Disclaimer: I do not own AHS
A/N: Hey guys! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! Ch 19 was a rush glad you all liked it. On with the story!
Ps. If I'm over doing it with the flashbacks please let me know! I get carried away sometimes.
DEAR FATHER
CH 10- The Way Home
1966
The boy had not stopped crying for hours. Lana had fed and changed him but he would not stop. Johnny was not hungry nor did he need a changing. He just wanted his mother.
Six months had passed since Lana first brought him home and she still struggled to care for the boy. He demanded her attention 24/7 and Lana wanted but one moment to herself.
"Lana." Oliver's ghostly voice spoke in her ear. "Our son is crying."
Lana leaned over her typewriter, desperately trying to concentrate. She buried her face in her hands and fought the urge to scream. She needed a cigarette. The doctor had advised her to quit for Johnny's sake but she just couldn't or she just simply did not care to do so. Her cigarettes were the only things that calmed her.
Lana sat up and grabbed the box of death sticks from the desk. With shaky hands she brought one to her lips and lit it. She inhaled and tilted her head back letting the smoke exit her lips and dance above her. The warmth soothed her like nothing.
Johnny continued to cry from his playpen behind her. He had rolled on to his back and wailed with a rage so strong that almost shook the house. Johnny had grown so much in the past six months. His skin was fair and his head was covered in lush dark brown hair. He had big brown eyes and the sweetest smile anyone had seen on a baby. At the moments his cheeks were rosy pink and covered in tears. He cried as he attempted to roll on to his back.
"Can't you hear him?" His voice asked.
Lana ignored him. She was tired of living with Oliver's ghost. She had buried him and dead he had to stay.
"Lana." Came a different voice. Her voice.
Lana opened her eyes, staring off to the ceiling. She had almost forgotten the sound of Wendy's voice.
"Lana." Her ghost repeated her name, "Please take care of your little boy. Please."
Lana sighed and extinguished her cigarette. These ghosts were driving her insane. She stood from her desk and walked to the middle of the living room where Johnny lay crying in his playpen. He wore diapers and a white onesie.
"Alright, alright." Lana said as she leaned in to the playpen and picked him up, "Stop your crying." She sat him on her hip.
Johnny stopped his crying and whined angry with his mother for not paying attention to him any sooner. He placed his little hands on Lana's shoulder's and gave out another whine.
Lana looked at him and sighed. It amazed her how that little boy ran her life. Everything depended on him and his schedule. Lana felt trapped and could only breathe in peace when he was fast asleep. Nevertheless, there was a part of her that felt at peace when she knew he was in his crib sleeping soundly.
"Come on, you." She said and took her seat at her desk, sitting Johnny on her lap. Johnny turned around and looked at Lana's typewriter. He cooed and reached for it. Lana scooted closer so she could continue her work. "No, no." She said pulling Johnny back, "That's mine." She reached for one of his baby toys that sat next to the typewriter. "Here, this is yours."
Johnny took the toy and put it in his mouth. Lana balanced him on her lap and continued to type away at her work.
"Oo!" Johnny said, dropping the toy to the floor and reached his chubby, dimpled hands to the typewriter, patting the keys.
Lana sighed. "How am I supposed to get any work done, hmm?"
Johnny turned back to look at her and flashed a smile. He cooed and looked back to the typewriter tapping the keys. Lana bit back a smile. She was rather amused at the little boy's actions. "Ah!" He said as he kicked his legs.
Lana sighed. "Alright, alright." She picked up his toy and handed it to him. "I have to get my work done or else we won't eat this week." She exaggerated.
Johnny gave out a shrill of giggles and jumped up and down in Lana's arms. "Ah!" He said reaching for the typewriter again.
"You're not going to let me work, are you?" She asked.
Johnny giggled.
"I'll take that as a no."
Night finally arrived and Lana put a sleeping Johnny in his crib. He had been extremely active that day and had not allowed Lana to get any work done. Lana stood at his crib, watching over him. She was exhausted and in need of sleep.
