And here is the second chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it :)

Chapter 2

Take My Hand

Anna-Grace smiled when she heard his name, warmth overwhelming her. The last memory she had of feeling like this was lost somewhere in the past, when happiness and peace could warm her from the inside. Is that peacefulness? she wondered, almost awed. Why would she feel this way just because a boy she didn't know two hours ago trusted her enough to say his name?

"But at the same time," she whispered to herself, barely audible, "it is a beautiful name, perfectly suitable for an adorable boy."

Said kid, or rather, Bruce, smiled timidly as though he couldn't help it, blushing deeply. She realized he could hear her. Weird, He couldn't when you talked so low, but maybe you spent too much time alone. Blushing, she cleared her throat and asked him to finish his ice-cream. As she went to take her cold coffee's last sip, she glanced at him and noticed he wasn't hiding his smile anymore, even if he still was avoiding her eyes.

After finishing her coffee, she looked back at him. Bruce had finished his liquid ice-cream, as asked. You made him drink liquid ice-cream. Way to go, Anna-Grace, she pointed out to herself, annoyed. He was now waiting expectantly for her, staring at her hands. The warmth inside bloomed. The young woman blinked and thought: Be careful, you're getting attached. Remember you were supposed to leave the country in less than 6 hours.

"Alright, Bruce," she started delicately, "do you want me to drop you off somewhere?"

He averted his eyes, looking around the room. She didn't know if she was supposed to be glad or sad about his obvious displeasure upon hearing this option.

"…Or you can come with me," she added, hesitant.

His eyes locked on a couple sitting two tables away from them, his demeanor surprised and anxious at the same time. Then he asked, trying to sound at ease:

"Where are you going to?"

"That depends on whether you are with me or not, Bruce," she answered softly. "I had plans, but obviously I cannot go through with them if you're-"

"Why not?" he cut in, staring suddenly at her before he closed his mouth as if he had made a mistake. He looked as surprised as she was to witness his outburst.

"I intend on leaving the country, but I only have one plane ticket…" she said with caution.

His face fell at her words, as though she had slapped him, and he looked away. She felt like she had slammed a door in his face, and her heart sank.

Before she could stop, she heard herself say:

"But I can stay and take care of you. I could always find a way to…"

The way his eyes looked back at her, his face filled with hope and peace at the idea of not being alone anymore, Anna-Grace knew in her heart she had made the right call, as crazy as it seemed. After all, she thought, trying to be reasonable, it'll only be temporary, just enough time to find him a safe family. But even as she tried to convince herself, she couldn't help hoping for more than just a temporary situation: Maybe, just maybe…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After throwing out the trash in the bin, they left the burger place together, both of them calm and quite happy with the situation.

Once in the car, Anna-Grace took a turn at the wheel to think about their next move. So, let's focus on tonight. We need a place to stay, obviously. Somewhere where I can pay in cash and where we won't be asked too many questions, firstly about identity - at least for the boy. My fake IDs can do the trick for me. It has to be clean and safe for the kid. Could I go back to where I was last night? No, coming back with a child would only draw attention. I can't contact the person who gave me the address, He could find her. She shivered at that thought, and at the idea of Him being so close. She also knew she couldn't go anywhere He knew about, even if it was more about preserving safety than actual carefulness. He never went to NY and would never think her smart or brave enough to hide in such a huge city.

At this point, she felt proud. She had been escaping Him for more than 3 years, and she was now helping a little life. She wasn't that stupid, finally. Bruce would be safe with her. Realizing she had been lost in her thoughts, she shook her head, looking at the kid in the back via the rear-view mirror. He was waiting calmly for her to decide what to do, observing the city through the window. She couldn't help but smile at this sight. She then focused on the task at hand. So, all I did was eliminate places. But if I want to find something for tonight, I need to search for cheap motels online.

She turned to Bruce and said they had to find a cybercafe, asking him to buckle up while she started her car. She remembered seeing one when she was looking for the building in which she got her fake papers. She drove in that direction for a while, going back and forth several times as she didn't know exactly where the cybercafe was.

Finally, she found it - a tiny shop lost between a souvenir shop and a hairdresser. Luckily, it was open until midnight.

She found an empty spot a couple of blocks after the cybercafe. This is my lucky day, she thought, and parked. She then turned to the boy and, after weighing the option of leaving a kid alone in a car by night against taking him with her, thus drawing attention, she opted for safety over discretion. Even if we get a few stares, we can always avoid this neighborhood for a while, and it'll be safer for him. She got out of the car, went to the back door on the sidewalk side and opened it.

"Let's go, Bruce," she said, smiling at him.

