Tomas was only half conscious when he heard the gunshots. His body jerked instinctively, still expecting to feel the pain of a bullet hitting his flesh, but there was nothing. And as the seconds ticked by he noted somehow absentmindedly that the darkness of the room lifted a bit. For the first time since this whole affair started he felt as if he could take a deep breath. Still, there was weariness deep in his bones and his eyelids felt as if they weighed a ton. But each time he let them slip closed, there was a flash of an image.

He couldn't discern what it was, only colors and sensations, but it sent his heart thumping wildly. Tomas snapped his eyes open and looked around. His eyes landed on the two bodies riddled with bullet holes, on Marcus's slumped form being held in Peter's arms, on the puddle of blood on the floor. He felt sick and he must've moaned because there was motion next to him. Tomas jerked away when he felt a touch on his arm, eyes wildly spinning towards the stranger. But the man's eyes were kind and his colors were soothing. There was no hint of darkness and so Tomas allowed the touch. He didn't even flinch at the sight of a knife as it sliced through the ropes still holding him to the chair. As soon as he felt the constraints fall, Tomas lurched from the chair, falling hard on his palms and knees, knowing there would be bruises but not caring. All he could focus on was the need to purge himself of the sickness and so he threw up. His stomach was already empty but Tomas couldn't stop it, he spit bile on the floor and let tears join it. Everything felt dirty, everything tasted and smelled bad, like sulfur and decay. He swallowed, his breath hitching. He knew there was nothing else to bring up but he couldn't stop. Not until he felt the hand on his back rubbing soothing circles, whispering familiar words of prayer. Tomas's arms trembled from holding up his weight, so he let the stranger help him sit back on his hunches. The man knelt down next to him, ignoring his pants getting dirty from the floor.

"I'm father James Solvay. But you can call me Jim, yeah?"

The man smiled and Tomas gave him a shaky nod. Knowing it was a priest made him feel a bit better, even though he didn't see his collar.

"I'm Peter's friend. Let me help you."

Tomas frowned, unsure what the offer of help entailed. All he truly desired right now was a hug from Marcus. He wanted to make sure the older man was alive and alright. He wanted to know he didn't lose another person that mattered to him. But most of all, Tomas just wanted to feel safe, to have someone else take away all his pain and problems. He felt on the verge of tears and he almost called out Marcus's name like a little child, but then he saw Marcus' ashen face grimacing in pain as Peter applied pressure to the cut on his arm, trying to stop the bleeding. Tomas swallowed. He had no right to ask for anything, not after what happened.

As if feeling his gaze, Peter looked up. His mouth turned up in a small smile, though his eyes were clouded with worry and something else. Peter looked torn between helping Marcus and going to Tomas and Tomas was dismayed at the warmth that simple thought sent through his core. Peter cared about him too.

"Are you okay, Tomas?" Peter asked and Tomas saw Marcus twitch in Peter's arms, eyes opening and turning towards him in concern as well as determination. Tomas knew that if he didn't answer Marcus would crawl out of Peter's arms if needed just to make sure of his well being. So even though he felt anything but okay, Tomas gave a nod.

"Y-yeah. I'm good," he said softly. Peter frowned, not looking convinced, but then he felt Marcus move and hissed at him to stay put.

"I'll check him over, don't worry," Jim said, putting a gentle hand on Tomas's shoulder. "Stay still Marcus and let Peter stop the bleeding. Last thing we need is for you to pass out from blood loss." The way the priest said it Tomas realized that he and Marcus knew each other as well. And seeing Marcus nod and relent was more proof that he could be trusted.

Frankly, even if Tomas wanted to protest, he had no energy left. He let Jim help him back onto the chair, even though at this point he truly disliked that piece of furniture. But it seemed like a better place than the floor covered in things Tomas didn't want to even think about, least of all see or smell. So he sat back and let the priest check his eyes. Tomas wasn't sure what the man was looking for as he gazed intently into his eyes. Was he looking for that second pupil or just making sure Tomas's brain wasn't mush?

