AN: So this chapter is rough around the edges due to a super busy week for me. I didn't have time to pass it by my lovely beta before my self-imposed deadline for publishing was up. All mistakes are definitely mine. I've decided that most of you will forgive me more easily for typos and poor grammar than making you wait too long. lol - I can always loop back around to fix things up later. Anyway, thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing, and tho I didn't get to pass it by her for a final edit, my beta atarvares was there many months ago to help me work through the concept in the first draft. Her input is always invaluable.
I'll try to do better this week.
A Simple Plan
The plan was rather simple. She would continue the visit to her parents as if nothing had changed. She'd pack exactly the same as she would have for both her and Greg. She'd spend two days with them, feel out her father and decide whether to tell him now or later. Either way, no details would be shared, just the message she'd be disappearing with Greg.
Her son, of course, and not her former boss. That Greg was dead.
He managed to get his connection for new IDs to create a fake phone number and address for a Don Johnson in Indiana and then created some fake call logs on her normal phone. He also paid him to field any calls about the whereabouts of Allison Cameron. If he did his job, it would turn to a dead end with an old friend who'd just needed a favor and knew nothing of where she could be. Worst case he could get a couple of actors to play the role of him and his mother. If the cops bother to get her real call logs from the phone company, it wouldn't hold water. If it even came to that, which he hoped it didn't, the farce should at least buy them time to get to Germany.
She'd take the country roads home, as she often did when there was no hurry. It was a scenic route and there was no forecast of snow to make it hard to travel. There were a few long stretches where she rarely passed another car and could see for miles. A perfect place to desert her car and all their remaining possessions save the clothes on their backs and hop into the waiting car of House.
House and she programmed coordinates into the GPSs of their burner phones and promised to meet at an appointed time. If there was anyone around, or the other didn't show within five minutes, they'd drive on for a few miles and loop back. They didn't want to send calls or texts via any of the local towers, just in case they could be traced when the police began searching for her abductors. They'd repeat the pattern as needed.
House would rent a different car from the one he'd driven to her apartment. From a different company. He'd gotten another fake ID for himself to do a few quick tasks and get them out of the state. Ray knew his new first name, and the doorman had seen him there along with 'Mrs. Johnson', his mother. He kicked himself for being so stupid as to not use a third ID when he first visited her, but even he didn't foresee things getting so complicated so quickly.
Once he had Allison safely in his car, they'd drive to a nearby motel. The old school kind that didn't have modern security. He'd have a room reserved in the back, away from people driving by, where she could sneak in and make the transformation from Allison to Daniel. Her offhanded comment about looking like a 15-year-old boy had given House an idea. She knew she was in trouble the moment his face made the all too familiar epiphany look.
If they tightly bandaged down her breasts, put her in baggy boy clothes with short hair and a cap, she could pass for his son. It was winter in Chicago, so that meant layers of thick clothes to help hide her female shape. A minor didn't need a photo ID to fly domestically, so long as they have an adult with proper ID flying with them. He could buy them tickets to LaGuardia, get them on a plane as soon as possible, posing as a father and two sons. With his limp and a sad story of his poor recently deceased wife placed to a caring ticketing agent, he would score a wheelchair or golf cart ride through the security fast lane.
Cameron scoffed at the idea at first, but he had her wash off all her makeup, toss on a ball cap with her hair tucked up, and put on his coat and look in the mirror. She couldn't argue too much with the image staring back at her. With the right haircut, the right clothes, a cell phone with Angry Birds and a despondent attitude, she could totally pass for a young teenage boy. Her bulky spare glasses, which were a unisex style, could hide the faint lines she was starting to get around her eyes as well as her manicured eyebrows, the rest she'd leave to her ex-boss's social engineering skills.
She couldn't argue it wasn't safer with all the security video that might be reviewed later in the attempts to find a woman and a child. No one was looking for a middle-aged man with two sons. Once they were in New York, they'd get a room, make the next switch, and become Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. Then to JFK International to put their new paperwork to the test and catch the flight to Munich.
Greg was the wild card, but House promised he could get any kid to perform. From what Cuddy had told her about the ways House would have Rachel cover for him, she didn't doubt he could pull it off, at least in the short term.
The short-term was all they needed.
She finished zipping up her suitcase and took a look around her bedroom. She'd never see it or any of her things there again. Pulling the suitcase off the bed, she sat it on the floor and pulled up the retractable handle and rolled it into her living room. She took a moment to admire her view from the window there for the last time.
She'd purchased the apartment on the end of the building because of the view down a long straight street with tall buildings forming a canyon of steel that seemed to stretch forever. The Sears Tower (she would never stop calling it that) blinked at her each night, stretched into the low hanging clouds this morning. The sun was still low in the sky out the windows to her right, illuminating Lake Michigan. Funny how she stopped seeing the beauty of it all after a while.
