"Where the hell are we?" Joe asked as they walked. They had abandoned the car a while ago. Arthur had his body armor on under his shirt, his pistol strapped to his leg, and his blunderbuss over his shoulder. Joe slung his blunderbuss over his shoulder as well, and thankfully, he had calmed down a little from his panic.

"A farm," Arthur answered. He knew where he was going, but he wanted to stay hidden until he could survey the place. Someone could have bought Leslie's house by now. He didn't want to just show up waving his gun at them. He pushed into the cane, heading in the direction they were supposed to go.

"I wish I hadn't missed," Joe muttered beside him as they walked.

"I wish you hadn't either," Arthur commented without looking at him. He'd be at home and doing his work and not worrying about getting killed.

"I feel like shit," Joe coughed. Arthur knew he was right. Joe was on withdrawal, and he was not boding well with it.

"It'll pass," Arthur replied.

"Hold on," Joe said, throwing out his arm and catching Arthur in the chest, making him grunt.

"What?" Arthur asked, annoyed. Fatigue was starting to get to him and making him cranky.

"Look," Joe pointed. Arthur looked. The farm house was in sight through the cane now, and there was a woman standing in the yard looking in their direction with a rifle in her hands.

Arthur couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Get off my property!" she was shouting. "I won't miss!"

"Damn," Joe muttered. "Think she's telling the truth?"

"She's telling the truth," Arthur said quietly. He knew her. She always hit her target at the range when they went together. He stepped forward anyway.

"Where are you going?" Joe hissed.

"Sit tight," Arthur instructed. He dodged Joe's hand and stepped out from the cane field. He stood, arms at his side, watching as she aimed her gun at him. It took five seconds for her to recognize him.

"Arthur," she said.

"Put the gun down, Sara," he instructed. She gripped it tighter.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"I'm still trying to figure it out," he answered. She'd been here for the last year? He couldn't believe it.

"Tell me," she shot back. A noise behind her made him look and Sara spin around.

"Go back inside," Sara ordered. The boy stood there, disobeying her. His eyes were on Arthur, who recognized him and felt so much emotion upon seeing him again. He'd thought the boy was dead.

"Cid?" he said. There was no doubt that the boy knew who he was.

"Arthur!" he cried, rushing forward and throwing himself past Sara and into Arthur's legs. "I knew you'd come back!"

Sara stared at the two of them embracing.

"She said you'd come back," Cid cried, muffled by Arthur's shirt. "But you didn't. She lied!"

"I...I..." Sara stuttered. Words were lost. She didn't even know what to say anyway. The attachment between them was very evident.

"I'm here now, buddy," Arthur said, ruffling the boy's hair. "Look at you all grown up. What are you, twenty now?"

"Six," Cid laughed. "I'm only six, Arthur!"

"Right," Arthur nodded. "A handsome looking six year old, I might add."

Cid puffed out his chest, a huge smile on his face. Sara had never seen him like this before.

"Go inside, baby," she said. "I need to talk to Arthur."

"Don't send him away," Cid begged her. "Please don't send him away!"

Arthur never broke eye contact with Sara, who still didn't know what to say.

"We're just talking, Cid," she finally managed to say. "Okay? Please let us talk."

Cid very reluctantly left to go inside. Arthur could see him through the window, though. He was watching.

"I'm sorry about your sister," Arthur started.

"Me too," Sara agreed. She wanted to ask why Arthur hung around Cid and Leslie, but she couldn't bring the words up.

"You look well," he noted, not knowing what else to say.

"Why are you here, Arthur?" she asked, feeling angry once more.

"You were on this map," he answered. He handed it to her, and she took it.

"Cid's birthday is on here," she said, looking up at Arthur. Arthur looked at the window where Cid was standing, and he suddenly understood. This was just a piece of the map. There were probably more locations on the rest of the map. That meant Old Joe was targeting kids with the same birth date because he believed one of them might be the infamous Rainmaker, the person who terrorized the future. He swallowed. It couldn't be Cid, could it?