The flask that appeared in his hands seemed to be an answer enough. The priest sprinkled his fingers, then touched Tomas's forehead and made a small cross. Tomas almost chuckled, but he didn't have the energy. Still, he raised an amused eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked, then winced as he felt the motion open the wound on his forehead and a small trickle of blood run down his cheek.

"Humor me," Jim shrugged then proceeded to recite several verses. Tomas thought he should know them, but the words were running into each other and he just couldn't focus on them. So he decided to just 'humor' the priest and let his eyes roam the room. Of course they landed on the two bodies, the pool of blood next to the now empty chair and finally on Marcus.

Marcus, who was watching him with the same dazed look even as Peter was putting on a tourniquet on his arm to stop the bleeding. Tomas flinched, unable to handle the gaze, expecting to feel disappointment or accusations but seeing only deep concern. He wasn't sure if he could deal with that any better than the rest of the feelings, so he looked away, at the fourth man, the one he didn't know at all. His eyes were drawn to the badge and it was no hard feat to figure out the man was a cop. His movements were practical. He had a pair of gloves on and was moving around the scene, taking it all in, checking on the man that was curled up on the floor behind Marcus's chair, spit running down his cheek, eyes unseeing. Tomas jerked away from the sight, acutely aware that it was him who did that.

Tomas felt once again sick to his stomach, though he knew it was just the guilt trying to punish him. There was nothing to bring up and his stomach and throat were sore from his last attempt, so Tomas looked away, a silent mantra running through his mind.

'Stop it, stop it, stop it!'

It helped. He knew it wasn't a long term fix, but for the moment his thoughts could center on something else, anything. Fortunately that was the moment when Jim declared him demon free, if a bit concussed and banged up. Tomas glared at him. He didn't need confirmation of being demon free, thank you very much. He knew the demon was gone, felt it, saw it. Still, both Peter and Marcus seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief.

The moment Peter finished the tourniquet, he begrudgingly helped Marcus up to his feet. Marcus stumbled over to Tomas, then without a second of hesitation enveloped Tomas in a bone crushing hug.

Tomas first tensed but he quickly succumbed and leaned into the hug. None of them cared about the blood and grime on their clothes. Tomas just buried his head in Marcus's chest, basking in the warmth of his light, feeling the chill that was deep seated slowly starting to melt away. He was so comfortable he could let himself go, close his eyes and sleep, or so he thought. Tomas heard Marcus muttering over his head, thanking God repeatedly, then his voice changed and Tomas tensed.

"Don't you dare do anything like this ever again, Tomas," Marcus said and there was so much recrimination that Tomas flinched. "I thought I lost you."

"I knew you could bring me back," Tomas protested, his voice full of trust and he looked up into Marcus's face. He didn't expect to see the anger reflected in the blue eyes however or hear the growl.

"I didn't, Tomas! You don't get it? There is no way back from this ritual! If you hadn't fought it off somehow, I don't know how, you would have been lost, forever! Do you understand how stupid that was?!" Marcus shouted on the verge of collapse and Tomas felt the blood rush out of his own face. Suddenly he was glad he was sitting as the realization hit him. He could've been lost in that hell for all eternity. That wasn't just death, no, that was so much worse. He didn't actually have a clear memory of what transpired, but he knew it was the worst thing he ever experienced and he didn't want it to repeat, ever again.

Marcus looked like he wanted to tell him more; his eyes wild and desperate to drive in the message, but Peter chose that moment to interfere and Tomas felt truly thankful. He wasn't sure he could handle anything else.

"That's enough, Marcus. Now is not the time or place." Peter's voice was gentle and Marcus's eyes fell as he took a proper look at Tomas and his sunken face. With a sob, he just pulled Tomas back into his arms.

"Don't ever do this again, Tomas. Not for anyone, especially not for me. Please." Marcus muttered into his ear and Tomas could only nod softly, even though he knew it was a promise he couldn't make. He was scared to death of what happened or what could happen, but he wasn't willing to let anyone he loved to go through that. Not if he could help it.

