Early the next morning Amelia was walking through the streets surrounding her house with Noah holding her hand looking around him, "Mia hid good this time."
"You managed to find her before didn't you?"
Noah nodded with a big grin, "I can find her really easily, most of the time but this time she's hard to find."
"You know" Amelia said gently, "Mia left very early this morning so she got a good head start on us, its hard to find people who have a good head start."
"So we'll find her by lunch time, this will be a challenge."
"It will be a challenge."
"We'll find her Amelia" Noah put his other hand on Amelia's leg, "don't worry."
Amelia looked at the amused look on Noah's face and it tore her from the inside, poor thing she thought to herself he thinks this is a game and he doesn't realise that we'll probably never find her. Oh Amelia why didn't you watch her more closely and what's is your brother going to say.
"Noah" Amelia said, "I think we should go to the police station."
"Police station?"
"They'll be able to help us find Mia."
"Amelia, the police are grumpy with Mia."
"Well" Amelia ruffled Noah's hair, "they might get grumpy with Mia at first but they'll also be able to help us find her."
Noah shook his head, "I can find Mia by myself, I always do."
"Kiddo" Amelia bent down, "New York is a very big place and yes you are great at hide and seek but its always good to ask for help when you have a challenge finding someone in a place as big as New York."
"Okay."
"Okay, lets get into my car." Amelia walked back with Noah to her house and drove to the police station, "Amelia."
"What?"
"What if Mia has been found and is locked up in the police station?"
"Hey" Amelia reached out a hand to gently ruffle Noah's hair, "why would you think she's locked up?"
"Because everyone wants to lock Mia up."
"Yeah that's true" Amelia looked amused, "hey last night she was locked up at my place for a while." Amelia gave Noah a goofy grin "but hey dude if she is locked up then we'll get her out and she can go back home."
Noah nodded with a excited expression, "then mommy can lock her up."
"With bars on the windows and padlocks, everything, all the things that are needed." Amelia pulled up to the police station and not keeping the keys in a safe with a easy combination would be essential.
Mia and Noah walked inside, Amelia approached the counter and after she explained who she was a few minutes later the door opened and with a loud cry of "mommy" Noah ran into Meredith's waiting arms. Meredith hugged her son, her little boy, the apple of her eye as close as she could to her chest while trying to resist the urge to crush him in her embrace. She kissed his forehead several times, "sweetheart, thank god your ok."
"I'm ok mommy."
"I've been so worried" Meredith kissed his cheek again, "oh Noah" Meredith gave him another big hug as she whispered softly in his ear, "you never should have run away, that was the wrong thing to do. You gave me the fright of my life."
"I'm sorry mommy."
Meredith kissed his forehead and after she took another deep breath she calmed down, "well the most important thing is that your ok."
"I ran away to get Mia back."
"I know you did, I know that's why you ran away but Noah if someone runs away your to little to go after them by yourself. Grownups, adults they're the ones who go and find the person who ran away, understand."
"I'm sorry."
"I know" Meredith looked Noah deep into his eyes "and I should have talked to you about this before Mia ran away."
"I'm sorry" Noah sniffed and started to cry, "I couldn't bring Mia back."
"Your sorry for not getting Mia back?" Noah nodded and Meredith smiled warmly, "sweetheart its not your fault Mia ran away."
"Mia ran away to keep us safe from the bad guys, it is my fault."
"No it isn't, the only people to blame are the bad guys who told Mia to run away and Mia for not telling us about this before so that we could help her before she ran away."
Noah looking very confused put his fingers in his mouth as Meredith's hand rubbed his head, "I know this is all very confusing but we're going to find Mia, talk to her about coming home and everything will be ok."
Noah slowly nodded as Meredith put her hands on his tiny shoulders, "can you wait for me here?"
"Ok" Noah whispered.
"Promise me you won't try and run away."
