It was just one of those nights when nothing interesting really happened and time seemed to slow to a crawl until it just stopped altogether. Olivia was tidying up her receptionist desk, eyeing the vending machine with coffee in the corner of the entry hall and thinking how smart it would be to drink another coffee just two hours before the end of her shift.

Probably not all that smart, she thought with a sigh and rubbed wearily at her eyes then shook her head. To hell with it. She stood and walked to the machine, buying herself the strongest coffee it had to offer even if it was just some instant crap. Usually after a night shift she would just come home, peek into Tomas's room to make sure everything was alright and maybe prepare him breakfast for school. Sometimes she even stayed up until Tomas left. Lately though she was so tired that she barely shrugged out of her clothes and slumped into the bed, falling asleep almost immediately. She wasn't sure how long she could survive this kind of life. Working two jobs and trying to finish school were difficult enough. Adding the stress of worrying about Tomas to the mix was just over the top.

She was worried about her little brother ever since their Abuela passed, but even more so once their mother died and everything fell on her shoulders. She wasn't ready for that, hardly anyone would be, really. It would be problematic under normal circumstances but with the added worry about Tomas's health Olivia thought she might just give up soon if things didn't change. Maria Walter's visit came like a balm to her, a chance to get a bit of rest while Tomas was off at the summer camp. Even if it was for study, Olivia wished to give Tomas the opportunity of being with kids his age and interests, rather than spending his time with two adult men. Olivia didn't know what to think of Marcus and Peter to be honest. In theory, the fact they took such keen interest in Tomas worried her greatly. But it was different when she saw them in person, when they talked. In person, Olivia felt safe in their presence and understood Tomas's own happiness upon their company. The problem was that her mind seemed to forget those things, especially when she started noticing Tomas's missing presence at home. Her brother was more often than not over at Marcus's place and while rationally she knew Tomas had good instincts and wouldn't allow anyone to hurt him, she had been growing up in Chicago and read the news. Not to mention at nights like these, when there was barely any guests at the hotel and she just didn't feel like studying for school, her thoughts tended to go dark and depressive. Though logically, she knew Marcus and Peter were safe, her heart was having doubts. However, even she had to admit those weren't really rational ones, mostly led by jealousy. And that was perhaps the crux of the problem. She was jealous of Marcus and Peter, of the ease they seemed to create a bond with Tomas, even though they were practically strangers. Tomas seemed to trust them more than he trusted her. The argument they had just a few hours ago was clear evidence of that.

With a sigh, Olivia sipped at the scalding hot coffee, returning to her desk. Only two more hours, she thought, then she could go home. Get another coffee, make some breakfast and wake up Tomas. Because they needed to talk.

His reaction to Maria Walters was incomprehensible to Olivia. It was one thing that Tomas thought she would be happy to send him away, to get rid of him. It stung deep, but she could understand where he was coming from. But accusing a woman like Maria of unspeakable things? While she was handing him the opportunity of the life time? No, that wasn't something Olivia could allow. Hopefully Tomas had a time to cool down a bit, maybe even go over the files about the school. If not, if his stance on the matter didn't change, well then Olivia would just have to go to the source of the problem. Maybe Marcus and Peter would know where her brother got such a preposterous idea in his head. And God help them if they had anything to do with it. Olivia wasn't ready to let her brother give up an opportunity such as this.

Nodding and feeling suddenly better at having set out a plan (or maybe it was just the coffee talking), Olivia sat down and pulled out one of her course books. It would be stupid not to use the next two hours for studying. It looked like she wouldn't have all that much time to do that during the day.

It was maybe twenty minutes later, the coffee cup standing empty on her desk, when the hotel door opened, the bell startling her out of her study. Olivia looked up and frowned. Two men she'd never seen before walked in, looking around as if assessing the place, taking in every detail. While that wasn't all that unusual, getting new guests at this time of the night was suspicious. She was used to drunken couples stumbling in at all times of the night, mistaking the place for an hour motel, or lonely businessmen whose cars broke down or flights were delayed. But two men without any suitcases rang an alarm bell. She stood behind her desk, her hand clutching around the maze spray she had on the key ring. There was also a panic button in case someone would be stupid enough to try and rob them, even though most of the transactions were run through the card system and there was barely any cash on site.

"How can I help you?" she asked, trying to sound much less scared than she really was. One of the men, the taller, dark skinned one, reached into his jacket and Olivia took an instinctive step back. She spotted a gun holster on his side and her heartbeat went through the roof. However, the man wasn't reaching for his gun but for a badge instead.

