Betty was surprised that at four in the morning she were still sitting wide awake on the floor of Gareth's hotel room, scanning through the mountain of evidence they had accumulated. She would usually be in bed already, dead to the world! Yet here she was, not even tired! There was just something about this smooth talking, charismatic man who sat before her. She had spent the entire day mesmerised, watching with amazement as he zoomed around the Branson judicial system like an Energizer bunny.

She had always heard that people like him existed, but she had never actually met one before. She was sure he could charm the birds out of the trees if he called for it. She still didn't quite understand how he would do it, but somehow he would take all this information piled before her and get Nicholas Mayer removed from his mother. She just knew he would!

He moved like lightening to get things done!

For the first time in her career she actually felt like she was doing something useful. That all this hard work with Gareth would have a positive outcome! She believed they had a chance to make a huge difference in the life of this one little boy! Give him a chance at a better life! The kind of life she wished she could give to all the children she came across in her career.

"Okay Betty! You still awake?" He sat opposite her on the floor, still in his regulation suit and tie, but he had removed his shoes and socks and would periodically curl his toes into the plush carpet, especially when he was in deep thought.

"I'm still with you Gareth, yes." She smiled.

"Okay then, let's get what we have in some semblance of order. Now this isn't my line of speciality and it needs to be spot on, so I'm relying on your experience in these things! We only have one chance at this."

"Anything you need me to do, I'm ready!"

She was rewarded with a smile that gave her butterflies in her stomach and made her blush, "Now unfortunately I don't have an official statement from Luke and Noah about the condition of the child when he arrived in Los Angeles. The fact that I can't get hold of them doesn't bode well and won't look good in court! Now you and I know they love that boy, so I'm positive they have a good reason for going dark on us, but we need to keep this under wraps for the sake of the hearing. Understood?"

"Yes, I agree."

"Before I left Los Angeles I had the police draw up the written testimony of a Joshua Jackson. Now he's the guy that snatched the kid off his mother and handed him to Luke and Noah."

"I read it a few minutes ago! Yes! It's very insightful! Very detailed. A great piece of evidence in our favour! The fact that he was watching the boy for an entire year and witnessed first hand some of the treatment of this child will stand up well in court!"

"Right," Gareth continued, "Then we have your testimony and professional opinion on the condition of the child as well as his general behaviour. Thank you for that."

She beamed, "It's my very greatest pleasure!"

"Then our visit to the Catholic hospital yesterday was very interesting I'm sure you will agree. The child was born addicted to heroin and the nuns were watching the mother for some months because they were suspicious of her behaviour towards Nicholas. So we have their statement as well."

"And we also have Nicholas's medical records." Betty contributed, "I'm not even going to begin to ask how you managed to get your hands on these?" She raised her eyebrows at him in jest, as though admonishing a small boy. Then she reached to grasp hold of the blue file, flapping it in front of his face. "You had better hope the judge doesn't ask you either!"

"Oh don't worry, he wont."

She didn't know how he knew but she believed him, just as she was sure anybody he ever spoke to believed him. He could probably say the sky was purple and convince people of that fact.

He truly was a phenomenon to behold!

...

"It must be this one!" Luke was driving the rental car and Noah anxiously grabbed at his arm as they passed by the miserable little houses on Nixon Lane. Very few of them displayed numbers and those that did had their numbers painted on by hand across doors or walls. Broken windows were boarded up with plywood or even newspaper in some cases. Litter was strewn everywhere, as though the garbage collection van avoided making its rounds; afraid of the neighbourhood.

It was almost midnight by the time Luke and Noah finally landed in Branson and it had taken them some time to sign for the car and find the right street. They didn't even discuss whether it was a good idea to simply barge in there and take back the boy. They weren't really thinking at all. They were driven by a powerful force that would not accept leaving the child there for a moment longer! Whatever the consequence of that was, they would deal with in the light of day.

They had made it home from the police station at around lunchtime, both of them wanting nothing more than to immediately get on a plane to Branson. But they were physically and mentally finished. They managed to convince each other that a few hours sleep was essential if they were going to be of any use to Nicholas.

Gianni's men had confiscated both their cell phones so Luke used the house phone to call Gareth's office. His sweet secretary explained that Gareth had left for Branson the previous morning on the company Jet. When he couldn't get back in touch with Luke after their conversation he had taken it upon himself to travel alone. Luke sent up a message of thanks! The man was truly amazing! The secretary mentioned she hadn't spoken to him much since he had been there, it was apparent he was very busy, but she gave Luke the name and address of the hotel he was staying at.

So the two of them had boarded a commercial flight for Branson that evening and now Noah was carefully counting the houses as Luke drove down the street. He seemed sure that the white boarded house must be Michelle's. He climbed out before Luke had even pulled the hand break up and frowned as he heard the heavy metal music blasting at club level from within. He waited for Luke and took his hand, squeezing hard, before leading him up to the doorway.