"I promise" Noah nodded as Meredith kissed his forehead again, Meredith walked over to Amelia and gave her a huge hug as Amelia feeling quite awkward patted her back in response, "ah, what is this for?"
"For finding Noah."
"Actually" Amelia said slowly, "I found Mia first, then I found Noah."
Meredith looked around her as if she was expecting Mia to open a door to this room and run to her, "where is she?"
"She ran away, or rather she figured out how to escape from my house last night."
Meredith looked at Amelia as her eyes watered with sorrow, "i'm really sorry."
"For what" Meredith smiled.
"If I had watched her more closely."
"You rescued my son" Meredith said, "you brought him here."
"Yeah, one kid out of two."
"Don't worry we'll find her or she'll find us that's what always happens" Meredith heard the words come out of her mouth and she tried very hard to push the doubt she was feeling to the back of her mind.
Derek came into the police station and Noah jumped off the chair to run to Derek who picked him up in a hug, "hey buddy, i've been so worried about you."
"Derek, sorry I ran away."
"Its ok mate."
"Sorry."
"Hey its alright, its alright. Ally has been worried about you to, how about we give her a ring and we can let her know that we've found you."
"Ok but we got to find Mia" Noah said, "is she in jail here."
"No mate" Derek sighed, "she isn't, did Amelia bring you here."
"She did" Noah said looking very gloomy "and Mia's not here."
"Its ok" Derek smiled, "the police are searching for Mia, they'll find her."
"Noah" Meredith whispered in her son's ear, "can you go into the waiting room for a minute."
"Ok" Noah replied softly as he wandered into the nearby room.
"Amelia hey" Derek hugged Amelia, "I don't know how to thank you."
Derek pulled back, "so what happened to Mia?" Derek said.
Amelia bit her lip, "you probably shouldn't have hugged me so quickly."
Elsewhere Mia got off the bus and headed back through the same alleyway she was at the night before, she knocked on the door "hey arseholes i'm back, without the kid this time, open up." Mia knocked on the door, "come on bozos." Mia pounded on the door and grumbling she looked around and saw a envelope tapped to the doorway, it read to Mia. "What" she muttered as she opened it up and she looked at the phone, she examined it and then it rang. Mia hesitated for a moment and then she slowly answered it, "hi honey."
Mia gritted the teeth in her mouth, "hi yourself" she said bluntly.
"Still not using your manners?"
"Hello Jamie bitch, is that better?"
"Touche, do you remember the letter that was sent to you?"
"How could I forget."
"I'm sorry to hear from my sources that you didn't follow the rules of the letter."
Mia's breath caught in her throat, "I didn't tell anyone, I swear, I didn't show the letter to anyone."
"Oh really."
"Yes, anyway i'm out of their lives, no one is with me. They don't know where I am so just leave them the hell alone, i'm the one you want."
"Well what's this I hear about the little boy coming along with you?"
"Well if Spider's been talking don't believe him, he just talks bullshit."
"Oh right, well he did take some photos of you and the little brat last night are you sure you want to repeat that sentence."
"Ok, look he followed me" Mia said anxiously, "he followed me when I ran away, I told him to go home he wouldn't listen."
"Well ain't that sweet."
"That doesn't mean I told him about the letters, he's gone now" Mia said as her hand reached to her eyes instinctively to stop any tears that might form, "he's out of my life and so are all of them, so keep them out of this."
"Are you so sure about that?"
"Yes they fucking are, they're fucking out of my life, stop screwing with me."
"Well you do deserve to have them out of your life after what you have done to us."
Mia's fingers tightened almost breaking the phone "i'm about to hang up this phone."
"Well before you do, your probably looking for work right now aren't you."
"I'm not working for you or the family, forget it."
"Well if you want us to as you say keep them out of this maybe you should reconsider."
Mia felt her blood began to boil, "if you hurt them, if you do anything to them I swear I will kill you."
"You haven't got the guts sweetheart."
Mia's lips curled, "I hate you, I wish you were gone."
