I'm going to make this a four shot using four different songs. :) Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, it literally makes me sooooo happy :D!

"Momma, can we play with the light puppets again?" Hunter asked sleepily. The little boy was snuggled into his Momma's side as they watched the sun go down on the porch. They'd sat on the same old rickety green couch on the porch, every day since they'd moved to this town. At the very grown age of six and a half years old, Hunter was not ashamed to admit that his favorite part of the day was when his momma and him sat out here and just talked about everything. He loved to look at his beautiful mother with her soft hair, just like his. She looked so happy now, and that's all he'd ever wanted.

"Oh honey, the sun's gone down too far. But, if you remind me tomorrow, I'll get it set up before sunset. I'm sorry pumpkin." Maura stroked her son's blonde curls, just reveling in the feeling of serenity that was life. She had learned the hard way to appreciate what she had now. She had before, but she just underestimated how much self-worth and peace of mind played a part in her happiness.

"Hmmkay, I guess" her son said with mock sadness as she stuck his tongue out and puffed out his wind tinted cheeks. Fall was rapidly approaching and with that came a multitude of changes: Hunter would start third grade and Maura would start as a nurse in the local vet clinic. They had spoken to great lengths about who the boy could talk to about his life, and where he was allowed to go after school.

The little elementary school was only a block from the Vet's office, but Maura still planned on walking her son to and from school; they had to be careful. They had to look out for him.

Him

Just the singular thought of that wretched man made Maura shiver and tense up. They had one talk about that situation, nearly three months ago, when they'd left him.

"MOMMY!" Hunter yelled out as he watched his mother hit the bottom of the stairs. Her face was red and her dress was rumpled around her hips. She didn't have any shoes on and he could almost see blood on her leg. He was so scared. He was only six, what was he supposed to do? He grabbed his mother's cheeks and kissed them until she opened her eyes. She smiled at him and said she'd had a secret: they were going to go to a farm and he needed to pack before Daddy found out. He knew better than that, he wasn't a baby. But, he listened to his Momma and packed so fast that he could barely zip up his Toy Story book bag. He knew that his Momma kept her "vacation bag" tucked under his bed, so he grabbed that too. His throat started to tighten and he felt tears burning the corners of his eyes. But, he wouldn't cry in front of her, she would cry too. He never, ever, wanted to be the type of man to make a mommy cry. He didn't want to be his father.

Hunter snuggled deeper into his mother's embrace and inhaled her scent. She smelled like honeysuckle and flowers. After a few more minutes, and the sun had gone down, Hunter felt his mother jostle him awake.

"Hey, buddy, it's time for bed okay?" Maura whispered into his ear, kissing his cheek lovingly. It was nearing 10o'clock but Maura had also drifted off a bit on the old couch. It surprised her actually; she had let her guard down enough to actually sleep. Maybe this good old country air was beneficial to her mental health. She loved to sit out here when Hunter was asleep and just enjoy a glass of wine while nature serenaded her with its' wonderful noises.

Hunter just nodded and stood up slowly, he would never say it out loud but, he would give anything to sleep next to his mother again. He used to when he was younger, and she always made him feel safe and loved. But when he was home, he'd be forced to sleep in his room and hear all the terrible things that happened to his mother. Sometimes, when he couldn't sleep, those memories resurfaced and Hunter would sneak into his mother's room to make sure that she was okay. She was a strong woman, but he was the man of the house and he needed to protect what was inside of it.

Maura noticed her son's downtrodden expression and hesitancy to go into his room; he never really made a fuss about anything, so this must have been serious.

"Hey Hunter, I think that I might need someone to make sure that I fall asleep tonight, you up for the job?" Maura asked her son. She knew that he came into her room at night and she loved him dearly for it. But, he would never ask something like this. So, she would give him a reason to stay in bed with her.

