly know about how she'd hurt her in middle school? Unless he was making it his goal to eliminate her entire middle school class? In that case, she would've heard the news. No, Jenny was targeted. The question was why. Ra's couldn't have been that wise or that thorough to recognize an intimate connection between the two from an innocent game of spin the bottle at a birthday sleepover. Was it tortured out of someone in Philly? Or did the kingpin have a man on the bus who happened to spot her, catch them kiss, and deem it appropriate to eliminate her? All were possibilities, and with Thalia's natural dosage of paranoia, they all had equal merit. And it's not like Jenny herself would know why she was marked. She wasn't supposed to be dragged into this. Was taking her number that dangerous yesterday? Or did she simply get careless in the moment? She couldn't exactly help herself in that moment. This was an old friend who came at her with an unbelievable proposition to start over. A friend brought back, quite literally. Before they kissed and complicated everything, Jenny was the closest Thalia ever got to a best friend in school. After they had their little moment and everything went into a downward spiral, that quickly fell apart.


But what if Jenny was honest from the beginning that she was falling for Thalia? How different things would've been. Maybe she wouldn't have run away in the first place.


As careless as some of Thalia's actions were, she still knew how to ensure nobody follows her. Jumping through someone's front lawn, through a few bushes, and she could easy get lost in the intricate paths in between. It's how she got home the other night, so she simply reversed the route to return to the street she got off the bus to. And once she did, she saw her friend in the flesh, a sizable cut above her eye, practically in beddress (beddress for a young adult living by herself, or at least that's how it appeared to Thalia), and a face glimmering in fear. Meeting each other eye to eye was a relief, but it didn't really erase the fear from the black-haired girl.


"Jenny?"


"Thalia...." she panted, taking a few steps closer. It came out more like a statement than Thalia's words. "Boy, do you have some explaining to do."


The redhead reached forward and took her friend's arm quickly and firmly. "I know. And I'll tell you everything when you're safe. We need to move before that guy comes back for you."


But that wasn't good enough for Jenny. She remained in place, her voice now more stern and demanding, standing her ground for the time being. "No. Now. Who was that guy? He has the same tattoo as you. And he was going on and on about how this is because of you. You sure as hell have your work cut out for you."


Sighing at her friend's stubbornness, she had to beat around it. "Again, Jen. Long story. We really shouldn't be talking about it here in the street."


"Yeah, but I'm not an idiot, and I know you're not either. When you ran away, you joined Al-Asheera."


Thalia's heart sank. That wasn't a secret she wanted out in the open like that, especially how Jenny was saying it out loud and fearlessly. "...I'm begging you, let me explain."


It wasn't entirely doom and gloom, however. Jenny had more to her theory. "Let me finish. You joined them... but now you want out, so they're trying to make you cave. It's the story I want to believe. Please tell me it's the truth and that you didn't order some creep to show up at my doorstep, kill all of my neighbors, and claim me as his sick property just to rape me. Tell me that's not true."


Jenny wasn't a rash person, and could take a guess under the circumstances what was going on. The fact she believed in Thalia's innocence was hope enough for her. "I know my word has little meaning now, but it's true. I want out. And now I'm working to bring Al-Asheera down. I didn't expect them to come after you, of all people. My god... this is my fault. There's so much I regret about even joining these bastards."


"Hey, we all screw up, right?" she smirked.


"You shunned me in middle school. I got involved with criminals. I'd say I screwed up worse than you. Not exactly comparable, you know?"


"We can talk about our pasts later. You can get me out of here, right?"


Thalia nodded. "You didn't call the cops, right?"


"No. I assume that's a bad idea?"


"Very bad idea. We can't trust the LAPD. So let's go."


Now more than ever did Thalia and Jenny have to run and get off that street. And the former had an escape route planned. A different one from the one she came from. Basic rule of living on the streets as a criminal: never take the same road twice. She had a new path, again, through bushes and people's houses, but it was an effective one that any onlookers would never suspect, and whoever was tailing them would quickly lose them. Unfortunately, if anyone sees Jenny with Thalia again in Encino, it narrows the search for her down to one area. It might be a good and bad thing: good because Ra's will send out his best into the area, making them not have to go too far to hunt down the last of The Ten. The bad thing? They could be cornered. Al-Asheera were legion, and odds are Ra's will send more than just The Ten to the area to search. Thalia knew this and had to warn everyone else of it, too.


Unfortunately, just as Thalia had reached the shrub she wanted to run through, which caused Jenny's eyes to bulge out from thee sheer thought of running through someone else's lawn, the clicking noise of a pistol echoed behind them, causing both women to freeze in their place. Then a voice... "Turn around." Which the two of them obeyed slowly. It was Victor. He'd caught up to them. Thalia was cursing to herself on the inside, wishing they'd run quicker, then they'd surely lose him. Fortunately, she recognized the man immediately and could use his past against him. Jenny, on the other hand, wasn't handling this so well. Her justified fear of this man made her cower before her friend. If Thalia was a part of Al-Asheera, she clearly knew how to fight, and could protect her. And that's exactly what the runaway planned on doing. She'd take a bullet before Jenny would have to. This girl had a brighter future than her anyway. So she stood her ground and just stared this man in the eyes with a burning desire to charge at him and point his own pistol at his throat and force him to pull the trigger.


"Care to explain?"


The face that Victor didn't expect to see. "Al-Jameela... So this is your new whore? Alongside Tony Walsh?"


"Shut up," she barked, her voice remaining low to not draw unnecessary attention towards them in an open neighborhood. "Why did Ra's target her? I thought he only kills parents. Not ex-lovers."


"He's making an exception for you. He wants to rid your life of every last person that matters to you so you may only dedicate your undivided love to him."


"No. You're not going to lay a finger on her. If Ra's wants me dead, then you can kill me right now. If he wants me for torturing, take me now. But she's going to walk."


He shook his head with a snicker beneath his breath. "You think it's this simple? Hell no. Ra's wants you to suffer. And clearly..." His words cut short, pointing the gun at Jenny's head peaking over her shoulder and pulling the hammer back. A smile shined over his face as Jenny's head lowered slowly beneath Thalia's body, her hands over her shoulders gripping for dear life. So much trust in a girl with a cryptic past. It was amazing how trust worked in extreme circumstance. "...If that tasty piece of ass dies, you wouldn't be a happy camper. Tell me, Al-Jameela, when you heard your father was killed, what did you think? What was going through your head?"


Thalia didn't answer, but simply crossed her eyebrows in a blazing stare at this brute, doing her best to act as a bullet shield in case he shoots. Like hell she was going to let Jenny get shot before her.


"What? Not even 'fuck yourself', as you were trained? My, oh my, how Ra's would not like to hear that you've been cheating on him with a woman again. He never liked that about you, you know?"


"You have nothing to do with who I love and who I don't. But what I can tell you? I don't love Ra's."


"Oh, lovely," He laughed, maintaining his firm grip on the weapon. "In that case, the wedding's off. And I will now off you... Turn around."


Thalia shook her head. "You're going to look me in the eye when you kill me. Know the one you offing. How's that?" She huffed a few tense, uneasy breaths, well aware that this very man might be too trigger happy for her liking. But perhaps not. She knew he was afraid of using his firearm.


But his response didn't give the same impression. A wicked smile, and a wink into her deep green eyes. Exactly as she asked. "Okay."


Did Thalia get it wrong? Was this the end for them both?


Or was it.... The sound of an unsuppressed bullet boomed and probably could be heard across the neighborhood. The mere sound of it caused Jenny to scream and grip Thalia tightly, afraid it was the redhead who'd been shot. But it wasn't. An unsuppressed bullet... But this man had a silencer. Something wasn't right. While Jenny was clenching her eyes shut to not see the sight of Thalia dying in her arms, which turned out to be the exact opposite, Thalia kept her eyes wide open and just watch what happened in front of her.... Victor collapsing to the ground face first to lick the sidewalk for the rest of his life. Fortunately, the blood spatter didn't reach the girls, but what was behind The Medic as he collapsed to the ground was even more surprising....


TONY?! Holy. Shit.


The veteran detective wasn't going to wait for James to show up and take action... he found it necessary that he, himself, does something right. Saving Thalia's life before she did something stupid. Not that she couldn't handle herself. Who knows? Maybe if Tony hadn't been there to save the day, maybe Victor would've never pulled the trigger and it would've given Thalia enough time to tackle and subdue him. But no need for the latter anymore. He was dead. Not that he'd be of much use. All he was was the doctor, and on some occasions, mechanic, for Al-Asheera. There wasn't much he'd be able to say. Still, Tony killed him, perhaps prematurely. Before she could comment on the sight of the older man with his police-issued pistol out, he began,


"So armed robbery, first degree murder... now we can add trespassing on private property to your list of accomplishments, psycho girl."


"Whoa, murder?!" Jenny was the most surprised of the bunch, just staring at Thalia in pure shock, no longer cowering behind her friend. "You've killed people?!"


Groaning, she rolled her eyes and explained, "Not on purpose. It was an accident." Not exactly the truth, but also not entirely a lie. She just had to hope Tony doesn't say anything else stupid or incriminating in front of an innocent Jenny. She turned back over to the cop and spoke directly to him, "You think your idea was so smart, huh?" she scoffed. "You killed a man in the open. A loud bullet that this entire neighborhood probably heard. You fucking idiot. It won't be long until someone calls 911, and when that happens, YOU are going to jail. Not us...." It occurred to Thalia that Tony could twist the story in his favor, and he might just get his arrest on her that he's wanted for so long. but she had an idea. "Jenny and I are witnesses to it. Two against one. We WILL testify against you that you murdered him when you could've taken him down peacefully. You don't want that, do you?" A bold threat from a wide-eyed Thalia trying to be strong and standing up to Tony.


Unfortunately, she was right. This was his fault, and he knew that, sighing and lowering his firearm. "Perhaps. But if you still want to take down your boss, we all need to get out of here and leave him behind."


Nodding, Thalia was surprised she actually agreed with Tony. "You've got that right. We can't do anything for him."


Seeing a man die in front of her for the first time like that was surely scary for Jenny, who couldn't even look at her assailant, gripping Thalia's bicep and walking by her side as the three quickly walked away from the scene. "T.... what's going on? Who's that guy who saved us?"


Who was he? No point in entirely lying. Jenny would have to stay in the mansion anyway. "He's an asshole, but he's one of the only two cops we can trust... but for now, we've gotta move. We're taking you somewhere safe. I promise."


Trouble was still in store for Tony. He knew that once forensic examines the body, they'll know the bullet was from a police-issued firearm....


Worse. It was from FRANK'S police-issue firearm. He quickly swiped it from Frank's designated room, which was closer to him at the time. And now that his gun was used to kill someone, his partner was going to go down for it once the PD gets wise. It places the scrutiny around Pigman's suicide back into play, as well as their extended absence becoming a problem. So much was about to go wrong for them in the future once the scene is processed. But he didn't consider that for now. Tony hated to throw Frank under the bus...


But Frank would never lock Thalia up if Tony goes to jail. This was ensure his magnum opus of takedowns: the mystery redhead.


...


Fortunately, the butler allowed the three entry into the house, even if Jenny was an unfamiliar face. How was this going to play out in front of James? He wouldn't be happy about dragging another innocent life into all of this. But Jenny was in danger, and it would be a cold day in hell if Thalia leaves her out on the streets for Al-Asheera to find again. To be abused and even killed. Just by the way she looked, shaken and with a stream of blood down from above her eye and down her cheek. She didn't tear up, though. She was stronger than that, emotionally at least. But she was clinging to her friend the entire walk home. Even when they entered the kitchen. While Thalia wanted to get her to her bedroom to hide her, she knew they couldn't hide another head in the house forever. And then there was Tony, who would happily snitch. It wasn't pleasant to bring Jenny into the kitchen with Joseph there, who would see her with dried blood on her face, but again, with Tony there, he believe in more... brutal tactics.