"Good, very good, channel that hate into your next job."
"What kind of a mother are you, what kind of a mother does this to their kids?"
"I'm the best kind of mother there is, one who hardens their children. Soft children just turn into soft adults like your foster parents."
"Go to hell" Mia shouted.
"How on earth did I end up having such a weak sensitive bitch like you for a daughter."
"Shut up" Mia snarled.
"Oh it seems I touched a nerve."
"Just send me the details of the job and leave me alone."
"No no that's not how the family business works you know that, we send you a message and you go to the location then you'll find us and we'll tell you what the job is."
"Sure, whatever."
"And if you try and be smart and send the police any of our messages, you know what will happen."
"If I do a job, no hurting people" Mia looked around her, "i'm not going to hurt people again."
"Oh someone always gets hurt during these jobs you know that, that's life, people get hurt every day so you'll do this job. Unless the lives of strangers means more than your foster family."
"Fine i'll do it" Mia said.
"Okay see you soon honey."
"Fuck you mum."
Mia shut the phone and a minute later the phone buzzed again as she received a message.
"So in a nutshell" Derek said, "Mia tried to steal your wallet, you caught her in the act, after you found her you then found Noah, they were both in your house-"
"And after a lot of attitude from Mia I got her to have a half way decent conversation with me. She told me everything about why she took off and then when she went to bed I went to bed and Mia got away during the night. I had everything locked up tight, doors, windows you name it but she figured out the code to my safe where she found my keys and she got away. I know I should have told you straight away that she was in my house, I know I should have watched over her, I should have done all of that and I didn't i'm so sorry and-"
Meredith put a hand on the younger woman's shoulder, "you found Noah, you kept him safe" Meredith said, she smiled warmly at Derek and brushed her eyes with her fingers as Amelia's face turned to one of disbelief. "I think you missed something, this is the part where your supposed to be angry, like the anger level quickly rising from 1 to 10 and your yelling and shouting at me."
"Well" Derek said putting his hand on his little sister's other shoulder, "if we had come to the house to get her she probably would have bolted past us and jumped the fence and we would be chasing after her right now."
"Are you guys going to be chasing after her again, is this something you usually do, bring crazy youths home and then run after them when they escape?"
Derek shook his head, "no we won't, we don't go chasing after teenage misfits. The police will find Mia, won't they Meredith."
"Yes" Meredith said with shifty eyes, "excuse us for a minute." Derek took Meredith's hand and lead her to a private room, "ok I know that look, please tell me your not thinking what i'm thinking."
"Derek" Meredith whispered with the same look in her pupils.
"Don't even think about going out into New York and searching every nook and cranny for her."
Meredith paused and looked towards the entrance, "your right that's exactly what I want to be doing."
"She's in New York, the police will find her."
"Yeah I mean" Amelia said as she opened the door, "she'll probably try and rob someone else and then the police will catch her, bring her to the station and um" Amelia stopped seeing Meredith's face, "sorry i'm not thinking."
Meredith walked out of the room, "she's worried sick" Amelia said.
"Yes she is" Derek said.
"Me and my big mouth" Amelia muttered.
"We're all thinking it, your just saying it" Derek said, "by the way eavesdropping is something you and Mia do a lot of."
"Yeah I always think its going to help but it doesn't, maybe I should stop doing it."
"Your just trying to help, its ok."
"Your worried to aren't you?"
"I'm fine" Derek said.
Amelia gave Derek a look as hard as stone, "that's what you say when your worried."
Derek didn't know what to say so he said nothing.
Meanwhile Mia arrived at the address and pounded on the door. Mia heard her phone chime and looking at the message she slowly turned the handle and opened the door. Mia walked through a long dark hallway until she opened a door to a familiar room that brought back memories she wished she could forget. Mia looked at her aunt and uncle the ones who first introduced her to a criminal world and then stared at a man who she hated more than anyone in the world, "what no hug for your old man" he said. Mia flew at him in a rage and her uncle and another man grabbed one of her arms each holding her back as Michael smirked, "oh that's my girl raging as a bush fire."