"If you guys are all okay," Luke spoke suddenly, interrupting the moment. "I'd advise to move this touching reunion somewhere else. Preferably somewhere out of state, as this will be one big mess come morning."

Four pairs of eyes turned to Luke and none of them could find a reason to disagree.

And so they moved. It was awkward at first. Tomas thought he would be much steadier on his feet but once he got up they felt like jelly and his head spun. Fortunately, Jim seemed to expect that as he had his arm around Tomas's waist before he even realized the floor was coming his way. Tomas gulped, closing his eyes momentarily, ignoring the worried calls of his name. After several deep breaths and with Jim's support he was back in a vertical position and albeit walking a bit drunkenly, he was making good progress towards the door.

Peter looked around a bit hesitantly, his brain working much clearer than Tomas's or Marcus's and realizing how much evidence they were leaving behind.

"We are really screwed, aren't we?" Peter muttered, even as he was putting Marcus's good arm around his shoulder and steadying him.

Luke looked up from the body of father Simon, who he just patted down.

"I won't say this isn't shitty," Luke admitted, then shook his head. "But it's nothing that can't be somehow... fixed."

"There's DNA all over the place and the bullets..." Peter protested. "That guy is also pretty high on the ladder. Someone will be looking for him soon and the church will make this a priority case."

"DNA can be taken care of easily. As for the bullets... the gun I gave you isn't registered. Give it to me and I'll take care of it. And Marcus shot this one with that other jerks gun. That can work for us actually."

Peter saw that Luke already had some plan brewing in his mind if the small smirk was anything to go by. He gave a relieved smile.

"Thanks, Luke. I won't forget this, I swear."

"Me neither," Marcus said and offered his hand to Luke for a handshake. Luke took hold of it and chuckled.

"Here I was hoping our first meeting could be at a bar, with a drink," Luke commented then the humor left his face. "I somehow wish I could forget though. This shit sure won't help my nightmares."

"I think neither of us will be sleeping well for some time," Peter admitted then patted Luke on the shoulder. "Forever in your debt, brother."

"Yeah, yeah. Just get lost so I can set this place on fire."

Peter blinked, unsure if it was just an expression or if Luke meant it. Before he could ask though they heard Tomas's worried voice from the door. "Marcus?"

"We're coming," Marcus called back and with a last thankful glance at Luke headed towards the exit.

Getting to the car was a bit of a hassle, as Peter parked it well out of the way so as to not attract any attention. By the time they climbed the small hill both Tomas and Marcus were in need of a break and Peter and Jim were having to support more and more of their weight.

However, they counted themselves lucky that they didn't encounter anyone else, that Maria hasn't decided to return. Peter just hoped that Luke would do what he planned to do quickly and then get safely away.

Finally they reached the car and Tomas and Marcus were deposited in the back seat, while Jim took over the driving. Peter was in the passenger seat, casting worried glances to the back.

Tomas noted he was shivering only once they were inside the car and Jim turned on the heating. While it wasn't all that chilly outside, Tomas felt coldness inside his bones. Marcus was shivering as well, though that might've been more from blood loss than the stress of the last few hours. Tomas just hoped the shaking won't make him look like some weak child.

All the thought of trying to appear strong however fled his mind as Marcus reached out and pulled him close. Tomas let the arm guide him to rest his head on Marcus's shoulder. Even though the position wasn't the most comfortable in the world, it allowed Tomas to feel the man's warmth and feel the beating of his heart under his skin. As the car started and they were speeding away from the nightmare, Tomas tuned out most of what was said around him. The men were talking about clearing up the scene and gaining a few hours of head start... for what, Tomas didn't have a clue.

He felt as if he just returned to his body and Marcus who was next to him, unwilling to even let him out of his reach seemed to be similarly affected. Tomas let the motion of the car lull him into a pretense of peace. However, as soon as he closed his eyes, he was taken over by fear. So he kept them open, focusing on the feeling of Marcus's arm around his shoulder, appreciating the way he was running his hand up and down in soothing circles.

