Songs I listened to while writing this chapter:

The Outsider by A Perfect Circle

Suburban Disruption by David Buckley

Flames of Glory by Really Slow Motion

Intelligence Leak by Really Slow Motion

I'd Like Them Dead by Ryan Amon

I'm Right Behind You by Ryan Amon

They're Coming For Us by Thunderstep Music

The Job by Hans Zimmer

Dogfight by Thomas Wander

Opening the Doors by Hans Zimmer

In the Name of the Father by Brian Tyler

We Are Still Here by Brian Tyler

1998

Montana, U.S.

Rita was still not interacting with Luke very much, and it was almost a month since she'd found out he was an assassin. Lance was tiptoeing around her, too, since she was still angry at him for not being who she thought he was, but Luke wanted to shake her. He wanted to tell her that things were not different just because now she knew. He tried to understand, though. He did. She was hurt he hadn't told her. It didn't seem to matter that he had wanted to.

He was leaving for another job now, and he could see her watching him from her chair in the living room as he set his bag down by the door and put his boots on. Lance looked up at him from the table over his newspaper.

"I'm off," Luke stated when he finished and stood up straight again.

"Safe travels," Lance said to him.

"Thanks."

Nothing from Rita. Luke wasn't sure what to do here. In the end, he picked up his bag, took his keys off the hook, and looked at Rita one last time.

"Goodbye," he said.

"Bye," she said back. He ignored the screaming in his brain to go hug her or something, anything. He wanted to feel her in his arms so badly, but he didn't want to push her and make things worse. He pressed his lips together and nodded, going out the door.

...

Rita felt despair inside. She missed Luke like crazy, but she still didn't feel right about this whole situation. She didn't know what to do. Her father kept telling her to forgive Luke for keeping it from her, and she knew he had only been honoring Lance's wishes, but it was still hard. She was still having a hard time imagining her father doing this work, but she found herself not as angry at him like she was Luke. She didn't know why.

When Luke left, she resisted chasing after him to kiss him goodbye.

...

Lance looked at Rita and knew she was struggling. He could see that she still loved Luke but was holding back. They'd had a lot of conversations in the last month about it, and each time, Rita kept being stubborn about the trust factor, that Luke had kept it from her. Lance wished he could get her to overcome that. He knew he was on thin ice himself for having a secret life kept from her, but she was warming up to him more each day. He could only hope that she would with Luke eventually too.

"Who is he killing this time?" she asked, surprising him. He looked over at her.

"Human trafficker," Lance answered. "Specifically trafficking into the sex trade, so young girls and women." He watched this sink in, and he knew that it repulsed Rita to know such a person was out there.

"I see," she said.

Lance kept quiet. He could see her processing. He didn't want to push her one way or the other. Let her take her time and decide what she wanted. He knew her. He knew she'd come to the right choice no matter what that looked like.

Days Later

Luke was lying in wait in his target's apartment. It made Luke's skin crawl to be in the home of this disgusting man. He knew that Rita understood his targets were horrible people, that the world was better off without these evil, flesh covered skeletons walking around hurting other innocent people, but he didn't know how to help her get past his keeping it from her.

It all happened fast. The man came home, and Luke shot him as soon as he came through the door, and then he was on his way without leaving a trace behind. His nickname was The Ghost after all. He flitted in and out without ever being seen.

"It's done," Luke said on the phone from his motel room once he got there.

"Good. I'll be in touch," Dennis replied. Luke hung up the phone, and he was about a block away from the target's place when he got jumped.

...

Lance answered the phone and immediately went stiff after hearing the voice on the other end telling him what was going on. Rita sensed it was something bad. Then her heart almost stopped.

Luke.

"I'm coming," Lance said, hanging up. He hurried to grab his things. Rita was on her feet now too.

"What's happened?" she asked.

"Luke's injured," he answered. "I'm going to pick him up."

"Injured?! How bad? Is he okay?!"

"He's alright, just banged up a bit."

"Where is he?"

"Hunkered down somewhere in Mexico."

"I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not."

"Dad!"

"You're not," Lance said firmly. "You wait here. Stay the night at Lucy's." She tried to argue, but it fell on deaf ears. He left, and she was alone in the foyer thinking that she might never see either one of them again.

It very quickly made her re-evaluate things.

...

Luke didn't know how much time had passed since he called Lance, but the man himself was there at his door finally, and Luke was so happy to see him.

"What the hell happened?" Lance demanded. Luke knew he'd flown down there in his own plane. He knew Rita was left at home. He wondered if she even cared that he'd been hurt or if Lance had even told her.

"I'm not sure," Luke said. "I did the job, and then a block later, I'm attacked."

"Did you get him?"

"Yea. He's dead."

"Just the one?"

"Yea."

"Was he an assassin?"

"I think so," Luke answered. "He was very good."

"A rival pissed that you took his kill?"

"I don't know. I didn't want to go home in case I was being watched, and I didn't want any unwanted questions at the airport," Luke said, gesturing to himself. He had cuts and bruises on his face and a black eye. He was limping from a stab wound to his leg, the same one that had been stabbed by Keira's killer...inches away from the scar. He'd stitched it up himself along with the other one in his side. They hadn't been deep enough to warrant a hospital in his opinion.

"Fair enough. Well, let's get you out of here," Lance said. He picked up Luke's bag and let him go out first. Luke looked around the parking lot, making sure no one was watching. There wasn't a single car there. He felt a bit uneasy, but he knew Lance was good at his job too, that he would make sure they weren't being followed. By the time they got to the plane after making a few stops and vehicle changes, Luke was exhausted. He fell asleep once they were in the air, and all he could think about was how lucky he was to still be alive.

...

Rita was at her wit's end when Lance finally came home with Luke. She'd tortured herself the entire time with imagining Luke being dead after knowing it could have happened, and she realized she couldn't do life without Luke, no matter what he did for a job. She saw him come in after her father, and she let out a small cry at the sight of him. Even Copper couldn't beat her to him, but he tried. Lance caught the dog by his collar and pulled him away as Rita threw herself into Luke's arms.

"Ohhh," he groaned in pain, and she instantly pulled back.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," he answered. "C'mere." He pulled her back into him, and she could feel how much he'd missed her in that embrace. She pressed her head against his, holding him close. Lance disappeared with the dog, and they were alone.

"I'm sorry," Luke said finally, holding her back a little so he could look at her fully. "I should have told you. I wanted to tell you, and I was going to very soon. You have to believe me."