"Your fucking-"
"I'm what, think about what your saying, choose your next words carefully."
Mia slowly stopped struggling and after taking several deep breaths, she looked up with hate filled eyes at her father and said just softly enough so people could hear her, "so what's the job?"
"Relax, take a seat have a drink."
"This ain't a tea party dad, something by the way you never did with me when I was little and I don't intend on starting this shit with you now."
"Well if your really thirsty for details as to who your going to knock up, the job is this. Rich people, nice house, this is a get their valuables through strong measures deal. Your familiar with that sort of thing."
"So what" Mia said with a pan dead face, "we're tying them up and getting them to confess, that stuff is really old, aren't you able to think of anything more creative."
"Well how we're getting them to confess I promise you will be creative, Snake will be accompanying you on this job."
"I can do this by myself" Mia said, "I can get them to tell me where the stuff is."
"Your methods are weak, pointing a fake gun at someone is something a 12 year old could come up with. Snake and Spider will be there, their methods are every effective and Sickle will be driving the car."
"Your sticking me with those three losers for a easy job."
"They're loyal and they're good at this, wish we could say the same about you."
"Oh I get it" Mia glared daggers at her parents, "you just want someone to keep an eye on me to make sure I don't betray the family."
"Good" Michael said, "your getting it."
"When you say the family, we could have been a family sweetheart" Jamie smirked "but you betrayed us."
"Yeah" Mia spat on the carpet, "a real family, with me doing the crime, being the breadwinner of the house and Ally being raped on a daily basis."
"Rape is such a strong word" Michael looked at Jamie with a smirk.
"You were going to sell her to a ring of sickos."
"Sickos" Jamie said slowly, "that's a bit discriminatory isn't it."
"They rape little kids, they're inhuman."
"Oh don't say that, think of them as a group of men who are very loving towards children. One of their contacts has a little girl, they've been doing a great job babysitting her on the weekends and I hear the movies they make with her are widely popular on a certain market."
Mia tightened the fist as the woman gave a sinister smile
"I know you want to hurt me" Jamie came up close and whispered to Mia's face, "I know you can't wait to get your hands on me but if you want your foster family to live you'll keep those emotions inside you like the weak little bitch that you are and do what we say."
"What" Mia whispered back "and be a criminal, a scum of the earth."
"Well, just doing some odd jobs here and there, making a living that's what we all have to do when we reach a certain age.
"My foster family wouldn't want me to be a criminal."
"Oh sweetheart, they're gone, they've abandoned you. You need to understand that, you'll never see them again."
Mia's eyes swelled with tears, "we're the only family you have so do what your mother tells you"
Mia's eyes narrowed "Your not my m-"
"Don't you finish that sentence" Michael said.
"And your not my fucking father either."
A sneer formed across the man's dry lips, "you think your foster family loves you huh, you think they were your family. Got news for you sweetheart you were nothing to them but a charity case. They looked after you to boost their self image, make themselves look good, that's what people like that do. The only family you will ever have and will ever have is right here and now that your gone your foster family will forget all about you."
"Shut up" Mia yelled, "you don't know what your talking about."
"Oh so do you want them to remember you, does that mean you still want to see them."
"Stop talking about them."
A knock sounded, the door opened and a tall thin man with sleeves ending inches above his bony wrists walked in, "if we're done with the family reunion Sickle is getting inpatient."
"Right lets start the debrief" Jamie said, "you" she pointed to a chair, shut up and watch.
"Here" the man named Snake said as he clicked a button and a powerpoint presentation started, "rich person's house, obvious hiding some very nice goods."
Mia pulled a face "and you would know that because?"
"Because we've been watching them" Snake said, as he continued to cycle through the photos, he stopped at one photo and Mia's mother grinned, "that jewelry would look very nice around my neck."