A couple of firm knocks on the door yielded no result. Noah looked at Luke and he nodded as they made a silent agreement. He tried the door and it opened. Noah entered first, his eardrums bursting at the pitch of the music. The place looked like a bomb had hit it. The first thing he noticed was the sickening and acrid combination of smoke and alcohol smells that permeated the air. Along with that he was sure he smelled human aromas… faeces and fluid, maybe vomit.

His eyes scanned the sparse apartment, littered with strewn clothing and empty alcohol bottles, and immediately fell on the familiar sight of two tiny sneakers. The sneakers Luke had bought for Nicholas. They lay discarded by what he assumed was a screen door obscuring their view to the bedroom. A pitcher of daisies had been knocked from a surface and onto the floor and the tiny shoes looked so innocent sitting there amongst the trodden flowers. So out of place… But they meant that Nicky was definitely there… somewhere.

As sickening as he found the condition of the home, no, not home, house! There was no way this place was a home! As shocking as the sight was, it was nothing compared to what greeted them as he pulled open the concertina screen door.

Michelle was naked on hands and knees on the bed. A fat man, clearly years her senior was pounding into her from behind, while another stood at the side of the bed, hands on her shoulders, as she sucked him off. All three jumped as the door screeched violently open and they were faced with the full force of Noah's ferocity.

"What the fuck!" The old man exclaimed, "What is this?"

"GET OUT!" Noah's voice was precise and clear, even above the blaring music. His blue eyes remained glued, menacingly, on Michelle.

Luke felt a deep and sudden rush of fury. So far his image of Michelle had only been what Noah had told him, but this sight before him, Michelle in her environment, was so much worse! He searched out the source of the deafening music to mercifully turn it off.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Michelle screamed with equal anger as she threw a faded and worn slip over her body. "You can't just storm in 'ere like this! This is MY house!"

The two men escaped, gripping their clothes to their chests and nervously keeping a wide berth from the storm that was Luke and Noah.

"Fuck you, Noah!" She stood up from the bed. "You just cost me my fee!"

"WHERE IS HE?"

"I needed that money!" she ignored his question. It was clear that she was drunk. Dark circles pervaded her eyes.

"WHERE IS HE, Michelle?" Noah's tone was one of intense warning.

"What the fuck am I going to do now, hey? I got a fucking payment due tomorrow! You gonna pay me then, bastard?" She held out her palm.

This seemed to be the last straw for Luke. He lunged for her, pushing her so hard against the wall by her shoulders that Noah heard the breath expel from her body. Luke was in protection mode and Noah stood ready to step in.

"Now you listen to me!" Luke seethed, "We have had enough shit today and we don't need more from you! Now I am not joking around! Where the hell is he?"

It was while Michelle sprouted something about breaking and entering, assault and her rights that Noah's eyes rested on the cupboard and he realised he already knew where Nicky was hiding.

"Luke." He had to say it again as Luke's attention was firmly fixed on Michelle. "Luke! The cupboard!"

Luke turned to look at him and then clarity dawned on his face and he nodded, but he didn't relax his hold on Michelle. He wasn't going to allow her to interfere.

Noah fought the urge to fling the cupboard door open. Instead he pulled the door gently and opened it as slowly as he dared.

And there he was.

Noah's relief at having found him was quickly replaced with rocks of ice in his stomach when he saw the state of him. Those same rocks formed into balls and filtered through this bloodstream to the rest of his body.

The child huddled, knees up, in the corner of the cupboard. The doors were slatted and Noah was instantly aware of Nicky's ability to see and hear everything going on in the room. He swallowed back the tears that threatened to overcome him as he wondered at all the things this child must have witnessed during his short life. And seeing this place, the place he had lived in, the conditions he had survived in, Noah fell even more in love with the tiny child before him. Nicky's eyes were squeezed closed and his face was buried between his thighs. He held his little hands up to cup his ears, squeezing so hard against the side of his face that Noah could see a redness beneath his fingers.

"Nicky." He approached cautiously and spoke softly.

The child shivered uncontrollably and shuffled back from Noah's presence. As Noah slipped in closer on his knees and Luke turned on the bedroom light, he noticed right away the dark hand shaped bruises around the child's wrists. He thought he felt his insides scramble! Those bruises were so like the ones he had discovered on his own wrists THAT morning. The morning after Oliver's attack. The thought that Nicky had suffered anything like what he had, made it difficult for him to breathe and suddenly he could no longer stop the tears.

"Nicky, baby. It's Noah." Very gently he cupped the tiny left arm and tried to pry one hand from the child's ear. It was stuck fast. "It's okay." He sniffed. "Nicky?"

The black curls fell sideways as the boy's grip seemed to relax slightly and his head cocked to one side. He listened cautiously, as though needing to be sure it was safe before daring to believe it.