"I do," she said, searching his eyes. "I believe you."

"I know this isn't what you wanted," he went on, "but this is me. If you don't want to do this, I'll understand."

"All I thought about the entire time Dad was gone to get you," she said, "was how much I couldn't do life without you. I was mad at you and hurt, but I get it, and if you are keeping this world safe by doing this, then how can I be against that?"

"I almost didn't do this," Luke admitted. "I was gonna apprentice under Kenny and be a rancher, but then..."

"Keira," Rita said.

"Yea," Luke confirmed. "I realized I couldn't just sit by and let assholes like that run the world. I had to do something."

"You couldn't have saved her, Luke," Rita said, touching his face.

"No, but maybe I could have killed the bastards who did that to her before they did it," Luke said.

Rita rested her palm on his chest, still looking at him. She didn't say anything else, though.

"I'm sorry I'm not perfect, and I'm sorry that this is who I am," he went on, "but this is me. I can't change it." Rita took his face in her hands then, smoothing her thumbs over his cheeks.

"I love you," she said finally.

"You have no idea how much I love you," he replied. "You're the person who makes me whole, Rita. You help me keep faith that there's something good out there, that not everyone is terrible."

She was crying a little at this point, but he kissed her anyway. She held onto him like a life raft, knowing how close she'd been to losing him and feeling stupid for pushing him away for so long.

"Have you two kids finally sorted shit out?" Lance asked, making them break apart and look at him.

"Yes," Rita answered.

"Thank God," Lance said with a sigh. "I couldn't walk on eggshells anymore."

"Dad..."

"I'm leaving," he said, holding up a hand and disappearing again. Luke turned her head to face him again with his fingers, and she was kissing him again. Despite her feeling she couldn't trust him after finding this out about him, her gut had never stopped trusting him.

"You tell me the truth from here on out," she said, resting her forehead against his. "Got it?"

"Yes," he answered. "I will never lie to you, Rita." She gave a small smile as she closed her eyes and breathed him in.

She never wanted to push him away again.

...

Lance looked up when Rita approached him later that night after Luke had gone to bed. He set down the book he'd been trying to read and folded his hands, waiting. He hadn't been able to really focus on the book. His mind was stuck on who would try to kill Luke. His mind kept taking him back to his old agency, but why would they want to kill Luke? If anything, they'd want to recruit him since his parents had worked for them. It didn't make any sense.

"I just want to apologize," Rita said.

"For what?"

"For being so angry at you and Luke."

"It's alright. I'm sorry for keeping this secret from you."

"You were just doing it to keep me safe, right?"

"Right."

"I can appreciate that," she said, sitting down beside him carefully. "And I understand why there's a need for this job."

Lance patted her hand with his lightly and gave a small smile.

"We're soldiers in a different kind of war," he said. "Life won't be easy with someone like us."

"I know."

"I could see that no matter how hard you tried to stop loving Luke, you couldn't."

"You're right," she agreed, running a hand over her hair and sighing. "He and I...we are just connected in a way that I can't explain."

"I see it," Lance confirmed. "I don't doubt he'll treasure you forever."

It was Rita's turn to smile a little, and she moved to rest her head on his shoulder. They didn't say anything else, but they didn't have to. He was just grateful she wasn't angry anymore. He was also relieved it was all in the open now.

Everything except the fact that one day, she could be in danger.

There was no need to worry her. Lance had trained Luke for that day should it ever come, and he had faith she would be all right no matter what happened. He reached to rest a hand on the side of her head and smoothed it a few times. If it came down to it, he'd die for her.

Without a doubt.

1999

Montana, U.S.

Luke finished up a job he had in Brazil and let Dennis know. Then he called home while firing up Lance's plane.

"Hey," he said when Rita answered.

"Hi," she said back, breathless. "I just got home. Work was crazy." Luke smiled. She was still at the library. She hadn't settled on a secondary school yet. Luke wasn't sure what was holding her back, but he figured she had her reasons. He knew saving money was one of them.

"I bet you smell amazing," he said.

"Musty books and sweat," she laughed. "Yea, that's a nice combination."

"It's you, and I love it."

"Alright," she said. "Stop it." He could hear her blushing over the phone. They still hadn't crossed that line with each other yet, but he knew she wasn't ready, and, if he was honest, he was nervous about it too. He wanted to show her how much he loved her by giving himself entirely to her, but he also feared hurting her or re-traumatizing her (he really hated Simon still) and having their relationship change for the worse because of it (an irrational thought, but one he was stuck with). He was keeping his promise to her and letting her tell him when it was time. He loved being with her no matter what anyway, and he hadn't lied when he said he'd wait forever for her. She was worth it to him, and maybe people would mock it if they knew, but he didn't care. He smiled to himself as he thought about his plan. When he got home, he was going to find the right time to ask her to marry him. Of course, he wanted to ask Lance first before he got a ring. Luke was old-fashioned that way. He also knew Lance would probably hurt him if he didn't.

"I miss you," she said next. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he answered. "I'm just leaving here. I should be there in the morning."

"Okay."

He listened to her talk more about some kid she'd wrangled a juice box from before he squeezed it all over her precious books. He could see her as a teacher one day. She just had the talent with kids that he sorely lacked. The only kid he ever did well with was Keira, and thinking about her just hurt too much at times, but he still did.

"I gotta go to bed," she said after a while. "I love you, and I'll see you soon."

"Love you too. See you in the morning."

He put all his thoughts on her as he flew. It made everything else much more bearable.

...

Lance looked up from the car he was working on when Luke approached him. The garage was noisy and filled with sounds of people laughing, drills running, and phones ringing.

"You're back," Lance commented, setting down his wrench and straightening up. He cracked his neck for good measure. His body was beginning to hate being hunched over cars all day long.

"I am," Luke agreed, stopping in front of him, legs apart and arms crossed.

"It go okay?"

"Yes."

"Good." Lance reached for his water and took a swig before wiping his mouth. "What can I help you with?" He had a suspicion. It was only a matter of time, and he'd been waiting for about a month for Luke to have this conversation with him.

"I want to ask Rita to marry me," Luke answered, confirming his suspicions, "and I really want you to like me enough to say yes."

Lance gave a chuckle and scuffed his boot on the cement floor before looking back at the young man.

"Well, you've proven how much you love and respect her, and she's been a happier person because of it, so how can I say no?" he said.

"Wow," Luke said with a laugh. "I was almost expecting a sword fight."

