This started out as Chapter 10 of Total Eclipse, but it quickly began to take on a life of its own. Just think of it as Part 2.

Bad Moon Rising

By WritePassion

After Marlo's arrest, Michael decided not to take any new cases for a little while, at least until after the holidays. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but the seriously unstable woman shook him. She was incredibly dangerous, and if what they'd witnessed was just the tip of the iceberg, he was thankful she never got involved with the likes of Carla, Brennan, Gilroy, or any of the other truly evil people who'd crossed his path over the years. It was time to get away from all of that for awhile.

He started by meeting up with his friends, just a guy outing at Carlito's with Jack, Jesse, and Sam. That was a new one for him, to just spend time talking about anything but work. It would take some practice, but he was willing to try for his sake, and that of his family. He'd been working too hard for too many years, and he realized it was catching up with him. His encounter with Marlo was a wake up call that he needed to lay low for awhile and just enjoy what he had, his family and friends, and what better time of year to do it. As he listened to the guys, he focused on Sam, secretly wishing he could be more like him. The man could be serious and all business when it counted, but off the clock, he knew how to relax and have a good time. He was only outdone by his friend Jack, who was a little too loose for Michael's taste, but he was a good guy to have around when the chips were down.

"We're going camping over the Thanksgiving weekend," Sam announced as he set down his mojito.

Jack turned and asked, "Oh yeah? Where are you going?"

"Far from Miami, I can tell you that," he replied with a laugh. "Eve wants to escape for awhile, so I figured we'd go up the coast to Anastasia State Park. It's not far from St. Augustine." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "It's quiet, right on the ocean, but the campgrounds are in the woods and far apart enough to make it feel like you're out in the middle of nowhere."

"You've done some research, huh Sam," Michael asked, entertaining in his head the crazy notion of joining them.

"I was talkin' to a buddy of mine right after this thing with Marlo, and he said he went up there with his family. The kids loved it. There's enough to see in St. Augustine, and at the park, lots of room for the kids to run around and have fun." He grinned. "And they'll get to see a part of the state they've never seen before."

"Sounds like a nice retreat from the rat race," Jesse said. "Enjoy it."

Michael glanced at Jesse. He could tell by his tone of voice that something was wrong. "You want to talk about something, Jesse?"

He shook his head. "No man, what would I want to talk about? You guys have plenty, kids, wives, vacations, stuff like that."

"Hey, I don't have any kids," Jack interrupted.

"But you're married."

"Ahhh, I get it." Jack smiled at Jesse over his beer. "You're feeling a little out of place. Hey man, just console yourself with the fact that sometimes we wish we were you. You've got a freedom we don't have, do what you want, when you want..."

"Well, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Let me tell you that."

"I bet if you came along on our camping trip, you'd be thankful for what you've got by the time you get home," Sam joked.

Jesse grimaced. "I think I'll pass on that, Sam. Thanks, anyway." He leaned forward and played with his half empty bottle. "No, I'm just gonna hang out on the beach, see if I can find another lonely soul, female, of course..." He grinned. "And then we'll see where it goes."

The other three let out a sound of envy as they raised their glasses and bottles and drank.

"You got any plans, Jack," Sam asked his friend.

"Sash and I are taking a sea plane to Key West for the holiday. That's our idea of getting away from it all." He smiled slowly, and they could see him picturing the white sand beaches and aqua waters. "We'll probably rent a sailboat and live on it for a few days."

"Well, what about you, Mike?" Sam asked and took an onion ring from the platter of appetizers in the center of the table.

He shrugged. "You know, I have no idea. Fi's brought up all kinds of suggestions, but nothing really sounds good."

"Hey, I know what your problem is, Mikey. You haven't truly relaxed in so long, you've lost touch with how to do it," Sam observed wisely. "Luke is still pretty young yet. Maybe you need to leave him with Maddie and Dad and you and Fi just get in the car and drive somewhere."

"No. Wherever we go, I want it to be with him. And I'm not saying that just because that's what Fi would want me to say." He paused and took off his sunglasses, meeting his friend's gaze. "It's because I really want to spend time with him, just to...I don't know. Forge a bond, maybe? Just be anything but what my dad was. That's what I want more than anything."

"Well then, maybe you'd be best off going north with us," Sam said with a grin. "Nothing like the great outdoors to build family unity."

A warmth filled Michael's eyes. "Is that a formal invitation?"

"You bet it is, Mike. I know Eve has been looking for a chance to spend more time with Fi, and I know she'd love to spoil Lucas a little bit. So yeah, you're all welcome to come along."

"Thank you, Sam. I'll talk to Fi about it. We'll have to get some gear, but...I can't imagine her saying 'no'."

Sam's phone rang, and Jesse smirked. "Uhoh, that sounds like a wife jingle."

"How would you know?" Sam picked his phone out of his pocket, held it up and looked a the screen. He frowned.

Jesse laughed. "Was I right?"

Sam just looked at him with a perturbed expression as he said, "Hello, honey."

The others laughed, and Sam shushed them. Then he stood and moved away so he could hear her. Jesse and Jack clinked beer bottles and Michael grinned and shook his head. He was starting to get the hang of this guy camaraderie thing. And he enjoyed it. He glanced at Sam and noted that he stuffed the phone back into his pocket and returned to the table.