"Yeah" Mia smirked "and so would my fingers."
"Hoho bit of comedy" Jamie exchanged a grin with Michael, "guess you are your father's daughter."
"I'm nothing like you."
"Oh but you are" Michael said, "no matter how hard you try to deny it."
Mia shut her mouth and Mia's mum gestured to Snake, "take my daughter and get going."
"You heard her, move."
"And if I don't?"
"If she disobeys you, let me know." Gerald will pay her foster family a visit. Mia swallowed the urge to grab the sharpest object in the room and stab her mum in the chest with it, instead she slowly said "okay lets go."
"Good girl" Jamie said, Mia put her head down and walked out of the room followed by Snake.
A hour later they arrived at a large house surrounded by a well maintained garden in a tree maintenance van.
"Okay" Snake opened his phone, "tripwire is going to text us the code to switch off the gate alarm, then we're going to approach the front door."
"Sensor lights" Sickle said, "coming on in three mins, Spider, Snake"
"You fuckers come up with stupid names for yourselves." Mia muttered as she put her gloves on, "guess its to compensate for having small balls."
"Shut your trap" Spider snarled "and get the crowbars out of the boot."
Snake narrowed his eyes, "looks like the inhabitants are in the living room."
"Get the masks out of the boot, we got less than three minutes until the sensor lights kick in."
Mia looked through a window and saw a children's show playing in the living room. Mia's blood ran cold, "hey there's little kids in there, we can't do this in front of them."
"My heart bleeds" Snake said as she gave a mask to Spider and threw the remaining one at Mia, "now put on your mask."
"Can we just get out of here" Mia whispered "and wait to do this another time. Wait for the kids to leave."
"Can you believe this kid" Sickle muttered, "she wants us to do a robbery job in the middle of the day when the kids go to school in broad daylight for all the neighbors to see."
"Well why not, nobody expects a robbery to happen in the middle of the day and the security system would be off. Or you could just like dress up as handymen renovating the bathroom or something."
Spider sneered, "your just trying to stop this job."
"I just don't like scaring little children" Mia fired back, "is that so wrong."
"Mores the pity" Spider said.
"No, now for the final fucking time" Snake said, "put on your mask. Sickle we'll be back soon."
Twenty minutes later Mia, Snake and Spider were standing in a circle surrounding the mum and her two small crying children, "tell us where you things are" Spider shouted.
"I'll give you anything you want" the mum said, "just please don't hurt my children."
"I can see your lips flapping, the words sound alright but its not convincing enough. I know what we can do to make her sound more convincing, here"
Mia saw a gun in Snake's hand, "what are you doing?"
Snake extended his hand, "point this at them."
Mia heard the cries of the mum and the kids and she shook her head, "no i'm not going to do that."
"You know what will happen if you don't."
"I won't."
"Do it now or I send the message to your real mum and you lose a foster mum."
Mia took the gun and with a trembling arm she pointed the gun at the crying mother and the children she put the other hand on the gun, "what are you doing?" Spider snarled.
"Making sure the gun doesn't go off" Mia replied.
"Get your hand off the barrel."
"No i'm not doing that."
"Please" the mum cried out, "the code to the safe is 7462, all our things are in there."
"Good" Snake said, "Spider get to work." Spider walked away and Snake put a heavy hand on Mia's shoulder, "see kid, you are one of us." It took all the will Mia could muster to not point the gun at Snake, she kept looking at the mother and imagining what Meredith would say if she saw Mia doing this.
"Very nice" Spider said coming out with a bag full of valuables "but you know what, I think you have some more gems."
"No please" the mum begged, "what's in the safe that's all the valuables we have."
"Really" Snake said before he grabbed a small child from the mum's arms and pulled him away, the woman screamed and tried to grab the child but Spider slapped her hard.
"Now little bitch" Snake said to Mia, "point the gun at him."