"What does it mean?" she demanded.

"We think Joe's loop is coming here to kill Cid," he answered truthfully.

"What?!" Sara exclaimed. "Why?"

"He thinks Cid might be the person in the future known as the Rainmaker."

"That's ridiculous," Sara said.

"We're gonna stay here and watch for him...make sure he doesn't succeed," Arthur told her. She looked at him, and he couldn't help but take all of her in. He had missed her so much.

Coughing behind them made her look and Arthur turn. Joe was stumbling towards them now. He was still bleeding a little from his earlier wounds.

"He's not well," Arthur said quickly.

"I can see that," she commented. She put her gun away and went to get medical supplies. When she came back, Joe was in Arthur's arms as he tried to hold Joe up.

"He's also on withdrawal," Arthur explained.

"Wonderful," Sara said sarcastically. He shot her a look.

"I can handle it from here," he said.

"My farm, my rules," she countered. "Come on. Barn is this way."

...

Once Joe was looked after, Sara left them in the barn so Arthur could monitor Joe's withdrawal and keep watch. It felt all too familiar. Sara went inside the house and locked the door.

"Where is Arthur?" Cid asked. "Who is the other man?"

"I need you to stay in here," Sara answered. "It is not safe out there." Arthur hadn't given her much information, but he said they needed to stay to keep an eye on her and Cid. She was too afraid to send him away, so she agreed to let them stay.

"I want Arthur!" Cid shouted, fists balled at his sides. "Let me see him! NOW!"

"Cid, I need you to breathe," Sara said, feeling the anxiety rising in her throat.

"LET ME SEE ARTHUR!" the boy roared.

"He's out there keeping us safe," Sara tried. "If you distract him, he can't do that."

"I WANT TO SEE HIM! YOU KEPT HIM FROM ME! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!" Cid screamed.

"Cid," she tried.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" he kept screaming. Sara was about ready to run for cover when the door opened and Arthur was standing there. How he got in, she had no idea until she saw the pick in his fingers before he tucked it away.

"Buddy," he said, heading for Cid, who stopped screaming at the sight of him. "It's all right. I'm right here."

"Arthur," Cid sobbed, throwing himself into Arthur's arms once Arthur was on his knees in front of him.

"It's okay," Arthur kept saying, holding the boy close. He looked up at Sara, who was crying now herself.

"I'm sorry," she choked out before running out of the room. Arthur heard a door upstairs slam shut moments later.

"Tell me you didn't mean that," Arthur said to Cid once the boy had calmed down and was standing in front of him.

"I did want to see you," Cid insisted.

"Not that. The other part," Arthur corrected. Cid hung his head.

"No. I didn't mean it."

"You should tell her that."

"I will."

"She's right, though," Arthur said. He'd heard the whole thing because he had followed her to the door. "I am here to keep you safe, and you need to stay in here."

"But what if there's danger?" Cid asked. "In here? And you can't hear us?"

"What do you suggest?" Arthur countered.

The boy took off, and Arthur stood up slowly. He wondered where Sara was, if she was okay. Cid came back holding two frogs.

"Whatcha got there?" Arthur asked.

"It's a signal. I made it this afternoon," Cid said proudly. "I wanted a way to always find you if you left again."

Arthur felt his throat go tight with emotion. He had missed this boy a lot.

"Smart boy," he said, ruffling Cid's hair fondly. "Now why don't we go talk to Sara and make up, huh?"

"Okay," Cid agreed reluctantly. He didn't want his time with Arthur to end just yet. He took Arthur's hand, and they walked upstairs.

Sara wiped at her eyes when she heard them standing in her doorway.

"Hey," she said.

"I'm sorry," Cid said. "I don't hate you."

"I know, baby."

"You're still not my mom, though," Cid added. Then he released Arthur's hand and went to his room, shutting the door behind him.

"He really misses my sister," Sara whispered. The truth was on her lips. She wanted to say it, but she couldn't for some reason.

"Keep this," Arthur said, setting the one frog on the dresser. "He made it so you can signal me for help."