"That can be arranged," Lance warned.

"I'm good, thanks," Luke said quickly. Lance reached to clap him on the shoulder and grasped it tight afterwards. He didn't want to admit it, but he would rather Rita be with Luke than anyone else. He knew the boy very well. He knew he cared about Rita and kept her best interests in mind. He knew he'd keep her safe.

"There's gonna be a lot of excited squealing and jumping around in my near future, isn't there?" Lance asked. Luke smirked.

"Most likely."

"Well, so long as she's happy. You got a ring?"

"Not yet," Luke admitted. Lance looked thoughtful as he stroked his chin.

"I've got the perfect one," he said after a moment.

"Yea?"

"Yea. I'll show you when we get home."

"I'd really appreciate it. Thank you."

Lance looked at him for a moment. "I was wrong about you, and I'm sorry for being so negative about it in the beginning." Luke just nodded in response. Lance gave him a pat on the shoulder before going back to his car he was fixing.

"What are you working on anyway?" Luke asked. He showed Luke, and they chatted for a bit about it until Luke decided to head home. Lance figured he'd give them some time alone, so he settled in to work for a few more hours.

...

Rita was taking down the laundry on the line when arms wrapped around her from behind. She yelped in surprise and twisted to see the person she'd ached with missing for the last while. She'd been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard him come home.

"Luke," she said, her voice full of emotion.

"Hi, love," he said, kissing her softly. She pressed her hands against his face, breathing him in as she kissed him back. His arms were snug around her, and she felt safe.

The sound of hooves made them both look to see Hank standing there looking at them expectantly.

"Hey, buddy," Luke said. Hank tossed his head and danced around a little.

"He missed tormenting you," Rita commented, making Luke laugh.

"I bet he did. Cheeky bugger he is," Luke said, pulling out the apple he'd tucked into his pocket and tossing it for the donkey, who snagged it easily. "I missed you too, ya big lout." Hank trotted off with his prize and left them alone.

"I just have to finish this," Rita said, gesturing to the laundry. "Then I'm all yours." He made a sound in his throat at this and brushed his fingers along her neck gently. Rita felt hot all over, knowing what he was thinking. She was thinking about it a lot too, but it just didn't feel like the right time yet. If she was honest, she was afraid to give that part of herself to him if he was going to leave her. She made herself anxious a lot by wondering if he was going to change his mind about being with her and break up with her or fearing that doing it would re-trigger her past trauma and ruin their relationship. It was probably irrational thinking, but she still struggled with it. Sometimes, she felt it was too good to be true to have someone like Luke love her.

"One day," Luke said, moving his fingers down to play with the "R" charm on her chain resting on her chest. She swallowed, not knowing what to say next. He kissed the side of her head softly before going inside to clean up and change, Copper's excited barking and whining at his return echoing throughout the house and into the yard. Rita quickly finished the laundry and went inside to find him starting dinner and fending off Copper's begging. She loved that about him, that he'd take over one chore if she was busy with another.

They were talking and laughing when her father came home about an hour later. He seemed upset about something, and Rita felt concern. What was going on?

"You want something to eat?" she asked.

"No thanks," he replied. "I'm not feeling the greatest."

"Should I be worried?" she asked.

"No," he answered. "I'll be fine." He left without another word, and Rita shared a look with Luke. He looked concerned too.

"Rough day I guess," she commented.

"Looks that way," Luke murmured. He helped her clean up, and they sat down to watch a movie together. Rita rested against his chest and felt soothed by his heartbeat. Thoughts about her father subsided a little. She figured she would talk to him about it tomorrow sometime since it was a Saturday and he'd be home.

...

Luke was still up when Lance emerged from his room and came down the stairs. He looked up at the older man and wondered if they were going to have to enact their escape plan soon.

"I didn't forget," Lance said, coming to sit down across from Luke. He handed the ring box to Luke, who took it gingerly. He opened it and knew instantly that it was Rita's ring. It was a gold band with a diamond intertwined in the middle of infinity symbol with four little diamonds on either side of it in a row.

"Wow," he said.

"It was Rosie's," Lance said softly. "She'd have wanted Rita to have it." Luke looked up at Lance and saw that the man was struggling not to cry.

"Thank you," he said. "I don't know what to say."

"Promise me that you'll keep her safe," Lance said after clearing his throat. "You don't let anything happen to her."

"What's going on, Lance?"

"Just promise me," Lance said, not answering the question. Luke had a bad feeling in his stomach suddenly.

"I promise," he said.

"Stay close for a bit," Lance commented, getting to his feet. Luke stood as well. Lance studied him for a moment before surprising Luke and giving him a quick, tight hug and a slap on the back.

"It's happening, isn't it?"

"In two days."

"Care to explain?"

"Dennis warned me that my past is coming for me. I guess they've always known where I was, which was bad to hear, but it is what it is. I've passed on the message that I'll meet them and take their deal. Rita will be free to go afterwards." He met Luke's eyes, and Luke knew what that meant. Lance was going to sacrifice himself. It made his stomach clench in fear.

"Why not just go? Right now?" Luke asked. "Get the hell out of here and start over?"

"No," Lance answered. "No more running. Rita won't be safe if we do that. This ensures her safety, ensures she has a life of freedom. It's me he wants. It's me he'll get. He doesn't want Rita."

"Okay..." Luke didn't like or trust it, but he knew arguing with Lance was pointless.

"Take this," Lance said, handing him a piece of paper. "Just in case." Luke looked at it and saw it was coordinates.

"What is this?" he asked.

"A safe place," Lance answered. "Go there if anything happens here."

"Okay."

"Get out of here on Sunday. Take her out somewhere for the day."

"Lance, I don't feel right about this. I can help you fight them..."

"Luke," Lance stopped him, giving him a serious look. "You can't fight something this big and survive. I've always known this day was coming, that I would face the consequences. I'm ready."

"They're not gonna keep their word," Luke insisted. "They'll come after her anyway..."

"They don't want her. They were very clear about that."

"Lance, let's just go..."

"There will come a time where you'll understand how important it is to sacrifice yourself for the greater good," Lance said. "Then you'll know what I'm thinking and feeling right here in this moment." Luke held his gaze, feeling helpless. He couldn't change Lance's mind. He tried to understand, but he couldn't.

"This will kill her," he said.

"At first, but she'll be okay," Lance promised. "She has you, and I know her. One day, she'll understand."

"Lance..."