Mia looked at the little boy who reminded her of Noah and she whispered in a soft voice "its ok, its going to be ok" as she lifted the gun.
Meredith walked out into the foyer of the police station and walking over to Derek she put his hands on his torso before looking up into his eyes, "Noah's getting worried."
"There are a lot of things that do worry that boy" Derek said, "Mia being missing is one of the biggest things. The longer she is missing the more he is going to worry."
Meredith slowly nodded as Derek continued, "he's just like his mum and something I have learned is that when something really worry them it sticks in their head."
"Derek" Meredith said softly, "I can't just sit here and do nothing any longer when Mia is out there and could be in danger."
"I want to get out there and look for Mia to Meredith" Derek "but what about Noah, how is he going to feel when we're gone as well."
"Noah might actually feel better knowing that we're out there looking for him instead of sitting here like two worried warts infecting him with our worry and making him more stressed. Amelia can stay with him while we're out there, she has proven she's more than capable of looking after him."
"We're not going to find her just by ourselves, this is New York after all, it would be like looking for a-"
"I know what you mean but Derek we have to try."
"Meredith."
"Derek" Meredith said, "I know she drives you crazy but she's part of our family."
Derek looked crestfallen, "Meredith."
"I can't believe you Derek, if it was Ally out there you would be looking for her in a heartbeat."
"Ally is still a little girl and Mia is a young woman."
"She's a sixteen year old kid Derek, a kid" Meredith stressed.
"She's more capable" Derek replied "than what we give her credit for, she can look after herself."
"What if she's gone back to the people who she used to do robberies with" Meredith's voice became very heightened, "I don't want the next time we see her to be behind a secure screen wearing prison clothes talking to us with a phone in her hands."
Derek nodded and Meredith losing her control completely scooped up her handbag, "i'm going out to look for her. You can stay here and be a useless bastard." Meredith stormed out of the room and Derek put his hand on his face then his phone started to buzz.
Mia had the gun pointed at the little boy as Snake held the boy tight in his arms. Spider put his hands on the mum's neck slowly massaging it, "right tell us where the rest of the valuables are."
"No we don't have anything more" the woman said, "I swear, please don't hurt my son."
"You heard what she said" Mia said, "she doesn't have anything else."
"Tell us" Snake said, "or she's going to shoot this little ankle biter."
"What" Mia gasped as the woman cried.
"Count of five" Snake said to Mia, "if she doesn't tell us what we want to hear shoot him."
"No" Mia shouted.
"You'll do it" Snake said, "or we'll shoot a carer, disobey a order costs one member of your foster family starting with your foster mum."
Spider put one of his bony hands on the little girl's head stroking her hair before he walked to the middle of the room. Mia put both hands on the gun breathed steady and then she turned and shot Spider in the leg. Spider with a load cry of pain went down clutching his bleeding leg before Mia took off her mask and dashed forward pointed the gun straight at Snake's face, "oh you just sealed your foster mum fate."
"Oh yeah" Mia said, "lets see if you'll seal your fate, let the kid go."
"You drop the gun, she's so dead, your foster mum is going to die nice and slow."
Mia with cold eyes jammed the barrel of the gun straight in Snake's mouth, "drop the child."
Snake let him go and the boy ran to his mum, "go" Mia gestured, "get out of here."
"Thank you" the mum said as she ran with her children to the safe room.
Mia slowly took the gun out of Snake's mouth and kept it close to his chin her mouth remained stoic, her eyes sneering at Snake, "how did that taste?"
"Your foster family is so dead" Snake said.
Mia smirked smugly, "I can smell your sweat, your scared aren't you."
"I ain't scared of some little bitch in a training bra."
"Oh yeah" Mia said, "you sure I haven't upgraded from training bra to real bra since the time I ran away. There's only one little bitch in this room right now and it ain't me. Hows your leg Spider?"
"You bitch" Spider gasped.