"Where are we going?" Tomas finally asked when he noted they were reaching familiar parts of the city.

"Home," Peter spoke and for a moment Tomas thought that Peter was just planning to drop him off at his place and leave. There was a slight panic, until Marcus hushed him.

"We just need to grab some things. Don't worry. It'll be quick. Then we leave town."

Tomas was quiet for a second, running the thought over his head. Leaving town? Why? And where were they going? Will Olivia let him leave?

Suddenly it was as if someone slapped him on the face as the pieces connected in his brain. Tomas gasped then pulled out of Marcus's embrace, eyes wide and scared.

"I'm not leaving without Liv!" He stated resolutely.

There was a moment of silence following his statement, three pairs of eyes exchanging looks that made Tomas's skin crawl.

"No, I'm not leaving! She's my sister, I can't just leave-" Tomas turned plaintive eyes towards Marcus. "Please, Marcus. She's family! We don't leave family behind! If they catch her, I can't let her be harmed, not like that. Please!"

"Okay, okay, calm down," Marcus soothed, seeing that Tomas was working himself up, his breaths coming out too shallow and quick. "Just breathe, Tomas. We are not leaving your sister."

This time it was Peter and Jim exchanging a look, both grimacing because that definitely complicated things. Though Peter had to admit that Tomas was right. There was no telling what could happen to Olivia if they left the town without her. Not to mention she could sound an alarm very quickly if she returned home in the morning and didn't find Tomas there. Nothing like an amber alert to make their attempt at leaving the state harder.

"You swear? You're not leaving her behind?" Tomas sobbed, not letting his eyes from Marcus. He was the only person he absolutely trusted and if Marcus promised Tomas knew he wouldn't break his word. "Swear to me." He pushed and with a sigh Marcus relented. "I promise, Tomas. We will take Olivia with us, okay? Now try and calm down, yeah? All this excitement is making me a bit dizzy."

Tomas blushed, suddenly feeling guilty for pressuring Marcus especially in the state he was in. He still felt guilty for that and knew he shouldn't be asking anything, but this was his sister's life.

"I'm sorry," Tomas muttered. "Just please, help Olivia. I swear I won't ask you for anything else ever again. I won't cause any more trouble, I promise," he said even as Marcus pulled him back to his embrace.

"Hey hey, kiddo, you're a teenager, of course you'll cause trouble," Marcus said jokingly and was relieved when he heard Tomas snort, even though it sounded more like a sob. "Trust us. It'll be alright. I won't let anything happen to you, Chico." Marcus muttered soothingly, ignoring Tomas's grunt at the nickname.

"Not small anymore," Tomas protested.

"Still way younger than me," Marcus quipped back. "And don't you dare to say that's most of the things." He warned goodheartedly.

"Wouldn't dare," Tomas said and Marcus glared forward when he heard Peter cough, trying to mask his chuckle.

Once they reached the familiar street, Jim slowed down the car, his eyes scanning the surroundings. Peter did the same, looking at the parked cars. They all looked familiar and the street seemed empty. No wonder, it was just past three am. No sane person would be traipsing outside, except maybe one of their neighbors walking a dog.

"Looks good," Peter muttered to Jim's silent question.

"Is your garage empty?" Jim asked and Peter raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Think it would be better if your neighbors didn't see the kid getting out of the car."

"Oh. Right." Peter turned back, wanting to tell Tomas to maybe keep his head down a bit, but he quickly noted that the way Marcus was holding Tomas kept him well out of sight. Marcus just nodded and Peter stepped out of the car to open the garage door. Jim pulled in and Peter quickly closed the door.

"Wait here, we'll check out the house," Peter said and even though Marcus wanted to protest that it was a bit excessive, a sudden throb in his head reminded him how easily he was taken by surprise.

"Okay. Be careful," he said instead.

"Always," Peter said with a smile and followed Jim inside his house, for the first time feeling more like an intruder than the rightful owner of the place.


