Disclaimer: I own anyone you do not recognize. Everyone else belongs to Kripke and Abrams.
A fog was beginning to roll across the abandoned campground as Miles stood on the rotted porch of one of the cabins. He leaned against one of the beams supporting the roof, arms crossed over his chest, and stared out into the darkness. It was late and they had traveled far enough into the woods that he doubted any Militia soldiers would be coming to find them.
Behind him, the door to the cabin shut softly, and he glanced over to find Nora at his side. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly in the cool air. Wordlessly, he untangled his arms and slipped one over her shoulder, pulling her in close to him. She exhaled softly, then turned her head, and pressed her face into his chest.
Since leaving Illinois, these moments between them were rare. At first, there was still tension between them and neither was willing to make the first move. It was after her near death experience in Indiana and miraculous recovery in Ohio that Miles finally got his act together. From that point on, they tried to take advantage of any alone time that came their way. Then the past three days had everyone on edge and there had been no time to be together or to discuss what was happening. All they had were a few long, intense gazes which had them hoping-knowing- that the other understood what was going through their heads at the time. Now, with this relatively safe interlude, she wanted to cling to him and not let go any time soon.
"Are they all asleep?"
"Yeah. Now it's your turn. I'll keep watch."
"I can't. I-I need to head out for a while."
He felt her tense against him, then slowly she peeled away to look up at him.
"What?"
"I need to go back. There's something I need to do before we leave in the morning."
"Tell me you're not going to Bass."
"I'm not. I'm not even going into the city. I just, I don't know how to explain it. I don't want to get into it right now." because he wasn't even sure his secret mission was going to be a success and there was no reason to fill her in, get her hopes up, then have it all come crashing down again. "I'm not going to be gone long. Two, maybe three hours tops. Give Charlie the next watch. I don't want Aaron or Rachel involved and I don't feel Danny is capable of protecting four other people if he suddenly needed to."
"What could possibly be so important?"
"I'll explain everything when I get back."
"You can't tell me now?"
"No. It's better this way." he smirked a little, turning so they were chest-to-chest. He pulled her back to him, both arms wrapping around her thin waist. "You never did like surprises."
"Miles, a puppy is a surprise. You waltzing back into an area where you're the most wanted man is suicide."
"I don't waltz. I'm not going into the city. I just need to pick something up. And trust me when I say it is worth it."
She stared up at him, trying to decipher the situation.
"I didn't think we were going to make it out of the past couple days. Now, we have and we're all safe, and you want to toy with that." she said quietly. "You can't even give me a little hint so I'm not worrying?"
"I can handle myself. You know that." he brought one hand up, brushed away the hair that had fallen out of her messy bun, and kissed her quickly but firmly. "There's nothing to worry about."
"Why do I doubt that?"
"I'll see you in a little bit." another kiss, then he stepped away from her and off the porch. She took up his previous position of leaning on the porch, watching as he disappeared into the fog. She propped her elbows onto railing, and pressed her face into her hands.
She hadn't wanted to come back to Philadelphia in the first place. It had been pure adrenaline and the complete longing to see Miles-no matter how angry she was at him- for the first time in four years that had made her agree to the whole plan. But once the novelty of all that wore off and she was faced with the thoughts she had buried deep inside, her determinism faded with each step she took east. Finally, the night before infiltrating the city, Miles had found her huddled on the side of one building, away from the rest of their group, and close to having a panic attack. Philadelphia was the last place in the world she wanted to be. But she would follow him to the ends of the earth, had made a promise to Charlie, and she refused to let her past keep a hold on her life.
Miles stood still as he waited outside the abandoned warehouse, though his eyes were constantly on the move and scanned over the area several times. He hoped he had nothing to worry about. He hoped he had been threatening enough that she took him seriously and knew to do what he said. Still, there was a part of him that assumed a group of Militia soldiers would be greeting him rather than Julia Neville. He knew he was risking everything for this but he couldn't turn back.
The sound of dead leaves and twigs crunching caught his attention and as a precaution, his hand flew to the sword at his hip. He relaxed slightly as Julia appeared around the side of the warehouse. She stopped a few feet in front of him and squared her shoulders, trying to pass off the anxiety she was currently feeling. She glanced around their surroundings, as if she was looking for someone to jump out of the trees and arrest them.