Lance said nothing else before going back up the stairs. Luke felt nervous, but then he suddenly felt the urge to be ready to escape regardless. Who knew if they would be safe here? He moved into action and went to pack a bag for Rita first. She slept through him doing this, and he paused at the doorway when he was finished and looked at her sleeping. He tried not to feel scared of the idea of losing her. Then he forced himself to go pack his own bag. He put everything in there that meant something to him. Copper was watching from the floor, thumping his tail every so often.

"It'll be alright," Luke said to him. He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince the most. He took both bags out to the hidden car in the woods and put them in the trunk. With each step back to the house, he fought off all thoughts of what was going to happen to Lance. He knew one thing for sure: he was going to be prepared if anyone came here to try and hurt Rita.

...

Lance knew it was only a matter of time before his past caught up to him, but he still didn't feel ready regardless of what he'd told Luke. He woke up that morning with high anticipation after last night's warning. He wasn't going to run from it. There wasn't anywhere he could go where he wouldn't eventually be found, and if he ran, Rita would never be safe. In order for her to have a life, he had to pay the price. He discovered he was okay with that. He'd do anything for his little girl.

He was giving himself one last day with her before he left. He started it off with a morning run, letting her win and do her little dance she liked to do.

"You okay, Dad?" Rita asked at one point after breakfast. He could tell she wanted to have a conversation about what was on his mind, but he didn't. He gave her his best smile.

"I'm fine, luv," he answered. She went to hug him, and he held her tightly. "You know I'm proud of you, right?"

"Okay, now you're scaring me," she said. "You're acting like you're never gonna see me again or something."

"I just don't think I tell you that enough," he said with a shrug. She smiled finally.

"I guess not."

"You're beautiful, you're smart, and you'll achieve anything you set your mind to. I love you, kid," he said, brushing her hair back. "Your mother would be proud too. And Carol."

"I love you too, Dad." Her eyes were a bit wet now, and she nodded again. When she went off to do her own thing, Lance watched her go. He wondered how much she'd hate him after he was gone for not fighting back.

Eventually they had lunch together, and Lance watched Luke and Rita interact and knew that she'd be just fine with him. He was proud of Luke and knew the boy would rather die than let Rita get hurt. That's something he'd wanted in a man for Rita. He also knew that Rita could take care of herself.

After lunch they cleaned up and then continued on with chores. Lance was currently dealing with the chickens in the barn when he heard car tires on gravel, and his internal alarm went off. There were more than one vehicle, and no one came here except Lucy or Kenny. He turned his head to see Luke mid-pause with the shovel in his hands, giving Lance a questioning look.

So much for having the upper hand.

"Shit," Lance said.

"You got bad information," Luke commented.

"No kidding. Go," Lance said. "Now. And Luke?"

"Yea?"

"Don't you dare come back for me," Lance ordered. "I will kill you myself if you do. You get her out of here. That's an order."

"Lance..."

"I mean it, Luke." They held eye contact, and Lance knew this was the last time he'd see the boy. It hurt to see Luke's pain. He could only imagine what Rita's face would look like after all of this. That hurt even worse. "Go."

"Yes, sir. I...thank you. For everything."

"Make it worth it."

"I will." Luke didn't hesitate any longer. He dropped the shovel and went out the back door to do his job. Lance gave him a 30 second head start before stepping outside the barn. Two SUVs pulled into view, and eight men stepped out and spread out in a line, standing military style. He took in a breath before exhaling slowly. His information really had been bad; their arrival was sooner than he was told. He really shouldn't have been surprised.

"Didn't think we knew where you were, huh?" Colter Young said, a smirk on his face. "You thought wrong." His dark brown hair was cut short, and his green eyes flashed as he took in his surroundings. He was just over six feet, and he had a scar down his left cheek.

"Right," Lance said, lightly chuckling. "I should have known."

"I've always known where you were," Colter went on, looking around. "It was just timing we were waiting for."

"What timing was that?"

"Your daughter to be old enough to train," Colter answered. "I have to admit, I am surprised that you haven't already, but I guess the boy was a substitute."

Lance was tense. He was still annoyed that they'd known all along about Rita, so his ruse with the graves never would have worked, but the fact they knew about Luke...well, that was just plain irritating. He shouldn't have been surprised, though. Lance's gut had told him that Jess had found him a different way, that someone else knew how to find him, and he'd been proven right. But why did they let him finish training Luke?

"Did you know that the boy has been training your daughter?" Colter went on, tilting his head. "It's kind of why we're late collecting her and left him alive. He was doing great work. He was doing what you refused to do, so we waited."

Mystery solved.

Lance had known Luke was teaching Rita things. He wasn't an idiot. He'd seen Rita in action when she thought he wasn't looking. He hadn't stopped it because it had given him a sense of relief that she would be able to look after herself if needed. He'd also trusted Luke to not train her fully in everything else, and he hadn't been disappointed. Rita was no killer.

He was angry now, though. Luke had been right after all. They were after Rita.

"So where are they?" Colter inquired.

"Out," Lance lied.

"Sure," Colter chuckled. "We'll see." He gestured with his gun. "You know how this works." Lance nodded. He just hoped that Luke would be successful in doing his job and get her out of there. He hoped Rita wouldn't hate him forever.

...

Rita was putting her clothes away since she hadn't last night when Luke burst into her room, making her jump in fright. He had a harried look on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Do you trust me?" he countered. She blinked at him. Why was he asking her that?

"Of course I do..."

"Then you need to come with me, be extremely quiet, and do exactly what I say, alright?"

"Luke, you're scaring me..."

"Come on. Right now," he ordered, holding out his hand.

"What's happening?"

"Rita," he said sharply. "Now." Scared, she took his hand. He pulled her along behind him down the hall and down the stairs.

"Nice house," a voice was saying. Rita was about to ask Luke who that was when he grabbed her around the middle, pulled her into the nook of the wall, and clamped a hand over her mouth. Footsteps walked by a moment later. Heavy boots. Rita's breathing started to escalate. There were intruders in her house.

"Finish it," her father's voice said now, and Rita's heart started to race. What was happening?! Why weren't they helping her father?! She went to pull out from Luke's grasp, but he held her firm.

"Not before I kill the boy and take your daughter," the first voice said. "I want you to suffer, Harry."

Rita felt Luke's grip on her tighten, and her own breath quickened. What was happening? She felt so confused and scared.

"Haven't I suffered enough?" Lance asked now. "A deal's a deal, Colter. You got me. You leave her alone."

