Home Away From Home

Chapter 2: The Midnight Owl

By: moonlightbear

--the following Wednesday--

After school was out thee older boys were quite nice to the younger ones. They played football, soccer, and basketball all before dinner. After dinner they played a game of catch and at thee end of the day Alan and Gordon were exasted and were sound asleep before 8:00pm. This played perfect for Scott, John, and Virgil who planned on watching the best TV movie in the world, although it's too scary for the younger ones.

So here they all were; three watching TV, two asleep in their beds, and one in his room asleep for now and only 6 more hours to go, he has to be up early for a meeting the next day. This was a good a time as ever he thought to himself as he climbed up the wall of the home quiet not to make a sound. When he got to the roof he silently walked around to the window that lead in to young Alan's room. As he slid the window open he heard the sound of two children sleeping, and as he stepped in to the room he saw the red headed one (Gordon) roll over in his sleep, but never once started to stir. With a sigh of relief he returned to his plan. He pulled the covers of the young blond and rapped him in a blanket of his own.

Alan was so exhausted from his day of play he never notice this man who was taking him from everything he knew.

The man scooped the boy in to his arms and with great care, so as to not disturb the boy's sleep or awake anyone else; he started on his way down to where he left his car. When they finally got to his car he laid the boy, who never stirred, on the back seat and closed it lightly and got in himself and took off. It would be hours before they realized the youngest was gone.

'I did it!' the man thought to himself, just as boy started to stir.

"Daddy?" he asked drowsily. "Where we going?"

"Away." replied the man.

At the response from a voice unknown to him, he sat up grabbing what bearings he could and asked the oblivious, "Where's daddy? Who are you? Where we going?"

"He's not here. Family. And to your new home. You'll like it evenaulchally." replied the man, answering his questions.

Here the 4 yr old (in 4 days) was in the backseat of a stranger's car heading to, what the stranger said to be 'his new home.' Now, not liking any of this the young boy curled up in the backseat and wrapped the blanket tight around him and said, "I want to go home!"

"We are son." was the reply. A sob came from the backseat as the child started to cry.

"You're not my daddy! I want my daddy!" cried the boy, slightly muffled by the blanket and tears.

When there was no reply, the youngster cried harder, his small shoulders shaking with fear. He didn't know what was going to happen or if he'll ever see his real dad and brothers again. As he cried, he mumbled the same things over and over. "I want my real daddy, you're not my daddy. I want to go to my home." He also called for his brothers, "Scotty...Gordy...please I want to go home." and so on.

The man driving let the boy carry on. It was about an hour later when silence resumed in the car, the small child had finally fallen a sleep. As the man realized this he turned slightly in his seat and put a hand on his small arm and rubbed it affictionaly, saying "Its OK, son. We'll be home soon, Jacob." The child shifted when he was touched. An hour at least the man predicted that the kid would sleep soundly, and it's only 2 1/2 hours till we get home.

Step one was done and now there's no turning back.

-- Two hours later--

A moan came from the back seat as the little guy started to wake. "Gordon stop shaken my bed." he mumbled, than realization hit the poor kid who's big blue eyes when wide with fear, 'it wasn't a dream' he thought. "I WANT TO GO HOME, NOW!"

"Don't yell, young man. "He said in a threating tone, he often heard from his father. BUT this is not his daddy and the blond curled back in to his tiny little ball and started the water works up. "Jacob, your four years old, your a big boy, and big boys don't cry."

"Ja-Ja-Ja" Jacob was what the child was trying to say though his sobs and tears, "Jac-Ja."

"Jacob." the man said to help.

The kid cleared his throat, "Jacob?"

"Your name." the man answered.

"No its not." he replied unsure and quietly.

"Now it is." he said with a touch of authority in his voice that made the little guy not question. Silence resumed in the car until...

"I'm not four yet." 'Jacob' said with a sniffle here and a sniffle there.

"Really? Than when is it?" he asked with a smile, the boy was calming down this was good.