"I thought maybe you weren't going to show." he muttered. She shrugged slightly and focused her steely gaze at him.
"What can I say? You made a convincing argument."
"Aunt Julia, what's going on?" the voice between them was quiet, catching both their attention. Miles looked down at the young boy who grasped her hand tightly. Julia smiled and knelt down next to him.
"You are going on an adventure. Doesn't that sound like fun?" she asked. He frowned, then tilted his head up to look at Miles.
"Why?"
"Well, we all decided that it would be better and safer for you if you went away for a little bit. Remember how you heard your dad and Uncle Tom talking about the other armies? We don't want you getting involved in anything. Miles is an old friend of your dad and is going to look after you with a few of his friends."
"Are you coming with me?"
"No, honey, I'm not."
"What about Mom and Dad?"
"They have to stay here." her response made him frown and look down at his shoes. "Hey, Alex, it's okay. It's only for a little while."
"They didn't say goodbye to me."
"I know and they wanted to but you know sometimes they can't be here. But they love you very much. That's why you have to go. We want you safe." she slipped the small backpack off her shoulder and arranged it over his own. "And you're going to have a great time. I promise. Plus, all your favorites are in the bag and I put in some of those brownies we made yesterday."
"Even Ollie?"
"Even Ollie. I want you on your best behavior. Use your manners. I don't want to hear you were being bad." she smiled slightly and brushed his dark hair off his forehead. "You're going to be okay."
She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and stood up. She brushed her hands on her jeans and avoided looking Miles directly in the eye.
"I need to get back before Tom does."
"You'll be okay?"
"Like you care?"
Miles couldn't argue with that point. She started to walk away but he called out to her, causing her to turn her head slightly in his direction.
"Thanks." his voice was quiet but the statement sincere. She hesitated, then responded,
"I am sorry. Things were different then."
After that, she disappeared into the darkness, and he waited until her footsteps faded to focus on Alex. He knelt down slowly next to the boy, balanced his arm on his knee, and observed him for a silent moment. Alex still had his head downcast and his right foot was scuffing at the dirt. Miles could tell by the expression on his face that he was trying hard not to cry. He imagined that it had to be difficult believing you were in a safe environment with someone who apparently cared for you, only to be dropped unceremoniously into the woods with a stranger. If he was six years old, Miles would have been crying too.
"Hey," he hesitantly put a hand under his chin, surprised and relieved when the boy didn't pull away. His head lifted and he sniffed loudly, staring at Miles with watery, chocolate eyes. "This all kind of sucks, doesn't it?"
"Aunt Julia says you're not supposed to say that."
Miles held back a smirk. It had been quite some time since he had dealt with a child. He would have to learn to curb his language apparently.
"What I mean is, this isn't all that great. I know and I'm sorry that this is happening but I promise you, you've got nothing to worry about kid."
"My name's Alex."
"I know."
"Are... are you really friends with my dad?"
Miles hesitated only momentarily, hoped Alex didn't realize that, and nodded slowly, "Yeah, yeah, I am."
He let out another loud snort in response and wiped his runny nose with the sleeve of his jacket.
"I bet you had a long night."
"We walked really far."
"I can imagine. My place is pretty far too so is it okay if I carry you? We'll get there quicker and you can even sleep. You're probably tired."
Alex seemed to consider this, then nodded, which sent his dark hair flopping into his eyes. He shrugged his backpack off and silently dug through it until he pulled out a worn stuffed animal.
"Can you hold Ollie?"
Miles accepted the toy, turning it over in his hands as he put his backpack on once more. Once he was ready, he took his dog back, then allowed Miles to lift him up. To the older man, he weighed barely nothing and settled easily against his chest. They had only been walking about ten minutes or so when Miles felt Alex relax in his hold and his breathing evened out. His head was buried in his shoulder against the side of his neck and one arm was thrown loosely over his shoulder as well. Miles tightened his grasp on the boy and tried to ignore the tears stinging at the corners of his eyes. He failed miserably.