"I don't keep deals with traitors."

Luke moved then, pulling her along with him again before footsteps started searching. She tried to put up a fight, but he simply hooked an arm around her waist and lifted her like she weighed nothing. They were going to the office down the hall, and once they got there, Luke set her down, locked the door, and moved to rip the area rug up from the floor.

"What the hell is going on?" Rita hissed as he hid the rug. "Why aren't we helping him?!"

"Stop talking," Luke ordered, bending down and moving his fingers along the floor before finding what he was looking for. His pushed his finger into the knot hole and lifted up a square sized board to reveal a dark hole underneath. "Get in."

"No."

"Rita," he warned.

"Why is my father not fighting those men?" she demanded.

"He's stalling to save your life," Luke answered roughly. "Don't waste his efforts. Get in." She stood there staring at him, trying to piece it all together. Eventually, he moved to grab her arm and yanked her forward, pushing her down the hole. She landed hard on the ground below and quickly realized it was a crawl space. She heard Luke putting the board back and dropping down to join her. He turned on the flashlight and shone it around them.

"We can't just leave him..." she tried again.

"His orders were for me to get you as far away from here when trouble came calling," Luke cut her off. "That's what I'm doing."

"He wouldn't leave me behind if roles were reversed, not if there was a way to save me," she insisted. Her brain was trying to process the rest of Luke's sentence. Her father had known this day was coming?

"You are everything to him," Luke said. "Your safety is priority one. He doesn't want you to look back, no matter what happens."

"Luke," she said, her voice ragged and scared. "I can't abandon my father."

"I can't fail him," Luke said roughly. "This is the one thing he's asked of me that I cannot fail. I already failed him by falling in love with you. I can't fail him again."

Rita didn't know what to say to that. She gasped when she heard noises above her, muffled shouts of men and things banging on the floor. She pressed a hand to her mouth, feeling her tears slide over her fingers. What were they doing to her father?

"Come on," Luke ordered, and she knew she had no choice. They crawled to the side of the house where another hole appeared. Luke dropped down into it and reached to help her down. Rita felt claustrophobic standing in the hole pressed against him. There wasn't much room to move. She felt him reach and push open a door, and she turned her head to see a tunnel.

"This way," he said.

"I...I can't," she said.

"Rita, we can't go back," he said, growing angry.

"No, it's...I can't breathe," she said, feeling her lungs constrict. "It...it's too tight." His face showed instant understanding.

"Look at me," he said, taking her face in his hands. She gripped his wrists, struggling to breathe. "You can do this. If you can fight off a full grown mountain lion, if you can survive what you've survived, then you can go through this tunnel. I'm right here, okay?"

"I...I can't..."

"Breathe slow," he said. "Okay? In and out, very slowly." She tried, and after a moment it got a little easier.

"Okay," she said, nodding. "I can do this."

"Good," he said back, taking her hand and hurrying down it with her behind him. Rita felt like it went on and on forever, and she was about to scream from anxiety of feeling compressed when they finally stopped at a wooden ladder. Luke climbed up, and she noticed the pistol tucked in the back of his pants. Somehow, that made this that much more serious.

"Why are they here?" she asked.

"I can't explain it right now..."

"But you know?"

"I know."

"You'll tell me?"

"Yes. Please, Rita," he said. "We have to go."

Rita wanted to be defiant and say no, that she wasn't leaving until she got an answer, but her fear of these men finding her was too great. She said nothing as he continued up the ladder and pushed the top open slowly. Once he deemed it safe, he told her to climb up. They were in the woods, and Rita could hear gunshots happening in the house.

...

Luke cringed at the gunshots. He knew what it meant.

"No!" Rita gasped, and Luke spun to grab her arms to stop her from running towards it.

"Rita, stop," he ordered.

"Let me go!" she cried. He put his hand over her mouth again, afraid of them being heard, and she screamed against it, trying to make him let go of her.

"Stop," he said in her ear. "Please, Rita, stop. They'll find us." She broke down crying against him, and he could feel her tears sliding over his fingers. It hurt him, too, to leave Lance behind, but Lance's order was to get her away from here, so that's what he was going to do. Rita went limp in his arms, and he almost fell trying to hold her up.

"They're out here somewhere!" a voice shouted. "Find them!" Luke felt anxiety then. Obviously they'd found the trap door and knew they'd escaped. So much for hoping they wouldn't see it. Lance had at least bought them enough time to get out of the house. He couldn't get to the car, though. There wasn't enough time. He had to resort to Plan B, which meant hiding in the woods.

Rita was shaking against him, and he knew she was scared.

"Come on," he breathed, releasing her and grabbing her hand again. She didn't argue this time. She just ran with him. He approached a spot in the brush and felt around before finding the handle. He lifted the lid to reveal a shallow hole, the top of the lid mimicking the forest floor. Her fear of enclosed spaces was clearly overcome by her fear of getting shot. She climbed in first and flattened herself against the ground, and he climbed in next, lowering the lid.

...

Rita could only hear the sounds of their breathing for the most part, and then she heard the footsteps practically above them.

"No sign of them," a voice said. Rita pressed her lips together tightly to prevent the whimper of fear from escaping. She felt Luke tighten his arms around her and buried her face against his chest.

"We'll find them," a second voice said. "They won't get far. There's only one road out of here."

"Can't believe we lost Norm and Joe..."

The voices got farther away, and then there was silence. They lay there breathing for an unknown amount of time until Luke dared to lift the lid. There were no sounds of anything. She scrambled out of the hole.

"Dad!" Rita cried, running back towards the house.

"Rita, no!" Luke called behind her. She kept running, not caring anymore. She got back to the house to find it a mess. Signs of a huge fight were evident, and there was blood. There was no sign of her father, though. She pressed her hands into her face, tears falling. Luke caught up to her in moments, and he grabbed her shoulder.

"Stay here," he ordered. She nodded, and he went alone towards the back door.

...

Luke could tell that two bodies had been removed from the house. He knew Lance had killed them. He carefully made his way to the back door, and he slid it open and followed the blood trail until it ended with Lance's body. He was face up, eyes open. Luke could see the two bullets in the heart and one in the head that indicated an execution.

A sob from behind made him spin to see Rita standing there, having followed him regardless.

"Rita," he said. "Don't look."

She'd seen it anyway, and she turned and promptly vomited. Luke went over to pull her hair out of the way and hold her. He felt like throwing up too. He tried to steady his uneven breathing. That rage inside of him was flaring again. It made him picture Brendan's death again. It made him see Keira's small coffin, those pictures...

