Running


"Jude!" Cassie called, bursting into her sister's house, "Jude!" She called.

"Hey." Sean walked out of the kitchen, "What's with all the yelling? Mirren is asleep." Sean shook his head.

"I have to talk to Jude, where is she?" Cassie asked.

"She's asleep. Cassie, what's wrong?" Sean shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I have to wake her up." Cassie said, running upstairs.

"Cassie." Sean followed her upstairs.

Cassie reached the top of the stairs, walking into her sister's bedroom where Jude was already sitting up.

"God, what are you squealing about?" Jude rubbed her tired eyes, sitting in the dark bedroom as Cassie switched the light on, causing her to screw her eyes up.

"You have to take a look at all of this." Cassie said, "Theo was looking into Daniel and… and dad before he died." She said as Jude stood up from the bed.

"Ok, I don't… I don't understand cop stuff." Jude groaned.

"Well I do. Give me that." Sean shook his head, taking some of the files from Cassie.

"They were in the car, Jude." Cassie said, "And… And so was Sam. All four of them were in the car-"

"These aren't the processed files." Sean looked at Cassie, "These are… You shouldn't have these, Cassie." Sean looked at Cassie.

"Which means the facts were twisted in the filed version, right?" Jude nodded, "And look who the officer was who signed the case through?" She pointed to the bottom of the papers.

"Officer Greg Hamilton." Jude read out, looking at Cassie.

"Why would someone change the information? What difference does it make if Sam and the kids were in the car?" Sean shook his head, "What the hell is this, Cassie?"

"I found it all in Theo's drawer. He… He was obviously looking into it without me knowing. I never told him much about what was going on but… he wasn't an idiot, he probably knew." Cassie said, "Look at this paper here." She said, showing Sean a piece of paper underneath all the others, "Daniel's name and Hamilton's name are both highlighted."

"I don't even know what you guys are talking about right now." Jude admitted tiredly, rubbing her face.

"What if… What if it was a different type of hit and run?" Cassie turned to Sean, "Like a… hit and then… a plan to run from something?" She asked.

"You think they were running from something?" Sean asked.

"Why would the four of them be in the car? And why the hell wasn't that on the processed files. Why did Hamilton choose not to put that down?" Cassie asked, "There is something weird going on here. And… And Theo was getting close to figuring out what." She said, "What the hell happened that night?"


"Come on. How long does it take to put a couple bags in the car?" Sam asked, standing outside in the cold as she watched Daniel throwing some bags into the trunk.

"Go get the boys." Daniel insisted, slamming the trunk down as Sam ran off into the house, making her way into the living room where her three and four year old son were.

"Hey you two. Come on, let's go." Sam nodded.

"Where?" Four year old Punk asked.

"We're just going for a ride in the car." Sam said, "Come on, quickly." She told them.

"I'm going quick." Punk bit back cheekily, walking ahead as Dean followed behind his brother.

"Ok, go to the car." Sam told them, grabbing her purse as she left the house, locking the door, digging into her purse and pulling out the bottle of vodka in it, taking a drink followed by a deep breath, throwing it back into her purse.

"Let's go, boys. Come on." Daniel nodded, lifting Dean into the car whilst Punk got in by himself on the other side, "We're going… on a fun trip." He explained.

"Where?" Punk asked as Daniel reached over to help him with his belt.

"It's a surprise." Daniel nodded, leaning back out of the car and shutting the door over whilst Dean turned to Punk.

"Who's that man?" Dean whispered to his brother.

"I don't know." Punk said as Dean looked out the window.

"Are we going to the park?" Dean asked his older brother.

"But it's night time." Punk looked out the window.

"So it's bed time?" Dean wondered with confusion, looking out the window curiously as Punk reached over and grabbed the action figure he had in his arms, "Hey!" Dean shouted.

"That's mine." Punk declared, "You stole it."

"No I didn't!" Dean yelled, "Give it back."

