***01***

Sitting in the backseat of the car, on a journey that seemed endless, Dean tried to find out when exactly everything went to hell.

Obviously his life was not a sea of roses, but from the moment he took the reins of his destiny and sought a way out to the hell that surrounded him, things were slightly better.

Of course living alone and sustaining himself through the little money he earned by participating in clandestine fights was not the best thing in the world for a 16-year-old teenager, but it was a start! Right?

Not knowing what to expect at this roller coaster that is his life, he remembered his childhood.

At first it was just him, a frightened and awkward boy, and his mother, Jenny.

Blonde, blue eyes, radiating smile, with a dimple on the right side. This was the image he kept of his mom. His mother. Mom. How he missed that beautiful woman.

She may not have made the best choices but she did her best. That's what he's saying to himself all this years and on this exact moment while watching the trees pass on this rainy day through the window of the car.

Jenny, got pregnant at the age of 15, from a guy not very responsible so to speak. Let's face it, a Bagboy who hadn't have a pot to piss in.

To tell the truth, Dean did not know much about his father. Well, he didn't even know his name. He only knew that when he was born the guy was arrested on drug charges and when he got out of jail, and if he got out of jail, he never looked for him.

Due to lack of education, having a small child and because Jenny lived in a hard neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, she had a hard time raising Dean.

But he definitely didn't blame her. He knew how to recognize his mom's efforts.

He remembered that she was doing everything that she could at the time, of course that time, when he was five years old, he didn't understand that, but now he admired the fact that his mother had three jobs to try to keep a roof over their heads and to put food on the table day after day.

That's the main reason why the State had put him on a foster home to begin with.

According to them, Jenny didn't have the financial capacity to support her and Dean. So he was put on the system.

There, sitting in that car, Dean, still remembered vividly the last day he was happy.

In a tiny little old house with cracks in the walls and almost falling apart, that contained only one room and an small kitchen.

There he was happy!

He smiled as he remembered that on that time his biggest concern was whether his neighbor's father would leave the TV on the wrestling channel or not. Oh boy.. how he was happy and didn't know it.

And then one day everything fell apart.

Knock. knock.

He knew he couldn't open the door for strangers, his mother repeat it every single day to him before leaving to work. "Baby, do not open the door to strangers. Promise me sweetie?"

Knock. knock.

"Open the door is the police!" said an authoritative voice behind the door. "I know you're there?"

Police? Well, mommy always said to me that if I got into trouble I should call the police. The police is good. Right? - Little Dean thinked.

Afraid the boy went to the window, peered through the curtain made of a sheet that was stuck to the wall and saw some men in uniform standing by the front door of his house.

Seeing it really was the police, he went to the door and unlocked it, slowly opening it.

"What's up champ? What's your name? "Asked the policeman.

"D-de-an," the boy stammered frightened.

The policeman looked thoughtfully at a scary bald man, that looked very angry, who was standing beside him.

"Hi," said the bald man. "My name is Steve Austin. Can I talk to your mommy or your daddy?" He asked nicely lowering himself to Dean's height.

"Mommy is not home," the boy said softly.

"Do you know where she is?" Asked Steve, who didn't seem to be so scary right now.

"W-working"

"What about your daddy?"

"I ... I don't have a daddy"

"Really? And is there anyone there with you? " He said pointing to the house.

"N-no." The blue eyed boy was starting to get worried again with so many questions. "Am I in trouble?" He asked whispering.

"No little one. You aren't in trouble" the cop said with a friendly smile. "Do you know what time your mom arrives?"

He nodded his head "In the morning.. for b-breakfast" he told the officer.

"I think the anonymous call was right, boss. The boy stays alone at home all the time" the officer told Steve.

On second thought he shouldn't have opened the door! That's right! "I should never have opened that door" he said out loud not realising it as he closed his eyes and brought his hand to his face.

"What was that kid?" asked the social worker who was driving, to a place far far far away, Dean thought.

"Nothing"

"We're almost there," said the man who was driving.

"Uhmm ..." Dean sighed, not knowing if this was good or bad.

To tell the truth, Dean was in a dead end.

It was been a long time that Dean was in the system, eleven to be exactly. He went from foster home to foster home, tried to ran away a lot of times and in the and always ended up the same way.. going to another foster home.

"So kid? ..."

"I have a name!" he said abruptly, coming out of his on thoughts with a scroll in his face.

Michael Cole, the social worker, knew that this specific kid wasn't one to mess with, because if it wasn't for Steve Austin, the Chefe of the Police Department in Cincinnati, he already would be locked out long time ago.

So he looked at him apologetically. "Sorry... Dean, I didn't want to disrespect you. I just wanted to talk"

Dean just snorted and looked out the window again. To be honest, he was tired, it had been a while since he was in this car, not to mention the 2 hour flight he had to do to get in this city.

When does this is going to end? he thinks to himself.

Michael, seeing that Dean was calmer, tried again. "You know Dean.. this family that you're going to stay is a good one"

"Right! Just like the other ones, right? They're all great!"

"No, I'm serious. I know you've been in the system for years and have tried to run away many times but this family is different. When Austin found you in the middle of that carnage, where you were literally fighting to earn a few pennies, he talked to a friend of his, Mr. Helmsley, you know... to try to find another home for you and the guy just said he was going take care of you. You know this doesn't happen to everyone. Bad luck doesn't always change."

"Uhum.." Dean sighed, looking away.

"It's not often that someone agrees to take care of a teenager like you, you have to recognize that" Michael stated as if it were obvious.

"What do you mean.. like me?" asked the boy indignant at the statement.

"Well... you have an unusual record for a 16-year-old teenager. And I don't say that in a good way." Seeing that Dean didn't look angry, like he was going to kill him, he continued. "You know.. disturbing peace, indecent exposure, theft, aggression, underage driving, drunk driving, drug use, drug dealing, prostitution..."

"I did NOT did that!" He said angry at hearing the last one.

"Okay... But that's what says on your record" Cole continued cautiously. "You were lucky. I think that is because the boss likes you. If Mr. Helmsley hadn't taken you in, after they found you working illegally in that hole, you would end up in jail or maybe would be dead by now. Dean, you do understand that the Chefe done a lot for you and the people you got involved there were going to end up killing you, right?"

"I know," Dean said, murmuring more to himself.

"From what I see... this is your last chance kid." After getting a glare, he corrected himself quickly. "I mean .. Dean."