"Why?" she asked, her voice cracking. "Why would someone do this to him?" She straightened up and was shaking, gripping her head with her hands.

"Hate makes people do terrible things," Luke answered, his voice low. Rita cried harder, and he moved to put an arm around her and steer her away from the scene. He could hear the animals in the barn being anxious and Copper's howling from there as well. Someone had put him in there. He knew he had to call Kenny and get him to take them. He knew there was no way they could stay here now.

Rita pushed him off and went to kneel by her father, burying her head into his right shoulder and crying. He let her for a while, but then he knew they had to go.

"Rita," he said softly, kneeling down next to her. "We gotta go, Rita."

"How could they do this? Who are these people?" she asked, turning her tear stained face to look at him.

"Monsters," he answered truthfully.

"What do we do now?" she asked, her voice a ragged whisper.

"We get out of here and never come back," he replied, touching her face gently.

"This place is all I've ever known," she whimpered.

"I know. I'm so sorry, Rita."

She fell into his arms, wrapping hers around his shoulders to hold him. He rested a hand on her back and behind her head, pressing his cheek against her forehead. He wished he had spared her this pain. After a moment, he reached to close Lance's eyes before putting his hand back on her head.

"Can we bury him? Beside Mum?"

"I'll get Kenny to do it. We don't have time, love."

She looked like she was going to argue, but she didn't. He went to find sheets to wrap Lance in. He told Rita he'd packed her a bag already but to take anything else she wanted while he did this. He figured they'd have a little bit of time before someone came back to check if they were here. He constantly looked over his shoulder, though, just in case. He could hear Lance's voice yelling at him to get the hell out of there, but he owed this to Rita. Kenny had come after he called and explained what happened, and he helped Luke carry Lance to where the three graves were. Luke felt bad not helping dig the grave, but Kenny understood. Rita joined them and took Luke's hand tightly.

"Can we at least say something?" Rita asked.

"Yea," Luke agreed. He looked at Kenny, who was clearing his throat a lot.

"Shit," Kenny said, taking his hat off and holding it against his chest as he stood there. "Lance was a good friend. I always suspected he was hiding from something, but I never thought this. I'm sorry this happened to you, brother. I wish I'd have known so I could have had your back. Rest in peace."

Luke looked at Rita, who was crying again. He looked back at the wrapped form of Lance and swallowed. His own eyes started to burn.

"You showed me what life could really be like," he said softly. "I can never repay you for that. I'm sorry I failed you."

"Can I be alone?" Rita asked.

"Sure," Luke answered. He and Kenny stepped away, and Kenny was sniffing hard and wiping at his eyes with his arm. Luke looked at Rita, who was kneeling next to her father and talking, her hand resting on his chest. He wondered what she was saying, but he had an idea.

"Can you take Copper?" Luke asked Kenny. He felt bad not saying goodbye to the dog, but he didn't have time.

"You guys leaving?" Kenny countered.

"Yea. It's not safe for us here anymore."

"Damn. Alright. I'll give the animals a good home. I'll keep an eye on this place for ya too. In case you wanna come back."

"Thanks, Kenny."

Luke looked back at Rita, feeling his heart break at the sight of her tears. He knew they had to go, so he went back over to her slowly.

"I love you, Daddy," she was saying. "I'm gonna miss you so much."

"Rita," he said softly. She stood and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Rita, but we have to go," he said after a moment. She nodded against him, but she started to collapse after a few steps, so he lifted her into his arms and carried her out of there. He saw the tires were slashed on the truck, his car, and her car, so he went to where the other car was hidden away. The getaway car. Luke had convinced Lance to replace the bike with a car instead. He was glad the older man had listened.

He set Rita down into the passenger seat of it when they got there and then put her backpack in the trunk with the other two bags. She simply stared into space as he went around to get into driver's seat. He reached to belt her in since she didn't bother. He did the same, and then he drove off, leaving their whole world behind them.

As they drove, Rita was crying softly with her face pressed into her hand. She hadn't asked him any questions, and he didn't think it was the right time to give answers. He'd tell her once they got somewhere safe. He felt bad for everything, but he knew there was no going back. He drove in silence until they reached the private air strip Lance had shown him where Lance's plane waited. Rita sat up abruptly.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Somewhere safe."

"Where?"

"All I have are coordinates," Luke answered, parking and shutting the engine off. "Come on." He got out, and she got out too. He walked to the plane then to get it started and ready before going back for the bags. Rita was behind him. He was trying to make a plan of what to do after they got to safety. He honestly didn't know what to do, but he knew he'd figure something out.

"You know how to fly?"

"Yes."

"I didn't even know my father had a plane," she said, sounding confused and hurt and all other sorts of emotions.

"It was for work," Luke explained.

"Oh. Did you take it for work?"

"Sometimes. Other times it was better to drive or use commercial flights."

She said no more as he moved around and checked everything. She stood there in the back while he went to the front and flipped all the switches and got the plane to life. She eventually came to sit in the co-pilot seat. He was about to get up and get their stuff when she grabbed his arm.

"Luke!" she shouted, pointing, and he whipped his head up to see SUVs screeching to a halt not too far from them.

"Shit," he said again, moving his hand to shove the throttle forward. They'd have to leave the stuff.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice said behind them, making Rita shriek and Luke twist to see a man standing there aiming a gun at them. "Move. Now." Luke was pissed that he missed this person boarding the plane without him seeing it. He'd been too focused on getting them out of here and foolishly thought they wouldn't know to look for the plane. He stood up slowly, holding his hands up. Rita stayed glued to her seat.

"You do anything foolish, and I'll blow your head off," the man said to her, making her whimper. Luke gritted his teeth. She was supposed to be kept safe. How could he have failed her like this?

"You think I didn't know about Harry's little plane?" the man scoffed, prodding Luke forward. "You're kidding right? We used to work together. I know what escape routes he likes to take. He did it before. Where were you going? South America, right? Harry always liked to jump continents when things got bad."

Luke knew Rita was trying to understand what was happening. He stood there staring at this man, waiting for his next move.

"Who are you?" Rita asked, her voice trying to be tough.

"I'm Colter Young," Colter said. "Your father worked for my father and was one of the world's best assassins back in the day until he grew a conscience, asked too many questions, and got a price on his head. He disappeared, but it wasn't hard to find him. We've been watching this whole time, waiting. We thought we'd see if he'd prep his daughter so she could join us. Turns out you were instead." He looked at Luke.