Hunter smiled and nodded slowly. They walked into the house and he made sure to lock all four of the locks and to set the alarm. His Momma went into her room to get changed, and he grabbed his Batman pillow with the matching blanket. He changed into his pajamas and took a moment to stand in front of the mirror. He really was a tiny boy- his mother and father were thin but tall. So, he was pretty average. The kids in school sometimes laughed at him because his hair was so light and curly, saying it looked like lady hair. But, he didn't care because he looked like his mother and she was wonderful. Deciding to be silly for a moment, he flexed his arm in front of his mirror and tried to look intimidating, which failed- miserably. He ended up looking like something tasted badly, so he just shook his head and decided that if his opponent was looking at his face, well, he would not be expecting what was coming to him.

He heard his mother humming softly down the hall, and he smiled. She was singing the lullaby that she used to sing to him when he couldn't sleep. He very much remembered that he would storm out of the house and leave his mother in a terrible state. So, they would sit down in Grand-Mere's rocking chair and they'd fall asleep like that. His Momma used to hold him so tight against her that he would fall asleep counting her heartbeats.

Maura smiled at the sight of her son, flexing in front of the mirror. She wouldn't tell him that she saw but it also kind of scared her just how physical he'd become since they left. She should have made him see someone, but it was rare to find someone in a town this small. The nearest facility was about 40 miles away. But honestly, Maura was just kind of terrified to leave the confines of this little town.

She walked back down the wooden hall, taking a moment to look at all the photos that littered the hallways. She had truly decorated this house as she's wanted- filled with photos of things that made her happy. Maura trailed her fingers along the white wooden walls until she reached the door frame of her bedroom. She walked in and made sure that all of the windows were locked, she couldn't be too careful

She had snuck them out of the house while he was still passed out upstairs. They'd shoved everything into her tiny prius and took off. She had waited until they were well out of town to even exhale and relax the tiniest bit. Her poor son was nearly purple and shaking because he was trying to put up a brave face. She had just driven until she was down to a quarter tank of gas. Judging by the placement of the sun- she'd estimated they were nearly 13 hours away. She'd sworn she'd seen an Iowa sign about an hour back. They'd stopped and eaten at a sandwich shop and stopped at the back. Maura withdrew every cent from their bank accounts and took his name off of her private funds. She'd stopped and checked out where she was and sighed. Yes, she was in Iowa. Well, no one would find her here. She cancelled her phone plan, and changed her name at the DMV. Rather, she'd tried to. But, the rude woman there just did not understand what it was like to be running from someone who would kill you if they could.

They'd stayed at a hotel while Maura used her new phone to find some local properties. Her son had only said less than ten words in horrible 24 hour period. Before bedtime the blonde had an appointment to look at three houses in city, and a farm on the outskirts of town. She'd eventually chosen the farm because while she was deep in the country, she still had neighbors if something were to happen.

Hunter saw his mother standing in front of the window, staring at nothing in particular. So, he jumped onto her bed and snuggled on top of her comforter. His Momma always slept on the left side of the bed, so he had just gotten used to sleeping on the right side. Even when he was in his own bed, the right side is where he felt the safest.

Eventually his hazel eyes started to droop and he murmured in his sleep. Maura jumped slightly and quickly shook her head to dispel her negative thoughts. They were safe, she always had to remind herself of that. They were far away from anyone that knew them. Soon Hunter would have lots of friends and hopefully would forget what used to be. Maura smiled sadly at the realization that once she started at the clinic, she too would have to interact with people once more. That's the part that scared her the most. How could she learn to be around people without flinching and jumping at every single sound? Would she have to pretend to be happy again? Would she have to lie and use makeup to cover things that people never needed to see? She glanced down at her son, her poor baby. He had watched his mother be the subject of inhumane torture for years, and kept a brave face the whole time. Stifling tears, Maura slid into her bed and just stared at her son, her beacon of light. Hunter had fallen asleep already and Maura knew she should try and sleep too. Tracing her son's face with soft fingers, Maura knew that they would be okay. It would take more than just him to break their bond. They were family, and family was the most important thing to her.

She slowly slid into the land of the sleeping, holding her son's hand the entire night.