The two FBI officers were both busy on their phones as Lilly and Holden looked on. Holden was struck by how fast they had arrived. He thought they must already have been stationed in Oakdale, perhaps expecting the Colonel to show up. It was obvious they hadn't known about Noah's move to Los Angeles.

Holden had his arm around Lilly and he could feel her shaking with shock. Finally one of the agents hung up and walked over to them.

"I can't believe you lot let him get away AGAIN!" Holden said before he could help himself.

"Apologies Mr Snyder. I realise this is very upsetting. It appears that Colonel Mayer has been planning this for some time, possibly for years. He had inside help."

"Someone in the hospital?"

The agent nodded, "We're not sure who yet, but it's the only way he could have escaped from there."

"And the boys?" Lilly asked.

"Sorry ma'am, we don't know where they are. We have it confirmed that your son never made his flight, and Mr Mayer's apartment was completely empty, except for..."

"What?" Holden pressed, "What is it?"

"One of our agents found an address for an abandoned building east of the city."

"And…"

"The building was empty on arrival but there were signs of recent activity in the basement area."

"What kind of signs?"

The agent hesitated but then continued, "I'm sorry to have to tell you but the local police found a large amount of blood at the scene."

Holden caught Lilly as she buckled.

...

It only took Joshua ten minutes to book a room at the Worlds Inn, but to Noah if felt like a lifetime. He was sweating with worry and it ran down the sides of his face, as he waited for the large man to return from the reception office.

He jerked up as soon as he saw Joshua making his way back to the car and he looked over to his father expectantly. His right hand had been cuffed to the door and he jiggled it in the hopes it would spur his father into unlocking it, but his father ignored him, stepped out the car and popped the trunk.

Noah turned around as much as he could and watched anxiously through the back window as his father said something to Joshua.

"Is he okay?" He yelled. "Is he alive?" But they ignored him.

The bigger man walked over to the closest of the motel rooms where he unlocked the door, propping it open with a chair from inside. He returned immediately to Noah's father and helped him lift Luke roughly from the car and carry him quickly through the door, using the nightly shadows as cover. Noah saw the light go on only once they had hidden Luke inside. Then Joshua returned to the car and removed a small travel bag from the trunk before closing it and returning inside.

Noah's heart was beating a mile a minute and all he could hear was Luke's voice from just that very morning saying "…we will be… together…." It was taking every ounce of his strength to maintain his composure. All he wanted to do was crumple in a sobbing mess, but getting Luke safe was vital. He absolutely HAD to hold it together.

He started to fear that he would never be let out, and that they would drive off to the cabin before he could check on Luke. For a while now he had been making small chocking sounds in an effort to prevent himself from hyperventilating.

Finally, after several minutes of hell, Joshua appeared like a shadow, opening the passenger door and releasing Noah from the handcuffs.

"Your father has decided to shower and…" But Noah wasn't listening, as soon as the cuffs fell away he pushed harshly past the man and darted into the motel room.

He found Luke lying on the bed. He looked terrible. He dripped with sweat and what had once been beautifully suntanned skin was now as pale as the sheets. Noah sat by him and took hold of one of his hands while the other felt his forehead. He noticed with some relief that Luke's temperature seemed to have come down slightly. Gently he leaned over and kissed his cheek, sniffing back the tears.

...

He woke up as soon as he sensed Noah near him. Noah's face came into view and Luke saw him trying to smile.

"Hey…" Noah comforted calmly, rubbing his thumb on Luke's temple, his shaky voice portraying his true state of mind, "Hey… It's so good to see your beautiful eyes." And he leaned in to kiss Luke softly on the mouth. "I've been so worried about you. How are you feeling?"

"Noah… your Dad…"

"Sh… I know… here…" And he opened a water bottle from the side of the bed and held up Luke's head softly, so that he could drink thirstily from it. Luke spattered as he drank too quickly wanting to speak to Noah, prompting Noah to say, "Slowly, slowly!" before returning the bottle to the night stand.

"I'm not letting you leave without me." Luke rasped with determination as soon as he could. It hurt to talk. He lifted his other hand to join the two already clasped together, trying to hold on to Noah as much as possible.

"You heard." Noah stated and Luke nodded faintly in response.

"He's… He's…" Luke was desperate to fight but he was still too weak.

"Rest… It's all okay." Noah squeezed his hand, "Please, just relax… Don't try to talk! Once we've been gone for half an hour my father will let me call for help. Somebody will come and find you."

Luke shook his head wildly in negation, frustration boiling up inside of him. How could he stop this? How was he supposed to stop this when he could scarcely move?

Noah's father picked that moment to emerge from the bathroom. He was dressed smartly in full military uniform causing both of them to gasp and grip hands even tighter. Luke felt like he was being strangled.

"We're leaving now." The Colonel gestured to Joshua and Luke's entire body went tense with fear.