And Thalia knew what she had to do first: explain. "She is a friend of mine from Philly. I left because she called me saying one of Al-Asheera's brutes came after her. One of The Ten. The Medic, as he's called." She glanced over at Tony in disgust. "Which Tony killed in the open with an unsuppressed bullet."


In shock that Thalia turned this against him, Tony defended himself. "I saved their lives. That Al-Asheera brute would've killed them both if I were just two seconds late. You should be grateful, you skanks."


Unamused by the comment, both girls simultaneously extended arms at Tony's arm and swung at him, loud slaps heard across his arm, which caused him to flinch. Thalia continued explaining though, "Please, James. I know things are getting crowded, but we need to keep her here. You can't expect me to just throw her back onto the street. She's in danger. And Al-Asheera will not give up until she's dead. Please keep her here. She's not safe outside. And now that one of their own was killed, they will find out, and they will not be happy. They won't rest until they find her, and The Medic's killer."


Jenny gulped at the sounds of what was conspiring before them. So many strange faces before her, and her life turning around simply by being reunited with her friend. She just watched Thalia lead the way and fight for her safety to the James character. For a girl who isn't into men, she even found him charming look-wise. Whoever had him for herself was lucky. But would this pretty face also offer a shred of sympathy?


--


For once, Nicole got an opportunity to have a personal conversation with Jon. She'd been dying for one this whole time, without Charlie there to hide what was wrong in reality. No, they could have a mature conversation between two adults about the future. Sure, it was pleasant to watch her son bond with this man and hug him and become excited for some brighter future in LA. But eventually they'd have to jump to reality and figure out what was to come. Travel plans, new identities, finding Thalia... all were on the agenda and needed to be addressed.


"Believe me, loss has been difficult for me, too," Nicole sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to seem stronger than she really was. If being a mother and a teacher had taught her anything, it was not to show a sign of weakness, even in a time like this. If she'd lost her husband during the school year, she'd do the same: continue to go to work and do what she loves, but simply hide that half of her that wanted to mourn. "Obviously, the way I cope is different than the way Charlie does. He's only eight, so his thoughts are clearly racing at an unbelievable rate. Dreaming of horrible things. Probably wondering about what happened to his father. I'm sure that's what he was asking, right? He's my son. I'd expect nothing less. He's a little boy with a big heart. He can't help but ask about everyone." She sighed. "I was supposed to teach him in the fourth grade, had we stayed in Philly. I'm sure with every absent student, he'd ask where they were and if they were okay. He's done it before. It just warms my heart to know what kind of boy he's become, you know?" She let out a crack for a smile in her words. "And it's even better to see him opening up to you. I've dealt with traumatized students before, but it's that feeling that you never expect it to be your own son in the end. Nobody could've predicted this, and now that it happened... I..." She sighed and glanced to the floor. "I don't know how to tell him that his father's coming back. I've had children who've lost their parents or relatives in my classes, and I've eased their pain. I guess it's easier when you don't know the person."


He really was coming to California. And that's all Nicole could ask for. But what she didn't expect was for him to financially support the family as well. It was unbelievable. She immediately shook her head to turn it down in the most humble of manners, "N-No, no, Jon, that is very generous of you. And believe me, I'm extremely grateful, and if anything I owe you more than I can possibly give for what you've done for my son. But I can't possibly take money from you like that. Sure, my salary as a teacher alone definitely can't put bread on the table, but back in Philly, I had a private tutoring office. I can reopen that in LA and try my best to support Charlie. It's greatly appreciated that you want to help me out... even offer me a job. I might even consider that. Thing is, Jon, I'm not one to just take money from someone. I know you probably don't ask for anything in return, but it feels... very wrong of me to just leave you like that, just giving us and we're not giving you anything in return. I promise you, I will find a way to repay you for getting us to Los Angeles, finding Thalia, helping Charlie... every penny, one way or another, I will do it. I will consider the job offer, and we'll go from there."


While they were talking about depressing topics, something else was itching at Nicole's mind. Thalia. She lowered her voice and continued, "One thing, Jon... I'm sure you know a few details about my daughter, right? Please, while Charlie's in bed, tell me where she is. What she's been doing for so long. I'm sure it's more than just hanging out on the streets. What was she involved with? What has she been doing for eight years? I know she wanted to come home, but... what do you know about my daughter now? Can you tell me?"
 
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Drama was only going to escalate over the time that they were here in the house, it seemed, because now Thalia had an uninvited guest to bring into the house. This wasn't something anyone anticipated, really, and seeing this bloody girl dragged into the kitchen all of a sudden was a shock for anyone that was sat there eating their breakfast. Thankfully, most of them had more or less finished and were now just there drinking orange juice, coffee, tea, whatever have you. So, seeing Jenny come through with dried blood all over her face was something that drew everyone's eyes. Thankfully, Frank and Jordan weren't in here, because Jordan would be nothing short of terrified if he saw the woman in that state. So many memories would flood back to him.


Joseph was in no better of a position, though - everything that happened in the space of so little time, the girl walking in covered in blood, and then the talk of Al-Asheera's brutes and all of that? That alone was terrifying enough, and he didn't even know the full background story. If this girl had people trying to kill her, does that mean they were going to end up coming here? He had the crippling fear that whoever had hurt this random girl - who was revealed to be an old friend of Thalia - was going to come here and hurt all of them. Him, Karin, James - alongside anyone else that got in the way, but, particularly, Joseph's little circle, his little 'family' dynamic he finally had after all these years, he felt like that was at a risk now, and that was upsetting. The scene at hand wasn't something he wanted to be part of, either. He'd finished eating for the most part, with only a few scraps of things left over. The hunger for those had quickly faded, however. All he wanted now was to get away somewhere quiet. 


To top all of it off, after what happened in the diner the other day, the sight of blood made him feel a bit queasy. He could handle the sight of his own blood during blood tests and such just fine, but someone else's? God no.


James looked rather... Horrified, but part of him had that look that said 'I knew some shit like this would happen eventually' - Surprisingly enough, James didn't look surprised like everyone else.


Joseph reached over to James' arm and gently tugged at it, causing the man to look down at him.


"James... Can I be excused?" He whispered. Once again, even in a time of fear, Joseph kept up his good manners.


James looked at him and gently patted him on the head with a nod, "Sure, buddy."


So, Joseph got up, but he didn't go the expected way of walking right past Jenny and Thalia; he took the long way around the kitchen and passed through the side of the walkway that was furthest from them by a good few feet. Out of the corner of his eye he couldn't help but keep on glancing at this new girl - blood and everything. Then what Thalia said earlier came back to mind - They had plans. Safe ones.


This one didn't look so safe to him.


So, he quickly vanished off into his room and hid himself away there. Everything that had occurred so suddenly could be a lot more troubling for a young boy compared to a grown adult. They may have been able to handle the sights and the straight-up explanation on everything. Not Joseph. 


James watched Joseph leave, then turned to Tony, Thalia, and the new girl on the scene.


"Nice one, guys." He said, sarcastically. It was pretty obvious what he was referring to - it wasn't hard to see that what occurred shifted Joseph out of his comfort zone. It was all a bit blunt - the bluntness of it even annoyed Karin to some degree. Joseph was the only person she didn't want to be involved in all of this. She wanted him to be shielded from any horrors that this bad business could produce. What sort of questions was he asking himself right now while he was in his room? Was he asking questons about everyone he'd met so far and if they were really as good as they made out to be? She could only hope not. To see the bond between him and James start to deteriorate would kill her.


"Once again, we're back at it." He shook his head. "No, sir, he did this! No, sir, she did that!" He sighed. "We're back to behaving like children. Shifting blame. Throwing things at each other. Neither of you are the right one in this argument - You're both in the damn wrong, so, close your dick traps for just a moment." He held up a hand. "And right after all this shit happens, after I tell you how we need to be careful, you're here with the puppy eyes telling me that I need to keep your friend, a friend from eight years ago, one of which I've never met, one of which could be an undercover cop... You're telling me I need to keep her here?" He laughed in disbelief and shook his head. "I've spent the last five years off the radar without a single person bringing shit to my doorstep, but now, two days after I put my ass on the line, I get this going on. We've got a man of Al-Asheera, in the neighborhood, killed by an unsuppressed weapon. Which means we also have potential witnesses. And in my kitchen, what I did have was a rather happy ten-year-old boy, but that's changed to a rather scared one, as you probably saw." He said.


"You," He pointed at Tony. "You're already in the water. You should start hoping you can keep your head above the surface long enough for someone to pull you back out. And you," He looked over at Thalia. "The ice you're on is so thin it's a miracle you're not already bobbing alongside Tony." He said to her. "It's all well and good inviting your whole middle school reunion group to here, but the way you've done it was inappropriate. In all my years of doing the shady business I don't think I've ever seen people in a team act either so immaturely, or recklessly." He said. It was obvious who the immaturity comment was directed at - it wasn't hard to figure it out, really. The reckless comment was probably more for the two of them, though. "So, we've got another person in the house which I'm meant to house and feed - Then we've got your mother and brother arriving. When they get here, we're already in the spot where McAllister will have to give up his room for one of them, and he'll be sleeping on the couch. So, he'll take the couch in the main house - Fantastic." He said. "That leaves one place - the pool house. A couch in the poolhouse is all I can offer." 


He finished off what was left of his coffee, "And the amazing thing is, I'm providing all this hospitality and getting all my shit on the line, risking the anonymity I've maintained for half a decade, I'm inviting people in off the street, cooking for them, trusting them not to shank me in the middle of the night, giving them access to all the nice stuff I have, letting them get royally shitfaced when I leave them alone with alcohol for five minutes, I get a million dollars in two days as opposed to the usual two weeks for that sum of money, and what do I get in return?" He asked. "I get you lot fighting, at each other's throats, screaming and pushing and going back and forth at each other. All in the presence of two young children, too. I ask you, have you even stopped to think about the butterfly effect of some of this shit? Of Joseph and Jordan being exposed to even simple things like this?" He motioned off to Jenny, particularly towards her face. He rose to his feet and stood tall, crossing his arms. Karin was staying more or less silent - she figured she shouldn't really step in here. If she managed to piss James off even more, that'd do no one any favors.


"Everyone's moving in, and no one cooks, no one cleans, no one replaces anything of what they use - All it's been is 'James, get this' and 'James, get that'. I understand some things - like the clothes, for example - but other simple shit? Jesus, even a 'thank you' now and again would be nice. But no. All I've been getting from people is bullshit reasons behind why I should cut another person loose. Behind each other's backs all we do is talk endless amounts of shit, so when it comes down to it, all we do is trust each other less and less. And specifically, Thalia, after I tell you we need to be more careful around here, you immediately dart out the door without a single word of explanation. Part of our terms were 'I know anything and everything', not 'you can go off and do whatever as long as you tell me after shit hits the fan' - Looking around you, and looking back on the situation, do you really consider this a massive success? Because if you ask me, the only good thing that's come of this right now is another member of The Ten are dead, and for what? For them to track us down, line every person under this roof up and shoot them one by one?" He asked, his tone bitter. "Your friend looks like she's seen hell, and on that note..." He looked at Jenny, "I'm sorry you've been dragged into this, but, now that you're involved, you can't just walk away. You're stuck here. That's the most honest I can give you. You're stuck here until we either kill or be killed. And guess what? If we die, you die, too. I hope now you can understand that I'm not just being an asshole - I'm being like this because of how much is on the line." 