Several minutes later, after the check of the house didn't reveal anything sinister, Marcus and Tomas were sat behind the kitchen table, both handed some orange juice to sip on. The blinds were down on all the windows and the lights were on as Peter brought in some clean towels and their med kit. He stood by the table, worrying on his bottom lip as Jim released the tourniquet on Marcus's arm and fresh blood started seeping through the bandage. Tomas on the next chair became almost as pale as Marcus himself at the sight and Peter couldn't fault him. Just hearing the hiss of pain from his lover made his skin crawl in sympathy.

"Do you need help?" Peter asked and Jim looked up from his work.

"Did you also hit your head and forget I was your field medic?" Jim asked with a lopsided grin. "Don't worry, I can handle this. You need to pack though and do it fast. So stop lounging around like a worried mother hen."

This garnered a chuckle from both Marcus and Tomas, while Peter just sighed. Of course he should've remembered Jim's no nonsense attitude when under pressure. Still, he needed to make sure Marcus was okay. He leaned over, planting a kiss on the top of his head then just to feel better, gently ruffled Tomas' hair. The kid looked as bad as his partner, with the blood from the head wound drying on his skin. Not to mention the horrific image they all witnessed upon their arrival.

Peter shook off those thoughts however and gave himself a sharp reminder that they didn't have time for this. Once they were at the cabin, all of them safe and huddled in front of the heart, then he could let his mind wander to what he saw, what he did. Right now he needed to focus on the things they would need in the following days or weeks.

First he headed towards his office and the safe where he had all his documents, some cash and anything of value, whether economical or personal. He put all the things into a bag he had already prepared the last week, just in case. Ever since they knew just how deep this thing went, Peter started making contingency plans and he was glad when instead of laughing him off Marcus decided to help. So they both had prepared emergency bags, though at the time they didn't plan on leaving everything else behind indefinitely. With that in mind, Peter had to add some personal items that he wasn't ready to part with, along with some of Marcus's treasured possessions. He felt a twinge of guilt upon the realization that Tomas didn't get the same chance. The boy would have to leave the city with most of his personal items left behind. At least he grabbed some things Tomas seemed to have left behind during his last few visits. A spare shirt, some books... his journal, the one with all the gruesome stuff.

With a sigh, Peter threw it on top of the second bag. He took a look around his bedroom and with some regret went to turn off the light, when he paused. It would be a long road and there was no reason not to bring at least some comfort. So Peter grabbed several pillows and blankets, bundled them up under his arms and resolutely turned off the light. Everything else he needed was downstairs.

Peter took everything to the car, added a few items from the garage then returned to the kitchen. Jim was finishing sewing up the cut on Marcus's arm and Tomas was resting his chin on one hand, the other holding and ice pack against the wound on his head. His eyes were hooded, blinking lazily.

"I didn't realize we had a sewing kit," Peter muttered as Jim cut off the last thread and bandaged the cut. Marcus was grimacing, but actually seemed a bit more alert than before. Probably due to the pain.

"Nah, when you called I just brought my kit with the hooks and fishing lines," Jim said and chuckled as he saw the startled look on Tomas' face. "Kidding. Army medic here. It's not just the scouts who are supposed to be always prepared." Jim patted Marcus on the shoulder, then turned towards Tomas.

"Okay kid, your turn. Let me take a look at that noggin of yours and clean those rope burns."

Tomas grimaced, casting a dubious look towards the sewing kit, earning another chuckle from Jim.

"Don't worry, I think some butterfly bandages will do."

"I wasn't worried," Tomas protested, though he visibly relaxed when Jim didn't brandish the needle. Peter watched for a moment as Jim tended to Tomas, then he turned to Marcus, who was rubbing at his eyes tiredly.

"I've packed everything I could think of, but if you want anything else there's still some space in the car."

Marcus looked up, giving Peter a thankful smile.

"Actually, I think I'll grab a few books we might find useful later. They're a bit hard to get hold of." Marcus stood and Peter was happy to note he wavered only a bit, but after a second or two seemed much steadier on his feet.