"Open those beautiful blue eyes for me, baby. Come on now… Luke's here too. We're going to take you home, okay?" He started to break, "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

Luke left Michelle standing dumbstruck against the wall and knelt down beside Noah, placing a comforting hand on Noah's back and taking over. "Hello baby. It's Luke. Do you want to come home with us?"

Finally the boy peered at them out the corner of one eye. As recognition dawned, they opened wider and he lifted his head, staring at them both.

"I want pollage." He stated softly.

Luke laughed wetly, "You can have as much porridge as you like baby."

For a moment the boy simply surveyed them both, considering, and then finally he flung himself desperately into Noah's arms. Noah caught him tight against his chest and butterfly kissed him all over his face. "That's it… you're safe now…"

Luke reached out and rubbed the boy's bony back, crying now as much as Noah. He leaned over to push the child's hair from his face and both men gasped at the gash visible just below the hairline. A pattern of dried blood ran from the wound down the right side of his face and some of his hair was clotted with it.

Luke helped Noah to stand up with the child in his arms before turning to glare at Michelle. "What happened to his head?"

She had temporarily given up her fight, spellbound by the sight before her. Never had she heard the child respond to a person like that. Any person! He had spoken! She didn't even know he could! She felt something deep within her, something akin to jealousy. "How the hell should I know? He's always bumping into things! I can't watch him twenty-four-seven!"

Noah was about to speak but then realised he had nothing left to say to the monstrous person swaying unsteadily before him. He sadly shook his head before turning to leave, followed closely by Luke who stooped on the way out to pick up the child's shoes by the door.

She didn't try to stop them.

...

It was past midnight and they headed straight for the hotel and Gareth. They weren't sure what he could do to help under the circumstances, but they were pretty sure there would be hell to pay for their actions. But after what they had just witnessed neither of them cared.

The real fight for Nicholas would start in the morning.

The receptionist confirmed that Gareth had indeed checked in two days before. He had left his room key at the desk early the previous morning before leaving with a woman and he had returned alone at around nine pm.

"So he's still in the hotel?" asked Luke.

"Yes sir, he hasn't checked out yet."

Luke breathed a sigh of relief, "That's great! Can you give him a message in the morning please? Let him know Luke Snyder and Noah Mayer are here and we'll meet him in the lobby at eight am?" He waited while she scribbled down a note. "And we would like a room for the night please."

Nicholas had fallen asleep on Noah's lap in the car, but he woke up as they entered the hotel. It was pretty apparent to Luke the child was extremely weak so he ordered a food service the moment they arrived in their room.

"Hungry baby?" Noah asked him, rubbing his cheek and the child nodded drowsily.

They were keen he ate something before he fell back to sleep so they turned the television on to some cartoons to keep him occupied until the food arrived. In the meantime Noah poured him a glass of water which he drank down in seconds. His face lit up when he saw the bowl of steaming porridge Luke had ordered for him. Noah fed it to him mouthful by mouthful to hold him back from eating too fast. Almost immediately after the stodgy substance warmed him through his eyes flopped closed. Noah caught him just in time and laid him to sleep on the couch, squatting down beside him to kiss his forehead and watch him for a while.

Luke rubbed a hand on Noah's shoulder and passed him a damp washcloth so that he could wipe the dried blood from the child's face and hair.

"You okay, babe?" Luke asked as Noah finished off.

Noah stood up, still looking down at Nicky as he slept. "Now I am, yeah."

"Quite a day, hey?"

Noah looked at him. "That's a bit of an understatement!" He dropped the washcloth in the trashcan then clutched Luke's shoulders in his hands, reading his hazel eyes. "How are you doing? It can't be easy… with all you saw yesterday morning… It was horrific! How's the wound?" He gently patted the bandage on Luke's neck.

"I'll be fine." He leaned up to kiss Noah's cheek and Noah smiled sleepily at him. "How about we try to get some rest? Could be another crazy day for us tomorrow!"

"When isn't it ever crazy in our lives?" Noah shrugged.

They stripped down to their boxers and curled up facing each other in the bed, hands clasped in front of them.

"You said we would make it…" Noah whispered groggily after a while of lying there.

"Hmm?"

"You said we would make it out and we did."

"That's because as long as I had you there I felt like anything was possible! Anything IS possible as long as I have you…"

Noah smiled and clasped even more firmly on Luke's hands as his eyes started to close. Luke watched him absorbedly, feeling reassured by his presence after almost losing him yet again. He watched how Noah's eyelids fluttered and his lips vibrated slightly as he exhaled through them. It was comforting watching him sleep… relaxing… peaceful.

"I want you… I need you so much…" he whispered kissing the bound hands almost in perceptively, not wanting to wake him. "Don't ever leave me, okay?"

He took the contented moan Noah expelled as his answer before allowing his own eyes to close.