He turned to Tony, "And you. I've seen some reckless shit in my time, but holy fuck, what in the hell was going through your mind when you pulled the trigger?" He asked. "What was even going through your head when you snuck out without letting us know?" He asked. "The gun, the gun you used to kill the guy. Give it to me." He said, holding out his hand. "It's hot now, no good. You get that shit traced and you're going to be dead or in prison by next week. Hand it over and I'll make sure the thing's clean from attention." He said, "Please, for the love of all fucking things holy, tell me you picked up the bullet casing. If you didn't, that shit might have fingerprints all over it, and then you are fucked." 


He didn't know it was Frank's gun, but... Would he recognize it if he was? If Tony wasn't going to hand it over, he was going to take it by force, quite simply.


"Karin, get the first aid kit from out the cupboard. Take a look at the girl, clean the wound." James said, and Karin nodded sheepishly - she got up and went to the cupboard where the apparent first aid was stored, and once she found it, she got it out and placed it down on the kitchen idea.


--


"Don't worry about Charlie. The best thing to do is let him come to terms with it in his own way." He said. "I've noticed that with him - It's not a good idea to try and drop the full knowledge on him, not in this state, at least." He shook his head. "I've talked to him, yeah, and he's asked a lot of questions - sadly, a lot of them are beyond what someone his age should be asking, but there's nothing we can do about that right now, is there?" He shrugged, "He's bound to ask a lot of questions, and a lot of them I've answered. As horrible as it may sound, he knows his father's gone, and I've got a feeling the nightmare, the tears, the little bouts of sadness - I've got a feeling that's him processing the thought of his dad not coming back. Give him time." He nodded. "He's a smart boy, and like you said, a very kind and caring one. He'll figure things out on his own - I suppose the best thing we can do is just support him in doing so. That's what I've been trying to do, at least." He sighed, then looked down at the ground.


"I suppose the way of life is we always say 'it'll never happen to me' - I think we all start off as those people. I knew soldiers died every day in the army, but, I was always convinced that the world would be kind to my dad, because he had people he loved to come home to. I assumed something would make him invincible, that he had some sort of guardian angel. We never picture ourselves in these situations until it actually happens." He said. "A car crash I had a long time ago now, I was driving a Lamborghini." He took a deep breath, "The car spun out, and flipped from front to back twice over, then turned and rolled six times before wrapping itself around a street light. A piece of snapped metal from the door cut clean through the car and impaled me, hit me in the chest. Had it been an inch higher, an inch lower, or an inch deeper, I wouldn't be standing here with you right now." He said. "I was in a coma for... I think it was a month or so. Medically induced, obviously, but... Once again, I assumed there was nothing that would stop me, no oil spillage on the road. I was wrong." He said. 


"Lessons learned." He said, eventually. "Your son will be just fine, and no matter what happens, no matter how hard you have to work to provide - You know I'm there. Charlie did a fine job of reeling me into that conclusion." He laughed a little bit. "You may not want to take money, but... I always remembered one thing my mother told me - You make a living out of what you get, but you make a life out of what you give. That's some advice I wish I followed a long time ago - you and Charlie? You've... You've already given me a lot more than you can even begin to imagine. I assure you, the only person indebted to anyone is me, to you." He explained. "Just like I said, I'm keeping my promises with Charlie - all of them. I've got some surprises lined up." He smiled, "So, it'd only be fair if I keep my promises to you, too." He said.


Then he was asked about Thalia.


"Nicole, it's only fair that I'm honest with you. I don't know much, but I'll tell you what I know." He said. "From what James has told me, I understand it was the notorious Al-Asheera which killed your husband and his flock." He scratched the back of his head. "You're right in saying it was more than just the streets. James has told me some things, and... You may not like to hear this, but, let me finish. Not long after she ran away from home, she was taken in by the... By the leader of Al-Asheera. By Al-Asheera themselves." He gulped. It was hard to be so brutally honest. Nicole would realize it eventually, though, given the tattoos and everything. "She was with them for the past... Nearly ten years, and, from what I understand, she's turned on them and she's helping James and a few others break them down and put them where they belong." He explained.


"I understand this is something you probably don't want to hear, Nicole, but I don't want to lie to you. I'm sorry." He whispered.
 
It's not like Thalia and Jenny had a choice but to face the crew with Tony nearby. If it were down to them, Thalia would've just escorted her friend to her room and brought this up slowly. Explained the details of the situation with Jenny and the brute who showed up at her apartment in a way that James would've accepted much more kindly than the bloodied and beaten girl showing up in front of Joseph. Thank god Jordan was elsewhere at the time. Tony sure was heartless to have to subject a ten year old to that sight. Sure, it was just a cut on her forehead, and the dried blood wasn't all that bad. But for a kid whose life's been changed so radically? He is surely assuming the worst. So much for safe plans for the day. Perhaps he'd be too afraid to have his French lessons today, too afraid to face her, even. Seeing the boy wander off, a shocked expression on his face, only made Thalia wonder what kind of sister she'd be to Charlie someday. Surely not a stunning role model at this rate. Even her face showed the same level of concern for the boy as everyone else in the room. This wasn't what she had in mind at all. All thanks to Tony, but she knew better than to call him out at this point. Useless.


Jenny, on the other hand, felt like an unaware bystander in all of this. A bunch of strangers in a room with her, some more intimidating than others. A frightened child who'd probably become queasy just from the sight of her face, which she still hadn't seen the extent of just yet. She knew she'd been bashed pretty hard above her eye and was bleeding not long ago. But more? She couldn't know. She was too focused on the rest of her body being violated to care about a measly cut on her head. Her childhood friend described Tony as an asshole? This other guy, the one she thought was a pretty face, had a not so pretty attitude, immediately scolding everyone, which only created an initial bitterness in her mind and heart for the man. Her eyes squinted in his direction in a death glare, but that was about it. She stuck by Thalia's side, letting her lead the way in her defense towards this ringmaster's words.


But what defense was there? James made many valid points. Showing up in front of Joseph with Jenny in her state? Bad idea. Storming out the door without a word, after promising to keep him in the loop? Risky, not just for her life, but because he also has her family in his hands, and he could easily tell his transporter to leave her mom and brother stranded in the middle of nowhere. Would he, though? Thalia genuinely feared he would. So how could she bite back, if at all?


"No, YOU shut YOUR dick trap for one second," she boldly snarled in James' face, stepping closer with Jenny in tow like a helpless dog clinging to an owner. "Yes. I should've said where I was going. But this wasn't something that could wait for me to tell you every detail of where I was running off to. If I was just a few seconds late, I would've found Jenny dead on the sidewalk."


The thought of almost dying still hadn't sunk in entirely for the once-hostage. It was frightening to know this man had orders to kill her when he no longer has use for her. How long would that be? He seemed to have a blast sexually abusing her. It could've been ages until he was fully satisfied. Thank god she pulled that stunt and ran while she could.


In that moment, Tony felt the urge to butt in as well, even though he knew he was in deeper shit than Thalia at the time being. "Keep in mind, both of you would be dead if I didn't follow you and kill that guy."


Rolling her eyes, Thalia shook her head in the cop's direction. "He wasn't going to shoot. That particular member of The Ten isn't exactly trigger-happy toward pretty younger women. I bet you anything he would've freaked out and bolted before he put a bullet in either of us. So for all I know, you killed him and put us all at risk for no reason." She couldn't focus too much on Tony or keep playing this game of tennis between the two. There were more pressing matters at hand. A low blow to James would've costed Thalia a lot, but she felt it worth it now. "Tell me, James: if it were Karin being chased by someone like that, would you stay quiet and wait with your hands folded for her to come home? Or would you do exactly what I did and go help her before she licks the dirt? Hm?"


A rhetorical question. She knew the answer. Everyone in the room did, really. Maybe except Jenny, but she could get a hint. The girl with the white-dyed hair on the table, Karin, was the lucky woman. Or was she to put up with a man with such a first impression? He may have said that she was stuck in this, and that he acted as he did because it was necessary, but Jenny had another take about all of this.


"The end doesn't justify the means, bucko," she responded to James. "Doesn't give you the right to be an asshole. Doesn't give you the right to leave me for dead either. If I can guess this right, if Thalia came to YOU first? You might not have let me in your house. Or am I wrong?"


"Jen..." the redhead attempted to calm her friend down, a gentle touch over her shoulder to hold her back. "He's not worth the fight. He just isn't very..." She glared at him from the corner of her eye. "...Negotiable." But he did offer her medical treatment, and as soon as Karin grabbed the first aid kit, Thalia halted her best friend and snatched the case right from her hands. "No. I may not know how to cook or anything like that, but I know some basic first aid. Enough to treat her injury. So some alone time would be great."


Thalia was particularly insulted when James called her out for not being able to take care of herself. Not able to cook or do laundry herself. She was trying, but it clearly wasn't enough for him. It only pissed her off further as she brushed shoulders with him. But before they parted ways for her to take her friend to her room, she spoke, "She's not a cop. She's a victim. A girl who had her neighbors murdered just so they couldn't hear her screams, made their property, and to top it all off, assaulted and raped. Do you think a cop would allow for that to happen? Do you even have a shred of sympathy for her? And you can make fun of me all you want for not getting an adult's level understanding for housecare, because I know I'm incompetent, but don't you dare accuse me of being ungrateful. If you think that way about me, I won't ask you for shit anymore. No food, no clothing, nothing. On that note of trust and being grateful, though... how the hell am I supposed to believe that you aren't killing my family right now? Holding them hostage and waiting for me to screw up? Sending them in a car down into the Atlantic? A suicide mission of sorts for your man. Give me one reason to know you wouldn't do that because I did what I thought was right for my friend." It wasn't until now that she doubted James to this degree. Might it come between her and Karin? Possibly, but she needed to say this. "And don't worry about the future of your precious mansion. One, Jenny will take my room, and I'll take the couch in the pool house. Two, I don't plan on inviting anyone from middle school over here. I don't have any friends from school...."


Raising her hand a bit shyly and jokingly, Jenny spoke up, "That's kinda my fault that she doesn't."


Ignoring it for now and subduing a smile, she continued, "...Three, if you're so bothered by her, I'll have her leave. But if she's going to have to stay in a hotel, then I'm going with her. I'm not leaving her alone. As careless as you might call it, you won't stop me from keeping her safe."


With that, Thalia had nothing further to say. She gripped Jenny's hand with her own free one and lead the way over to her bedroom. The new girl was impressed by the house, but clearly not as impressed by the people. Cute boy who was probably so afraid of her. Two jerks for men in the house that thought they were the bosses of the place. And then some other girl who seemed too passive for her own good. Quite a variety. But the only one really defending her case? Thalia. And she was the only girl she could see at this point, the one who saved her life in a more realistic sense. That, alongside that quick burst of emotion she released the previous night, were all contributing factors to what she began to feel for Thalia once again. They were each others' firsts, anyway. No better person to connect with after all. If only she didn't spread all of those rumors in middle school. They might've been friends this whole time and things would've played out differently. But now? They were about to have their privacy in what she was about to recognize as Thalia's room.


"Quite a crew you have, T."


"I like to consider it forced friendship... except Karin. She's actually nice, to be honest."


"She is pretty cute if you ask me..."


"...She's taken, Jen. That dick standing up to us? That's her boyfriend."


Slapping her friend's arm playfully as they each took a seat at the bed, she laughed, "I wasn't thinking of her like THAT. I'm just making a random comment. Can't I say my opinion?"


"Pffft... Well yeah, she is cute, not gonna lie..."


Then there was Tony, under double the amount of fire as Thalia... especially for his own sloppy murder in a public place and his he-said-she-said attitude. Unlike Thalia, though, he didn't get up in James' face. Because the man himself brought up a crucial mistake about the scene.... the bullet casing. That wasn't something Tony thought about initially as he took a seat at the dinner table, his face slowly losing color. He screwed up. And it was far too late to go back and correct his mistake. He ignored the remark to hand over the gun, slamming his palms over his face in shame. He was no professional, so this never came to mind. He's only had to shoot when it was called for. This? Inexcusable.


