The Things He Left behind

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: Hello my wonderful readers! We have another short update today and a little bit of drama. This is probably a good time to mention that this story will be ending in 2 chapters. That is right the whole story ends at Chapter 18. So obviously this little bit of drama is going to end next chapter. So don't forget to leave a review and I'll see you guys next week!

Chapter 16

For RJ's birthday that year, he was getting everything he had ever wanted.

It started at Thunderhead, where there were all these different race cars, with drivers who would take the kids around for a lap. One at a time, very carefully. Though, when they thought Daisy wasn't looking they did speed.

He got a car shaped birthday cake, and most of the party was held in a special event room in Thunderhead that had been decorated in matching streamers and car memorabilia. And not only did he have his father there for the first time, but Daisy got through an entire race car themed party without having a single breakdown.

She couldn't watch when his dad took him around the course in Pop's new Mach 7 prototype, but she didn't have a freak out, which was miles better than what she was like before.

When the party was officially finished a select group of boys, included Spritle and ChimChim, were brought back to the house for RJ's first official sleep over.

Spritle and ChimChim had slept over a few times already but this would be the first one with other people and RJ was rightly excited.

After some video game fun, and once the adults were certain it was safe for the boys to go into the water, they got to have a night-time pool party that ended in roasting s'mores as the boys dried off.

Then the boys got to go upstairs, set up their beds and get ready for bed. RJ got his top bunk, Spritle got his couch/bed hybrid, Chim Chim had his hammock and the others all had sleeping bags and air mattresses to sleep on.

Once the two adults were certain that the boys were sleeping, or at least in the dark whispering and giggling to one another as children did at sleepovers, they retired to the living room to rest.

They might not have done much but it had been a stressful day, trying to make sure that all of RJ's birthday wishes came true.

To think his little man was 11 this year. Wow, he still couldn't believe it. Any of it. That he had a kid, that he had married Daisy, that he had gotten his family back. Rex just couldn't believe it at all. It still felt surreal.

Rex sat beside Daisy, both of them drinking a well-deserved glass of wine when RJ padded down the stairs and towards them. Immediately Rex is worried that his son is distressed, that something has happened, but he doesn't look upset.

"Hey what are you doing down here?" Rex asks as his son came to sit in between him and his mother.

"I just wanted to come down and tell you guys that I love you… both... I love you both," he says. "And thank you for the best birthday ever."

Rex exchanges glances with Daisy and feels as if he might cry out of sheer joy. He was a part of something great, a new wonderful memory that RJ would have for the rest of his life. It felt… more than exhilarating. It made him want to go out and create more wonderful memories right at that moment.

But he's trying to play off the cool-manly dad so he says instead: "I seriously can't believe you never got to have race car themed birthday. Your Uncle Speed and I had race car themed birthdays almost every year until we got too old, and even some after."

"Race cars set mom off," RJ says without a second thought. Even from where she is sitting Rex can feel the uncomfortable shifting coming from Daisy. She felt bad about how she had been back then, but he understands whole heartedly. He could only imagine how it would feel if he was told that Daisy had died. He'd have been just as big of a disaster.

"Well, all that matters is that you got your race car birthday this year," she says carefully sipping on her wine. "And I didn't have a melt down."

RJ smiles up to his mother. "Maybe next year you can actually stay to watch me drive the car."

Daisy shook her head and their son laughed at her. "Well it was worth asking."

Daisy scowls in a more playful way and pushes RJ up to his feet. "Go to bed. I can't have you boys up all hours and not waking up in time for the pancake breakfast."

"Pancakes? Like Grandmoms makes?"

"Grandmoms is coming in the morning to make them herself," Daisy tells him and a wide smile dawns on their son's face. He hugs them both goodnight one more time before scampering back to bed.

Once he's gone Rex moves back to Daisy's side. He throws an arm over her shoulders and she snuggles into his side.

He still can't believe his life could be this perfect.

[-]

Now that his dad was working as an agent of the CIB he got less cool assignments. He still rarely talked about them, but now his assignments were to go around and ask questions and always wear a suit.

He wasn't sure why Rex had retired Racer Hex and his cool driving outfit and even cooler car, but he had and RJ was a little disappointed.

So when he was told that next week he would be expected to spend a day at his parent's work and then write a report on it he was immediately bummed.