"Okay," she nodded. They stood there looking at each other for a moment until Arthur cleared his throat and turned to leave. She wanted to stop him, but she didn't know how. She knew she had hurt him terribly and was still hurting him, but she didn't know how to stop.

...

Not long after he went back to the barn, Arthur heard a noise, and he went to investigate. He stopped short upon seeing Sara already out there. He rushed forward when she started to move backwards as someone approached her. Then she tripped and fell.

"HEY!" Arthur shouted, aiming his gun. The stranger lifted up their hands in fear.

"S-Sorry," they said.

"Get out of here," Arthur ordered. "Now."

The stranger ran for it, and Arthur lowered his gun. He went over to Sara and offered his hand. She took it, and he pulled her up. His heart was racing a little. He had been certain Old Joe had come.

"Thank you," Sara said to him, taking back her hand.

"Stay inside," Arthur ordered gruffly.

"I would if you did your job a little better," she shot back. He looked at her icy glare, and he saw all the hurt that was behind her eyes. He wondered if she could see his hurt too.

"I will," he said finally. He forced himself to walk away from her. It was not a good time to have a confrontation. He noticed a curtain twitching in the window upstairs, and he saw Cid watching. The boy held up his hand and rested it on the glass, so Arthur raised his in return before continuing on his way back to the barn where Joe was recuperating.

"Make it stop," Joe whimpered, curled in a tight ball. Arthur reached to rest a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"It will stop," Arthur promised. "Just hang in there."

He felt Joe shudder and shake under his hand, and he felt bad for him.

It was going to be a long night.

...

Joe and Arthur both watched the sun rise. Joe was looking a little better than before, but Arthur knew he'd still be feeling withdrawal symptoms for a bit. He knew from firsthand experience.

"So that's her," Joe commented. "The one who broke your heart."

"That's her," Arthur agreed.

"Sara," Joe said, sounding it out. "Was that so hard to say out loud? To tell me?"

"It wasn't."

"You're a strange guy, you know that?" Joe asked, laughing.

"So you've told me," Arthur grinned. "Look, I didn't tell you because I didn't want you looking her up and judging me."

"Why? Because of her job? Come on," Joe snorted. "I did the same thing."

"And how did that work out?" Arthur asked.

"Not so good," Joe admitted.

"I'd say it will work out for you someday, but I am feeling really unsure of the future right now," Arthur admitted. Joe nodded.

"I keep thinking about what he told me about his wife. My wife," Joe corrected. "God, this is so bizarre."

"I know."

"I wonder what she was like, you know? He said she saved him, so that means I must have really gone for a shit," Joe sighed. "But you would've kept me on the straight and narrow, so I don't understand. Where the hell were you?"

"I don't know," Arthur answered. It made his head hurt, really. This whole time travel nonsense was hard to wrap his head around.

"It means a lot to me that you are risking your life to be here with me," Joe went on. "I've never told you, but you are like the brother I never had, you know? I mean that."

Arthur was touched. He looked at Joe and could see he was being very sincere. Arthur didn't have any family, so being considered a brother made him feel honored.

"I feel the same way, Joe," he said after a moment. Then he reached and gave him a small shove to stop from getting emotional, making Joe laugh a bit. They both looked to see Sara come out onto the porch and look over at them.

"She's beautiful," Joe commented, looking at Arthur to see his face reflecting his feelings for her.

"She is," Arthur agreed.

"She'll come around," Joe added.

"I hope so," Arthur sighed, getting to his feet and heading over to her. Joe stayed put. He was still feeling wobbly in the legs from his withdrawal.

"I made coffee," Sara said when Arthur approached.

"Thanks," he nodded. She moved out of the way to let him in before following him to the kitchen.

"Cid's asleep," she offered as he poured a cup for himself and Joe.

"He settle down after last night?"

"Yes. Thank you for...for that," she finished awkwardly.

"You're welcome." He went to lift the mugs when she put her hand on his arm, stopping him.

"I'm sorry," she blurted.

"For which part?" he asked.