Michael took a swig of his beer and asked, "Everything okay, Sam?"

"Yeah. I just have to get home. If we're going to go on a trip, we need to prep." He picked up his sunglasses and left a ten for his drink. "See you guys later, have a great holiday. Mike, will we see you tomorrow? Six a.m. we're leaving."

"Six? Really?"

"It's a long trip, almost 400 miles, and with two kids, it'll take at least seven and a half hours to get there. We figure if we start early, they'll sleep in the car for awhile. Maybe we can get up to Port St. Lucie before we have to stop for the first potty break."

Michael chuckled. "Sounds like you've got it all figured out."

"You'll learn, Mike. You have to plan for all contingencies when there are kids involved."

Just then, Michael's phone rang. Jack remarked, "And there goes another one. Time to go home, Mikey, the little woman wants you."

"No, actually, it's Pearce." He said as he glanced at the screen and muted the ringer before setting the phone on the table.

"Holy cow, Mike! You're making progress," Jack teased. "Give you a little more time and you'll be completely free of that woman and the agency."

"Not really. She just knows I told her no jobs until after the new year, and if she called before then, I wouldn't answer." He sighed and stood. "She tried, and now she knows I wasn't kidding." He swiped his phone off the table, took one last sip of his beer, and held up his hand to get the server's attention. She came over with a smile. "We're ready to settle up here."

"I'll get your tab, Michael."

After they made sure the bill was taken care of, everyone broke away and headed to their own cars. With a repeat of the invitation and a reminder of when they were leaving, Sam got in his car and went home. He didn't expect to see a car parked along the side when he pulled into the driveway. Yvette had taken the kids out to eat and she wasn't expected back for another half hour or so. Sam closed the garage door and warily came out the side door, eyeing the vehicle. When Detective Paxson got out, he released a silent sigh of relief.

"Well, this is a surprise," he said as she met him near the back porch. "What's up, Detective?"

"Like your house. Haven't seen it since you were rebuilding and Angela and her friend got the jump on you."

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder. Come to give me some self-defense tips?" It had been awhile since they communicated, and Sam thought by her statements and body language that maybe they were on the outs again. But the solemn look on her face as she stood under the porch light told him differently. He changed to a more serious tone as he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Marlo Culpepper."

"Is that her real name?"

"Yeah." Paxson nodded. "You and Westen and your friends might want to keep close watch. She escaped from the secure mental facility that she's been housed in for the past week." She let out a long breath. "They had her on some drugs and she seemed to be responding well to them, so..."

"So some moron decided to give her a little more freedom, and she took advantage of it. Right?" He muttered something under his breath about the state penal system.

"That's about it. So now we've got an APB on her and no clue where she could be. When she escaped she was wearing some nurse's scrubs, so who knows." She looked down at the bottom step before glancing up at him with an apology in her eyes. "I'm really sorry about this, Sam."

"It's not your fault." Sam shrugged. Headlights swung in an arc and hit them before stopping in the driveway. "Thanks for the warning, though."

"You're welcome." She turned her head to watch Yvette and the kids get out of the car. "If I were you, Sam, I'd get out of town for awhile. And tell Westen to do the same. He's got a family to protect now, too."

It took Sam a few seconds to find his voice. He wasn't used to Paxson actually being concerned for them and their well-being. "It just so happens we're leaving tomorrow morning for Anastasia State Park, and Mike is probably coming along with his family."

"Word of advice: go armed."

"I plan on it." He nodded and watched his wife get Samuel out of the car. His family was the most valuable thing he had, and he wasn't about to let them stumble into danger. "I wasn't going to before, but now...we'll be ready in case she finds us."

"Good luck. And try to have a good time." She smiled thinly and left, and as she passed Yvette, said hello before disappearing into the darkness.

"What did she want," Yvette asked as she came into the light. She carried Samuel in her arms, and he rested his head on her shoulder.

"Looks like somebody is ready for bed."

"Sam..."

"Don't worry about it, Eve. It was nothing." He took Samuel from her and she unlocked the door. After he put his son to bed, Sam went out to the garage to begin loading the car for the next day. Yvette brought a couple of loads out from the house, and Esperanza helped. When he was finally alone, he called Michael.

"Yeah, Sam."

"Are you guys coming along tomorrow?"

"I talked to Fi about it. I don't think she's all that crazy about it, but..."

"Crazy. Speaking of...when I came home, Paxson was here to bring me a little message." He paused. "Marlo broke out of the psych facility."

"Great."

"She suggested we get out of town for awhile, and I told her about our plans." He thought before speaking again, because he knew Michael would only get stubborn if he pressed it. "She said I should tell you to go with us, so that's what I'm doing."

"I'll talk to Fi. I think this might be just what I needed to get her to agree to this. The last thing she wants to do is run into Marlo. Although, if she did, I don't think that we'd have to worry about a trial, at least not for Marlo."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Sam said with an ominous tone. "I know she won't get a very good welcome if Eve is around. We're better off just getting out of town and hoping they catch her before we come back."

"We'll see you tomorrow, Sam. Before six."

"You got it, Mike."