Chapter 2 - A step closer

Since the day he left home nearly five years ago, Noah had not flown, boarded a train or ridden on a bus for a simple yet complicated reason. Taking public transit would mean purchasing a ticket. Tickets were kept as records. And, record information was stored in data bases easily accessible to a well-trained military strategist bent on finding his "wayward" gay son. So in order to stay under the radar net spread by the colonel, Noah walked, biked or drove using a false license whenever necessary.

Yet here was Noah standing in line at the Frontier Airlines ticket counter at Montana's Billings Logan International Airport; waiting to check in as John Husman, an alias he had used several times. He tried to blend in with other travelers all the while watching the movements of the ticket agents and the Transportation Security Agency agents behind the counter and staffing the nearby bank of metal detectors.

His heart rate grew quick with every step that brought him closer to the counter. Lucinda had assured him that the traveling documents inside his jacket were legitimate; and would ensure his safe passage through the check-in process. But he kept up his guard because he knew that even the slightest misstep could in a minute destroy the protective shield he had created.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Noah's head snapped around. Sheesh what now?

"May I see your photo ID and necessary travel documents," The ticket agent held out his hand.

Noah let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh yeah" He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket. "Here's my license and a bill folder containing the necessary documents."

"Thank you, Mr....Husman. " The agent began to scan the information. His pleasant expression quickly turned serious as he looked up; and signaled a nearby TSA agent. "Just wait here, sir. I'll be right back." The ticket agent took Noah's documents and false license with him. Noah watched as the man and the TSA representative disappeared together behind a rear door.

Noah became anxious.

O God... I messed up…Noah thought, when the two men reappeared in the distance talking with two other TSA agents. It appeared to be very serious. He couldn't hear what they were saying. Whatever the subject was, it couldn't be good. Noah's anxious feeling was now reaching near panic stage.

For a moment he considered turning on his heel and quickly leaving the line and the airport. He'd get a bus or hop on a train, anything else that hopefully didn't demand travel documents. But he knew a quick departure would only serve to add to any suspicion the agents already had. He decided to take his chances and stay at the counter. After all, he had promised Lucinda he would be in Chicago by tomorrow.

Noah took a deep breath as he saw the ticket agent returning to the counter.

"Here you go, Mr. Husman. Sorry about the wait. Everything appears to be in order. "

Noah exhaled, feeling the tension slipping away. "Thank you" He said with a weak smile.

"Have a pleasant flight to Chicago, Sir."

"Thanks, again" Noah said, this time his smile grew a little bit bigger. The agent nodded before turning to the next traveler in line.

With a slight grin on his lips, Noah walked through the metal detectors. For a moment he had a hard time controlling himself. He felt like jumping up and down with sure joy. Something he hadn't done in a very long time. Noah had actually succeeded consequence free.

"I made it… I actually made it!"

For the first time in five years Noah could be Noah Mayer without feeling any shame or fear for who he was. He had outwitted his father at the colonel's own game. He celebrated knowing that no matter how much power his father exerted, Noah had started leveling the playing field with people like Lucinda Walsh and officials of the federal Witness Protection Program. They were strong enough and powerful enough to help his mom and Noah escape the colonel's tyranny.

"Don't celebrate until the job is done," Noah's conscience warned him. "You know what happened if you start to get sloppy." Noah sighed. But his outward smile was so to fade.

****

Inside the departure lounge, Noah sat down at a cafe when something started to vibrate inside his pants' pocket.

"What the hell?" He murmured as he reached into the pocket. "Oh"… It was the cell phone Lucinda had given Noah after she found out he didn't have one.

"But come on, who needs a phone when you live in the middle of nowhere, trying to hide? A cell phone doesn't exactly scream 'You need me' if you don't have anyone to call or can't contact anyone for that matter."

"John" He replied automatically.

"We talked about this, Noah" Lucinda Walsh's voice sparked on the other end. "No more, John Huston."

"Got it," Noah grinned a bit. "So, why are you calling me? I thought you said you were going to call as soon as you landed in Chicago"

"I just wanted to make sure you got through security," she said. Noah could hear the sincerity in her voice.

Noah's heart melted a bit when he heard the words. No one had cared about him for a long time.

"Yes, everything went fine. I was a bit worried when I got to the check in but…"

Lucinda interrupted him.

"Silly boy, I told you there was nothing to be worried about… I'm not Lucinda Walsh, president and CEO of World Wide Industries for nothing." Noah could have sworn she tossed that golden mane of hers so authoritatively.

"I know. I know. But when it comes to me and my life, something always seems to go wrong... no matter what I do!"

"Don't worry sweetie, I'm a professional."