"Maybe you shouldn't have given me the gun, by the way Spider if you try and crawl out of this room or try and do anything sneaky i'll shoot you again, this time in your black heart."
"You know if I don't call in five mins" Spider groaned, "they'll know something has happened."
Mia shrugged, "fair point, call my parents now."
Spider groaned and reached into his back pocket "and if you scream at them for help I shoot you again."
Spider put the phone to his ear and the next thing everyone heard was sound of sirens and a loud this is the police come out with your hands up sounding from outside.
Snake started to smirk, "your going back to juvi kid and imagine when your back in there what happens next."
"Well then I got nothing to lose" Mia said pointing the gun at Snake, "come on walk."
"How do you think this is going to end" Snake muttered as he slowly moved forward, "if the police sees you holding a gun to me they'll shoot you."
"Well hopefully they'll miss and hit you instead."
"If they take us and your mum doesn't hear from us."
"Just walk" Mia snarled, "Spider throw me your phone." Spider complied, "not hiding anything else?" Spider shook his head and Mia nodded. Mia and Snake walked outside and Mia looked around, "what the fuck, where are they" then she gasped as she felt Snake stood up and grabbing the gun to wrestle her. Mia struggled back trying to kick his legs but Snake was to big. Mia was pinned to the ground felt the gun being wrenched from her gasp and gasped as a baseball bat hit Snake on his back knocking him down. Mia looked up at her rescuer and her jaw dropped, "Chloe."
"Oh my god" Chloe said as she put her hand to her mouth, "I just knocked someone out, i've never hit anyone in my life."
"Who cares about that scum" Mia picked herself up, "holy fuck what are you doing here?"
"Ah" Chloe muttered, "saving your ass."
Mia caught her breath and then turning around she gave Chloe a quick hug, "thanks for the save."
"There's a car outside and a guy in the drivers seat that looks paranoid, come on lets go."
"Wait" Mia gasped, "there's a family in the house we can't leave them with that molester Spider."
"They got a safe room don't they?"
"Yeah they do" Mia said, "they're in there right now, sorry not thinking adrenaline rush."
"The police are on their way" Chloe said, "I tipped them off."
"You did" Mia said, "oh sweet you pretended to be the police."
"Yeah this app on my phone can't believe it worked, connected it to loudspeakers and then I got these police lights from that antique shop we went to."
"I remember I said to you hey this would be just like old times" Chloe chuckled with Mia, "hey this dickhead would panic if a little kid said here's the police."
Chloe chuckled some more and then suddenly stopped, "oh shit."
"What" Mia said then she saw Snake groaning, "he's coming to, hit him again."
"I can't hit him again" Chloe whispered.
"Okay give it to me i'll do it" Mia took the bat and Chloe grabbed her arm, "no wait you look like you want to kill him."
"I don't care" Mia hissed, "i'm going to kill him its what he deserves."
"No come on" Chloe pleaded with her eyes, "think, is this what Meredith would want you to do?"
Mia sighed and grumbled, "oh why did you have to say that I really wanted to kill him."
"Its not who you are, I know you not a murderer."
"Shit" Mia scrunched her teeth as Chloe pointed to the woods, "come on lets move." The girls ran into the woods and hid behind a log, "how did you find me?"
"Remember that friendship bracelet I gave you just before you left."
"Yeah."
"Well its not a ordinary one."
Mia ripped off the covering of the bracelet and after staring at it for a second she saw what her friend meant, "oh I see."
"Yeah" Chloe nodded.
"You lo jacked me using the bracelet" Mia chuckled "and you covered the screen with a smiley face."
"Yep" Chloe smiled sheepishly.
"I can't believe I didn't notice it, that's ah, you know that's really clever or maybe i'm just really stupid."
"Your just stupid for running away in the first place."
Mia looked down, "you know why I had to do that."
"You didn't have to run away" Chloe replied.
"I knew you wouldn't understand" Mia whispered.