Just the week before Lana had driven past the orphanage with Johnny sitting in the car with her. He was fast asleep and when Lana saw his sleeping face serene and free of sin she couldn't help but to feel guilt so strong that it began to tear at her from within. She couldn't bring herself to stop the car and instead she drove on cursing herself all the way home.
She sighed. "What am I supposed to do with you?" She asked for what must have been the hundredth time.
Johnny yawned in his sleep and snuggled himself against his soft bedding. His little fists lay above him. He looked so peaceful, so precious. Lana watched him sleep. She couldn't imagine what she would have been doing that night if she had given him over to the system that day, months ago. But she did wonder how it could be.
Lana knew without Johnny she would have a sense of freedom that as a mother she just did not have. She would be able to go out whenever she wanted for how long she wanted. She could go out and meet new women and possibly even bring them home. However, for some reason that just did not appeal to her.
She sighed softly. Those days of freedom were behind her now. "Goodnight, Johnny boy." She backed away from the crib and walked to the door, turning the light off.
Johnny was her life now, which meant Bloody Face would always be present.
1972
Lana awoke an hour later to the sound of rain crashing against the windows. She could feel the rumbling of the bus wheels beneath her. She had been so exhausted from the three-mile walk that she had accidentally drifted in to a short slumber. She sat up and looked out the window. The sky was dark and it was raining heavily.
Johnny was snuggled on her lap, fast asleep. Scout lay at her feet. He hadn't made a peep and Lana was glad for that. The bus driver hadn't noticed the puppy tucked safely in to Johnny's arms when they first boarded the bus.
"Mom." Johnny stirred from his sleep.
Lana looked down on to his sleepy face. "Hey." She said softly.
"I'm cold." He shivered. "When are we getting home?"
"Soon." She said to him.
Johnny grumbled and closed his eyes, burying his face in her chest. His little hand grasped her dress. He was cold and hungry and Lana was desperate to get him somewhere safe.
She sighed.
"Is your little boy cold?" Came a voice.
Lana looked across the isle to spot an older woman in her early 70s. She wore a warm coat and had a kind smile.
Lana held Johnny a little closer. "Yes." She said a bit embarrassed of her inability to care for her child. "We left in such a hurry that I…" her eyes fell.
"No need to explain." The old woman said. She had heard the man screaming as he ran to the bus and had seen the fear on Lana's face as she begged the driver to drive. She then dug in to her large purse and brought out a woven blanket. She leaned across the isle and handed it to Lana, "Here."
"Oh, no, I couldn't." Lana said.
"Come on, take it. I don't need it and yer boy is cold." She said.
Lana looked at the blanket and smiled. "Thank you so much." She took the blanket and placed it over Johnny. After a moment, he stopped shaking.
"He's precious." The old woman said, "How old is he?"
Lana smiled softly at her. "Thank you. He's seven."
"So precious." She said, looking at Johnny with soft, kind eyes.
"You weren't on the bus when we boarded in Richmond, were you?"
"No." Lana said quietly. She looked down nervously. She then looked to the old woman, "That diner, do you know what town that was?"
"Monroe." She answered and frowned lightly, "Were you lost?"
Lana smiled sheepishly. "A little."
"Ticket checks!" The bus driver called out.
"Oh no…" Lana said hugging on to Johnny tighter.
A man jumped up to his feet and began at the top of the isles as people brought out their tickets and showed them to him. Lana fidgeted nervously not knowing what to do. She had boarded the bus with nothing but her son, the clothes on their backs and the small dog. She had no purse and no money. They would for sure leave them out in the rain.
"Tickets ma'am." The man said as he reached Lana.
Lana looked nervous. "I- uh, I seemed to have forgotten my purse back at the diner."
The ticket man tilted his head not quite believing her story. "Ma'am, please show me your tickets."
Johnny stirred from his sleep and woke up. People peeked their heads back around to see what was going on.
"Ma'am, did you board this bus without tickets?"
Lana instantly glared at him.
"She said she left her purse at the diner." The old woman came to her rescue.