His choices were either a report on a dance studio or on his dad who was a boring cop now. The dance studio might have been cool if someone famous was getting lessons there, or some one famous had started out there. And his dad's job might have been cool too if he could tell everyone that he used to be Racer Hex.

But he couldn't even tell everyone that Rex was his real dad because everyone knew him as RJ's step-dad, Henry Couriere.

This assignment was going to blow.

Unless… unless he could convince his Uncle Speed to let it do it on him. Sure, he wasn't RJ's parent, but he had been like one while RJ was growing up. Hell, he'd even take doing the repot on his Grandpops especially if he could watch him put together another car.

He came out of school looking for his ride. His mom had said that morning that his dad was busy with a case, so busy that he hadn't been home for two days. Still at the office. And today she was jam packed with lessons.

So it was either Uncle Speed or his grandparents picking him up. This would be ideal because then he could ask them about being the subject of his assignment. But he didn't see either of their cars, he did see an unmarked black one though, the kind of car the CIB used.

He stood on the steps for a few moments wondering if he was supposed to go towards that car and all of a sudden two men came out of it.

They both looked like they worked with his dad. Same black suits, same ties, ear-pieces in their ears and dark sunglasses covering their faces.

But RJ didn't move, this didn't feel right. This felt a lot like something was wrong and he didn't want anything to be wrong.

"Hello Rex Junior, we work with your father over at the CIB. There's been a situation and he's asked us to pick you up."

The first guy says that to him and RJ is immediately concerned. Not just because there's been a situation that probably involves his dad, but because they called him Rex Junior. No one calls him Rex Junior.

"What kind of situation?"

"Both you and your mother are in danger, we are to take you to a secure location. We must hurry."

His mom is in danger too? That isn't good now is it? He follows the two men to the car, watching as they open the door for him and once again he feels as if something is wrong. Not with his parents but with this whole situation.

He stops and takes a step back. "Maybe I should call my dad, make sure everything is okay."

And that is exactly when the men shoved him into the back of the car.

[-]

Speed was supposed to pick RJ up from school, but he hadn't been able to find him. Speed had rushed to Daisy's dance studio to tell her, hoping that RJ had just taken the bus to her as he sometimes did if he thought whoever was coming to get him was late.

But RJ wasn't with her and just like that alarm bells rang in her worried mind. Something was wrong, it wasn't like RJ to go missing.

She asked Speed if there were any car shows or Expos going on in the city and there wasn't. She called Rex and asked if he had heard from their son but he hadn't. Then, despite being on a case he got time off to come home and calm her down, at least until they found RJ.

She returned to Rex's mansion hoping the RJ just went home, as Speed called his parents to ask if RJ had gone there. But he wasn't at the mansion, nor was he at the Racer's homestead. What Daisy found instead was a package waiting for her.

A large 8x10 manilla envelope.

In it is a picture of her son, tied to a chair with the words: Free our boss written across the bottom.

Nothing else.

Daisy wanted to scream when she saw but she kept it in and waited for her husband to arrive.

As soon as his car pulls up, she is there, picture in hand, shoving it into his face. Rex looks at it, takes it from her with shaking hands while his eyes blink a million times over, as absolutely horrified by the picture as she is.

"Do you know who has him?" she asks him and though he doesn't say as much he just nods and then runs off to his personal office to make a phone call.

Then he doesn't come back down. But Inspector Detector shows up not moments later ready to calm her down.

When Rex appears again he's dressed as Racer Hex and he's heading for the door. Daisy doesn't need to ask him to know what's going on.

She follows him as he heads for the door. He's ignoring Inspector Detector as he tells him not to be rash, so he's going to ignore Daisy too.

But when she calls for him to wait, he does.

"Are you going to get RJ back?"

He's heading for the garage but he waits until she's walking in step with him before continuing on. "Yes, that's the plan."

"So you do know who has him and where they're holding him."

"Pretty sure."

"Will it be dangerous?"

Rex pauses and turns to look at her from behind the mask. "I'll bring him back safely, I promise."

That was wonderful and she had no doubts that he would but that wasn't the whole reason why she was asking.

"But you'll be careful, won't you?" she asks him. "I just got you back… I couldn't bear to lose you again… to lose you both…"

Rex extends a hand to her cheek. "Don't worry, I'll bring him back, and everything will be okay, okay?"

He left her then, hopping into his car. Daisy could only watch as her husband, once again back in the Racer Hex outfit he had promised he'd never put back on again, peeled out of their driveway in his yellow Shooting Star.