Jared's POV

"That," Melanie said in an icy voice, "is my father."

I looked at the man she pointed out. He looked mid-40's, maybe and he had the same hair color as Melanie but it was graying a little. I turned back to her and she was ducking behind the candy shelves even lower now. Probably making sure he can't see her.

"Shit," I muttered.

Melanie nodded. "Exactly."

She was trying to look at him and hide at the same time, moving her head a lot and occasionally looking back at me. "I need to get out of here."

"What?" I asked sharply.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I can't stay here in the store with him. He'd recognize me but not you. Give me the keys and go pay. I'll go hide out in the car."

"Okay," I said and reached into my pocket for my car and house keys then handed them to her. Melanie gave me a smile in relief and stood up, turning around when she smacked into someone.

"Sor -" Melanie sut herself off when she got a look at just who she'd bumped into. "Oh my God."

The little boy beamed, really happy to see her. I guessed it wasn't too big a stretch to assume this was her little brother. "Mel! I missed you so much!"

He hugged her then and she hugged him back. Her face showed a million emotions at once. "I missed you, too."

They held each other for what seemed like hours but seconds later, they pulled away. Jamie looked at me and Melanie's hand, the one I had just handed my house keys to, and looked back at me. "Who are you?"

Melanie smiled when talking to her brother I noticed. It was very different than seeing her talk about him and even further away from when she talked about her father. "Jamie, this is my friend, Jared. Jared, Jamie."

"Hey," I said and held my hand out for the kid to shake. He looked at it as if it were a test - like he was asking me what I was doing with his sister.

But then he reached his small hand out and shook mine. "Hi."

Melanie watched us and her smile grew. I had to admit it was good to see her smile. But her smile dropped when she looked in the other direction, where her dad was. "Jamie, I have to go."

"What?" he exclaimed. "But I just found you!"

She looked ready to break. "I can't stay here right now. Dad's with you. You understand, right? He can't see me."

Jamie nodded. He looked heartbroken. "I get it."

She reached down to hug him one more time and remember this short reunion of the two of them. "Don't tell Dad, all right?"

Jamie just nodded again and as she stood up and was about to leave, a voice came from behind me. "Melanie?"

I saw the exact moment that she stopped breathing and she turned around, her face looked defeated. Caught. I turned myself to look at where the voice came from. It was the man Melanie had pointed out as her father and he was staring at her with a look that said 'Finally'.

Melanie didn't answer him and instead looked at me, as if she were asking for some kind of help. Her dad noticed this and looked at me too. "Hello. Who are you and how do you know my daughter?"

I was just about to answer when Melanie spoke. "You don't have to tell him anything."

I looked at her and the smile that had been there was long gone. A scowl now covered her face and it was angry.

Her dad just laughed. "So you're not talking to me? After everything you put me through, you're not gonna say hello to your father? Or introduce me to your...friend?"

"Hi," she madly said. "But I'm not telling you who he is." She looked at me. "Come on."

"Wait," her dad said. "Can I at least ask how you are?"

"Fine," she said. "Then can I ask how you found me?"

"The last time I called you," he started, "I had a tracker on the call. Some cop buddies of mine were over at the house helping out. I didn't get a direct hit but I got a vague answer so I thought I'd come check it out."

Shit. I could tell she didn't expect that and was thinking the exact same word as I was.

"Plus, you called that friend of yours," he spoke again. "Lily - was that her name?"

"How did you -"

"It doesn't matter," he cut her off. "What matters is I found you. You can come home now."

"No, I can't," Melanie said. She looked down at Jamie who was looking right back up at her.

"I talked to Ellen," he said and I remembered that was the name of her stepmom. "She denied everything and had a fit. That's when I knew she'd been lying the whole time. She's gone. Home could be like it used to be now. Just the three of us."

"No," she shook her head in defeat. "It doesn't change anything. I told you, I'm not going back."

His smile faltered. "And I told you, I'm here to take you home."

"That's not my home anymore," she said and she gave me a look that said she needed to go home.

"It is because of this guy?" he asked her, pointing at me. "Is there something going on between the two of you or something?"