"I do understand, you didn't want to make your problem your foster family's problem and your an idiot."
Mia looked down "and" Chloe added, "your also my best friend."
"Yeah" Mia nodded "and you've just proved that your the best friend a bitch like me could ask for."
"When Meredith told me Noah had gone with you I came looking for you. Noah's only five after all."
"Yeah, wait did you tell Meredith where I was?"
"Ah yeah" Chloe said softly.
"Shit" Mia whispered.
"Sorry babe, she was desperate to know where you were and she did help me before."
"No its ok Meredith would have figured it out eventually without anyone telling her."
"Shhh" Chloe said, "I hear something."
Chloe pointed to her right, "come on."
"Go round to the left" Mia said, "split up."
"Wait, that's not a good idea."
"Don't worry" Mia said, "i'm not going to let anyone hurt you." Mia said as she disappeared. Chloe crawled slowly and straightened up as she heard a gun click and she turned slowly around to find Sickle pointing a firearm at her, "call for Mia."
"No" Chloe whispered with fear flowing through her veins.
"Call Mia."
"No."
"Do it" Sickle snarled.
"I'm not giving up my friend."
"Is your friend worth your life?"
Chloe nodded, "she wouldn't give me up."
"Scumbag" Mia yelled as she hit Sickle with a stick, Sickle went down. Mia stood on him beating him over and over, "Mia stop" Chloe cried out, "please."
"Yeah" Mia said, "don't worry I heard you the first time" Mia turned around, "i'm not like them anymore. You okay?"
"Yeah" Chloe trembled.
"Your the greatest, most people would have given me up."
"No" a loud voice called out. Mia turned watched Snake point the gun at her and Chloe and she froze the next thing she knew she was being tackled to the ground, as she heard the gun fire. Chloe threw a rock hitting Snake in the face causing him to drop the gun and Mia's face grew white as she realised who it was that had pushed her out of the way, "Derek."
Derek slowly rolled over onto his side gasping for air, "hey ratbag."
Mia's hands grasped Derek's face, "you saved my life."
"Yeah" Derek said with a pained smile, "nothing to it."
Mia chuckled and then she looked down, "oh no Derek" Mia said seeing blood, "you've been shot" and Derek gasped, "dam it, the bastard had good aim after all."
"Here" Mia took off her jacket and put it hard into Derek's side as he chuckled, "Meredith been teaching you first aid?"
"Stop talking, okay stop talking, right now save your energy."
"Shouldn't be a problem" Snake said as he stumbled to his knees, "for you to stop talking."
Mia stood in front of Derek with her arms outstretched and Derek called out, "no Mia."
"You really are a stupid kid" Snake said, "its to bad your folks didn't order me to keep you alive."
"Police" a loud voice said as flashlights mounted on guns turned themselves on Snake, "drop the gun, drop the gun now."
Mia saw Snake dropping to his knees and Chloe came running, "Derek."
"You stupid idiot" Mia hissed, "what the fuck man you got yourself shot."
"You did this to save us" Chloe said.
"Yeah" Derek said, "had a point to prove to Meredith."
"This is all my fault" Chloe cried.
"No its alright."
"Yeah don't worry" Mia said, "I mean if you rang him, no big deal."
"You guessed it."
"What did I say shut up, get an ambulance" she called out to the police, "please."
"The ambulance is on its way, we're getting the first aid kit."
"See" Mia said to Derek, "its going to be fine, your going to be ok."
"Its ok" Derek said as his skin lost its color.
"Derek" Mia said as tears sprung to her eyes and Chloe started to weep, "no come on dude don't go dying on me."
"Go and see Meredith" Derek whispered.
"Come on" Mia whispered, "just stay with us please, please."
"Take care of yourself" Derek closed his eyes.
"Derek, Derek" Mia's eyes cracked into full force tears as they fell onto Derek, "no no come on, come on please" Mia screamed at him, "please no, Derek, Derek."