"Good. I'll make some coffee to take with us. It'll be a long drive and I'd like to get as far as possible without stopping."

Marcus nodded and was about to step out of the kitchen, when Tomas seemed to realize what was said. A bit startled, he pulled back from Jim's attempts at cleaning the wound on his forehead.

"Wait, what about Liv? And why are we leaving? Can't we just stay here?" he rambled off the questions, his breath coming out faster as the reality of their situation started to sink in. It looked like the last twenty minutes in the familiar kitchen lulled Tomas into some false sense of security and he almost forgot what happened. Or maybe it was just the concussion and weariness. Peter exchanged a worried look with Jim and Marcus turned back from the door.

"Tomas, you remember what happened, yes?" It was Peter who carefully asked and Tomas shot him a look of annoyed disbelief.

"Yes, it's quite hard to forget!" Tomas snapped then blushed. "Sorry," he muttered. "I just... why do we have to leave? S-Simon is already dead."

The three men shared another look and Tomas frowned. Finally it was Marcus who decided to explain the situation, while Jim took hold of Tomas's arm and inspected the damage from the rope burns.

"Simon wasn't working alone, Tomas," Marcus started gently, frowning a bit while thinking how to best explain without scaring Tomas too much. "This... whatever he was part of, is much bigger. Do you remember what happened after you said yes?"

Tomas frowned then slowly shook his head.

"No. It's... it's all hazy. I just know it hurt and..." Tomas shook his head. He saw the pained look on Marcus's own face. "I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't have to, not now," Marcus said with a small nod. "Whether you remember or not, Tomas... you did something no one else managed. At least, not that we know of."

"What?"

"Come back from Vocare Pulvere. You... destroyed the demon. That's... unseemly."

Tomas looked doubtful, but he saw that even Jim had an impressed look on his face.

"So what? If... if I can do that, wouldn't they leave me alone?" Tomas felt stupid even as he asked the question. Of course not. If he could do something that would destroy the demons their most logical action would be to try and kill him, to stop the threat. Which brought him back to his first question.

"If they find out I'm alive... they can go after Olivia, right? Maria can just come to our home again with some other demons and Liv wouldn't even know she's in danger-" Tomas's breath hitched and he tensed, his eyes looking at the clock on the wall in panic. It was almost four am. Olivia's shift would end in two hours and then she would come home... the last Tomas remembered of their apartment was that he was falling and possibly bleeding on the carpet. If Olivia came home to find the front door unlocked, Tomas missing and his cell phone still in the living room, she would panic.

"We need to call Liv. Please, she needs to come with us!" Tomas turned pleading eyes to Marcus, then Peter.

"We can't risk anyone else seeing that Tomas is alive. And we can't lose more time," Peter said, thinking out loud, raising a hand when Tomas opened his mouth to protest. "I'm not saying we'll leave her behind. Just that we need to come up with a plan."

That at least seamed to appease Tomas a bit and he nodded. It was Jim who spoke next.

"I could get her," he offered almost off handedly, while rubbing an antiseptic on the rope burns on Tomas's wrists and applying a light bandage.

Tomas hissed a bit then shook his head at the offer.

"She doesn't know you. She won't just... get in the car with a stranger."

"Tomas has a point," Marcus agreed, remembering only too well how suspicious was Olivia towards him and Peter even though they were already seeing and tutoring Tomas for several weeks. "What would you tell her?"

"The truth?" Jim offered with a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't she know about Tomas and his 'skills'?"

"She wouldn't be calling that a skill," Tomas snorted, unable to stop himself. Then he shook his head. "No, Olivia doesn't know about demons, doesn't even believe they exist. I need to come with you."

"Not going to happen," Marcus protested wholeheartedly and Peter was nodding along to him. "We need to get you out of the city. Right now, Olivia is safer than we are."

Tomas wanted to protest again but Jim held up his hand.

"What would your sister believe?" he asked and Tomas frowned, thinking about it, but his brain was mush and he looked up, desperate.