"All of it," she answered. "I just...I got scared, and I did what I do best. I ran."

"I meant what I said," he told her. "I'm waiting for you, but you have to be sure about what you want. I can't do it halfheartedly. I'm either all in or all out, understand?"

"I understand," she nodded. She removed her hand then, and he took the coffee and went back to Joe. She was still struggling with what she wanted. She had thought about Arthur for so long, and now he was here, and she had no idea what to do. She wished she could just figure her shit out and carry on. Why was this so hard for her?

She didn't have long to muddle over it because Cid was awake, and he was hungry. Then he wanted to be with Arthur, but she wanted him to do some work first. It didn't go well. He became angry and started screaming at her, saying she wasn't his mother and that she was a liar. Sara ran for cover because he wouldn't calm down, and she was terrified he would get out of control. It scared her, the idea of telling Arthur that Cid was his son and that he had this way of hurting people that was out of his control. She didn't want that to be the reason that made him leave for good.

...

Arthur and Joe looked towards the house when the yelling started. Joe lifted a brow.

"Is that Cid?" he asked.

"Yea. Seems he gets quite upset," Arthur answered. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew she'd throttle him if he went and intervened.

"Should we do something?" Joe asked.

"Her instructions were that we stay out here," Arthur reminded him.

"I feel bad, though."

"You don't want to piss her off, trust me," Arthur said. He cringed every time Cid screamed, though. It took a lot to just sit there and do nothing.

"He's a good kid," Joe noted.

"He is," Arthur agreed.

"You spent a lot of time with him?"

"When Leslie had him, yea."

They didn't say anything else. Joe realized he felt better sober. No wonder Arthur didn't do the drops. The yelling stopped after a bit, and Arthur was able to relax again. He wondered what had happened, but he knew she'd probably never tell him.

...

"You are one neat little dude," Joe laughed as Cid explained all about the current project he was working on. Cid beamed at him.

"I think you're neat too," he said. It seemed strange that this same child was the one raging inside earlier.

Arthur chuckled as he watched Cid and Joe interact with each other. Cid refused to leave Arthur's side once he was allowed out, and he knew it made Sara anxious. She wasn't too far away, keeping an eye on them. When he heard the sound of an axe thumping, he went to investigate.

"Keep Joe company, will you?" Arthur said to Cid, who nodded importantly.

"What does this do?" Joe asked, gesturing, and Cid launched into another explanation. Arthur reached Sara in a few moments and stopped in front of her as she swung the axe into the stump.

"You need some help?" he asked her.

"No," she answered. He was quiet for a moment while she continued pounding on the stump.

"Where did you go?" he asked. He couldn't help it. He had to know.

"As far away from here as I could get," she answered. "I made a lot of bad choices, and I lost myself for a while. But then Leslie found me and wanted me to come home. I decided to get sober again, and then she died."

"And you got Cid," he nodded.

"And I got Cid," she repeated. It ate at her inside, knowing the truth.

"And then I show up," Arthur went on, giving her a half smile.

"I was not expecting that," she said. She went to hoist the axe again when he reached and took it from her.

"It's the least I can do," he said when she protested. She took a step back and watched him work, admiring how his muscles flexed when he moved.

"I did think about you," she told him. "All the time."

"Yea?" he asked, swinging and splitting wood off the stump easily.

"You were the best thing that happened to me, and I was too afraid to accept it," she continued. "I didn't feel deserving of it."

"And how do you feel now?" he asked, stopping what he was doing for a moment.

"I feel like you'll never forgive me for what I did to you," she confessed. "That once this is over, you're going to leave, and that's exactly what I deserve."

He looked at her with sadness in his eyes.

"Then you don't really know me, do you?" he asked. "Because if you did, you'd know that I would never leave you, and you had my forgiveness a long time ago."

"Sara!" Cid called, rushing to them now. "I'm hungry."

Sara was surprised at her son's sudden affection with her as he hugged her tightly. She instinctively put a hand on the back of his head to hold him into her.

"Let's get you something to eat then," she said.