"None of your damn business," Melanie said and turned, walking right out of the store. Jamie watched her with a sad look on his face. He looked like he wanted to follow her.

I walked right out after her, glad we hadn't gotten to do any real shopping yet. We had only picked up a loaf of bread so I put it down on the nearest shelf. Her dad started to follow but forgot he had a basket full of stuff in his hand.

Melanie was already in the driver's seat and turned the engine on. I jumped into the passenger seat beside her just as her dad came out of the store, Jamie now holding the basket. We zoomed out of the lot before he could see a plate.

We didn't speak the whole ride home. Melanie obviously was upset, holding tightly onto the wheel. Her eyes looked ready to cry a river. When we finally made it home, she pulled the Jeep more to the back of the house. I understand. She was hiding it in case her dad drove around.

Melanie jangeled the keys and got out of the car, walking right into the house. I had to jog a little bit just to catch up with her.

"Are you gonna talk about what just happened?" I asked her once I shut the door.

"Nope," she said as she grabbed a water bottle out of the fridge and took a huge sip.

"Do you want to?"

"Nope."

I sighed. "Is there anything I can do?"

Melanie walked out of the kitchen and went towards her bedroom. "Yeah. You can help me pack."

This surprised me. "What?! Pack?"

"I gotta get out of here," she called to me from her room.

I started following her there and stood in the doorway. "Why?"

She was grabbing one of the suitcases she came here with. "You were there. My dad knows where I am. I can't stay here anymore."

"Yeah I was there," I agreed. "But he said he didn't know an exact location so I don't see the rush."

She turned to stand right in front of me. "And it won't be long before he figures it out either."

"He won't figure it out," I argued.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked me.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure, to be honest. But I know I don't want you leaving."

"You think I want to leave?"

Melanie was staring right into my eyes and I almost told her begged her not to go right then. "No."

She turned around then and went back to packing. "Where are you gonna go?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "It worked out the first time."

That almost made me smile and in other circumstances, I would have. "You think you're gonna find another guy like me out there?"

She looked up at me from standing over her bed with a smile playing on her lips. "Oh, no. I don't think there's anyone out there like you, Jared Howe."

Okay so now she made me laugh too. "Really. Melanie, what are you going to do?"

"I'll figure it out when I get there," she said then put a few tops in her suitcase and looked up at me. "Jared...I know you don't understand why I have to do this but I do. I have to go. He may not be with her anymore but it doesn't change that he trusted her over me. He made me feel like I was a terrible person all while believing his wife over his daughter. I can't go back."

I walked closer to her on the other side of her bed. We stood face to face again. "I do understand, Melanie. That's the thing but I still don't want you to go."

"I know," she whispered. "I don't want to go, either. I don't want to leave you."

"What if we figure something else out?" I tried. "If he finds you here, we can try fighting against him. Sure, it wasn't him who hit you but it was neglect. He let it keep happening."

Melanie was shaking her head before I even finished. "You heard my dad. 'Cop buddies.' That's not the only friends he has, you know. He has more powerful ones than that. Lawyer ones. Ones who never lose their cases, Jared."

I grabbed her arms and steadied her to face me. "Tell me you're sure. That this is the only option and I'll let you go."

I could the war going on inside her head. She knew we could try but her logical side was winning. She knew we didn't stand a chance in court against her dad. "You know I can't tell you that."

"Then don't leave."

"This is the best option, Jared," she whispered.

I dropped my hands off her arms and she started packing again. Melanie threw everything she could into her bags.

Once the suitcase was full, she closed her eyes and spoke again. "Back at home...I had this whole support system. My friends all were on my side. They didn't even know the truth. Just Lily and Aaron did. And they still couldn't help me. How could just the two of us do it?"

I watched her before answering. A tear slipped down her cheek and she kept her eyes shut. "I don't know," I repeated her earlier answer. "But you shouldn't make a fast decision like this. It should take more planning."

"Maybe." She opened her eyes. "But I don't have enough time before he connects me to your house and I can't - I won't - do that to you. I'm not putting you in the middle."

"I already am!" I yelled. "You're staying at my home, Melanie. He's seen us together. He can just ask around about me and find me."

"All the more reason I should leave," she answered in a calm voice.