The man looked from the old woman to Lana, "I'm sorry ma'am but without your tickets I can't let you continue on this trip."
"Mom, what's going on?" Johnny asked worriedly.
"You're going to drop us off on the side of the road? Are you insane, I have a child." Lana said not believing what he was saying. Anger and panic were rising in her voice.
"Bill, pull over on the next stop!" He called down the isle.
Lana looked out the window to see a small bus stop on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.
"You got to be fucking kidding me!" Lana almost yelled. She had now gotten the attention from every person on the bus.
Johnny clutched tighter on to her, scared of what was going on.
"You can't do that." The old woman spoke up again, "She has a little boy. How cruel are you?"
"Let her stay!" Called another woman who had two children with her.
"The rules are strict. No ticket, no ride."
The people in the bus burst in to angry rants. Lana looked around at all the people calling out for them to let her stay and she felt the tears rising in her eyes. "Please," She begged, "I just need to reach Boston, please."
The bus roared to a stop and the back bus doors hissed open. "I am so sorry ma'am but I need you to exit the bus right now."
"Mom." Johnny held on to Lana tighter. He looked out the window to see nothing but trees and heavy rain.
"You can't just leave her in the middle of nowhere!" The old woman protested. She then grabbed her bag and with shaky hands she dug through it, "Here," She pulled out a small wad of cash, "Take it. It's for the tickets now let her stay."
The man looked at her. "I'm sorry but I-"
"Its enough for the two tickets now stop making a fuss and take it." She urged.
He sighed and took the money. "Fine." He then looked to Lana, "Next time get some damn tickets, lady. Bill, on again!" He called to the bus driver.
The bus doors closed and the bus began to move again, leaving the lonely bus stop in the distance. Lana sighed. She turned to the woman. "Thank you." She said in a barely audible voice, "Thank you so much, I don't know how to repay you."
The old woman smiled at Lana. "No need to thank me. I know a mother in need when I see one. I was in your place once before."
"You were?" Lana asked.
She nodded. "Yup. Three kids, abusive husband, nowhere to go, no one to help me. Its hard, I know but you have to keep on moving for yer little boy there."
Lana smiled at her, the tears racing down her cheeks. "Thank you so much. I don't know how to repay you but I will pay you back for those tickets. I can, I just…I left my purse. I didn't have time…"
The old woman smiled. "No need to thank me. I was just doing what I wished someone had done for me." She then looked to Johnny, "And who do we have here?"
"This is Johnny." Lana said proudly.
"Hello, Johnny."
"Hi." Johnny said a bit shyly but politely. He then looked to Lana, "Mom, I'm really hungry."
Lana sighed. "I'm sorry Johnny boy, I wish I had something to give you."
"I got just the thing." The old woman said and fished in to her giant bag once more. She then brought out a topper ware container from inside her bag and pulled off the lid revealing a batch of oatmeal cookies. "Here you go, love." She handed them to Johnny.
Johnny looked to Lana for permission. She nodded once. He reached over and grabbed the plastic container. "Thank you!" He said and began to munch away.
"Thank you, so much." Lana said. "I owe you so much."
The old woman only smiled. "Like I said, no need."
Johnny lowered his hand and dropped and oatmeal cookie for Scout. The puppy was more then happy and quietly ate away at the cookie.
The bus ride to Boston continued. It wasn't a long trip, an hour or so but all the way there Lana and Johnny listened to the old woman's stories and laughed at her jokes. Lana was glad for the little piece of sanity and distraction. The old woman had been so kind to her and Lana was sure to ask her for her name and number.
When the bus came to a stop in Boston, she and Johnny helped the old woman off the bus and helped her gather her belongings. Lana had to practically insist that the old woman jot down her name and number in a small piece of paper so Lana could pay her back for the tickets. The woman wrote down her information and slipped in a twenty-dollar bill for cab fair. She bid Lana good luck, told Johnny to be a good boy and she was on her way.