"I'm detective Luke Garrison. I'm sorry, I didn't want to scare you," the man said and his voice sounded tired but also calm, as if he was aware of how threatening he might've looked to her.

Olivia visible relaxed. Cops. Well, that explained their presence. Probably looking for some suspect.

"I'm Jim Solvay," the other man introduced himself and Olivia wondered if he was also a cop. He didn't look like one. While he was wearing usual clothes, there was no visible holster or badge peeking from under his jacket. Yet as he stopped in front of her, the man held his body ramrod straight, like a soldier would. Olivia's frown deepened and she wished her shift would be over already. It was just her luck to be here and have to deal with the police.

"Uh, how can I help you, gentlemen?" she asked, feeling proud that her voice wasn't shaking.

"Are you Olivia Ortega?" the detective asked and Olivia froze, her blood turning to ice. The last time a cop asked her name it was to tell inform her about her mother's death. She hoped to never again go through something like that and thought she wouldn't have to. The only living relative she had was Tomas and it couldn't have been about him, because Tomas was at home, safely tucked in bed, sleeping... Still, her instincts kicked in and she could finally identify the source of the nervousness that was bothering her all night.

"Is my brother alright?" This time she didn't even attempt to steady her voice. The two men exchanged a look and Olivia gripped at the desk to keep herself upright. Suddenly her legs felt like jelly and she must've paled, because the guy introducing himself as Jim quickly raised a hand.

"He's alright. Tomas is alright," he added appeasingly, though it just served to rekindle Olivia's worry, because she didn't tell him Tomas's name so how the hell did he know?

"What happened?" she asked and caught another strange look passing between the two men. She had just about enough. "Where is my brother and why the hell are you here?"

"Calm down, Ms. Ortega. Tomas is fine, although your concerns are valid. We are here because last night something happened."

"What happened? Was Tomas involved? I don't understand. Is he arrested?"

"Why don't we all sit down for a minute and we'll explain?"

"But before we get into that," detective Luke interrupted, "we'll need you to come with us. So maybe you should call someone to come and relieve you here?"

Olivia's eyes went a bit wide.

"Come with you? Where?"

Luke shook his head.

"Don't worry, just call someone. We'll explain while they arrive. It's important we leave as soon as possible."

Olivia didn't understand, but realized the fastest way to get an answer would be just to do what the cop asked. It took her five minutes of furious pleading and promises about switching shifts in the future to convince her colleague to come to work over an hour earlier. She knew it would cost her, especially as said coworker tended to use favors to their fullest, but somehow she couldn't make herself care. There was a cop wanting to talk to her about something that clearly involved her brother. Work troubles be damned.

As soon as she ended the call, she pointed towards the sitting area. She wished she had some coffee left so she could hold onto something and hide her shaking fingers, but there was no way she was going to get another cup right now. So she sat down in the plush seat facing the two men.

"What happened?" she asked resolutely and there was no broking argument. No more stalling.

"I'm not sure if you are aware of this, Miss Ortega-" Jim started but Olivia interrupted him. "Olivia, please."

"Olivia. Call me Jim then."

She nodded distractedly and he continued.

"A few weeks ago, your brother witnessed a rather violent crime."

Olivia tensed, her eyes going wide as her brain flashed back to the last few weeks, bringing forward memories of the strange way Tomas acted. All the time she thought he was just adjusting to the move, to losing Abuela and their mother and to the seizures he had and now there was someone telling her that Tomas had to deal with more?

"What... what crime?" she asked in a choked voice and felt her stomach twist, the coffee and late night snack suddenly weighing a ton.

"That's not really that important at this moment," Luke jumped in and Olivia glared at him.

"He's my brother! Of course it's important!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way," Luke apologized, though it was obvious he was just trying to get to the point while keeping her calm. Somehow that just made Olivia's worry flare.

"What did he see?" Olivia asked again, but pointed her question to Jim. The man seemed to be somehow more approachable and the way he spoke helped to calm Olivia at least a bit.

"A murder. Or several of them, to be exact." Jim didn't mess around, earning a glare from Luke, but Olivia didn't notice. She gasped, her hand going for the small golden cross hanging around her neck.

"Madre Dios," she muttered, blinking away sudden tears. It was all making so much more sense. The acting out, the depression... Tomas's outburst last night. "Maria Walters?" Olivia spoke suddenly, terrified beyond measure. Jim and Luke exchanged a startled look, which was enough of an answer.