"Fuck me..." he sighed, his eyes facing forward aimlessly into the air. "James, I fucked. I didn't think of the bullet casing. But you have to understand, I saved that ungrateful bitch's life. You can't keep calling me out for not caring about her, or desiring to leave her for dead. I quite literally just SAVED her from being dead on the road. It was my careless fuck-up that saved her from her own risky fuck-up. Call me out all you want. But I did what I thought was right. I saved two girls' lives. It's gotta count for SOMETHING on your moral compass, right? If that even exists for you."


Did it, after all of this?


--


Trying his best... and certainly succeeding, Jon was. "That is something I'm greatly appreciative of, Jon. It's like I mentioned: I've given many children pep-talks int he past, but never imagined what it would be like to hold my own son's hand through such a loss. It's... different when it's your own loss you share with the child. We're both hurting, and we don't know how to exactly say it. Perhaps it's for the best that... he finds someone closer to him in past to relate to. And no better choice than yourself. A man who understands his pain, word for word, every horrible thought and feeling in his head as he's processing it. A mother's touch can go only so far, but a man who's seen it all is something very different in the eyes of a child." Very true. Nicole didn't think of this as her own failure as a mother, but rather Jon's personal success at finding his own softer side; a side that could change him for his own greater good. She sighed and took a seat on one of the chairs in the modest motel room. "The whole 'it'll never happen to me complex'. I can't tell you how many times I've heard my own students, even my children, use that excuse. The problem is... anything can happen to any of us. I just never expected that 'anything' to be... well..."


Even Nicole had a few things that were hard to come to terms with. She hated mentioning Jacob's death, making it apparent to Jon then and there, but she covered it up by focusing more on his own accident. A gasp and a shake of her head showed her own shock and sympathy for him. "My gosh... so tragic. I'm sorry that had to happen to you, Jon. Indeed, we all feel like we're immune to the tragedies around us, the terrible things that could happen to us, but we never expect them to. I think my life as a mother is proof enough of that. Thalia..." She glanced downward briefly, thinking over her past with the runaway daughter that she would soon be reunited with. "I would always hear about children who run away from home to never be seen again, or get separated from their parents by unruly circumstances, those sorts of tales? But I'd never expect my own daughter to be one of those one day. Especially not because of me doing something wrong raising her. Maybe I'll finally get that closure, right?"


Closure wouldn't be as pleasant as she'd anticipated, hearing what Jon knew about where Thalia has been this whole time. Her face remained stagnant for a moment, just to process what she'd just heard. The men who killed her husband - Al-Asheera - are the same people that inducted Thalia eight years ago? Was she REALLY the reason Jacob was killed? What was going on? Even if she was actively working to put them where they belong, it didn't make the news any easier to hear. It was every nightmare come true for Nicole: her daughter a part of a crew of criminals who reeked havoc and fear across the streets of Philadelphia, the streets she'd come to call home, for so long. And now her precious daughter was a part of it all?


A revelation came to mind... In a crew that was predominantly male, women were hard to come by. Redheaded women moreso... was Thalia the infamous mystery redhead, too? There was no need to ask. She already knew.


"Well..." she finally mustered a word out, avoiding an emotional breakdown from the shock. "I can't.... I can't say I'm entirely shocked. Most children who run away sink into lives of crime... but Thalia, I thought we always raised her better. It hurts to know that's what she's become... that's all. Your honesty..." She sniffled, "It's appreciated, but I just... I refuse to believe she's like the rest. That she's different. Maybe the fact she's turning on them is proof of that? I'm just afraid of who I'm going to meet when we reach California. What.... sort of form of my daughter I'm going to meet. I'm afraid of the possibilities, is all. Is that so wrong?" She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Her emotions and horrible thoughts of the demise of her daughter were catching up to her. "It's not easy to raise a child, especially when there's always the fear that this could happen to them. It's what I've fear with Charlie for so long. And I will do anything and everything in my power to ensure that what happened to Thalia doesn't happen to him. And with you in his life? I feel like that's a first big step to keeping him on the right track. Even if I am lead to believe your background is not the cleanest, I am aware of your goodwill and heart-filled affection towards my son, which seems to trump all else. And that I can't be more... taken by."


Taken by? What a choice of words. But it did stand out on Jon to Nicole, greatly.
 
Some talking back wasn't out of the equation and James knew he could expect it, but, still, there were a lot of things thrown around about more or less everything. James wasn't referring to Thalia's incompetency in cooking and cleaning, no - She'd twisted his words in that respect. He was referring to the fact that despite the hospitality he was given, there wasn't really anyone helping him out with the other stuff. And it wasn't like they could rely on an eighty-year-old man to... Well, what, clean up after nine of them when the house was eventually full? Then, right off the bat Thalia brought Karin into the equation - something that Karin herself wasn't too happy about, either. Was this really going to come between them? Karin was hoping to stay out of it more than anything else, but, she was sort of forcefully dragged into it by the hair. This was none of her business, but, something else went through her head - if this new girl was Thalia's longlost childhood friend, and, more likely than not, the girl she had a kiss with in 7th Grade, would Karin herself just be someone disposable? It was an irrational fear that she couldn't help but believe may be true.


"The difference is, Thalia, I'm in love with Karin. Her and I are in a relationship. You're not in love with this friend of yours, are you?" He asked. But, he thought for a moment - Was she? Could she have had something for her, the friend she hadn't seen in so many years? "Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you are. How could I know?" He asked. If she was going to take digs, then he would, too, it was that simple. But, the girl at hand had another thing to say to him. He looked at her, almost in disbelief. Now was not a good time for any of this to be surfacing - not a good time to fuel the disagreement they had at hand. But that's what they were all doing, it seemed, and everything seemed to have been taken the wrong way. James had no way of knowing exactly what the girl had been through. Sure, it would have been appropriate to ask, but, that wasn't the priority as soon as she walked in. Regardless of who she was, she was safe there.


"Look..." He held up a hand for just a moment, and for a second, it seemed as if he was going to calm down. "I understand you may be a little bit stupid..." He growled, closing his eyes for a second. "But if Thalia came to me first and said 'Fucking hell, a friend of mine is about to get fucking killed', then that would have been enough to get me off my ass and out onto the street to bail you out, and to stop this clumsy motherfucker from potentially screwing shit up." He pointed a finger off at Tony for a few seconds. "If I had even as little as that to go on, then so be it, I would have helped. You pay for me, you pay for the whole fucking package, no rights reserved." He said. "You don't get this 50/50 bullshit. Do I look like a shady rental company to you?" He shook his head. "Thalia is right in saying I'm not very negotiable, but, if she's going to stand here and call me some sort of heartless bastard or whatever the fuck, then don't believe a fucking word of it. You're lucky enough to not be involved in this shitshow from the get-go - They contacted me, and I'm doing this for no payment, no rewards, nothing but a bit of publicity. The goodness of my heart, I suppose." He shrugged.


"I do have sympathy - I was going to get to that before you jumped down my damned throat - A mere 'sorry, I fucked up, but here's what happened' would have been just fine. She got attacked by Al-Asheera, that's all I knew from the start off this. I knew no gritty details - You walked in here and scared Joseph off, dropped the news on me that we had a new houseguest all of a sudden, so how the fuck did you expect me to react? Whack out the cups of tea and a few cakes to settle us all back in, give everyone a pat on the back for a job well done while praying someone didn't find out where we're hiding out? Goddammit, pull your head out of your ass, Thalia." He said. "You know better than this - And me having your mom and brother held hostage or something? Are you fucking kidding me?" He asked.


That was probably the most offensive thing she'd suggested.


"If you trust me that little, then pack your bags, and fuck off." He snapped. "But if you're going to stop being a fucking idiot and think about things for a second, then you'll know one thing - My word is my word, I don't break it. You spoke to your mom on the phone. I have frequent contact with the man stopping them from getting blasted by Ra's' lapdogs, and guess what? He's a good guy. A guy that has more in common to your brother than you could begin to imagine - Last I heard, they're getting on swimmingly, really have bonded very nicely. At this point, they're probably heading towards the outside of Ohio. Probably further." He said. "If you don't believe me? That's your choice, but you know I can get you a phone call and a picture to prove they're both safe, so, sit down and forget all these insane ideas. You and Karin would be sharing a bunk in an FBI holding cell right now if it wasn't for me." He said. "I haven't put my ass on the line for no reason - What reason do I have to betray someone like you? You've never done anything to me. Not anything that would require me to hold your fucking family hostage. How much of an animal do you think I am? I'm not stooping to the level of the organization we're fighting against." He sighed.


"For the love of Christ... Just realize I'm not angry at you for all this stupid shit of bringing someone back. The more people we keep safe from these bastards, the better, and I wasn't referring to your 'incompetence' - I'm probably one of the few people under this roof that still believe and trust you. Just keep that in mind. I wouldn't be putting my ass on the line and handing everything Al-Asheera related to you if I didn't trust you, would I?" He asked. 


When she was gone, though, things only seemed to get worse. Tony had some bad news - and he hadn't even told him that it was Frank's gun yet.


James kept a straight face, but, the anger in his eyes was present.


He walked to him and put a hand down on his shoulder, gripping it tightly.


"Shh, shh." He quickly hushed him. "Give me the gun... I'll take care of it. Just hand it over. But remember - if that casing traces back to you? I don't know you. None of us do. And that's something you'll have to accept and deal with." He said.


But the sad thing was, it wouldn't trace back to him. It would trace right back to Frank if they were that unlucky.


--


"I suppose in some ways I deserved what happened to me." He said, "I deserved to be in that crash for the reason that I was reckless. Stupid. It was a life-lesson for me, one that had a painful price to pay." He said. "I shouldn't have been crazy like I was back then, which... Isn't something I'm proud to admit, but, that's what happened." He explained. "Many things happen to us and our families when we don't expect them to - Sure, you daughter ran away from home, which could have been for so many reasons. Maybe her home life wasn't wild enough for her, or maybe the life she lead at school was getting too tough, too hard to deal with. You never know with kids, I know that much. They let secrets build up until it eats away at them, and it either ends with them bursting into tears one night, or it ends in them locking the secret away, even though it's not safe to do so." He said. "Yeah, there's kids out there that go missing and go through god knows what, but, like you said, they're never seen again." He sighed.


"I don't put it down to god. I stop believing in there being a god a long time ago, I won't lie about that. But the fact is you're going to be seeing your daughter again, as sure as the sun sets in the east. Charlie will finally meet his sister and find closure on that. She's alive. Alive and well." He said. "We're going to be there within two days. When we land in California tomorrow, we'll be landing further away from LA. We'll probably sleep somewhere else for a night, and during the day we'll travel to where James lives." He said.


She seemed upset by the news - understandably. She struggled for words at first, and that much Jon could tell. It wasn't pleasant, but, it was the truth. The truth she deserved to know. "You may have raised her better, yes, I don't doubt that." He said. "But when you think about it, you may have planted a peach tree rather than an apple tree." He said. "You can pray under the sun and moonlight every day that your seed will grow to produce apples, grow to be what you want it to be, but, at the end of the day, you're going to find that it'll still produce the peach. Regardless of how much you water it and care for it." He sighed, then took a glance around. "It's just the sad truth, I suppose. As for Charlie, you won't have to worry about him. I promise you that much." He said to her.


He placed a hand down on her shoulder, too, a gentle yet meaningful one. A big move in some ways, but enough to show her that he was serious. Physical contact makes people subconsciously trust you more, after all. 