"How about you just walk away?" Luke suggested. "You've done what you wanted. There's no need for anyone else to die. You made the deal with Lance that Rita goes free."

"A negotiator? Wow," Colter said, chuckling. "I know you're his protégé, just like she is yours."

"She's not."

"I rather doubt it."

Luke clenched his jaw tightly. Yes, he'd trained Rita around a bunch of things, but he hadn't trained her to be a killer.

"You're Jessie's son, after all," Colter went on. "I know all about you. She's been training you since you could talk. It's a shame she signed your death sentence by killing my best friend. Too bad she can't be here to witness it."

"What have you done to my mother?" Luke demanded.

"None of your business. Come on," Colter said, gesturing with the gun. "Step out."

"Luke," Rita said, trying to grab him to keep him there, but Colter aimed his gun at her next, and she faltered.

"What are you doing with her?" Luke asked, stalling, as he walked slowly past Colter towards the side door.

"Never you mind," Colter answered, shoving Luke out the door. He managed to land on his feet and was instantly swarmed by two armed men. He put his hands behind his head before they grabbed his arms, holding him in place.

"LUKE!" Rita screamed from inside the plane. Colter smiled at him as the third man hopped on board.

"She's gonna be the best when I'm done with her," he said with a wink. "Thanks for the plane."

"Hey, Colter," Luke called, making the man look at him again. "It wasn't my mother who killed Johnny. I did." He felt satisfied at the rage in Colter's eyes. Clearly, someone had given him bad information too.

"Make it slow," Colter told the two men. Then he reached and slammed the door shut. Luke wasted no time smashing his head into the first guy holding him and then twisting to take down the second man while the first one was recovering. He grabbed the one's knife and finished them both off in seconds. He grabbed the one man's pistol, shooting down the other two running towards him. Then he sprinted to the plane as it revved to get moving and yanked the door open.

He jumped inside only to be attacked by the third guard, who tried to slam the door on him and missed. He fought well, remembering all of Johnny and his mother's teachings as well as Lance's. The man ducked and dodged Luke's blows until Luke finally grabbed the fire extinguisher off the side of the plane wall and smashed it into his face. The man howled in pain but managed to get back up again. He got a hold of Luke and shoved him towards the door, reaching to yank it open. He could hear Rita screaming over the wind, and he felt a flicker of fear that this was the end for him. He wouldn't let it be, though. He managed to twist and bend down, grabbing the man by the leg and lifting him up over his back to throw him out instead. He yelped when the man caught his shirt and pulled him with him. Luke managed to grab onto the edge of the door, straining to hold on as the man kept hold of him. He kicked out, catching the man in the face. It took a few kicks before the man finally let go. Luke didn't watch him fall. He turned to put his focus on getting back inside. He pulled his legs up, his inner core screaming at him from the effort, but he couldn't give up. He could only pull himself in by his arms using the door as his anchor, and it was slow going, but he managed. The side of the door dug into his chest as he curled himself around it, trying to get momentum to bring his legs inside. He finally succeeded and rolled onto his back, sliding across the floor as the plane tilted to the right. He got to his feet and lurched to the door, pulling it shut so he wouldn't fall out again. He'd lost his gun during the escapade, but he didn't need one to finish the job.

"You learned a lot from Harry!" Colter shouted over the noise, making Luke see him standing behind Rita with a hand around her throat and a gun to her head. He'd put the plane on autopilot it seemed.

"I learned more from my parents!" Luke shouted back, making Colter sneer at him. Rita was staring at him, terrified. He gave a slight nod of his head. Her eyes registered understanding, and she made her move. Colter shouted when she stomped on his foot and turned left into his arm to bend it back. It was enough of a distraction for Luke to throw the only thing within reach at him: a wrench. It struck Colter in the face, and he shouted and stumbled backwards. Rita dove to the floor of the plane as he struck out with his hand as he fell. He hit the controls of the plane, and Luke felt them jolt as they came off of auto-pilot.

He was on Colter in seconds, hauling him back and throwing him to the ground in the cargo area of the plane. Colter rolled and recovered fast, and he was on his feet by the time Luke got to him. They started trading blows, and Luke did well to avoid getting hit often but did get clipped every now and then. Colter was fast, almost faster than Lance.

He felt the plane starting to go down, and he panicked.

"I guess we all die together, eh?!" Colter shouted, throwing him into the side of the plane wall hard. Luke felt his head crack against it and briefly became disoriented. He stumbled and fell as the plane tilted again. Colter lost his balance too. Luke twisted to look at the front where Rita was trying to fly the plane, his head throbbing. He was very aware that she had no idea what she was doing. He needed to end this now.

He shouted as Colter landed on his chest, wrapping his hands around Luke's neck. Luke choked, working to free himself. Colter was tough, though. He was also a bit stronger. Then, he heard a scream over the noise, and Rita launched herself on Colter, which made him release Luke out of surprise. Luke recovered and scrambled to get up. Rita held her own for a moment, even getting some blows in, but then Colter managed to pick her up and throw her down, and she slammed into the ground. As good as she was, she was up against a full blown, fully trained assassin who was bigger than her. The plane was out of control now, which didn't help. Luke let the gravity of the nose dive slide him down to the cockpit, and he grabbed the controls and yanked them up to level them out.

Colter was on him in seconds. He wrapped an arm around Luke's throat from behind, making the seat press into the back of his neck as Colter's arm pressed against his wind pipe. Luke reached with one hand to fight him off, but he needed both of his hands, and if he let go of the controls, they were all dead.

Rita was back suddenly, and she smashed a different wrench into the back of Colter's head. He released Luke again, trying to fight her off. She shouted as she fell back into the door jam of the cockpit when Colter slapped her face and shoved her away. It gave Luke time to reach and grab Colter's gun from his holster, and he stood up and grabbed Colter's throat to propel him backwards while unloading the gun into Colter's chest. He let go of Colter, and the man dropped to the floor of the plane, dead.

"LUKE!" Rita screamed again over the wailing of the alarms that were going off to notify them they were definitely losing altitude now, and he slid back to the seat to take the controls again. He strained as he pulled them back, trying to level them out again.

"LUKE!"

"HOLD ON!" he bellowed back. Her hand grabbed his shoulder in a vice-like grip. The mountain in front of them was getting closer. He knew he was running out of time. He gave up and jumped out of his seat. He grabbed Rita and hauled her to the back. He yanked the parachute off the wall of the plane and snapped it on her as fast as he could.