"I don't know. She's already... doubting Peter and Marcus. She won't trust a strange priest." Tomas looked at Marcus and Peter apologetically, but they just waved him off.

"What about cops? Does your sister have a better stance with the police?"

"Yeah. I think she does," Tomas admitted. Even though growing up in different countries, both of them were brought up to respect authorities. Or at least try and stay as far away from them as possible, in Tomas's case.

"Great. In that case, I'll call Luke for some help. How does witness protection program sound to you?"

Tomas's mouth fell open and he looked at all three men in confusion and fear.

"What?"

Marcus put an arm around his shoulder, while Jim said: "Don't worry about it, just give me the address she's at and I'll get her. We could meet a few miles out of the town."

"So you just want to lie to her?" Tomas looked doubtful.

"Do you have a better idea?" Jim raised an eyebrow. Tomas didn't.

"That's settled then. I think we should get some way to contact each other, but I don't think using your cell phone is very smart," Jim said now talking to Peter.

"Good thing then that I got these," Peter pulled out two burner phones from his jacket pocket and handed one of them over to Jim.

"The number of the other one is already in it."

"Are you always carrying burner phones or were you getting ready for war?" Jim joked and Peter rolled his eyes.

"Actually, I bought these last week. I had a feeling we might need them," he admitted a bit sheepishly. At the time it felt paranoid, but that didn't stop Peter from getting in touch with another of his old buddies and inquire about the possibility of using his cabin in the woods for the summer. While at first Peter was thinking more in terms of a quiet summer vacation, as soon as he spoke to Luke about Tomas' journal he thought of the cabin as sort of a backup contingency plan.

"Well, good thinking in any case. Now tell me where we should meet up and what else will you need from me and Luke before you guys start your new life."

Peter nodded and started working out the details with Jim. Marcus gave Tomas a reassuring smile then excused himself to go and grab the books he wanted. Tomas listened for a moment to the two ex-soldiers talking about safest exit roads and strategy but there were doubts gnawing at his stomach. He slowly stood up, pausing a second to let the world settle. Two pairs of eyes turned to him and he waved them off a bit irritated.

"I'm fine. I'll be with Marcus," he mumbled and headed to the living room, where Marcus kept most of his books. Just like he thought, Marcus was by the small library, fingers browsing over book spines, looking for the titles and prioritizing between them with a frown.

Tomas watched him for a moment, silent and pondering. He was leaning against the doorjamb and would have loved to sit down on the couch, but his clothes were dirty and he didn't want to make the couch dirty, which... really didn't make much sense, seeing as they were about to leave the city and everything behind. Somehow it just all seemed unreal, as if he was still trapped inside a nightmare and any moment someone would shake his shoulder and wake him up from it.

"Hey, you okay?" Marcus asked, obviously having turned around and noting Tomas's presence while he was lost in his mind.

Tomas shivered a bit, crossing his arms on his chest as he pulled his gaze away from the couch.

"Y-yeah, I think so."

Marcus raised an eyebrow, putting the books he had picked out on the table and settling down on the couch, relief at being off his feet evident on his face. Marcus patted the couch next to him, rolling his eyes when Tomas pointed at his dirty trousers and shoes. Without too much nudging, Tomas joined him, although he made sure to sit just on the corner of the couch.

"What's bothering you?" Marcus asked and it was such an absurd question that both he and Tomas quirked a smile.

"Really?"

"Okay, I get it. Too much happened," Marcus's face sobered. "What's bothering you right now?"

Tomas bit at his bottom lip then sighed.

"Why can't we go for Liv?"

"We already went through this, Tomas. There's a chance someone is already watching her. It would put you in danger."

"I could stay in the car."

"I'm sorry, but no. I won't take that risk, not after what you already went through."

"I'm fine!" Tomas snapped. "I need to help Olivia."

"You will. By getting into safety first and foremost."

Tomas grunted. Marcus could be so stubborn sometimes it drove him crazy. How could he explain that it was all his fault? That he didn't want other people risking their lives for his sake. He just wanted this nightmare to end, to make sure Olivia was safe, that Marcus and Peter were safe.