"I know my history isn't clean, and I've done a lot of bad things, a lot of bad things that I still regret. Even moreso now that I've met you and Charlie." He looked at the floor for a moment and released a long sigh. "But that... I'm giving that up. I still have the chance to do what's right, and don't worry, Nicole... I've got your back, and I've got Charlie's, too." He said. "I know from experience that sometimes talking to your mother about certain things isn't easy, and a lot of boys?" He laughed. "Believe me, they ain't gonna' talk to their mom about it at all. My son? Even though I only saw him for an hour a week, he still saved stuff up for me - Be it about girls, all the 'birds and bees' sorta' deal, and of course, the whole... 'growing up' stage of their lives. All of that? He had his mother around more or less 24/7, but, he still saved it for that 60 minutes he had with me. I'm not saying I'm going to be able to become that person for Charlie overnight, but, so far? So far he's been real good both for me and to me. He's opened up his arms, and that... That's something I can't ever forget." He said.


"When we get to Cali, believe me, he's not going to be short of someone to look up to and ask for advice. You need to keep this secret, right, but..." He laughed. "I've got a couple of big things planned - one's a surprise for the both of you, sort of, so that'll stay quiet, but... One thing to hopefully inspire Charlie is when I get my office." He said. "I don't need many employees to do what I do. As soon as I get a building sorted out for the business arrangements?" He grinned, "Well, I'm sure you can guess who's getting their name on an office door." He winked, and then nodded through the glass door towards Charlie's bed. "I know it's only a small thing, but, I certainly hope it'll mean something to him. He doesn't know that's going to happen yet, though, so, keep it quiet for now." He winked.


Jon was a kind man deep down. It just looked like he'd never actually realized it.


"We should probably get more sleep. I promised Charlie some waffles or pancakes for breakfast tomorrow." He grinned.
 
James was one to argue, quite extensively in a frantic attempt to secure his own superiority. If anything, Thalia was making it her best effort to challenge that by one rash decision. It reminded her of two days ago in Karin's living room, being bossed around and told exactly what to do and how to do it. His way, no highway. After having to follow orders from a far more strict taskgiver, she'd been fed up with putting up with the belittling and badmouthing. She just wanted James out of her face for now, probably for the rest of the morning, and god knows till when else. If this is how they'd continue, she was not a fan of it. She'd become fed up with the arguing and everyone getting up at each others' throats. She believed she made the right call going after Jenny. Deep in her mind, James probably disagreed. And seeing Karin in all of this? She probably didn't like it very much either. How many Jenny's could Thalia know in one lifetime, one from her middle school life. One that James even called out for being a lover. It was no guessing game that this Jenny was the same one she'd spoken of yesterday. Her first kiss. Did Karin think that was her replacement? That now she could throw the friend that pulled her from the void aside now that the first girl she fell in love with was now giving her a second chance? The way Thalia was defending her didn't help her case much, especially after carelessly using Karin against James. She wouldn't like that. Perhaps it was good old jealousy, but maybe it could be eased up when everyone's not screaming at each other.


But it brought up a rather... unusual thought to Thalia's mind, one she didn't consider since the diner incident: was it possible that Karin was jealous of Jenny, because SHE wanted her for herself? Unlikely, but still a thought.


The question: do you love her? "Loved. Past tense." It did make Jenny's heart sink to realize that it was how Thalia felt. She did say she had a boyfriend after all. But the kiss... she knew she enjoyed it. It didn't make Thalia feel any better to admit that either, especially because of this new spark they had between each other. It was hard to explain, and she wasn't going to waste her breath on someone who probably won't understand. "I don't care what she did to me in middle school. We're not 11 years old anymore. She's changed, and so have I. I'm not in bed with her, but I'm sure as hell not going to let her die just because I'm holding a grudge from ten years ago. Water under the bridge."


Now he was jabbing at Jenny, the only innocent party in all of this. Though 'innocent' was rather debatable accompanied with what she'd seen and heard. Being called stupid in all of this? What was Jenny supposed to do, after all? She's only safe now because she called the right person at the right time. And Thalia didn't appreciate the 'stupid' remark. "Don't talk about someone you don't know," she snarled. "She made the right call to get in contact with me. I could handle myself without Tony getting involved. How much bad faith do you have in me? Just because I'm not living in a mansion and conducting everything like you are, it doesn't mean you're the only person in this room that's somewhat smart and can handle things without telling or tattling to the teacher. So maybe I'm not the only with their head up their ass. If Tony's acting like the schoolyard bully? You're that bitch supervisor that has to always get involved like some expert problem solver... tell me, James: how many problems have you SUCCESSFULLY solved between us? Because I backed off this schmuck..." She tilted her head to Tony disgust. "But it seems like you haven't been so convincing to him. So problem NOT solved. Case in point? Don't call me out for saving Jenny. You have no right to because you'd do the same thing in my position. And you wouldn't even create a lie like 'getting milk' or something."


Jenny, however, dropped her jaw when James mentioned 'sympathy'. She wasn't going to leave that unspoken of. "You have sympathy? A girl shows up at your doorstep covered in blood, attacked by some monster, and saw her neighbors killed in the lobby of her apartment, and you greet her with THIS?" She scoffed. "If you have sympathy, you have a funny way of showing it."


Distrust is all Thalia could feel for James now. Especially now that her family was dragged into it. But she couldn't help but doubt everything now, especially with how angry he'd become with her. Even if he denies his anger, she didn't buy it. "You just can't have it both ways, James - being bossy and being successful. You want me to sit here with my hands folded and only obey your orders when I know someone's hurting? Even if those orders are to stay here and let my friend die. And if I do something that's for the greater good, I get shit for it. And don't spew your own bullshit. 'I know what I'm doing; I've stayed off the radar for so long; I'm doing it because it's necessary...' BULLSHIT. You'd act like an idiot and charge at some brute like an angry bull if he even stood too close to Karin. How much are you willing to bet that?... Like you said, I've done nothing wrong to you. You claim you trust me because you're helping me? Doesn't sound like it, not very convincing if you ask me. Doesn't sound like anyone does. If you trusted me, you'd know I could leave the house without a leash. And without Tony following me with a hunch. This would've gone much more peacefully, had he not tagged along."


She groaned, annoyed by everything she had to get out. "You want me out of the house? I'll go. Apparently, I'm too much of a loose end for you. I would've never hurt you. ESPECIALLY not Karin or Joseph. But if you're so afraid that I will? I'll get lost. No need to reserve place or force anyone to the couch. Jenny and I will be out of here by sundown. I'm not leaving her alone without protection. If you need me for anything with the trade, you can just call. Because I'm fed up with you, and I don't want to hear your excuses anymore."


Perhaps that was far too emotionally powered than not, forcing him out of her face as she left. As stubborn and rash as it might've been, she got whatever she needed to release out of her system. Every harsh word she had for James was now out in the open. Maybe too much, though. It might break the team further, but at this rate? If she wasn't going to be able to do something like that to save a friend, she might as well get lost, quite frankly. Which she planned on doing, but not before she ensures her family's safety and tends to Jenny's injuries alone and in the bedroom together. For starters, cleaning off the dried blood was a must. She couldn't be walking around the house with red streaming from above her eye down her face.


"T-Thanks..." Jenny muttered now that they were alone. "For saving my life, and keeping me somewhere safe. It means a lot from the girl who I drove into depression... I wouldn't have expected you to be so good to me, defending me like that."


"What are friends for?" Thalia answered, finally with a smile over her face, running a wet cloth over the bloodied parts of her face. Friends, that is what these two were now? After a sudden reunion, one steamy moment under the moonlight, and then saving one's life. Maybe this was the start of something new. Something beautiful. Now they were eye to eye, one in front of the other in the bed in bed by themselves, Thalia's hand touching her face ever so carefully to clean her off. It felt... soft, friendly, welcoming... nice, to be that close for once. At least to Jenny. But she had questions...


"How long were you with Al-Asheera?"


Thalia sighed, but she saw the questions coming, anyway. "Nearly the whole time I was gone. I spent a week living off of my allowance that I saved up from my parents and sleeping on the sides of streets with hobos. Once that money was gone, I spent a day with no food or water begging for spare change. Then.... their leader found me."


"And so it began."


"Yeah. Hell began. I thought it'd be that new start, the freedom I'd been begging for. He even made me believe that for a while. But the guy's manipulative. Deceptive."


"I get that. Still... you're too pretty to be robbing stores. I shouldn't have, well..."


"Don't. Just don't. It's not your fault I ran away."


"Maybe...." Another question arose as Jenny's gaze returned to the black pendant. "So... who is that boyfriend who gave you the cross? Is it the leader?"


Nervously, Thalia nodded. "I know, it's a bit ironic that I like a gift from the man who used to abuse me, but it's cool-looking. I try to forget it's a gift to promise his own marriage to me."


"So.... you're not exactly taken, then, right?"


Thalia froze. She'd yet to mention Frank. Was there a need if they were going to break up with Jordan in the picture? She had to say something. Going quiet would look too suspicious. "Not exactly. But if he finds out I'm with someone else, he'll kill any significant other of mine."


It reminded Jenny of the picture shown to her. "They know we kissed."


"W-What?" Thalia immediately stopped wiping her friend's face, now mostly clean. Concern was evident. Did she get careless?


"At the bus stop," Jenny whimpered. "But they apparently couldn't follow you after that. You... ran through a bush and someone's lawn?"


Thalia shrugged. "Eh. I had to be careful. And James thinks I can't be, piece of shit."


Jenny nodded. "So that's why they wanted me dead. Because they thought we were in love."


"I... suppose." Now, Thalia could only feel guilt. Jenny was attacked because of her. And her voice panicked, frantically spraying a long, lengthy apology to her friend. "I'm sorry. I should've never let that happen. I was so worried that if we were caught, or if Al-Asheera connected the dots that we were friends up until middle school, then that we're both here in LA... Maybe they had eyes on you for a while? I have no clue, Jen, but I know that if I'd never been involved in this mess, you'd be safe. You'd be at home, your neighbors would be alive, maybe we'd still be friends to some extent..." She sighed. "I can't help but feel like I've..."


With the redhead now consumed in words with little meaning and just rambling about regrets out of her control, she was met to the lips with a quick peck from her friend. Nothing as long or passionate as what was given to her the previous night, but it caused her to immediately shut up. Once Jenny parted away, she noticed how red-faced Thalia had become.


"W-What... this wasn't paying back for anything..." she whimpered, a hand covering her cheek, now warm from how that. She liked that, no doubt, but what was the purpose?


"Shhh..." Jenny hushed her, a smile on her face and finger flying over Thalia's lips. "That wasn't paying back for anything. That was.... a sign of good things to come. I mean, I'm guessing your fiance is like the guy who showed up at my place, right?"


Thalia nodded.


"You don't deserve a man like the guy who attacked me...." Jenny moved herself slightly closer to Thalia on the bed, taking her hand and removing it from her face. "I want to start what I was too afraid to start in middle school. I honestly do. Maybe things could work out between us, maybe not. But we'll never know if we don't try, right?"


She was right... but what about Frank? They weren't officially over yet. She was going to make it official eventually, but when things calm down. Not after that heated argument that just unfolded. At this rate, she was officially cheating on her boyfriend. He wouldn't take it lightly. But she could explain it gently later, explain that a life as a parent wasn't for her. Not now at least. It would hurt for them both, unfortunately, but Thalia needed to live her life, the life she missed out on. Would Jenny offer such an opportunity? But other problems existed apart from those on the outside, particularly in her head. Her potential metal problems. What would Jenny say about her if it was true that she had something wrong in her head? Would she accept it? "Is that what's really on your mind? You were just attacked, your life was on the line, and I'm in an ongoing battle against a gang armed to the teeth. I don't think it'd be very appropriate to discuss something like that..."


"N-Not now. Later. When we can get away from this mess you're in. Bet you don't need the distraction, right?"


"It's not THAT..." Thalia scratched at the side of her opposite arm nervously. "You're not a distraction. I don't regret saving you. But I think... Jenny, I haven't been a normal girl in so long. I've been robbing and scaring people for eight years, and half of me doesn't know how to be... normal?"