I didn't do know what else I could do. Instead of arguing any more, I walked out of the room and into the living room. I imagined kicking the couch or yelling out my frustration but neither thing would keep her here. I was realizing just how much the past few weeks meant to me with the thought of her not being here anymore. It killed me to notice it now but I couldn't change the past. That made it suck even worse.

My eyes traveled the walls, thinking of everything that happened since she moved in. I had more fun with Melanie. She was even breaking down some of the walls Jodi had forced me to put up. I didn't know what I would do without her.

Just as I was thinking that, she walked down the hallway with the same luggages she had when I found her on my doorstep nearly a month ago. They just looked more stuffed now. I walked up to her again. She turned and her eyes were like crystals. "What?"

"Just tell me this is what you have to do," I said to her.

"I told y -"

"No," I shook my head. "Swear to me this is the only thing you can do. That you honestly can't stay here and you can't go back. Swear it to me, Mel."

Melanie bit her lip, hesistating. Good. That moment could be just what it takes. Then my world crashed back down. "I can't stay here, Jared. And I can't go back. I have to leave. Please. Just let me go."

I tried everything I had. "What about if your dad does come here? And he asks about you and where you went?"

"You'll tell him you don't know where I am," she replied. "Because it's the truth."

"So you're just going to walk out that door, out of my life, and we're never gonna see each other again?" I fought with all I could. "Just like that?"

"Not just like that," she answered. "This isn't easy for me but he's gonna search you just like he found out from Lily. It's better you don't know."

"Not better for me," I said back.

Melanie looked defeated and I wanted to take back everything and just erase today, pretend we never saw her dad or even Jamie in the store.

But I couldn't. And I hated it more than anything.

She turned again to leave, closer to the door this time. I had one more thing I needed to say before she goes. One more thing. "Melanie, wait."

She turned to face me, her face broken and sad. I was sure mine matched hers. I walked closer to her and put my hands on both sides of her face. "I lied before. I'm not just saying this to make you stay. But I lied."

"About what?"

"You asked me before if I felt something for you," I began. I could see her mind clicking what I meant but she didn't even know the half of it. "I lied. Melanie..."

She closed her eyes then opened them. "Don't."

I didn't listen. "I'm in love with you, Melanie. And I wanted you to know before you walked out that door and probably never see you again. I love you."

Another tear slipped down her cheek and she looked me right in the eye. "I love you, too," she whispered. "And it's more of why I have to leave."

She tried to leave again but this time I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards me. My lips came down on hers hard and she responded instantly. Melanie dropped her bags with a thud and wrapped her arms around my neck. My hands went to her back, wrapping my arms around her waist.

It felt like everything had led to this moment and yet nothing at the same time. Kissing Melanie felt right. She moved closer, pressing her body to mine. I pressed myself to her. Our lips moved together for what seemed like forever. Breathing was becoming hard but I didn't care.

It didn't seem like she cared either.

She pulled away first, her chest moving up and down like she really did need to catch her breath. Mine was probably doing the same. Her foreheads leaned together and she was looking down. "Whoa."

"Yeah." I was surprised either of us could even speak.

Melanie leaned her head to look at me. "I'm still leaving."

"I know," I said. "I just had to do that before you left."

She gave me a small smile and mirrored my words. "I know."

I gave her one back and she stood on her tiptoes, giving me another kiss but this one was shorter, quicker. My eyes closed and I pretended for a moment she wasn't leaving. But then I opened them and reality came back. "Bye, Melanie."

She picked up her bags again and opened the doors. Turning back to me, she said, "Good-bye, Jared."

Then she was gone. The door shut behind her and I went to it and peered out. Watching her walk away was probably one of the hardest moments of my life but there I was, letting that moment happen. She didn't even look back but her shoulders' movement give hints that she was crying. All I wanted was to bring her back here and wrap her in my arms.

Instead, I watched her until she turned a corner and disappeared. I shut the door and looked at the house. It felt so empty without Melanie in it. I just walked over to the couch and turned on TNT, and there was a movie on. I flipped on the on demand channel and put the newest episode of Castle on, because it was what we'd be doing right now if her dad hadn't seen her.