"Four days." answer the child. Slowly the tears disappeared and the blanket was loose and he was calm until (and too soon for the boy) the car slowed. Through the window behind the driver's seat the child could see a small shed with a big lock on it(and the fear stir inside) and through thee other window he saw a big thing on wheels(a motorhome) who's door opened up and another stranger started to come towards the car. He watched as the two people talked and than the person he realized was a woman looked into the back seat which scared him so. He scooted across the seats to the farthest point away from the woman and yelped as the man pulled him from the car. The little boy screamed and hollered, twisted and turned in the man's grip.

"Calm down Jacob. I wanted to make this easy, but now you've made it hard." he walked over to where the shed stood and pulled it open. "This is where you'll stay, son--"

"YOU'RE NOT MY DADDY!"

"UNTIL you learn I'm your father and we're your family." He said nodding towards the girl and than he put the boy in the shed and closed/locked the door, leaving the kid in the dark, scared and upset.

"Please, please let me out." cried the boy, "I want home, MY home, please. Daddy." And he continued to call for the people he knew. The man turned to leave when the woman finally spoke since they all left the car.

"Greg you can't seriously leave him there. He's scared to death and I thought you were joking when you said you were going to do... ... ...this!" she said not quite getting all her words out. "I mean taking a child away from the people he knows and what about his family and what about... and what about... and what about--"

"I WANT MY BROTHERS! PLEASE!"

"And what about him. He so scared how can you do this."

"Lilly we'll talk when I get back in an hour and 45 mins." he said walking back to the car without even thinking of answering the questions.

"And what about that car did you steal that too. I mean really Greg, I can't believ--"

"Lilly, just stop it, ok." Greg said and when she open her mouth to protest, he put a hand on her mouth and pulled her close and continued, "I love you Lilly really I do and sometime you can drive me nuts, but I don't need that right now. I'm tired and I still got to return the car, that I borrowed. Now go into the RV and fix me a snack before I go to bed. Okay." he finished with more of a command, rather than a question, and during the time he talked he used the hand that covered her mouth and tapped his finger on her lips. When she made no attempt to argue he let her go. She stepped away from her husband and stared at him, she knew he would do anything for her, but this was not what she wanted. She than looked toward the shed, no where near what she wanted. "Go inside Lilly, don't worry he'll be okay, everything will be okay, I promise." and with that she didn't question him she turned around and went inside, with a small glance toward the shed, where the small boy was still calling for someone to help him anyone.

--At the Tracy home---12:30am--

Jeff woke with a start, almost falling off his bed, something wasn't right he knew it, no he felt it. He walked over to his oldest boys' room and heard nothing out of the ordinary. He than open the door and first thing his eyes laid on was the empty bed to the far left, but relaxed when the missing octipant was in his brother's(Scott's) bed. Jeff chuckled to himself 'I knew it was too scary for Virgil but he wanted to see it. Maybe he learned his lesson tonight, maybe not.' Than out load, but quietly he said, "Sleep tight, my boys."

Now he was back in the hallway on his way to his babies' room, but before he even got half way there he heard a rustle of the sheets, a cough, and a small moan. 'They must be playing' he thought to himself, they often get up at odd hours during the night to do who knows what, that's just the way the babies were. As he opened the door and was about to say, "Get in bed and go to sleep." his eyes laid on the source of the noise. His 8yr old laid tangled in his sheets and looks as if he caught a cold. 'No wonder the window was opened, now why in the world was the wind...' his thoughts trailed off as he looked around the room everything was normal except, "Alan!" He woke his sick son and asked, "Gordon, where's Alan?"

"Alan, daddy wants you, wake up!" he said to the other bed. Than he pulled his sheets over his head. Than his father shook him gently, "Daddy I don't feel good, stop it, and go bother Alan." and he finished with a moan.

"I know you don't feel good Gordy, but can you just tell me where you last saw Alan. Was it in his bed?" He asked filled with concern.

"Uh-huh, yeah he was... wait! He's not there, but ho- wher- wha-...daddy where is he?" he answered and asked.

"I don't know, son. I don't know." he said miserable, closing the window and heading out to make the necessary calls. In less than 15 mins. Gordon had fallen asleep, but everyone else was up, including the next door neighbor, Mr. Shafer.

"Ok Scott, you and John stick together and Virgil, you stay with Jack. Now go look for your brother!" ordered Jeff as he picked up the phone to call his mother.

--Outside the house--

"Fabulous, just fabulous. Damn its freezing out here I'm going back inside." Scott said turning back home.