Even with the excuses, Jenny was still persistent. "It doesn't bother me too much. I can help you, you know. Whatever you need help with. Cooking, cleaning, you name it."


"It's been barely a day. You barely know what I am now... are you sure this is what you want to do?"


"I mean... if you're not ready...." Instantly, Jenny's enthusiasm died down with that realization.


"Maybe a little. I'm sorry. If I literally just made myself a proper breakfast for the first time in eight years this morning, how do you expect me to be the girlfriend you've always wanted? I just don't want to get your hopes up and disappoint. B-But that doesn't mean we can't be friends, right? I still want that from us."


Sighing, Jenny continued, bowing her head in disappointment. "Yeah. I'd like that, too. Sorry if I was a bit... pushy. Part of me just couldn't help myself but remember what we had so long ago, what we could've... you know? Wouldn't it have been nice?"


Leaning inward, Thalia took Jenny into her arms. A friendly hug, nothing too wrong with that. She could just hope that Tony doesn't jump in and make any assumptions. He already had a hunch about her with Frank, then Karin. Odds are, he doesn't know Jenny is lesbian nor her connection to Thalia from middle school. But with his twisted mind, he could assume anything. "Don't worry about it. I mean... maybe someday? Like you said, we'll never know if we don't try."


Inside with Tony, however, he had no choice but to surrender the gun. The gun he'd stolen to commit a murder with. One which he left the casing behind for, and would soon frame his partner for. But how could James be the wiser? Sure, Frank will notice his weapon's missing, and he will find out it's the hot weapon that would soon be disposed. That would start a world of trouble later, but for now, he simply reached from his pocket and placed the weapon on the kitchen table. He returned to face away from everyone else, his face falling into his palms. Frank would kill him when this all unfolds.


"I saved Thalia's life with that gun. Doesn't that count for something? I bet you wouldn't have wanted to hear about her dead on the street later after her careless move. I cleaned up HER mess. It was messy, but necessary. You can understand that, right?"


Odds are..... no. He wouldn't. This was on the detective, and he'd compromised everything. It wouldn't be long until Al-Asheera figures out that one of their men was found dead. They would find out that it was from one named Frank Hale... and everything would fall apart for his partner. Much like how they marked Tony and kidnapped Melissa, they might target Frank somewhere it hurts, too. If they still had men in Philly, they could get a man to Maryland too and find his family. This wouldn't end well. At all.
 
"Twist what I'm saying all you want. The more you take this out of context, the worse this all becomes - It'd be better if we talked when you can take in what I'm saying to you and stop treating it like a personal attack. In the meantime, I wish you the best of luck with your future endeavors." He said - more of a sarcastic thing at the end there. Maybe he did approach things wrong, he knew that much. He knew that the way this unfolded could have been a lot more pleasant than the argument they broke into, but, it wasn't. Yet another bump in the road that further convinced him just to pack his bags and make a move elsewhere. He had Karin and Joseph, two people who weren't really majorly involved in all of this. He could take them and run away for good and never have to worry about this business ever again.


But he wasn't going to do that. As hard as it may have been to believe, he cared about Thalia, and her friend, too. He wanted Thalia to get out of this, to make a new life, to be free from Ra's grasp. It just seemed like achieving that was going to be a little harder to do than they expected. They were practically halfway now, with a fair few members of The Ten dead, they were going to be at the rotten core of it all before too long. A milestone they needed to stick together on. At this point, if the team fell apart, there'd be no hope for any of them to take down the rest of Al-Asheera. Wasn't McAllister awake yet, too? Chances are he was, but, just listening in on the argument. He was certainly getting an earful on what the group's dynamic was like. So far... Not overly impressive. From the moment he'd walked in last night there was shit going down, mainly between Thalia and Tony.


Where did the idea of her hurting Karin or Joseph even come from? He never said anything about that. It was something that just made James close his eyes and shake his head. All of this was getting turned into something it wasn't - He'd specifically spoken about whether she trusted him, not the other way around. There was nothing else dragged into that particular part of the argument, but, James figured by now the argument wasn't worth anyone else's breath. It was just a pointless back and forth flame-game. Hopefully this could all be resolved later - at least Karin hoped that'd be the case. She knew this was stressful on more than a few people - and if Joseph could have heard the distant shouting, then she knew it'd be stressful on him, too. She wanted to just take him out for the day and give him a break away from it all - away from everyone - but she couldn't do that. It was too dangerous to take him outside the house on her own. She knew Al-Asheera wasn't looking for her, but, it still wasn't worth the risk.


And seeing as she'd pissed off Bradan, too, that probably wasn't the best idea.


"James..." Karin said, quietly, after Thalia and Jenny had taken off elsewhere. She reached out and put a hand against his arm. "Just... Cool down, yeah? Maybe sort this out a bit later on?" She asked with a gulp. It wasn't good that this was happening - she knew well enough that Tony had something against Thalia. If James had a big fight with her, she didn't want Tony to make any big leap forward to try and get James to completely turn on her. Then again, Tony had one major-league fuck-up today, too, so he was definitely in the shit. 


James slowly moved his arm away and shook his head, "This can't continue, Karin. Not like this." He said. "Would you be surprised if I told you this isn't the first time something like this has happened?"


"Very." She gulped, and reached out to rub his arm again. "It was a messed up situation, don't worry... No one can really blame anyone right now, right?"


"Right." 


"James..." She took a deep breath.


"You'd best talk to them." He moved away again, and this time, he went to Tony and took the gun from the table as soon as it was placed down. He slowly spun it in his hand and inspected it for a minute. It had the license number etched into it and everything - a standard handgun, a legalized one. Not anymore, it seemed. The weapon was hot, hot enough to earn a spot on the rack in his weapons bunker. It'd take some time, though, and indeed, as soon as Frank realized his gun was missing, James was going to come to that shocking realization, too, and then it would be even deeper shit. Let's not think about how that will unfold, though, because... That would be pretty chaotic for our two detectives, that much goes without saying. Either way.


What Tony said fell upon deaf ears, sadly, or at least somewhat.


"You're causing me a whole world of trouble." He flipped the gun over and held it by the barrel. "Now, I'm going to have to find a way to get that bullet casing back. This sort of mistake simply doesn't go unpunished." He said, and after a moment more... "Congratulations on a job well done." He said, the sarcasm thickly cut in his voice as he swung the gun forward and struck Tony over the back of the head with it, followed by giving him one firm push in the hopes of knocking him right off the chair.


Regardless of how much or how little it may have left Tony dazed, this was a sign that things were definitely sinking for him - James hadn't been that physical before. He'd stopped him from attacking Thalia, but, he'd never actually attacked him personally. 


With a sigh, James shook his head and wandered away from the table and back into the kitchen area.


Karin didn't quite know how to deal with that one, so, she quickly took her retreat and made her way off to Thalia's room. Part of her didn't want to bother, not after she'd been dragged into it and Joseph had been shaken up yet again, but, she may have been the only person left who could help bring this thing back together, or at least help keep everyone under one roof. They were pieces of a puzzle. They weren't complete without each other, so, they could only hope that something was going to change by this evening. It was hard to say what sort of position they were going to be in, and Karin was wondering if she'd get a stern 'fuck off' as soon as she opened the door, but, she was going to take that chance, even if a negative greeting was going to leave quite the open wound.


She pushed the door open - she didn't think of knocking, oddly enough. For some reason, a knock didn't feel appropriate. She just opened the door, stepped in, and closed it behind her. With that, she turned and looked at the two girls in there - she didn't even know where to start, to be honest. Her words got stuck in her throat and she wasn't so sure how she was meant to move ahead from that, but, she'd figure it out somehow. She thought for just a moment, and her rather neutral expression turned to quiten the sad one.


"Well." She gulped, "That certainly wasn't as... Nice of a breakfast as we hoped, huh?" She asked, her best attempt to make a small joke, but, sadly, it wasn't accompanied by a smile, so the comedic value was sort of lost before it was even there in the first place. A lot was going through her mind, but, she didn't want Thalia to think that Karin had... Turned against her.


But was it the other way around? 
 
The swing to the back of Tony's head threw his head forward suddenly and out of the blue, slamming his face against the table at full force and catch him off-guard. He had no room to defend himself, and the single blow to the head was enough to blur his vision and cloud his thoughts. He was indeed out of focus, dazed, distracted, which made pushing him off the chair and to the ground easy. Even if Tony had the energy or consciousness to strike back, he didn't dare. James indisputably had the upper hand in this hand-to-hand stand-off, and any attempt at retaliation would be unpleasant for this victim. He saw what happened to Roland after all. For now, he could feel the dizziness taking over in his head, the feeling of his nose starting to bleed from contact with the table at such force. His hand covered his gushing nose as he rolled over to his side. Not a word left his mouth from that moment forward. He didn't dare say anything else. This seemed like it was getting thrown at him, and yet, James didn't even consider touching Thalia when she was the one getting up in his face and throwing insults at him this time. Plus, no doubt she's more dangerous than him, more likely to stab James in his sleep, especially if she's mental. From the sounds of things, though? Thalia's time here was dated. She'd be gone by the end of the day. Finally.....


Success never felt this.... painful.


Karin entered the bedroom at the moment the two were parting from the hug. She probably noticed it, that moment of affection, the two smiling to each other. Maybe not the conversation about them starting what they thought they could have had years ago. That would've been awkward for her to hear. That surely wouldn't be brought up now. But once the door swung open, the two parted from one another on each side of the bed. Jenny's face was clean but a few strips on her forehead were probably needed to cover up the crease from the wound. It wasn't as cringe-worthy of a sight like before, and Jenny hated looking like that in front of a little boy. Now that they were alone, three young adults, if anything, greetings were in order.


"Um..." Thalia began, standing up from the cushions of the bed to her feet. "I think you two... haven't met." Gesturing to each with their names, she introduced them. "Karin, Jenny. Jenny, Karin... Girl that stopped me from robbing a cafe... Girl who spread nasty rumors about me in middle school." She smirked. "What an intro, right? My friends are weird."


"Well, hi there," Jenny nodded, trying to seem somewhat positive at meeting one of Thalia's friends. But there was nothing to be positive about from Karin's face. She was saddened by what just happened. And clearly, Jenny was getting in the way of a more personal conversation. Her enthusiastic expression faded, and she spoke, "I... um... I think I should give you two the room. I can patch myself up alone in the bathroom... So don't worry about me..." Shyly, she gathered the contents of the first aid kit and dismounted from the bed and into the master bathroom. It should've been private enough for the two friends to have a conversation.


And that's what Thalia had in mind. But how to start? Karin wasn't happy about this. And as a result, neither was her friend. What had she done from the moment she got that phone call?


"First.... yeah. That's first-kiss Jenny. She's changed a lot since middle school. Obviously," she sighed, "I met her on the bus yesterday by some weird circumstance. But she and I are going to try to be friends now, put the bad rumors and such behind us. Unfortunately, Ra's picked up on that and sent someone after her. I basically showed up in the nick of time before their guy could finish the job. I saved her life... and James is questioning my motives for it." Things were definitely bitter between Karin and Thalia. The latter knew she'd stooped to a new level of low by dragging her friend into all of this, using her as a pawn for her argument to sound more convincing. She could tell she was bothered by the mere mention of her name in a dangerous situation. Clearly Karin wasn't going to take this lightly and might not even be so open to Thalia as a friend anymore. So much had changed in the course of this morning, all because she ran into an old friend on the bus last night. Now she could only hope Karin would accept the form of physical contact or affection. It was worth a shot. Thalia took her friends arm gently and guided her to sit at the edge of the bed by her side. Once they sat down, she kept her grasp on the girl's arm.