"And Arthur and Joe," Cid reminded her.

"Yes, them too," Sara nodded. Cid let her go and ran towards the house then. She looked at Arthur, who was still watching her.

"You know where I stand," he told her. "So it's your move."

He went back to splitting the stump, and she went to start dinner. His words echoed in her head until she called them in to eat.

...

After dinner, Joe was hanging out with Cid inside when they heard the rumble of a vehicle coming. Arthur snapped his head up from the table, and Joe got to his feet. Sara came to warn them.

"Someone's here," she said, worried. A door slammed outside, and Arthur knew they had seconds to hide. Joe dove behind the couch while Arthur clattered down to the basement. Sara felt panicked as she opened the door to a man.

"Hello," he said. "I'm sorry it's so late. I just thought I'd cross this house off my list before the day ended. I'm looking for this man. Have you seen him?" He showed her a picture of Joe. "He might be traveling with his father. He's a criminal."

"Haven't seen him," Sara answered.

"Mind if I take a look? He's armed and dangerous."

"Um, I guess?" she said, moving to let him in. He went on to ask her questions about if she was alone there or if she had any children. She lied. She hoped Arthur and Joe had hidden themselves well. She followed the man as he walked slowly around. She caught sight of Joe trying to keep hidden, and then Cid appeared. Sara felt her heart leap into her throat, but Cid gestured to Joe, who quickly moved to the basement door seconds before the man turned around. Sara released the breath she had been holding. Cid would take them to the tunnel. They'd be safe.

...

"End of the line," Arthur said when Joe came down the stairs with Cid ahead of him. There weren't many hiding spots down there, and he knew it would get thoroughly searched.

"No, it's not," Cid disagreed. He went over to the drain and gestured. "Lift that."

Arthur obeyed, and it revealed a hole big enough to fit them.

"Nice," Joe commented. Arthur went down first. Then he helped Cid down. Joe came last, and he carefully put the grate back. Cid handed Arthur a flashlight, and they headed down the tunnel. It stopped a distance from the house, and they looked through the trap door carefully.

"Mom said Grandpa built this because of the vagrant raids," Cid said.

"Well done, Grandpa," Joe murmured. Arthur didn't say anything. He hadn't realized that this was the house Sara had grown up in, but it made sense.

"It's Jesse," Arthur said, seeing the Gat Man come out of the house now.

"Will he hurt us?" Cid asked. "Will he hurt Sara?"

"No," Joe answered. "He's a good guy. He'll leave when he can't find me. He won't hurt your mom."

"Where's your mom?" Cid asked. Arthur looked at Joe quickly, who cleared his throat.

"My mom gave me away. She was hooked on drugs, which now I understand was because she was so alone. I ended up on this train and made it to the city where this guy found me and put a gun in my hand and gave me a purpose. Then I met Arthur, and he's been my brother ever since. We have each other."

"I have Sara," Cid said. "I'm not going to let her get killed."

"All clear," Arthur said now, watching Jesse drive away. They saw Sara looking for them, and Cid squirmed past Arthur and out the crack while Arthur lifted the lid up higher.

"Sara!" he called, running to her.

"Hi, baby," Sara said, catching him in an embrace. "You did good, honey."

Arthur climbed out and offered Joe a hand, hauling him out too. He then closed the lid and put the grass back over it.

"You guys okay?" Sara asked.

"Oh yea," Joe answered. "Just fine."

Arthur kept a hand on his gun for the rest of the evening, though. Just in case.

...

Sara tucked Cid in for the night. He eventually fell asleep, and she watched him breathe for a while, wondering what was in store for him in the future. He had Arthur's eyes. She wondered if Arthur knew and just wasn't saying anything, that he was waiting for her to tell him. She still didn't know what to do about that.

She shut the house down for the night and looked out into the darkness to see the barn light was off. She debated on going out there, but she changed her mind. Joe was out there anyway. She didn't want him to witness anything personal. She went to bed and decided she would talk to Arthur tomorrow and tell him what her move was.