Lana was relieved to be back in Boston. She hurried and hailed a cab. "Come on Johnny boy." She hurried Johnny inside and gave the cab driver directions to the publishing press where she worked.
Lana was anxious to arrive. She wanted to go to the police but she knew Lou was the right person to go to. He would alert the police and spread Bloody Face's return throughout the state faster then one could blink.
It didn't take them long to reach Lana's work but for Lana it felt like an eternity. She felt as if she were racing against the clock.
Lou stood in the middle of the office with Rachel, overlooking a folder of papers when Lana burst through the door with Johnny at her heels. Rachel gasped, surprised to see Lana. The entire office stopped and looked at her.
"Lana?" Lou turned to her. He frowned seeing Lana enter the office, "Where in the hell have you been?" He demanded disregarding her appearance.
"Lou. He's back." Lana said urgently, "Bloody Face is back."
Lou's eyes narrowed and his lips parted. "Son of a bitch." He said in disbelief.
X
Lou had informed the police right away and the entire office went in to a frenzy quick to be the firsts to print out the return of the infamous Bloody Face.
The police and Lou had accompanied Lana to the police station where she gave them her entire detailed story of what had occurred over the past several weeks. She also told them that Oliver had confessed to Johnny's principal's murder. The detective also spoke to Johnny but the boy couldn't tell them much; only that Oliver had come and taken them away to a cabin in the middle of no where, where he got mad and tried to hurt his mother. Johnny told them everything but the fact that Oliver was his father. That, Johnny kept a secret.
"We'll catch that sick son of a bitch." Lou said as he accompanied Lana out of the police station. The station had provided some clothes and shoes for her and Johnny to wear until they got home.
Lana nodded. "Once I get my son to a safe place I'm going to look for him."
Lou was taken back by her words. "Winters?"
"I'm going to be the one to bury him, Lou. I have to be the one."
Lou nodded and placed his hand upon Lana's shoulder. "You will be, Lana. Don't you worry about that."
Lana sighed, relieved that she had Lou's help. She trusted he would help her get what she wanted. She looked to Johnny who sat down on a bench with a now fed Scout in his arms.
"Do you have a safe place to go?" Lou asked.
Lana tore her eyes away from Johnny. "Yes." She answered, "An old friend's house. I haven't seen in years but I'm pretty sure he'd be happy to have us."
Lou smiled. "Good. You be safe, Lana. Don't do anything reckless."
"I won't make any promises, Lou."
X
A police officer drove Lana and Johnny down a dirt road in the outskirts of Boston. Lana and Johnny had been allowed to stop by their home to gather their belongings. As soon as Lana stepped in to her home she was filled with a sense of nostalgia. As if her home had belonged to her in a different life she had only seen in strange dreams. It felt so foreign to her.
She and Johnny packed as much as they could and hurried out of the house.
Johnny looked out the window. Scout was fast asleep on his lap. He looked from the window and turned to Lana. "Are we almost there?"
"Almost, baby, don't you worry." Lana answered him.
"Your friend." Johnny said, "Does he know we're coming?"
"No." Lana said. "But I'm sure he'll be happy to see us."
Johnny looked back out the window where he spotted a quaint one story home sitting on the side of the road. He sat up, suddenly nervous. The police office parked the car in the driveway and stepped out. He opened Lana's door and she stepped out. "Come on." She extended her hand out to Johnny and helped him exit the car.
Lana looked at the home before her. There were children's toys thrown around the lawn and there were bikes in the driveway. Lana's grasp on Johnny's hand tightened a bit. "Ready?" She looked down to him.
Johnny nodded, "Ready."
Lana walked up the front steps on to the porch with Johnny at her side. She looked at the old screen door and sighed. She knocked on the glass and waited. Her heart beat rapidly and seconds felt like an eternity. If he said no, if he wasn't happy to see her, then Lana didn't know where she would go. He had to be happy to see her. He just had to. The both of them had escaped so much in the past.
It didn't take long before the door opened and he stood there in the doorway, surprised to see her.
Lana smiled softly, "Hello, Kit."