The apartment was silent, for once.

There was no clamor from the kitchen of a whistling teapot, or the curses of a frustrated chef who had burned his latest creation. Nor was there any giggling from the living room, or the buzz of a Disney movie played for the hundredth time on the tired DVD player. The only sounds that were noted were the gentle breathing of her three year old, and the rumbling snores of her husband.

Finally.

Jade peeled back the covers on the bed, turning to look at Roy for a moment before collecting her undergarments, slipping them on with ease. Her bag was already packed, hidden in the closet. She slid into the familiar cargo pants and crop top, smoothing out her wild mane of hair before tying it back into a ponytail. Oddly enough, it felt like routine, though it had been quite a while since she'd last run off. The baseball cap now felt heavier, and the shoes harder, but she ignored it and grabbed her bag, making her way to the living room.

Lian had just turned three a few days prior; wrapping paper still littered the floor, and the kitchen contained a blue stain from the birthday cake that had been flung. Roy had spent hours trying to tackle the smear to no avail. She couldn't help but smirk, putting her bag down on the couch for a moment, longingly staring at her daughter's room. She couldn't bring herself to say goodbye to the toddler, not when waterworks were at stake; and Lian rarely cried.

Still, if she didn't wake her up, it didn't count as a goodbye, right? She entered the room, careful of the squeaky door-hinge, and stared at her slumbering daughter, a small smile making its way onto her face. If there was anything Jade had done right in her life, it was two things: birthing Lian, and giving her to Roy. The two would have each other; that would be enough. Roy doted on and spoiled Lian as it was, and Jade was only in the way, or so she convinced herself.

Jade bent down and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead, brushing away a few damp locks of her hair as she took a seat on her mattress. She loved her, but this was for the best. There wouldn't be a day where Jade wouldn't think about her, or wonder how she was doing; but this had to happen. It was for Lian's sake, at least.

She never saw herself as the domestic type, having a cookie-cutter home with a loving husband, a dog, and approximately 2.5 children. Even when Roy and she had gotten hitched, there was an unspoken agreement over shots of tequila that there would be no children, no house, not even a guarantee of faithfulness. That dream shattered when she found herself staring at a little pink plus sign in a greasy gas station bathroom.

She reached again to smooth the toddler's hair back from her forehead, but pulled back in fear of waking her. Lian would never understand why she had to go, but this was for her. It was better this way, to leave while she was still capable of forgetting; she wouldn't have made a good mother anyways. With a heavy heart she stood and exited the room, grabbing her duffel and taking a step towards the door.

"What are you doing, Jade?" came her husband's irritated whisper, his red locks tousled from only just waking up. She turned to look at him, expression posed, rehearsing what she'd told herself a hundred times.

"I'm leaving, Roy." His expression twisted, and he knew she wasn't just talking about a brief trip.

"Why?"

"You know why." And he did; she could never stay in one place for so long, it drove her mad. He had hoped that Lian would have been enough to make her stay, enough to keep her with him, but he was wrong.

"She needs you, Jade. I need you."

"No, you have her. And she has you. You'll be a better father to her than I'll ever be a mother." He scowled, balling his fist.

"She needs her mother, Jade. She loves you. Why can't you stay for her?"

"Because I can't, Roy... I just can't," Jade whispered, coming forward and briefly stroking his cheek before giving him a quick peck. She straightened up and shot a look towards Lian's room. "Don't wake her up, Roy. I don't want her to see."

"So you're just going to leave without even telling her goodbye? What am I supposed to tell her in the morning?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"The truth, Roy. Tell her that I left."

"Are you going to come back?" she shot him a look; they both knew that she would never come back to fully live under the same roof again. "Right. But will she ever see you again? Will I ever see you again, Jade?"

"Maybe," she answered simply.

"Why do you have to do this? You're abandoning her. You're abandoning us." Jade scoffed, her Cheshire grin playing across her face.

"Don't kid yourself, Roy. There was never an us to begin with." If he was hurt he didn't show it, he only straightened up and nodded. "It's not safe for me to be here. They'll find her, they'll find you. And then they'll hurt you both if it means getting to me."

"You're breaking this family apart. She'll never be the same again, I promise you that. And it'll be all your fault."

"Roy, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even have this family to begin with. I gave you Lian, I'm done owing you any favors," she said clearly, turning on her heel. "I'll see you around."

He didn't try to stop her but merely watched her go, feeling the chilly wind on his face as she opened the door and then disappeared into the night, like she had done so many times before. Roy shook his head in disappointment, turning to go back to bed before hearing the squeaky door hinge. His daughter stood in the doorway, clutching her bear against her chest in worry; she carried that bear around as if it were her sole weapon against the world that awaited her. He vaguely wondered if Jade had ever done that as a child, or if Sportsmaster thrust a sai into her hands the moment she was capable.

"Daddy?" He sighed, walking over to her and scooping her up in his arms.

"Yes, Baby?"

"Where did mommy go?" she squeaked, looking at him intently. Roy's eyes softened as he held her closer. He thought he would have had at least a few more hours of sleep and some time to think before answering this particular question. Maybe he would have even softened her up with pancakes and a mouthful of syrup as he broke the news. But Lian was a simple child, and she deserved the truth.

"Mommy left, Lian."

"Why?" she asked. "Is she goin' on a kitty trip?" He gave a small smile, stroking her tousled hair.

"No, she isn't going on a mission, Lian."

"Then why'd she go?" she asked softly, confusion twisting up her small features. He smoothed the wrinkles in her brow, letting out a deep sigh.

"She just needed to, Baby. To keep you safe," he said simply. "You need to go back to bed now, Lian. It's late." His voice was hoarse and his throat felt tight as he spoke.

"Can I sleep with you?" she whispered. "You keep me safe too." He thought for a moment and then nodded, heading to his bed and laying his daughter down where Jade had been not even an hour ago. Roy climbed in beside her, tucking her in first and giving her a kiss.

"I'll always keep you safe," he swore, and he meant it. She blinked at him, her fingers holding her plush bear tighter.

"Are… you gonna leave me, too?" she asked slowly, blinking her large, dark eyes at him. He frowned, pulling her into a hug and giving her a tight squeeze.

"No Baby... I'll never leave you. I promise. Daddy's going to stay with you until the day I die," he promised, kissing her head. "No more questions, Li. You need to go to sleep." The little girl, content in her father's arms, nodded and closed her eyes.

"I love you, Daddy. And mommy, too." He nodded, stroking her hair again to lull her to sleep. As she began to nod off, he knew he would be in for a long night, and wouldn't be getting any sleep himself.

"And Daddy loves you, Lian. Forever and always."