Apparently her calm voice was enough, and he followed her to the cybercafe, staying closeby. She didn't know if she should hold his hand, hesitating between safety and respect for his comfort zone since she hadn't touched him since they met in her car, sensing his reserve.

But as they walked, she saw a man coming their way and did not hesitate to offer her hand to the little boy. Bruce, who was gazing at his feet, heard the man's steps before seeing him. The sight of a tough-looking man was enough to make him glance at the blonde woman. A couple of seconds passed with her hand outstretched to him and her face turned towards the horizon, with a deliberate expression of carefreeness. The man was coming closer, very big, tall, with a black bear, and tattoos…Bruce's heartbeat quickened, and he took Anna-Grace's hand.

They only knew each other for a few hours but this felt right for both of them, individuals alone in a wide world full of danger and strangers. It felt good to have at least someone whose name you knew and who appeared favorable to you. They were taking small steps toward trust, even though there was still a long way to go. But those steps were, at the same time, carefully taken and forced upon them by circumstances. It was an odd balance that nonetheless seemed to put them on the right path, at least for now.

They finally reached the cybercafe. Anna-Grace bought in cash again, Bruce noticed, a two-hour session from the funny looking guy with a goatee and earrings at the entrance. The man then led them toward two seats at the back of the shop. It was furnished with rows of tables and weird machines Bruce did not recognize. Those machines resembled tiny televisions, and people were sitting in front of them, tapping on pallets placed before them.

Once they were seated, the young woman started doing things on the machines. Bruce would've liked to ask her what it was but decided to mind his own business. He didn't know how she would take his inquiry and he wasn't gonna risk making her, the only nice person he had met so far, mad at him for annoying her with questions, or coming across as a smarty-pants. Indeed, those were usually the only two reactions he would get from adults in his life, except from Mommy, of course, but she was Mommy… Bruce didn't want to think about how he missed her, or how he was afraid in this weird place, so he decided to look around at the people discreetly, a thing he was very good at.

While Bruce was examining his environment, Anna-Grace searched for a place to stay, not too expensive or too strict on identification, but still safe, in New York. She first tried with websites specialized in location but she quickly realized she would have to give a name and a bank account number. The first one was manageable but she didn't want to use her fake IDs too much, and she didn't have a usable bank account (or at least one He wouldn't use to track her). So she typed diverse entries on the Google Search Bar, several times failing to find something suitable. Indeed, what she would find was either too shady, too expensive, demanding IDs - or occasionally ones refusing payment in cash. Her hope to find a place for tonight was starting to lessen. They couldn't sleep in her car tonight; not only would it draw attention, but it was extremely prejudicial to the boy!

She tried again, typing other word combinations, but nothing popped up. She was started to become quite desperate when she finally found one that came out as acceptable. Not a 5-star hotel, but it would do for now. She reserved a place with two beds, noted the address on her burner phone, and closed her session. She then looked at the boy next to her, who had not once asked her anything. No, he had waited patiently for her to finish while observing his surroundings with great interest. That was when she finally noticed the way he peered at the computers, like it was the first time he had seen one. Odd, she thought, but maybe his family was very poor…

This answer did not satisfy her, but she decided not to linger on it. If he ever wanted to confide in her, she would be there. Until then, let's respect his privacy. Just…

"This is a cybercafe. It's for people who want to go online on computers but cannot do it from their home - often because they don't own a computer. It can be very expensive," she said, softening her voice to him.

He jumped lightly, startled to have been spoken to after such a long time and to have been caught looking around. He studied the machine in front of them, wondering if this was a computer.

Her brown eyes blinked twice as though an unspoken question had been answered, and she smiled at him, as if she understood his fear of speaking before she confirmed his thoughts.

"Yes, what we have in front of us is a computer. You can play games on it, look through your emails, or go online for research, for example."

Some of the words she said meant nothing to him, but he got the broader idea. And he was so tired he didn't really care now. The nice lady's smile widened, as if she sensed his growing lack of interest. She chuckled.

"Well, you must be very tired after such an eventful evening. Let's go; I found a place where we can stay tonight."

Her smile was warm and she still seemed nice to him. She got up, took her purse, and offered him her hand. It was so natural and reminded him of his mother. Without thinking, he took her hand and followed her to the car.

The rest of the night was a blur. He would later remember getting into the car and then being lifted out of it. He had panicked for a few seconds, but she was so comfortable, and he was so tired, that he didn't resist further. He thought he could recall the check in, in some place named Neverland, but couldn't be sure about that. All he knew was that she put him in bed, tucked him in, left some tiny light on, and tenderly wished him a good night. He heard her going to a bed somewhere in the bedroom before he drifted off. His last thought was filled with gratitude towards this blonde young woman who made him feel so safe and comfortable, more than he had in a very long time.