"Did she have something to do with that?"

"Uh," Luke cleared his throat. "We can't really give you that kind of information, not in this moment. You don't need to know the details of what happened."

"The hell I don't! My brother is obviously traumatized by whatever he saw and that woman... that woman was at our house yesterday!" Olivia jumped up from her seat, suddenly not caring that her colleague hasn't arrived yet.

"My god, is Tomas in danger? We need to go. I need to see him!"

"We will take you to him Olivia, don't worry. He's safe." Jim put his hand on her shoulder and gestured towards the seat. "You need to calm down and let us explain everything, alright?"

Olivia reluctantly sat back down and waited, her hand reaching into her pocket for the phone. All she wanted was to call Tomas, to hear his voice, but by the serious looks on the two faces in front of her, she knew there was more she had to know.

"Talk."

The detective quirked an eyebrow at the command, as it was usually his line, but didn't comment.

"Last night your brother called Marcus Keane and he came to your apartment to talk to him about what he saw." Jim started, thinking that telling the truth as much as possible was the best way not to get caught up in the lies. Olivia frowned at hearing Marcus's name. So her brother went through something so traumatizing and he was more willing to talk about it to a complete stranger? And where did Marcus Keane even come into the picture? Was it before or after what Tomas saw? Every bit of information just brought up more questions and her panic rose.

"When Marcus was about to leave, he and your brother got ambushed and kidnapped."

The phone fell from Olivia's fingers, clattering on the floor. She didn't even notice, her hand went to her mouth to stifle the startled gasp.

"It's okay," Jim quickly reached out, taking her other shaking hand in his. "They're both okay now. Peter called us and we were able to locate them quickly. I won't go into details as I don't want to scare you unnecessarily. The main thing is that we managed to get them out with barely a scratch."

"Thank god," Olivia sighed, then rubbed at her face as something wet trickled down her cheek, only belatedly realizing it were tears. "Where... where is he now?" She knew she should have asked after Marcus too, and Peter as he was responsible for the rescue, but all she could think of was her little brother going through hell.

"He's with Peter and Marcus. They're on their way out of the city."

"W-what?"

There was a moment of silence during which Olivia's confusion changed into anger and fear.

"What do you mean? Why isn't he at the police station? Or a hospital? And where are Marcus and Peter taking him?!"

It was Luke who raised a placating hand this time, although he was a bit intimidated by Olivia's rage.

"That's the tricky part, Olivia. The crime that Tomas witnessed... it involved some important people with connections. Those people want him dead, as was evidenced by the kidnapping." At that, Olivia paled and wavered, but Luke continued. "Because we aren't sure about all the people involved... the safest thing right now is for Tomas to leave the city. Peter is a good friend of mine. He's ex-military, he knows how to keep Tomas safe. And you as well."

"M-me?" Olivia stuttered, her mind still stuck on the thought about Tomas having been kidnapped. "Why would I be in danger?"

"Because Tomas cares about you. Look Olivia... the people who are behind this probably don't know yet that their plan didn't work out. But as soon as they learn the truth, they'll come after you, to get to Tomas. We can't allow that. So we need to get both of you out of the city."

Well, that was making sense, though Olivia couldn't find it in her to appreciate it.

„How... how can I leave? Where would we go? I have work and school and-" She knew she was panicking, but just the idea of leaving the city she was born in, the only place she knew and that offered her at least a partial sense of security was scaring her to death. Her mind was already going through her bank account and she knew there was nothing to spare. Maybe two hundred dollars hidden under the pillow for the really dire emergency situations, but nothing that would allow her and Tomas to leave town. Olivia found it hard to breathe as panic took hold of her, so it took her a moment to realize Jim was there, pushing her back to the seat and telling her to calm down and breathe.

It was ridiculous. She was breathing, there just wasn't any air entering her lungs and oh god she and Tomas would end up homeless in some strange town and being hunted down by killers!

Suddenly there was a paper bag pushed against her face and Olivia took in a startled breath, her thoughts stopping. She stared wide eyed at Jim, who had one hand on her wrist and the other holding up the paper bag. He was showing her how to breath in and out, his gestures exaggerated but as Olivia focused on them the words coming along were becoming clearer. The dark spots on the edge of her vision vanished in few minutes and with clarity came embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I don't know... don't know what happened," she muttered finally when her breathing returned to normal. Jim just gave her an understanding smile.

"I'd wager to say it was a panic attack. Nothing surprising given the news you got. Are you feeling better now, Olivia?"