Her Christmas tree was still there. Presents, save the ones she was bringing to her parents, were still there. They'd never be opened by her son now. She'd already had Don order replacements that would be waiting for Greg in Germany. She'd maybe miss her ornaments the most. She collected one or two each year of her adult life. Each has some small memory she'd collected with it, but they all had to stay.
She walked to the tree and removed her favorite. It was the one she'd gotten for Greg's first Christmas. It was oh so tempting to just toss the nicknack in her pocket and steal it away, but it wasn't worth the questions it might raise if anyone noticed it had been taken. Ray had helped her pick it. He'd probably want it. It can be his consolation prize. She thought as she hung it back in place and walked to the front door for the final time.
Taking her coat from the rack, Cameron sighed deeply. She was going to do this. Mixed feelings washed over her as she put one arm and then the other in her long black dress coat, then slung her thick red scarf which was hung under it around her neck. She opened the door one last time, took a final look, turned out the lights then shut and locked the door. With a purposeful stride, she walked down the hall to the elevators, her bag rolling behind. It was time to move on and she didn't allow herself another look back.
House seemed relieved when she jumped out of her car, moving quickly to get her sleeping son from his car seat in the back. She took him, the burner phone, his Stuart and the clothes on their back and jumped into the back seat of House's rented black Ford Focus and told him to "Drive."
"I thought you had changed your mind. House told her as he pulled off. Looking around to ensure that they hadn't been seen. There was no one for miles, more than likely.
"Sorry. Nothing has gone right today. I think the battery on this phone is bad or something. I charged it last night but it died this morning and I didn't notice until we were leaving. So I couldn't text that I was late, I plugged it into the car, but we agreed on no texting on the road. So, I just had to hope you stuck to the plan."
"I'm glad you didn't change your mind." It was a strange sounding sentiment coming from him. His eyes met hers in the rearview mirror and they spoke volumes. She smiled and he relaxed. "How'd things go with your parents?"
"Fine. I gave Dad the broad strokes late last night. I think it was the first time in years he's acted like he approved of a decision I've made."
"I know the feeling of being a successful disappointment, but I was a bad kid and an asshole adult. What's your excuse."
"Dad thinks I need to be more selfish. Not lead with my compassion so much. That I'm too much like my mother."
"Figure's you have Daddy issues. God, it explains so much! Good thing I'm totally okay with that. Women with daddy issues are the funnest in bed. I can't wait to see your real inner freak." His eyes danced as he teased her.
She'd missed him so much. This was a dance they perfected with one another. Her eyes challenged him. "If my son weren't right here— "
"Our son." he corrected. This simple statement made her heart leap and her head shoot off warning flares.
"You're really okay with this? With him?" she worked to finish strapping her sleeping son into the car seat House had procured per her instructions. "Because, if you decide a year from now this is too much after he has to grieve over Ray and after he starts to love you, you'll think I make Lisa Cuddy look like a bunny. And not the fun Playboy kind, or the fuzzy little white kind they kill in labs. I'll be more like the one in the Holy Grail."
"Wow. Well, at least I know the pecking order. That's good. After growing up with a mother who wasn't willing to fight to protect me, I wouldn't have you any other way. Besides, Cuddy kicked me out. Remember? Believe it, or not, I eventually loved Rachel. She was just starting to get interesting. I've been wanting to ask, but it never seemed like the time, but is Rachel okay? Does she know anything about what happened? Does she even remember me?"
"She's great. I think she's in third grade now. Straight As. Laughs a lot. Has Lisa wrapped around her finger and knows it. Is very good at lying with a straight face to get out of trouble. Lisa blames that on you."
She could see his cheeks rise in the mirror. "I'd love to take the credit, but she's wrong. Rachel was a natural. I just observed, admired and encouraged her raw talent."
"She doesn't remember you per se. Lisa says she has a vague concept of a guy called House that used to play with her and her toys. But anyone who didn't know would think House had been her imaginary friend."
"I'm glad it didn't screw her up. I was a mess then. I'm better now. For lots of reasons I hopefully will get to share with you once we are safe on the other side. Just so you know, if you decide to leave me after the newness wears off, I'm not going to take it out on you or him. For what it's worth, I survived losing Wilson."
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe in you, Don. I just need you to understand that no matter how much I love you, Greg comes first."
He bit his lip and snicked. It was obvious he was turning her innocent phrase to something sexual about him. This was exactly why she wanted to kill Ray when he forced the name on her. She rolled her eyes and sighed, "you're sure it wouldn't be better to change his name too?"
"He'd be more likely to blow our cover. But regardless, it's going to be so fun, I don't think I would support changing it either way. And now he has both my names, so more the better. His eyes took a look of concern. He turned his head and glanced back at the sleeping boy. "So is he okay? It's kind of early still, even for a kid to be out so cold."
"He has a cold. The meds knocked him out. Poor little guy. At least his ears are ok, otherwise flying would be out of the question. He'd be screaming for his daddy at 30,000 feet and everyone would be wondering why he didn't seem to agree that you are his daddy. And you can forget him not calling me 'Mommy' at that point. And speaking of, are you really sure flying is the best get-away? I mean those scanners are going to have a hard time finding my penis."