"What're you doing?!" she shouted.

"Pull this to activate!" he shouted back, ignoring her and showing her where the rip cord was. He threw his parachute on next, snapping it together.

"When?!" she yelled.

"As soon as possible!" He opened the door, noticing they were running out of time. Rita grabbed at his arms and looked at him with terrified eyes, but he knew she had to go despite her terror.

"If I don't make it, go here!" he shouted over the wind and noise, shoving the paper with coordinates into her front pant pocket. He grabbed her face and kissed her hard, feeling it could be the last time. Then he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Luke, no!" she started, but he cut her off by shoving her out. He jumped out next a moment later.

...

Rita felt disoriented as she fell through the air. She scrambled to reach for her rip cord and yanked it, praying it worked. She gasped and tried to breathe as she plummeted down, and then the chute opened and jerked her upward, slowing her a little. She wasn't far from the ground, so she didn't have enough time for the chute to slow her fall entirely. She braced herself as she hit the dirt and went rolling. After a bit, she stopped rolling and landed on her back. She was still gasping as she tried to get her wits back about her. She had no idea where Luke was. Had he even survived? Everything hurt. She worked to take off the parachute and disentangle herself from the strings. She got to her feet and looked around.

"Luke?" she called. "LUKE!"

She had no idea where she was. She had no idea where to even start looking for him. If he'd jumped out right after her, surely he wouldn't be too far away?

"LUKE!" she shrieked again, starting to run.

...

Luke's chute had opened, but he approached the ground quicker than he liked. He was unfortunate enough to hit some fir trees and smashed through them before hitting the last one and falling, doing his best to protect his head, face, and body as he went down. It slowed his descent, but not by much. Then, his parachute caught a branch, and he was jerked back up before swinging left to right slowly. His breath was shaky as he surveyed his situation. He had a steep drop ahead of him, but he couldn't hang there forever. He had to risk the fall. There weren't any rocks or anything, so that was a bonus. He unclipped himself and took a few deep breaths before sliding out of it and free falling. He landed on the ground hard, knocking the wind out of himself, stunning his legs, and leaving him lying still on the dirt. His brain went over everything in succession, and he realized how lucky he was to even be alive.

"LUKE!" Rita's shriek echoed. Her footsteps pounded closer. Then she was on her knees next to him. "Luke!"

He gasped, the air finally coming back to his lungs. He coughed and groaned. Her hands were on his face.

"Luke? Luke, talk to me," she urged.

"Hi," he said, coughing still.

"Oh thank God," she said, wrapping her arms around him as he sat up slowly. She held him against her tightly, and he put an arm around her in return. After a moment, she pulled back and swept a hand across his cheek.

"You okay?" he asked.

"No, but I'm alive," she answered.

"I'll take it," he said. She tilted her head at him, and he couldn't help but chuckle a little before wincing in pain and groaning.

"What do we do now?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"So where do we go?"

"I don't know that either. Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"I don't care as long as it's with you," she answered. He held her gaze, seeing all of her emotions building in there. She was doing her best to keep it together.

"It's okay. We can take some time to figure it out." He'd call Dennis. He'd ask what the hell was happening and if he needed to go on the run. He'd get some answers.

"Okay."

"I'm sorry, Rita," he said, and he meant it with all of his heart. Her eyes filled with tears as she just nodded slowly in return.

"I love you," she said, getting a grip on her emotions.

"I love you back," he replied. He cupped her face and kissed her gently, relieved that she was still alive after all of this. It didn't let him forget that they'd lost Lance, though.

...

After a long walk consisting of helping Luke as he hobbled, they made it back to their car at the air strip. Rita shuddered at the sight of the other four dead men on the tarmac, knowing Luke had done it. She kept replaying him killing Colter in her mind, too, but instead of scaring her, it made her feel that much safer. Luke insisted he was fine to drive, and as they drove away, Rita let her brain catch up to everything that happened. When they stopped at a motel, she finally fully broke down. She let Luke hold her for as long as she needed him to.

After three days, Rita finally cried herself out for the moment and was ready to talk and ask questions. The ache from missing her father was immense, and she knew Luke was suffering too. She didn't see him cry, but he got angry and threw things around. He also went on a lot of walks alone.

Now, she waited until Luke had showered and was shaving before she approached him. She watched him finish and set the razor down, turning his head to look at her.

"Why did they kill him?" she asked. He sighed roughly, and started to tidy up the counter before answering her.

"He made a call a long time ago to not take out a target, and they've wanted him for it ever since."

"Who was the target?"

"I don't know. A kid," he answered. "Your father said no, and he put them in hiding, and then he went on the run."

"So his name was Harry?"

"Yea."

Rita didn't know what to think. How foolish of her to not realize her father would have a different name for his other life. She moved to the window and looked out at the occasional car driving by in the distance.

"What did Dennis say?" she asked.

"He said the person after us is gone," Luke answered, sounding a little confused. Rita turned to look at him, surprised.

"Gone?"

"Yea. I don't get it," Luke said, shaking his head. "I thought Colter was just the messenger, the guy coming to collect. I thought there was something bigger out there because your dad said so. I would have helped him fight..." Luke trailed off, his breathing getting shaky again. He pinched the bridge of his nose briefly. Rita could tell he was angry at himself for not helping to fight, for believing whatever it was her father had told him that made him take her and go.

"So, what does that mean for us?" she asked.

"It means we're in the clear. No one is gonna look for or come after us. We can do what we want."

"Oh." Rita didn't understand it at all, but she was glad to see he didn't seem to get it either. She faced the window again, hugging herself tighter.

"I'm sorry," Luke said quietly behind her, and she turned to look at him once more. His thumbs were hooked into the pockets of his jeans. His eyes held a level of pain in them that she recognized from the first time she met him. She reached for him, and he pulled her into a tight embrace as she started to cry. So much was left unknown about her father, but she didn't know if she wanted to learn about any of it anyway. She wanted to remember her father the way he had been the last 19 years. She felt so much pain inside from missing him.

She felt like nothing was ever going to be the same again, but at least she had Luke. As long as she had him, she could still manage to breathe.

Yes, there's still Simon out there. We'll get to him before Part I is over...don't worry.

And yea, I'm crying over Lance too. I've tweaked and reworded and changed this chapter so many times, but I feel like this is the best version in the end. Thank you for reading.