"No." Punk smiled, waving it in Dean's face as Dean unclipped his belt, crawling over the space in the seat and grabbing his action figure back as Punk smacked him on the head with his hand.

"Don't!" Dean warned, "Phil." He whined, feeling his older brother pulling his ear as he grabbed Punk's face.

"Dean, stop it!" Phil yelled.

"What are they doing?" Sam shook her head, opening up the car door, "Hey!" She yelled angrily as they both stopped fighting, "Quit it right now or I'll send you to the bad fire." She warned as Dean crawled back to his seat.

"Mom, don't send us to the fire." Dean pleaded, sitting back into his car seat.

"Then behave." Sam warned them both as Punk looked at her unhappily, watching her shut the car door back over.

"I'll send her to the bad fire." Punk mumbled, playing with his action figure as Dean watched with jealousy.

"Ok, let's go." Sam nodded to Daniel, taking the car keys from him.

"You're not driving. You're drunk." Daniel said.

"I'm fine." Sam shook her head.

"Late night drive?" Hamilton walked down the street as Sam and Daniel turned around, "I know y'all don't have money for a vacation." He said, walking over to the car and opening up the trunk where he saw all the bags, "And yet… you've definitely packed for one." He observed.

"What do you want?" Daniel looked over at him.

"I want to know why you're running off in the middle of the night?" Hamilton asked.

"It's not a crime to leave the house in the middle of the night." Daniel said.

"Yeah, you're right. It's not." Hamilton agreed, "But it is a crime to withhold information from the police." He said, "Your girlfriend… or whatever you two are to each other, she's a popular name around here for all the wrong reasons."

"Dude, please." Daniel looked across at him.

"Running away is never the answer." Hamilton said as Daniel looked at him.

"Please I'm asking you… as a brother." Daniel stared at Hamilton, "Just let us go."

"Nah, that line won't work on me anymore." Hamilton shook his head, "What is it, Sam? Drug debt? Can you not get enough dick inside you to pay it all off?" He laughed a little as Daniel grabbed him by the neck.

"Enough." Daniel warned.

"Easy, little brother." Hamilton warned.

"We got two boys." Daniel said.

"Who you walked out on." Hamilton said, "And now what? You suddenly care?"

"They could be in danger. Just let me get them out of here." Daniel said.

"And then what? You'll settle down somewhere else. Sam will still be a crackhead and… get herself into some new debt, and the wheel keeps on spinning." Hamilton said, "You made the right choice to walk out. Why'd you come back for them?"

"Because they're my sons and they could get hurt." Daniel said, "It's out of control now. People are coming for her. I… I didn't know it was so bad until she called me. I need to get them out of this place."

"You just don't want blood on your hands." Hamilton spat as Daniel looked at him.

"I'm your brother, man. Come on." Daniel begged, "What the hell is wrong with you? These are my kids-"

"Who are better off without the pair of you. Who deserve better than this." Hamilton said, "A prostitute for a mom and a deadbeat dad who comes and goes? You shouldn't be running away. You should be sending those boys away to somewhere they'll be looked after properly."

"You shut your mouth!" Sam yelled, "You don't know anything."

"I know you're involved with drug gangs, I know you're running from trouble." Hamilton said.

"Who isn't in this town?" Sam asked, "We're all on the same page. Is that why you like to snoop around here? Make people fear you? Look down on people?" She spat, "Does that make you feel big coming into a town like this and judging everyone?"

"You did it to yourself, Sam." Hamilton shook his head, "And now you've took my brother down with you."

"If I'm any brother to you, you'll let me leave." Daniel said, "You'll let me get my boys out of here. Think about them."

"Fine. Go. But… it'll catch up with you." Hamilton said, "You make your bed, you'll lie in it."

"Whatever." Daniel shook his head, walking round the car and getting in whilst Sam got in behind the wheel.

"Was the police man yelling at you again?" Punk asked Sam.

"Yes, that's what they do, Phil. They yell at people like us. All the time." Sam shook her head, starting the car up and driving off as Hamilton watched them standing on the path.