"I'm telling you, they aren't going to force us through those with the wheelchair thing. Take it from a guy who knows how to exploit his handicap. We'll get there late, I'll weave the sad, sad story about why. I've already ordered a wheelchair ride to the gate from the airport. They'll escort us and fast track us through security. The handicap access is through the medial detector lane, so you'll just have to walk through that. No body scan, because they won't separate us. You'll look like a kid with a gimp dad and as luck would have it sick baby brother. Trust me, no one is going to give you or me or Greg a hard time. They'll go out of their way to make things fast and as pain-free as possible."
"It still seems like a way bigger risk than driving. I mean, when you first hatched the plan it seemed great, but I've been thinking about all the ups in security and—"
"Look. We can still drive if you really want, but there are going to be way more people we'll have to interact with closely over the course of three days. If you drive, you'll have to be Nora. And even with the haircut, you'll look like you. Greg will look like Greg. We'll have to stop for food and rest. If we don't Greg's going to get cranky and be less likely to play along. With the head-cold especially. In that time, there is a good chance your car will be found and a missing person's report will be filed and pretty women with cute babies who go missing make the regional news at least.
"If you go with the son disguise for the drive, I have to drive the full way, which means, even more stops and likely will add a full day to the trip. More grumpiness, more chance they find you're both missing. More chance someone we come across on the trip sees something about it. It only takes one person and for us to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"My way, we take a bit of a risk upfront, but way out in front of any news of a missing mother and child whose car was found abandoned. The other travelers are going to be focused on their own trips. We are going to be herded quickly past security. We'll make sure we have nothing on us to trigger any sort of more intensive search. And then we'll get wheeled straight onto the plane. We give Greg just a little bit extra cold medicine and he'll sleep the whole way. We'll be out of the country in two days instead of four or five, and that might matter if we get unlucky and your story somehow gets national exposure, which is always possible with social media. All we need is one of those Facebook pleas to 'share this image of my lost kid and ex-wife' to fuck us completely."
He was right and she knew it. As always with House, riskier is better. He will have calculated all the variables. And he would be in just as much trouble if not more if they got caught. So, just as she had from their first case together, she trusted him. "You're right. I'm just nervous. I'm not used to life on the run yet."
"Stick with me kid. You'll be an old pro in no time. We're almost there. Put on that jacket and hat before you get out of the car. Make sure all your hair is tucked under the hat. Then pull up your hoodie. Got to make sure we look the part just in case someone is around or I missed a camera somewhere. Might not be a bad idea to put the glasses on now too. If you can take your contacts out in the car." It was dusk, but there was still more than enough light for someone to get a good look at her. Best to cover up as much as possible the short walk from the car to the door of their motel room.
"Leave Greg for me to take in. Keep your head down and play on your phone. If anyone talks to you ignore them and let me handle it. Just act like a normal kid and stay absorbed in your phone. All our other stuff is already in the room, so once I have Greg, we'll go straight into the room."
"Got it," she said as she began to put on the jacket he'd bought her earlier. It was a Chicago Bears branded coat, thick and heavy. Totally masked any curves she had. There was a matching ski hat with ear flaps, that would easily hide her long blonde hair for the short trip into the motel. She pulled her contact case from her pocket and tossed her lens in it. Then pulled out her old, more boyish glasses and put them on. She'd left her best pair that she wore on the days her contacts gave her grief in her purse in the abandoned car.
Catching a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror, she couldn't help but laugh. She really did look like a kid. He was right again. She just hoped that her choice in jeans and shoes were boyish enough for the short trip inside. A couple of minutes after she was ready, he pulled into a little roadside motel and headed straight to the back side. He gave a quick look around as he parked, breathing a sigh of relief that there were only a couple of cars and no one to be seen.
"Unbuckle him for me, then get out and make like you're trying to win an Oscar."
Doing as she was told, she got out on the passenger's side and walked around to the front of the car, leaned against it, took out the burner phone and prayed the battery had managed to hold any charge from the little bit of charge she'd given it in her car. 20%. Good enough. Just need like one or two rounds of Angry Birds. She heard Greg whine. "Mommy? Who are you mister?"
"Remember me? I was pretending to be Jesus at your mom's place a few weeks ago. We had breakfast together. You told me about that truck you wanted from Santa."
"Oh. Hi. Where mommy?"
"She's here. We're going on a special trip. We're going to go on a plane later." He explained as he made his way with the boy on his good hip to the edge of the sidewalk. You coming, kid? Or you just gonna stand out here all night rotting your brain with those stupid video games?"
In was rather frightening how well House had just played the firm dad. She looked up at him, shrugged, stood up straight, then walked to the room beside him playing the game the whole way. It was good practice, even with no one around. They needed to learn to stay in character. Greg had already fallen back asleep in House's arm. She couldn't help but fall in love with the sight. But she kept it all inside and tried to remember that she needed to look at him like her old man and not the man she loved for any of this to work.