"I'm sorry about... bringing you into the argument. It was inappropriate and immature of me, yeah. I didn't want to, but you know, what I said about if you were in trouble and James charging to the rescue? It's true. While that is admirable and noble and all, how is that much different than what I did? Me and Jenny aren't an item or anything, but he couldn't possibly think I was going to waste time when there was a guy literally on her tail ready to kill her. Huhhh..." Such an annoying conversation that she didn't want to have. And god knows what Karin thought of it all. "I get what his point was. He knows what he's doing and is giving us more help than he should and wanted to be in the loop. I was going to talk to him when we got home under more peaceful circumstances. But I don't appreciate how he has so little trust in me when I can handle myself in a dangerous situation perfectly fine. Then he calls me out for being incompetent and ungrateful..." She groaned and let her eyes wander around to distract herself. No doubt she was angry for being called out like that for doing what she thought was the right thing to do. "He thinks he can never be wrong and that he has to lead everything that happens here. I get he's experienced, but so am I. Half of me can't help but feel he's just using me to get these gangs off our backs, then he'll shun me. At least give me some other use apart from telling you everything I know about The Ten, cutting people's dicks off.... A little trust that I can go after something so small wouldn't hurt. Yeah, I can tell his trust in me is fleeting. I trusted him before. But now, with this in mind? I don't know what to think of him. Trust is a two-way street. And while I put a lot in him not to treat me like the rest of Al-Asheera, something tells me he doesn't care about what happens to me."


Or did he? What did Karin know after all?


"All in all, I'm leaving tonight. I need some space from that guy. He and I aren't exactly bonding, and I need the air to do things my way. If he's not bluffing and he is bringing my family here, I'm taking them and Jenny to a hotel, all under aliases, and keeping them there and protecting them myself. That's four less mouths in his house to feed and clean up after. So he can chill now. Feel free to tell him that...." Sure, she was abandoning James in her eyes... but what about Karin? That hurt to think about, and her heart felt the sting from it, looking her friend in the eyes next off, "This isn't about you, Karin. Believe that, and I'll come by to visit you when I'm gone. I just don't like how I have to listen to James continue to boss me around and blame me for the fact Tony hates me. Or put me on a leash because I might have a mental disorder. I can't stand it. It's bossy people like that that made me run away from home for so long. The same kind of bossy person I ran right into when I ran away. The only difference now is that I gave him the courtesy of knowing I'm not coming back.... But don't think for one second I enjoy just turning my back on you. You have to believe that, right? Just because I'm not fond of Tony or your boyfriend.... just don't think it's personal to you. I'd love to stay if I'd known it was just you. But since he's attached... I'm sorry. I don't like how this has to be his way and no alternative."


Her grip dropped to Karin's hand and tightened quickly between her fingers, the other hand cleared some of her hair from her shoulder and fell upon it. "You know I appreciate everything you've done for me, right? And you know that if this were your house, I would've stuck around for you. Maybe you, me, and Jenny could've hung out or something, or whatever girls are supposed to do at this age. Beats me. But... Not like this. Not when half the house doesn't trust me or reminds me of what I can't be."


--


News of the death of another member of The Ten quickly reached Al-Asheera. Police arrived at the scene rather quickly, and when rumors of a tattooed man dead in Encino were running down the mill, instantly, the usual servant had to approach his master about it while he was having his usual drink at his usual table. Nothing really changes for Ra's. A part of him missed the action and thrill of heisting. But he knew he had several enemies that want him dead. He preferred notoriety over thrill at this later phase of his life. He's pushing 50 after all; how much longer would he able to be on the front lines?


"Mawlaye..."


"Let me guess, slave. Al-Masaaf didn't come back yet?"


"Actually...." His voice stuttered, "Al-Masaaf is dead."


The kingpin went silent for a moment, eyes eyes still focused on shards of broken glass on the table. "Explain."


"Shot dead. Probably not self-inflicted. Rumors also have it from within the LAPD that it was a service pistol."


"So a cop found him and killed him."


"That is correct."


"That is unlike Al-Masaaf to get caught. What do we know about the targeted girl?"


"Not in her home. But Al-Masaaf murdered everyone in her apartment as he reported to us. We have no information about the target, unfortunately. She's not with LAPD or any sort of witness protection. She's in the wind."


"So she could be anywhere. Potentially with Al-Jameela."


Silence from the servant.


"SHE COULD BE WITH AL-JAMEELA, CORRECT?" the boss reiterated in his angry voice echoing his chambers.


"T-That is correct," the slave replied as calmly as possible, a tear sliding down his left eye.


"Mmmmm..... Remember what I told you when you said you sent another member of Al-Ashra for something so... pointless?"


"That...." He gulped. "If I failed, I would be killed."


With that, Ra's slammed his larger palms against the table he sat at and used the force to propel himself to his feet. Once he was up, he clenched a shard of glass in his right hand and turned to face the servant, who was much skinnier and shorter than him in comparison when they stood shoulder to shoulder. "Anta fashalet. Ila liqa' fi jaheem." [You have failed. I will see you in Hell.]


The servant's eyes shot out when he heard those words. He knew what was to come and that there was no chance that he had to run. But it wouldn't hurt to try. He was no stone-cold bastard like the members of The Ten, so he realized his only hope was to flee. And with that jolt of his body to attempt to make a run for the door, the shard in the brute's fist slashed forward and drove straight across the slave's throat, the blood spraying from his slit throat across Ra's' clothing, face, and beard. The slave gripped his wound and collapsed onto his back, choking on his own blood and letting himself succumb to his demise while his master watches over. Ra's was a man of his word. And now he was left with half of his inner circle gone, a messenger dead on his fancy carpet, and a bride whose whereabouts were still unknown. All he knew is that she had to deliver money. Or she'd die.


And even though Ra's proposed, he'd still behead his very own Beautiful One if she fails.
 
After his beatdown, Tony was left on the floor to recover while James wandered off upstairs. Not the most pleasant morning for anyone - Frank luckily hadn't heard the commotion, but, the drama had to be sorted. By now, the police had the bullet casing, and if there were any fingerprints on that, then they were going to have to act quick. They'd have to find a way to get that back, or to get the evidence stricken from the record somehow. Fingerprint scanners - technology. Technology can be hacked, broken into. A single variable changed within the code would change a fingerprint result from Frank Hale to Xing Chao. Or even easily done, removing Frank's print record from the database entirely. That way, no one was in danger. It was all a matter of time, though, and there was a lot of work to do, a lot of drama to patch up.


"Hi." She said to Jenny, doing her best to give a smile. As much as she wanted to take part in some sort of formalities with this new girl, now just simply wasn't the time, so the moment of privacy they were given was much appreciated when Jenny took off to the bathroom to clean herself up and everything. Karin needed to try and resolve things - things like this happened in every group of friends. There was always going to be some big disagreement somewhere along the line, and eventually things fix up. She needed to change things quickly, needed to get the record straight - things were not as they seemed. Karin knew a lot more about James than Thalia and Jenny did, that was for sure. She knew some of his deeper and darker secrets that needed to probably be revealed by now. If it was the only way things would begin to make sense, then it was a risk worth taking. 


"He's not questioning your motives. He just has a funny way of... Speaking about things. That much should be clear about him by now - I appreciate and accept the apology, but..." She shook her head. "Dragging me into it just made things ten times worse than they were. It made things hit the roof far faster than it would have originally." She said, looking down at the floor. "He wasn't trying to call you incompetent or ungrateful. He wasn't directly referring to you - He was talking about basically all of us, if you think about it." She closed her eyes. "You, me, Tony, Frank. We walked in here, we took a bedroom, and that was basically it. We've left his eighty-something-year-old butler running around after us, James has been cooking for us, he's taken great care of Joseph, and what have I done in return? I've sat behind a few PC's, fucked up and missed when Ra's walked into that bedroom with you, and I've let James have a ride each night. That's it." She said.


"If you ask me, I've been a lot more useless than you have, T." She whispered. "You've done a lot in general. I... I don't even think that comment was directed that much towards you, in all honesty. I got that vibe from it. Just my intuition, I guess." She gulped.


But then there was the bombshell that was dropped.


I'm leaving tonight.


Oh, dear.


"What?!" She immediately piped up, and suddenly she ripped her hand free from Thalia's grip and quickly sprung up from the bed. "Oh, no, no, no. Not now. Not again." She said. At first there was the hint of anger, but it quickly faded into sadness, desperation. "You can't just do that. You can't." She choked. "It's not against me, sure, but it will become against me pretty fucking quick, Thalia, don't even act like I won't be in the shit - You... You can't leave me here with Tony and Frank. If you take off with Jenny straight away, you know Tony will just lock me up and throw away the key. I'll lose Joseph-  I'll lose everything, because you know he's out to get the two of us, he has been ever since day one." She said. The thought of that happening - her being slapped in cuffs as soon as Thalia shut the front door - it literally brought tears to her eyes.


She dropped down to the floor and crossed her legs, her face in her hands. "You don't understand." She whimpered. "You've got it all wrong about James, you... You don't get what sort of person he is. How his mind works. Look around, for god's sake." She sniffled, "You think a 'normal' man gets all of this before he turns thirty? It's impossible. The guy's brain is just... Rewired in a way I've never seen in someone before. You meet him, and you meet the nice side and everything seems so perfect, but then you look a little deeper, lie in bed with him a couple of nights, and you realize that there's a lot of trouble up there." She said, and of course, the tears were flowing, which was evident by her sniffles. "Did he ever tell you the reason why his family basically disowned him?" She asked. "Because he told me. It was... I guess now that I look back on it, it was very similar to this. Some sort of... Acute paranoia, I guess you could call it. He kept getting all worked up about shit, he tried to get in on everything and always threw the cards across the table, that sort of thing. Eventually they got sick of it and told him not to bother coming home post-college. Even his own fucking brother turned his back on him, I..." She gulped heavily. "I can't imagine what that must feel like. To know the one person you're meant to have left doesn't want anything to do with you, I just..." 


Everything built up. Thalia threatening to leave again, James' own privatized issues, the stress with the operation. It all became too much. She was a waitress-turned-renegade. She wasn't used to this sort of deal like most of the team were. She finally broke out into quiet sobs. Was everything really at risk so suddenly? What started as a pleasant breakfast signified.... The end of the line? She could only pray that it wouldn't be like that.


"I know the impression he gives is that he doesn't give a shit, but he does." She sniffled. "It just looks like he doesn't, I know, but he still talks about you. Still talks about all the stuff he said. Still talks about looking after your family and fixing you up with a new identity once all this is over. All that display in the kitchen? Goddammit, Thalia, it's because he's worried about you. Maybe he's worrying too much - but it's not because he doesn't trust you. He trusts you probably more than anyone else in this house. He handed over a lot of the leader roles to you - Why didn't he give it to the two cops that specialize on takedowns, y'know?" She quickly wiped her eyes. "You might think he's just using you to get to Al-Asheera, to scare them and everything, but, if your family get here and the first thing you do is take them and leave, what would that look like, then?" She asked. "I hate to say it, but it'd look like this whole time you were just playing him - Tony and Frank would both forget the idea that you're in it to help them, and they'd find a way to track you down. And what about Ra's and all that?" She sniffled. "You really want to go to a hotel with your mom and your little brother? There's still a risk someone will spot you - after Tony shot that guy, they're going to be all over the place, right?" She coughed.


"Think about your brother, too." She sniffled. "Don't you remember the talk we had a couple of days ago? Me, you, Joseph, your brother, all hanging out together?" He asked. "We reckoned the two of them would be good friends, you remember that?" She asked. "Frankly, I'm sick of making promises to Joseph I can't keep. The only person who's delivered on his promises to Joseph so far is James. Then look at me. I've promised so many things, so many things that he still reminds me of, and I just have to say 'we'll do that soon' or some shit like that. How many promises is he going to have to have broken before it really starts doing some damage?" She asked, and, as her brother was a touchy topic, her cries got that little bit heavier. "There's only one other thing you don't know about James." She sniffled.


