I own nothing.
Author Note:
This is kind of a crossover between Bones and Dexter, however, all interaction between Lance Sweets (the main character of this story) and Dexter characters will be very indirect do not actually expect to see Dexter characters playing a major role in this story. Also, some facts and details, such as age, events, and back story on some characters, have changed.
Also, there will be some out-of-character moments for Sweets, but hopefully as the story get rolling those moments will make sense why (explaining that now would give away a vast chunk of the story).
Warnings: Character death (in later chapters), out-of-character ness, time jumps, indirect killing, will only go up to "The Bay Harbor Butcher" plot in Dexter, deviation from canon plots (mostly in regards to Dexter).
"Taking"
'Thoughts'
Dark Thoughts
It was hot and humid, not surprisingly since it was the height of summer in Florida, and I felt my patience wearing thin with the lack of progress. I had been walking around for hours in the blazing sun, attempting to talk to the carnival workers about an old co-worker of theirs, Laura Lynn Moser, my birth mother, but so far they seemed to be tight lipped and unwilling to talk to an outsider like myself.
And an outsider I did indeed looked, with my white button down shirt and black slacks, I looked more like a Mormon missionary then a young man looking for his birth mother. But if I did meet my birth mother I wanted to make a good first impression, hence the attire.
It was last fall semester, a sixteen year old junior in college, when I decided I wanted to meet my birth mother and find out why she didn't want me. Why she was willing to leave me to face horrible neglect and abuse in Child Service.
Don't get me wrong, I'm happy, for the most part, about how my life turned out. Really, I couldn't ask for better parents then the Sweets, but when I was little I used to dream one day of my birth mother coming back for me and I always wondered why she never did.
'Was I the product of rape? A teenage girl not ready to become a mother? Or did she really want me, but was forced to give me away?'
I had to know. I had to know why she let me go. I had to.
Maybe finding out the circumstances of why I was given up was a way for me to face my abandonment issues or my trust issues. Or, I don't know, maybe I just wanted to find out my birth mother is a horrible person as a way to let go of my childhood fantasies about her coming to rescue me.
Which is how I found myself in Florida between the summer of my junior and senior year of college, under the disguised of doing an internship at the University of Florida Health Science Center in Forensic Psychology and Neuropsychology. Fortunately, the internship only required two days a week and minimal amount of work, allowing me plenty of time to follow leads concerning Laura Moser.
However, it has been a month so far and now I seem to be hitting a road block in the form of angry looking clowns, bearded ladies, contortionists, and pot belly ring masters.
The sun was starting to set when I started walking back to the car I borrowed from one of my peers, who despite my age and drivers permit joked around that I was probably a safer diver then he, when a middle age women approach me, Madam Scarlet.
I had seen her face on one of the large posters, well one from her youth anyways. She used to be a great beautiful, but now life had chipped most of the beauty away leaving her with leathery skin from too much sun exposer and dyed black hair. According to the poster at one point in her career she was the 'exotic' and beautiful assistant to the old circus' magician, the Amazing Francisco, from a faraway land. Now she most likely did book keeping for the circus.
"You are the boy asking questions about Laura." Madam Scarlet stated as she neared my car.
"Yeah, Laura Moser. She…um…she is my birth mother." I replied not sure if I should push more information.
Madam Scarlet stared intently at me, like she was trying to see if she could see Laura Moser in me.
"Laura," She started, "left the circus world a long time ago. Way before you were born."
"Do you know what happen to her? Where she went? Where she is now?" I asked anxiously, this was the most information I had learned about my birth mother in my month of searching.
"No, I don't know where she is now."
My shoulder and head slumped dejectedly with the reply, thinking how this was another dead end.
"However," Madam Scarlet started again and my hope began raising, "there was a man, a solider in the Army, Joe. Joe Driscoll. Laura, she was head over heels in love with him. She even left the circus because of him." She paused and looked backed at the circus tent, people were walking in as the show was about to begin.