She nodded, although it was questionable. Once her body's thirst for oxygen was quenched, the nagging thoughts about future returned. Jim must've seen the fear in her eyes though, because he squeezed her wrist in an attempt to bring her back from it.

"Olivia, talk to me. What got you so scared?" he asked a bit unnecessarily, and Olivia couldn't help but roll her eyes because really. Wasn't there enough to be scared of?

"Future? I... I don't know what to do. I can't leave my job, how can I take care of Tomas?"

"Well, for starters, you won't be alone."

"What do you mean?"

Olivia felt like she was too slow on the uptake and Luke probably thought the same as he nervously looked at his watch, but at least he didn't comment.

"Marcus and Peter will help you. Due to recent events, they'll have to 'go into hiding' so to speak along with you."

"Oh." Olivia blinked, because she couldn't even imagine what it meant, truly. "I... I'm sorry," she sighed and shook her head. "I can't seem to think straight right now. I just... I just need to see Tomas."

Jim nodded and even Luke seemed relieved. Just then the door opened and all three of them jumped, startled. Olivia couldn't stop the yelp coming out of her mouth. Jim positioned himself in front of her, clearly set on protecting her with his own body and Luke already had his gun trained on the newcomer.

Which happened to be a young man, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a sandwich in the other. At the sight of the gun he froze. Everything went still for a second, until Olivia realized it wasn't some killer, just her colleague.

"Pat! Oh my god, I'm so sorry. It's okay, detective. It's just my colleague," she said hastily and the atmosphere went from deadly cold to just slightly chilly as Luke lowered the arm with the gun, though he didn't holster it yet.

"What the hell?" Pat stuttered, still unwilling to take a step closer. He actually looked ready to bolt towards the door, to hell with the job.

"It's okay, Pat. I just... need to leave now. Personal issues. Thank you for coming."

Pat nodded slowly and finally decided to move towards the counter to at least put down his food. He was still eyeing the two men with suspicion and Olivia hastily added an explanation that they're from the police, just to make sure Pat wasn't about to sound an alarm. Luke and Jim let her talk, standing a bit further away, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible. They were ready to step in if 'Pat' started giving too many questions, but Olivia seemed to have it under control. Jim was even impressed at how quickly she spun a story about her brother getting in trouble and needing to be picked up. When Pat just growled at her explanation and told her this would cost her more than just an hour of overtime and Olivia said of course, anything, Jim had to turn around to hide a smile. He knew very well that Olivia wasn't coming back, which probably meant Pat will have to work his ass off for a few days until they find someone else to fill her job.

In a few more minutes, after Olivia gave Pat a quick rundown on their guests, she grabbed her stuff and they stepped out. Luke headed out a minute earlier to 'check the perimeter'. He and Jim both came in different cars and that was also how they were planning to leave. Olivia was happy that she got to ride with Jim, as he seemed a bit more approachable. As they sat in the car and Jim started the engine, Olivia realized she had no idea where they were heading.

"Wait... where are we going?" she asked as Jim pulled out of the parking lot.

"Out of Chicago. We'll meet up with the guys at a stop rest off the highway."

"Right now? I mean, I need to pack. I can't just leave without anything!" The panic returned to Olivia's voice and Jim saw her reaching for the door instinctively, though he knew she wasn't stupid enough to try and get out of the moving car.

"Olivia, your life is in danger. We don't have time to pack," he said, even though it seemed to be a bit hypocritical. After all, both Marcus and Peter got the chance to grab the most important things.

"Is... is this just for a few days?" Olivia asked, already expecting the answer.

"I don't think so," Jim admitted with a sigh.

"In that case, I need to go home and pack a bag. I can't leave without getting my papers, documentation, what little money I have. Family photos and medicine. Please!"

"I don't think you'll be able to use your papers, Olivia. We'll have to get you new identities."

Olivia blinked, shocked by the thought, but she didn't let it deter her.

"I still need to get at least Tomas's health records. You can change the name or whatever, but please... he has health issues. I can't leave without those."

Jim clenched his teeth. He knew Tomas's health 'issues' might've been caused more by God than by an actual illness, but he didn't know the kid's history. And it was true that their lives would be turned upside down. If there was something that could ease that, they should give them the chance.

"What's your address?" he asked a bit dejectedly and Olivia gave it to him with a repeated thanks.

"Don't thank me yet. Luke will probably kill me for this. I'll give you fifteen minutes, nothing more."