Noah grinned. "I'm not worried anymore… not the slightest."

"That's good. So if there's nothing more, I'll say good-bye."

"Well… actually there is," Noah started dragging the zipper on his jacket up and down. "I was just wondering…"

"Yes?"

"If I wanted to… call someone, would that be OK?" Noah asked in a small voice, considering the cell phone wasn't his.

"It's your cell phone Noah. I gave it to you remember?" she said as if it was plainly obvious.

"...and no I don't want to hear another word about..." she added before Noah had a chance to protest. "If you want to call your mother, then go ahead and call her!"

"How did you know?"

"I'm a mother too, Noah." She stated. "And yes before you ask, it's safe to call her. He won't be able to track that phone" and then she was gone without saying goodbye. But what she had said hadn't escape Noah.

Noah stared at the phone for a moment; unsure what to do. But if he were going to do this job, he needed his mother's advice. Slowly and still unsure, he punched in the numbers he knew by heart and hit send.

"Mayer Residence."

"She sounds worse than she did 24 hours ago...What the hell did he do to her?"

"Hi Mom," he said, trying to sound normal and not letting his emotions get in the way. Noah didn't dare to ask if she was OK, even if it was obvious that she wasn't. After all, he didn't feel the need to clarify something that they both knew was an unspoken rule between them. It was a sad fact that had grown to be a part of their life, a part that Noah was determine to eliminate.

"You know Noah, I got a very interesting phone call yesterday," his s mom said with a smile heard in her voice. Someone from the Witness Protection Program had contacted her and she seemed a bit happier. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"

"Maybe."

"You took the job, didn't you?" He heard her sigh. "You did it for me. That was what you meant when you said that an offer like this wouldn't come around again." She said more to herself then to Noah. "Noah, sweetie"

"Yes, Mom, I did it for you. I would do anything to get you out of there and the hell away from him."

"You're willing to sacrifice your heart? Haven't I taught you anything?" she said in an angry voice although not raised and without a trace of disappointment.

"You did teach me something, Mom. You taught me to follow my heart wherever it leads me; and that's what I'm doing. Right now my heart is screaming to save you; to give you the life you deserve." He clenched his jaw. "Not as his punching bag."

"Do you remember what happened with Matt?" asked his mom.

"Of course, how could I forget?" he said through clenched teeth.

Matt had been the first job Noah had gotten or it might have been the second or third… He couldn't remember those details because the order wasn't important. But he never forgot a job, however it was his first job that involved breaking up a couple.

People used to tell Noah that you never forget your first job, first time, or your first lover or crush. You don't forget the first time you learned how to ride a bike or the first time you went fishing with your dad. Memories of those father and son moments may fade overtime. It's harder to forget your first break up or your first loss or your first big screw up.

Noah hadn't had a lot of good first time situations. But Matt had been Noah's first in so many ways… crush, lover, break up and first big screw up…more first then he could count.

When you had Noah's job, the ground rule was to get in and then get out as quickly as possible, no matter the job becuase if you stayed behind, things would get ugly, sooner or later.

You weren't supposed to fall in love with your job; stick around for the actually break up; or stay and attempt to pick up the pieces of the lifes you shattered, those were the main rules, get in and get out..

But sometimes the rules were the biggest problems with an assignment. You can't control when to fall in love or when to leave or stick around and somehow think that this it going to work…Your wrong...it doesn't, it ends in disaster, because sooner or later they're going to figure it out or one of the member in the family is going to tell them…

"Happy endings" didn't exist with the job, becuase sooner or later the truth would come out, and that's when you got your heart broken. That's when everything ends, because no one wants to stay when they find out, especially when they find out that you lied about who you were, name, age, family, everything you ever told them. Trying to convince them that the love you felt was real, the feelings were true and in the end the money didn't matter, didn't really work…

Noah never took the money, he only took Matt's memory with him, a treasure to chairs and yet a painful lesson that had been learned. After Noah hadn't fallen in love… he had learned his lesson… "

"Noah, are you there?" Charlene said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yes, I remember Matt. But I'm telling you Mom, that happened a long time ago and this job is different. I'm fine, I swear."

Charlene knew this was a battle she wasn't going to win against her son. Noah's stubbornness was the only good thing that he had inherited from his father. "OK. I'm following your lead on this one. But please, please," she pleaded, "take care of yourself."

"I always do Mom."

"Charlene!" Winston screaming voice was heard in the background. The line went dead. Noah glared at the cell phone. You f'ucking bastard. One day you will pay."

An announcement over the loud-speaker system interrupted Noah's threat. "Attention Frontier Airlines Flight 785 to Chicago will begin boarding in 10 minutes at Gate 12B."

"Chicago, here I come…"