"Just give me five minutes…" Noah begged, and the Colonel looked at him with annoyance, "I AM going with you Dad, okay?" And an understanding passed between Father and son. "Please… just five minutes!"

To Luke's surprise the Colonel nodded and stepped outside the room. Joshua remained standing by the open doorway.

Luke knew that his eyes portrayed his horror because, as Noah turned back to him, he uttered, "It's going to be all right."

"No… no it's not Noah! Please…" and he paused so that he could cough, flinching at the pain. "Please don't go with him. Stay here with me!"

"I have to go…" Noah looked down at their hands, linked together for the last time.

Realisation hit Luke and he said, "You know don't you? You know what he…"

"Yes." Noah replied quickly, before Luke could voice the chilling truth that they had both come to understand. Despite the fact that Noah was trying to hide it, Luke could see how frightened he really was, and that was bad enough, but along with that fright Luke saw something else that was a million times worse… resignation.

"You're not going to fight this? Are you?" he stammered in disbelief.

Noah said nothing, just looked up at him. His eyes communicated it all…

"NO!" Luke shouted as loud as his body would let him, not caring if it hurt. "I won't let you… I won't!"

"Please Luke…" Noah begged steadily, as the tears fell once more. He was so calm that it only served to unsettle Luke further.

"Don't do this!"

"Luke…"

"I'm so scared! I'm so scared, Noah! I can't do this again! Please… please don't make me go through losing you again! You promised… no more running… remember?"

"This is different…"

"How? How is it different?"

"This is about your life!" Noah stated louder.

"And what about YOUR life?"

Noah leaned in and pressed his cheek against Luke's so that he could whisper in his ear, "This IS different… I won't let him hurt you anymore. I'm SO sorry… I'll love you forever…" And he rubbed their tear stained cheeks together a few times before standing up and walking away.

Luke tried to hold onto his hand but he knew he wasn't strong enough… and so did Noah. Luke's arms dropped like a rag doll as soon as contact was lost and he felt his soul burning in desperation.

"Noah, no! No! Noah! I love you! Don't do this… Please!" When he tried to get up Joshua held him down, but it was unnecessary. He was completely devoid of energy and spots had started to appear before his eyes from the exertion. Still he fought and begged, "Stop! Let go of me! Let go! Noah! You promised!"

He gasped through the weeping, still screaming for Noah, fighting his bodies desire to pass out. Eventually, grabbing at any hope he could, he appealed directly to Joshua, "Why are you doing this? Don't you understand? He's not taking Noah so that they can BE together… he's taking Noah so that they can…" his voice caught, "… so that they can DIE together!" He saw something in Joshua's expression that spurred him on, "He's going to kill him! He's going to kill them both! Can't you see that?"

And with that the darkness took him.

...

As he walked away from him Noah's feet felt like lead. The absolute agony in Luke's pleading voice dug ditches in his stomach and it took everything he had not to run back in the room to comfort him. As soon as he was outside he climbed quickly into the car, slamming the door and putting both hands over his ears to drown out the screams.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He uttered over and over, thinking how much he wished he'd just let Luke leave that night a month ago, how much he wished he hadn't reignited their love for each other. Luke would have been so much better off, safe and sound in Oakdale with his family. The thought of what he was doing, of what his death would mean for Luke, physically tore at his soul, but he knew it was the right thing. If he stayed, if he fought his father, they would both die. And that was out of the question!

He looked up and watched as his father returned to the car, Joshua in tow.

Saying nothing the Colonel started the engine and they drove off to play out the fantasy he had created for them.

Life was being so incredibly unfair… to make him leave Luke just when he had found him again.

...

He had a heart. He knew he could be a right son of a bitch sometimes, but he also knew that he had a heart! He had been watching the kid for a year now after all! It would be completely inhuman if he didn't feel some affinity towards him. In fact, from what he had witnessed, he was a pretty decent guy. The kind of kid any man would be proud to call his own. Except of cause if you were a crazy, homophobic, control freak of a Colonel!

He had even enjoyed watching the young couple kiss and cuddle their way around town. There was a sweetness about them that was just too irresistible. Even for a bastard like himself.

So, he felt for them… He did!

If he had known what a manic Mayor was, he would never have accepted the job. He was willing to do just about anything if you paid him well enough… But murder? Leave him out of it! Having to stand by and witness the Luke kid's stabbing was bad enough. He had never seen a man look as cold as his employer had as he'd withdrawn that knife. Mayer seemed to get some perverse enjoyment out of watching the kid in pain.

He sat in contemplative silence as they continued the strained drive toward Big Bear Lake, his eyes regularly moving from father to son.

...

The flight to Los Angeles was sheer hell. The moment they had heard about the blood in the basement there was nothing that would have prevented both Holden and Lilly from leaving Oakdale. They were silent through most of the flight, both lost in their thoughts. Both terrified for the two boys they loved so much.