"I don't think she would have ever abandon you, not on purpose at least." Madam Scarlet said while turning to look at me again. "When she left all she could talk about was settling down with Joe and starting a family. You know she always wanted a big family. Probably because she was an only child. She hated the loneness that came with it. That why she liked the circus, we are just one big family and we look out for our own."
I stood there not knowing what to say or do.
"Thank you." I manage to whisper out.
Madam Scarlet smiled sadly at me. "Something happened to Laura, I know it." She stated, "It's the only way she would ever leave you."
With new information about Laura Moser and Joe Driscoll, I began my search with anew hope.
Madam Scarlet words about how my birth mother would never intently abandon me, had me floating on cloud nine even though I knew it meant Laura Moser was most likely dead.
But just knowing I was wanted provided me with a senses of peace, making all of my hardships and abuse just a little bit easier to accept.
'If she could, she would have saved me.' I thought to myself almost every day now since finding out about my mother.
However, any accidents or death certificates in Florida sixteen years ago were not yet online, had head me to look up information the old fashion way, on micro film at a library.
I couldn't get access to Laura Moser—'or is it Laura Driscoll, should I have been Lance Driscoll,' I thought to myself—death certificates I decided to try my luck at looking at old newspapers or anything that mentioned Laura Moser or Joe Driscoll.
It took me two weeks, before I found anything about my mother. It was a head line in The Miami Tribune on October 3 1985, only three months after I was born.
Laura Moser Mother of Three Dies.
There was no mentioned how she died, Joe Driscoll, or what happened to her three children. There was nothing, besides a picture of her.
'I look nothing like her.' I thought briefly wondering if I had wasted all that time looking for the wrong person.
Yet, I knew it could be possible that I took after my biological father in terms of looks I just had to…
Find him.
'Yeah, find him.' I thought as I turned back to the screen. 'All I had to do was find him'.
I ended up finding Joe Driscoll phone number in the Dade City, Florida phone book, when no new news articles mentioned his or my mother's name again.
'Do I just call and ask about Moser? Hint that I might possibly be his son? What if I am his son and he didn't know about me? What if he does know about me, but does not want to see me? Or worse what if he has a new family and he has replace me?' I thought to myself as angrier surged through me at the thought of being replaced.
That bastard…
In the end it took me another week to come up with a plan of action. I decided to call him to participate in a survey to find out a little bit more about him from a payphone, just in case he star 609 me.
It might have been because the sun was beating down on me at the payphone or the lack of circulation in the air, but I felt my palms sweat and my heart begin to race when the line began to ring.
"Hello." A deep gruff voice answered.
"Hello, is this Joe Driscoll of Dade City, Florida?" I replied, hoping Driscoll didn't notice the waver in my voice.
"Yes, who is this?" He demanded.
"Um…I'm Lawrence Meets…from the census board and I was wondering if you could answer a few questions about yourself and the occupants in your household?"
'Smooth move Lance', I berate myself, embarrassed that I was stammering like a ten year old talking to his first crush.
"Occupants? There are no other occupants here." Driscoll growled "Is this what my tax money goes to, to morons' bureaucrats like you to waste my time?"
'What do I say? What do I say?' I felt myself panicking.
Get an address…
'An address?'
"Um, I'm sorry is this Joe Driscoll of 2555 City Drive in Dade City?" I asked hoping Driscoll doesn't figure out what I'm doing.
'What am I doing?' I thought.
"What? No! This is Joe Driscoll of 636 Ocean View Way." Driscoll spat out.
"Oh, oh! I'm so sorry. There seems to be a mix up in our data base. I'll just…"
Driscoll hung up the phone before I finished, but it didn't matter because I got what I wanted his address.
'Why did I want his address?' I thought to myself, especially after talking to him I felt even less incline to actually meet him in person.
To find out the truth.
'Yeah, to find out the truth. That why I got his address.' I smiled as I started planning my trip to Dade City.
So, yeah, writing is not really my strong abilities, but I'm writing this story as a way to improve my writing.
Also, looking for a beta reader.
Slow up dates and slow starts, however, I have ideas written down how I plan for this story to continue and how I want to end it.
Feedback is welcome.