"How... how can you be sure Jim can keep her safe?" Tomas finally asked the question that was bothering him most about their plan.

"Jim kept Peter safe while they were overseas. He's a soldier, but he's also a priest. I trust him, but if you have any reservations, we will come up with something else," Marcus offered softly. Tomas fidgeted, unconsciously picking at the bandages on his arms. He felt under enormous pressure to make the right decision, even though in reality he knew the men would probably go ahead with whatever they already planned. Seeing his doubts, Marcus reached up and touched his face, nudging it so that Tomas was looking at him.

"I trust Jim," Marcus said, then quickly added: "But I trust you even more. So tell me, what do you see when you look at him?"

For a second Tomas wasn't sure what Marcus meant. Jim was in the kitchen, out of his sight. But Tomas watched him before, when he treated Marcus, or later when he talked to Peter. Peter was at ease with him.

"Tell me what you saw, Tomas." Marcus added and Tomas suddenly understood. Back at the warehouse, the first hazy moment when he came to and Jim was there, he really looked at him and knew the man was safe. That he wasn't a threat to him or his friends... that he could be trusted. What was more, in the kitchen he saw Jim's energy reaching out and gently mixing with Marcus's, feeding it, helping him to recover.

"Okay," Tomas muttered, giving a slight nod. If Jim could keep Peter safe in a war zone, how hard could it be for him to keep Olivia safe during a drive out of Chicago?

As if reading his thoughts, Jim and Peter popped into the living room.

"Luke has agreed with the plan, he's just... finishing up with something," Jim said with a grimace. Tomas looked up a bit warily.

"Can you give me the address of your sister's work?"

"Yeah, sure." Tomas looked around and spotted a piece of paper and pen. He quickly jotted down the address and handed it to Jim.

"Thank you. Have the phone close by, I think she'll want to talk to you before anything."

Tomas looked at Peter, who patted his jacket pocket with the cell phone and gave him an encouraging smile. Tomas nodded and stood up, walking towards Jim, taking one last good look at the man and feeling some of the worry ease. Jim was nothing if not sincere in his attempt to help and underneath the calm surface there was the same protective fierceness of a warrior Tomas saw when he looked at Peter.

"Just... be careful, please. She's the only family I had left," Tomas said softly, pushing back the thought that maybe that's not true anymore. Maybe he had just become part of another family.

"Don't worry Tomas, I'll keep her safe." Jim said, giving Tomas's arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Thank you."

Jim nodded and headed out the door. It was Jim's car they used for the rescue mission and which was now parked inside the garage. Peter's own SUV was parked in front of the house like usual. They'd decided that for safety reasons the best course of action would be if they swapped cars. Once they would get into safety, Peter would park Jim's car in a town further away and let him know the location. But right now they didn't want to risk anything, so they exchanged car keys and wished each other good luck.

Peter watched from the window as Jim reached the car, and only once he was safely inside and driving down the road, without a hint of a pursuer, Peter let the blinds fall back and turned toward Marcus.

"Okay, let's hit the road," Peter said and ushered both Marcus and Tomas into the car.

"Here," Peter pushed a bundle of pillows and blankets at Tomas. "Until we meet up with Olivia, you can lie down and try to get some rest. It'll be a long drive."

Tomas looked at the pillows a bit sheepishly. On one side, he would've wanted nothing more than to just lie down and sleep. On the other, he was terrified of what nightmares would come. But his body was begging him to get into a horizontal position, so he gruffly put the pillow against the door and squeezed himself into the backseat of the car. He was too long to lie straight so it was a bit cramped, but Tomas welcomed it. Maybe the small discomfort would help keep him awake, at least until they get to Olivia. The nervous thudding inside his chest certainly wasn't letting him fall asleep; at least that's what he thought. But after several minutes the engine's soft rumbling and the silence inside the car helped him slow down his breathing. His eyes started to slip close and Tomas hazily thought his body betrayed him as he was unable to stay awake any longer.