"He..." She had to stop and think - was this really worth it? She had to tell her, "He's... Or he was... He was CIA." She gulped. "He was CIA and they let him go for the same reasons his family did - overly-active thinking, possessiveness, paranoia; he was deemed mentally unfit to be working for them. Immediately after they shut him out of the one thing he had keeping him going, he faked his own death. It's why he never got back in contact with his family, T. They all think he's dead and gone. When really he's living a life in California, but..." She sniffled, "He's not a bad guy. He's just got no one. He didn't have anyone for years until we came along. He's not... You can see he's a odd guy in some respects, right?" She asked. "But whatever you think - don't compare him to Ra's. James is not on the same level as that fucking animal." She sniffled.


"I just want you to sort his out, T. I want this drama to fucking end - I don't want you to leave, I don't want you to run off and put yourself at more risk, and your family, too. I know things are sour at the minute, but..." She wiped at her eyes again. "Just don't leave me and Joseph here alone to get surrounded by all this shit. I'm not as capable as you. If something goes wrong or if Frank or Tony try anything with me, I won't be able to stop it. That day in my house, you promised me you wouldn't leave again. I hate to beg, but, I'm begging you to stay here, because I need you, and right now, any scenario without you here doesn't end well for me, okay?" She said, shakily. "If you don't believe me about James, then just go into the kitchen and look at what he did to Tony. That's what distrust looks like. He took the gun Tony used to shoot that guy and he smacked him straight up the head with it and left him lying on the floor. You need to believe me when I say it's Tony he doesn't trust, not you." She gulped, "I just want you two to realize you're on each other's side here. With Frank laid out with the kid, and Tony hellbent on throwing you under the bus, you and James are the only two people holding this thing together, and if you guys just up and split, then we're all just gonna' die in one way or another. Ra's will find us, he'll build his army back up, and that'll be it."


"I hate to bring Joseph back into this, but..." She wiped her eyes again, "As long as all this is going on, he can't live a normal life. I can't help him get a normal life, not without you and James. You guys are the closest I've been to people since I lost my parents. I don't want to lose one of you now." She whispered, then stayed quiet for a moment. "Please." She blurted out. "There is an alternative. We can fix this. Together. Isn't that what best friends do?" She asked.
 
Jenny and Karin meeting might've been slightly... strange, but maybe, at least in Thalia's imagination, they could learn to get along well. Her best friend from childhood and her best friend in adulthood, associating and being friends as well? It might not be as spontaneous as how Thalia and Karin got on together after their little encounter, but at least a friendship between the two would make for less problems. Because now, it seemed like that's all there was between the two? Drama, and nothing but it. Maybe even a bit of bitterness between the two girls themselves after bringing up her name in the mix. It was low of Thalia, and she was well aware of it. She sure wasn't thinking straight when she blurted that out. If it were Karin... what was she thinking? But her anger towards James got the better of her. But why? Maybe it was because she didn't fully understand his behavior. Why he is who he is. Her friend understood that, and she was trying to one-up her to make it seem like she was doing more around her, and a better job, only because of her affiliation to a notorious gang. "James is happy with you. That ride at the end of the day probably means more to him than any other screw up you could possibly do. You could sit at home on your ass all day and he'd still come back and love you at the end of the day. Me? I get the world closer than it's ever been to bringing down Al-Asheera, and when I finally do something personal to help a friend, I get a stand-off for it. All because I'm not sleeping with him. Pshh. Men..."


Again, this reason she gave, all about sex... Thalia didn't understand why he acted as he did. And for a moment, it felt like the runaway's option was to do what she knew how to do well enough by now: run away from it all. She hated to do that to Karin again, but it felt necessary for a moment.....


Up until Karin jumped from her seat and shook Thalia's grip off, which was another painful jab to the heart for her. She felt comfort with Karin, and to see her rip it away wasn't pleasant on the inside. Was running away really the solution? Was there really another alternative? Was it worth it in the end? You can't. Her voiced resided inside the younger, confused girl's head. Those words never meant this much from anyone else in Thalia's life. And deep down, she knew Karin was right. The reasons she gave, the tears she shed, they were enough to hit Thalia home, a way that hurt, too. A powerful, strong face of her own began to fall apart into a more sorrowful one. Karin going to jail because she didn't stick around. That's not a burden she could live with. Her losing Joseph into the foster care system. Tony and Frank hunting her down and using Karin as bait, potentially. There's no way she'd let that happen. It was tempting to offer her to run away as well... but perhaps that would be a bad idea. She stood up and squared herself eye to eye with Karin.


"I hope you haven't forgotten that I won't let anyone touch you," she shook her head, taking an uneasy breath as she stepped closer. "I don't care who it is. If anyone in this house makes a move that will hurt you, I won't have mercy. You know that right? Karin, you gave me my LIFE back. No one has made me this hopeful for the future in a long time. And that isn't going unanswered. And don't think that if I said I was going to leave meant I'd be gone forever. I was just going to find a hotel... come back and visit you through the window or something... y-you didn't think I'd disappear... did you?"


Unfortunately, that was probably her first impression. And that broke Thalia's heart as well. Just watching Karin fall to the ground and hide her face beneath her hands made her follow to the ground, sitting in front of her in a similar crossed-legged manner, right in front of Karin. She was weak, unable to bear the thought of her leaving. She tried fleeing once before, at a point when things weren't this serious. Now? How could Thalia just up and leave? Karin would be in immediate danger from the detectives. She promised to protect the innocent girl who put so much trust in her and vouched for her so far. Was this any way to return the favor? Just leave? In her sorrows, Thalia reached forward and placed her hands beneath Karin's elbows, gripping them gently to lower her hands from her sobbing face. She spoke about James' past, maybe to make her understand his personality, his behavior. Paranoid. Always looking over his shoulder. Being worrisome and erratic at times... that was Thalia, all right. Did she and James have more in common than meets the eye? Sure, they both knew how to think like criminals, but it probably goes beyond that. They think alike. This brain rewiring that Karin spoke of, they both had that so young in their lives. And it made Thalia rethink things for a moment. She scooted closer to Karin on the floor, her hands grazing up and down her arms in an attempt to calm her down. Seeing her cry.... it gave her a strange sense of pain. As if it were a shared pain, if anything. How was she going to explain THAT if she were ever asked...


"It's clear as day he's worried about me," Thalia sighed, trying to keep her own voice calm. He cares about her, though? That wasn't obvious. Not at all. After all, bringing her family in seemed too much like a courtesy chore than a heart-filled action. "B-But he should know I can handle myself. I'm not a careless criminal like the rest of the Al-Asheera recruits. I've been at this for years. He just doesn't understand that I can handle myself. Get myself into messes and know I can get myself out. Trust me that I know what I'm doing, even it doesn't look like it in the moment. Doesn't seem like he can get that in his head, right?" She sighed, bowing her head. She wiped her face quickly, particularly over her eyes. Was she going to cry, too? Maybe. Not like she was afraid of it. "I always... imagined he appointed me as a sort of leader figure because he'd trust another criminal over two cops. I never had plans to play anyone in this room. If there's anything I've learned as a clanswoman, it's loyalty. I know where mine lies. I just don't have a lot of faith that it's double-sided. I wouldn't make James think I used him. If I leave, he should get a hint why. Not because I conned him into bringing my folks here. Because he's getting under my skin. And so is Tony..." She sniffled, still trying her hardest to keep her cool, slowly breaking. The more she saw Karin weep, the weaker she became. "I.... I don't know.... I don't know if we would be safe in a hotel, but it would be better than having them see this side of me. Better than them catching me stab a man to death or get up in a cop's face and throw insults. It's like you with Joe. I don't want them to see that kind of stuff."


Family... that meant so much to these two girls. Joseph, Charlie... how could she forget their plans together? To travel as the four of them? For the boys to bond? For her and Karin to have their fun as friends, the one thing neither have had in a while? Thalia still couldn't believe how far they'd come since the diner? Were they really crying over losing each other like this? "I think... we need to stop breaking promises. Both of us. I think the last one I'm going to break is..."


If she were to finish, it would be the one to run away right now... She didn't know if she'd run anymore.


James... working for the CIA? It would explain why he was so technical on comms at the chalet. He knew protocol like the back of his hand. But his own personality got him kicked... then he faked his death. He ran away from it all. Just like Thalia did. How alike were these two? Not that she'd blurt all of this out later. She respected Karin too much to go spill the beans. But she could imply a hunch. Nothing suspicious about that after all. Was she considering this? Pulling back from just up and leaving? For Karin? She knew that was the best choice. The most righteous one. The best for her conscience too. Could things get better with James? Maybe someday?


Don't leave me....


Those words meant more than anything else she'd said during her little rant. How could she? With those words, she crawled closer to Karin, now by her side instead of in front of her, and engulfed her in her arms, around her shoulders and leaning the poor girl's head to her shoulder. Thalia cried to her shoulder before.... it's the least she could do now as she tried to stay strong. She took a deep breath, processing everything. Karin's begging and pleading, how she might not make it if she just leaves. Tony might come after her. Thought it was a pleasant mental image to see him on the ground beaten by the end of a gun. But she kept quiet about and continued comforting Karin. Her head leaned up against her friend's as well, just so she could feel that closeness. It was enough that the pain was shared, after all. Karin was her priority in all of this. And she promised that if anything goes wrong, she'd protect her. And she still planned on making good to it. They had a lot of trust in each other. Perhaps too much, but that's what the circumstances did to them. All of the begging was unnecessary. In that moment, Thalia was convinced to stay.


"I've...." She sighed, trying her hardest to mask her emotions. "I've seen people crying for the past eight years as I take away their expensive jewelry and wallets, scar their children for life at the sight of an armed robbery... I've seen people die in front of my eyes.... but why don't their tears hurt me as much as yours?" She exhaled shakily. "It hurts me so much to see you cry. To see you in danger. To know that if I go, you might not be okay... I've never felt that kind of pain with anyone before you." One hand reached over for Karin's face and slowly wiped away her tears from her cheeks. She was broken down by the circumstances, by the thought of her gone. Slowly but surely it was breaking Thalia, too, her eyes watering up as well and a tear slipping its way down her eyes. Karin would probably notice, but she didn't mind. "Kar.... I'm not leaving you. I never planned on going away forever. If I'd walked out that door, I'd keep coming to check on you. But I can't really keep you safe all the time if I do that, right? I can't protect you and your brother from Al-Asheera... from the detectives... from anyone, right? Tony threatened to take Joe away from you. He's threatening to put me in prison...." She took a deep breath, whispering into Karin's ear. "Remember the day we met Tony and Frank? When they were trying to break us down? How we weren't going to stand down in their faces? Not bend over to their every whim? Not throw the other under the bus so a single one of us could survive? That's what we're doing now, Karin. I will be there for you every step of the way until we're all safe, and beyond that. I'll carry you in my arms through a battlefield of gunfire and put your life over mine if I have to. THAT is how much you mean to me...." She put a lot of emotion and emphasis in her voice. The friendship she had for Karin wasn't something she'd throw away so easily. Not something she would back down upon. "Don't think for a second that your life is meaningless to me. That I won't be there for you. Consider me here forever... okay?"


Thalia grazed her hand over Karin's face a few more times, moving her hair from her eyes and clearing the wet parts from her tears, and repositioning her head to face her eye to eye. Thalia's heart skipped a beat for a moment at her words. She'd never been this serious about protecting someone for a long, long time. Ever since they met beyond that street corner, that feeling was there. Some sort of closeness, something that told Thalia that some sort of twisted fate was keeping them together. She just couldn't explain it. Calming herself down in a few breaths, she spoke again, "I care too much about you to just... go and never show my face again to you. You know that, Kar, right?"
 
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