"Are you serious, Scott? Our brother is missing and you don't even want to look." John replied stepping in his brother's path. "I don't believe it!"

"Of course I want to look for him, but in the house! Where he's probably hiding; you know how the squirt is he's in a cabinet waiting to see how long it takes to find him and now he's probably fallen asleep." Scott said in a matter-a-fact tone, and moved around his brother and continued to walk the long track home in the snow.

"But Scott if Alan was hiding than don't you think he would have come out when we hollered for him and woke up the entire neighborhood in the process, I mean--"

"Hey boys, your father told me to find you. The police are at the house and he wants everyone there, so come on." Jack Shafer yelled from down the street.

"Told you we should head back." Scott said to John than he replied to Mr. Shafer, "We're coming."

"Gosh, Scott, get over yourself!"

--3am at the shed and RV--

It had been a few hours since Greg returned and now he was trying to sleep, but he was having a problem. The problem was an outside problem and he'd solve it easily. As he walked outside the yells were louder. "SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, PLEASE, HELP, DADDY, JOHN, SOMEBODY!" were the cries that came from the shed, "PLEASE! PLEASE!"

"Son!" Greg called.

"My daddy?" was the question between sobs and tears, and he asked this quietly and unsurely.

"Yes, your daddy." the man replied.

"YOU'RE NOT MY DADDY!LET ME OUT, NOW!"

"Not till you learn."

"PLEASE!"

"NO! And no more yelling. Do you understand?" he said, in such a threating tone that the young boy couldn't answer because of fear. Though the man couldn't see, the child curled up and started to cry silently to himself. "Do you?" he asked again, and all the answer was, was a whimper, and the man seemed happy with that and left the shed's side.

--March 10th---7:00pm--

Over the short time the boy has been separated from his family he laid in a dark room and the stranger(his new daddy) have brought meals and snacks to him at all the right times, but he was never hungry. He was so upset. All he did was sleep and cry all night and all day and never too loud. At this time Lilly made her way to the shed and opened the door to find the child sleeping with tears down his face and shivering on the small mattress that he laid on. Her heart went out to him, but the fear she had of her husband was too great. So instead of helping him escape, like she really should, she did the next best thing, she comforted him. So she picked him up and he moan to protest, but he was very weak that the protest wasn't big at all. In the end he gave in and let her do whatever she wanted. She wrapped him in a warm blanket and held him close as she walked out of the shed and into the RV. She had a touch that the boy didn't feel for quite a few months, "Mommy?" he asked, muffled by the blanket wrapped around him.

Feeling as if she didn't deserve the title, "not quite." was her replied. She carried him to the rocking chair and sat down and started to rock.

"Oh." was his reply. He started to relax and nestled close to her, than another wave of emotions rolled through the boy and he started to cry, again.

"Shh, its ok, its ok. Come on sweetie, calm down. Greg is in thee other room, you don't want to wake him up, do you?" she realized a little too late that was the wrong thing to say as the boy cried harder at her words. "Oh, shh, come on, shh...shh...um, ok, ok...uh. Hush, little guy don't say a word, momma's gonna buy you a mockingbird and if that mockingbird don't sing, momma's gonna buy you a diamond ring and if--"

"My mommy sings that song, well she did. "He said ending with a sob, ass tears of unresolved sadness took over. He wrapped his arms around her neck and cried on to her shoulder, "Will you be my mommy? I want a mommy and your nice, will you, please?" he asked though her shoulder and his tears. But before she could answer his layered breathing evened and he was fast asleep.

"Sweet dreams, my son." she said quietly, still rocking him and she couldn't help but think 'maybe, just maybe my husband was right, we could give this child something he couldn't have before.'

--End chapter 2--

Author's notes: some misspelling is still accruing and I'm sorry for that please deal with it till my new Microsoft word is installed. The tracy family will not appear for a few chapters –k-.

Alan's b-day, according to the official website of the tv is march 12. Although I'm going by thee age difference in the movie.

If your wondering scott is acting the way any 14yr old would act in the 1st chapter.

I think that's every thing I need to say except, I don't own the thunderbirds and see yah all!

Next time on home away from home-----ch. 3-------'adjusting life'