"Thank you," Olivia said once again with a soft smile, already thinking about where was Tomas's spare bag, while Jim called Luke to inform him of the change of plans. As expected, Jim got an earful for taking such stupid risks, but in the end Luke relented.

They arrived to the apartment building in record time, mostly thanks to the early hour and lack of the morning traffic. If Olivia managed to stick to those fifteen minutes, Jim thought, they would get a chance to leave the city before the traffic became bad.

Per their agreement, Luke was to stay in the car and monitor the situation, while Jim and Olivia went upstairs. Jim didn't mind, though he would've felt better if he had a gun of his own instead of just the knife, but he got rid of his weapon as soon as he left the army and joined the church.

Jim also cursed at himself as soon as they entered Olivia's apartment. He knew Tomas and Marcus were kidnapped there, but he didn't expect to find the hall in disarray. Olivia's hand went to her mouth as her eyes took in the sight of fallen furniture, dirt on the carpet, but most of all the few streaks of blood leading from the hall to the door.

If she had any doubt about Jim's and Luke's story, it evaporated the moment she saw the blood. The sight of it however drove home that the kidnapping was violent and she spun towards Jim angrily.

"There's blood!" she snapped, a bit unnecessarily. "Is it... Tomas?"

Jim inclined his head.

"Could be. Both he and Marcus were knocked out and had some head wounds. But both have hard skulls and when I checked them over, they were fine."

"And how would you know? Are you a doctor?" she bit back angrily, already thinking of everything that could go wrong with a head injury, especially for someone who was already suffering from seizures.

"I was actually an army medic, so yes, I'm pretty sure," Jim answered softly, then pointed at his wristwatch. "Fifteen minutes, Olivia," he reminded her. With a huff, Olivia spun on her feet and rushed towards the bedroom.

Jim gave her five minutes to get her bearings, but when he heard no movement from the bedroom, he decided to step in. Olivia was standing in front of her bed, a mostly empty bag spread on the blanket and a lost look in her eyes.

"I... I don't even know what to pack. How... how do you leave behind everything you own?"

Jim shrugged.

"That's easy. Anything you can buy, you leave here. You take cash, family jewels, personal items that matter to you. Everything else is just garbage."

Olivia blinked then gave a nod and went for her closet. She grabbed one of each item of clothing, her comfiest running shoes and threw them into the bag. Next she took all the documentation she thought might be needed, a small photo album and two small trinkets which belonged to her mother. Then she left the bedroom and went into Tomas's room. She packed a bit more of his clothes, threw in a book or two, a photo of Abuela he had on the nightstand. She also did a quick search under the bed and mattress, unsure what she would find. No porn, just a small box, holding more trinkets that meant nothing to her but were probably important to Tomas if he was hiding them. She threw it on top of his bag, along with a 'piggy bank' with some money Tomas had stashed away then went to the living room.

"We can leave," she said, suddenly resolute and itching to be on her way, to finally see Tomas. But something wasn't right as she quickly noted. Jim was on the phone and even as he spoke, he turned off the light in the room and went towards the window, looking down at the street.

"Okay, I'll call you back in five. Let me know if he makes a move," Jim said and ended the call, his eyes not leaving the street below.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked and this time her voice shook with fear.

"Looks like we have some company."

"Oh God... I'm so sorry!" she apologized, her look going to the front door as if expecting it to burst open any second. Jim finally looked away from the window.

"No, it's not your fault. I should've known. Never mind. It's too late to assign blame. We need to figure out what to do."

"Can't... can't we just leave through the back?" she asked nervously and Jim seemed to think about it. The problem was their car was in the front, though if they haven't noticed Luke yet, he could probably pull up the car to the back.

"We could. But..."

"But what?" Olivia frowned. She could see that Jim was thinking about something different and she wasn't sure if it should make her more nervous or not.

"This is actually a good chance to buy some time for Tomas. It might just be a bit risky."

"What do you mean?" Olivia didn't like to think about anything risky. She wanted to be safe. But most of all, she wanted Tomas safe and if there was a way to help with that, she would at least give it a chance and listen.

"Luke says it's just one guy, probably one of Maria's lackeys. I doubt he will try to attack us, especially until we meet up with Tomas. He'll want to follow us to them."

"But you said we could buy them some time?"

"Yes. If we let him do just that."

"Follow us?" Olivia frowned, though she quickly realized what he meant. "You want to lead him on a wild goose chase? Head the other way?"

Even in the darkness of the room, Olivia saw the wide smile on Jim's face.

"Exactly. So, what do you say? Are you up for a little road trip?"