By the time they reached the cabin, his arms were burning with a dull ache, but he hardly registered that fact. He was surprised to see Nora sitting on porch and she slowly stood as she saw him approaching.
"Aren't you cold out here?"
"I was keeping watch."
"There are windows aren't there?"
She tilted her head in a half nod. At the moment she could care less about the temperature or cabins or windows. What she did care about was the fact he had been gone almost three hours and had returned with a small child.
"You said you were going to explain everything." she reminded, eyes locked on the sleeping boy.
"And I'm going to. Let's get him inside though."
He moved past her into the cabin, trying to be as quiet as possible. The other four were asleep and he wanted to keep it that way. They could get their explanations in the morning. Slowly, Miles eased Alex onto the cot in the corner and pulled the rough blanket over him. Alex sighed softly and curled onto his side, holding Ollie tightly to his chest. Nora stood next to Miles, eyes shifting between him and the boy.
"Explanations. Please."
"Come on." he led her back onto the porch and leaned against the wall of the cabin. She stared at him, waiting for him to begin. He stared back, trying to find his opening. "Last night, when I went to the Nevilles' house before heading to Tom's office, I expected to find Julia and maybe Jason. I found them. I was going to take Julia hostage, which I did. I wasn't expecting there to be someone else with them."
"You...you kidnapped Neville's son?"
"No." he took a deep breath and stepped forward, taking her hands in his. She tried to pull away but he held tighter. "Julia was with you the day Alex was born."
A pained expression formed on her face and she gritted her teeth at the mere mention of it.
"What does that-" she cut herself off and Miles could practically see the wheels turning inside her head. "No. No. I'm not, I can't deal with this. I don't-"
"Deal with what?"
"You disappear on some mystery mission for hours and you come back with a kid and you're telling me, expecting me to believe, that he-"
"I knew right away. The minute I saw him I knew it was him. There's no denying it and she confessed to everything."
"So you're saying that she, she what? Took him? Told me he was... that he was dead? And all this time has been raising him as her own?"
"Kind of. Bass plays a big part in it too, according to her."
"Bass."
"Yeah."
"Sebastian has been playing dad to our son."
"Apparently."
"Oh, well, that's just-" she stopped, trying to keep her tears at bay. She tapped her foot angrily into the porch and chewed at the inside of her cheek.
"Nora," his voice was barely above a whisper but it was enough to crack her emotions and she let out a sob, unable to hold it in anymore.
"You-you-you wouldn't lie?"
"No. No, baby, no." he stepped closer and lifted his hands to her face, wiping away the tears that had fallen. "Trust me, I wouldn't. Not about this."
"And you're sure? I mean, it's-it's not like we could-could get a paternity test."
"He doesn't need one. It was a huge shock when I saw him. Not only because I actually saw him but he looks so much like us. He's me but he has your eyes. And the kid's fucking adorable, absolutely gorgeous." a grin formed on his face as he talked about Alex, a flash of fatherly pride, and she smiled weakly back at him.
"It's really him?"
"It's really him."
"I want to see him." she tore away from him and quietly reentered the cabin. She sat down next to the cot and leaned in. His face was buried into the fur of the stuffed animal and she slowly pulled it away. Alex whined softly and twisted onto his back, hair sliding over his forehead. Miles sat down quietly behind her and looped an arm over her shoulder. She reached a hand out hesitantly but her fingers curled back at the last second.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't want to wake him." and I'm terrified, she added to herself. She heard him chuckle in her ear as he kissed the side of her head.
"Why don't you go get some sleep?"
"Sleep? Are you kidding?"
"We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. No use having you falling over trying to stay awake just because you wanted to watch him sleep."
"I noticed you omitted yourself from that statement."
"Someone has to keep watch. I don't want the others in on this yet."
"Then we'll take turns so you get some sleep too." she turned her head so they were facing each other and he leaned in, brushing his mouth over hers.
"I told you I'd fix this." he mumbled, pressing their foreheads together. "Everything's going to be okay now."
She nodded silently, kissing him in return. Her attention turned back to Alex and this time she lightly ran a hand over the side of his face. He hummed to himself, brought Ollie up to his nose once more, and went still.