For those who stuck around, thank you. For those new to the story, thank you too.

xXx

Molly had to be peeled off the ceiling when Dwayne stormed through the door. It was two AM and she'd been asleep with her head at a very awkward angle. Dwayne wasn't normally home until it started to get light out. Molly's face was shocked but the only emotion that could bee seen on Dwayne's face was in his eyes: fear.

He didn't mean to startle her. She was old. She could have had a heart attack. Like he'd need that right now. Dwayne just needed to move quickly and thankfully Molly stepped out of his way.

"Don't got the job no more, do you?" she asked as she absentmindedly grabbed at the cluster of clothes Dwayne was tossing on the couch and started to fold.

An answer wasn't needed. She never asked too many questions but she always understood what was going on. Molly knew about Dwayne's past and while she didn't approve of it she didn't judge him for it. Kyle was happy and healthy and everything a kid his age should be. So why would she complain?

Dwayne tried to make as little noise as he could so Kyle didn't have to wake up until he had to. But rummaging around in his tiny closet wasn't doing much good. There was a duffel bag in there somewhere. Ah! Under little sneakers and toy dinosaurs and little green Army men was the bag Dwayne was looking for. He threw a glance over his shoulder toward Kyle's bed. His son hadn't even stirred. Thank god.

The duffel wasn't big but it wasn't like they could take much with them, could they? Dwayne noticed the neatly folded piles of clothes from Molly. It gave him pause and he tried to shove them into the bag as nicely as possible. He wedged some of Kyle's toys in there and had to nearly sit on the bag to close it. That would have to do.

When Dwayne looked up, Molly was leaning on the back of the La-Z-Boy watching Dwayne work. Her eyes were so content, like this was the most normal thing in the world for her to see. It made him nervous. Why didn't she ask him more questions like a normal person would? Maybe it was for Kyle's sake. She loved him like a grandson and she was eerily empathetic at Dwayne's worst times. Like she could read his mind or something. It probably came with just being around for so long. Didn't make it any less strange, though.

Half of Dwayne's body was wedged under his bed as he groped around for a second bag he knew was somewhere in there. For a few seconds his hand was hitting nothing but dust bunnies in the darkness. No time to turn on the light. After a few more slaps his fingers found the handle and Dwayne pulled himself and the bag out from underneath the bed.

With Molly in the living room, Dwayne just shoved what he could into the bag without care. Wrinkled t-shirts were the least of his concerns right now. On his nightstand was a framed photo of him and Kyle surrounded by lots of grass. Probably in Central Park. It was a few years ago. Kyle still had the baby pudge on his face and his wispy blonde hair was still curly. And they both looked so happy. Genuinely happy. It was a time when smiles reached their eyes and Kayleen was lucid enough to work a camera. For that he moved a few shirts out of the way and tucked the frame into them, nestling it in for safety.

Hanging on the lampshade on that same nightstand was his lucky charm. Kayleen always thought it was morbid. It was a token from his family, meant to keep the evil spirits at bay. The well-worn leather strands were soft in his hands as Dwayne took it off the lamp. The tiny bird skulls clacked together as he lifted the long necklace over his head and lowered it around his neck. The couple of feathers tickled his face and the bones rested against his chest. He could feel the protection circling around him. He'd need all the help he could get tonight.

Dwayne walked back into the living room and tossed the second bag onto the couch next to the first. Clinking and clanging was coming out of the kitchen. He figured Molly was doing something. Making coffee maybe. Right now Dwayne had to get Kyle up.

He walked to his son's door and stood in the frame, his shadow towering over the sleeping boy. He thought about flicking on the light but that was cruel. Whatever was going to happen once they left the apartment was going to be bad enough. Kyle was going to need as much gentle as he could get.

Pain ground into Dwayne's knee when he kneeled and he sucked in air. The light from the hall shone in on one of those little green Army men assaulting his jeans. He flicked the little toy away, along with the innocence that came with it. It was a sign of an easier life that had to be discarded.

He brought his knee back down and leaned over Kyle, gently brushing his hair with his hand and whispering as low as he could.

"Hey, buddy." Dwayne gave Kyle's arm a gentle squeeze and eased him to roll over and face his dad. "Kyle, buddy, wake up."

Kyle gave a throaty moan and he flinched at the dull light from the hall hitting his eyes. His pale little hand reached up to rub at his eye but he didn't say anything. He just blinked at Dwayne and waited for him to explain.

"We've gotta get going, buddy, okay? We've gotta hit the road."

"Now?" Kyle growled as he pushed himself up against the headboard.

"Yeah, now." Dwayne tried to keep his face soft, his actions subdued, but all he really wanted to do was throw Kyle under his arm, the bags over his shoulder, and run. Wasted time was dead time but he didn't want to panic his son.

"Where're we going?" Kyle asked as he threw the blanket off of him and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Dwayne stood up and let Kyle make it the rest of the way.

Thing was Dwayne didn't have a plan other than getting the fuck out of New York. There wasn't any time to think about it. They just had to get far away from where they were standing.

"California." It was the first thing that came to Dwayne's mind.

"California?" Kyle asked from somewhere in his pajama top.

Dwayne grabbed the hem and pulled it the rest of the way over Kyle's head. He really wanted to tell him not to bother changing but if this would keep the calm then so be it. He held onto the pajamas, though. They were Kyle's favorite.

"That's really far away," Kyle said. "We learned in class that it's on the other side of the map."

Dwayne couldn't help but smile. "It is, buddy. It's always sunny and we can go to the beach and breathe fresh air. Nothing like it is here."

"But what about my friends?" Kyle just about had a tiny pair of jeans on.

"You'll make all new friends. You can write to the ones you have here so they don't feel left behind."

Total lie. Dwayne intended to drop New York like a bad habit when they were gone.

"You know where they live?"

Dwayne reached over to pull the shirt down over Kyle's head.

"It's in the bag, buddy."

He grabbed a denim jacket out of Kyle's closet and handed it to him but the boy just shook his head.

"I want the other one."

The leather one. The kid was leather for life since Dwayne bought him the pint-sized biker jacket. He looked like a yuppie on a hog but if that's what he wanted, that's what he'd get. Dwayne grabbed it for him and handed it over. The kid slid into it like a professional. That was a little off-putting.

"C'mon, buddy. Or we'll miss our bus."

"Wait!"

Dwayne was in the doorway when Kyle's voice jerked him to a stop. He turned around and Kyle was back on his bed, digging around in the sheets. When he turned around and walked back over to Dwayne he was holding his well-worn blankie in his hands. The thing looked ancient but it was only a few years old. It was a bunch of different colors but Kyle stuck to the rest part most of the time. He always said it smelled the best. If he didn't have that thing with him the world would have ended.

Kyle walked out ahead of Dwayne and into the hallway but Dwayne was close behind. He grabbed his own leather jacket off the couch and threw it on while Kyle ran over to Molly.

He jumped into her arms and she lifted him up as if he were a feather, giving him a bear hug like a grandmother would. Molly was a commodity that he didn't want to leave behind. She was invaluable but she would never come. Her life was here. Besides, she'd provide the cover they'd need to hide their tracks.

Two little feet hit the ground and ran back over to Dwayne. In his hand was an overstuffed plastic bag. Dwayne looked up at Molly and she smiled.

"For the road."

She walked over to him and placed a warm hand on either side of his face. Her eyes held his for a second before she brought his face down and placed her lips gently on his forehead. She was as much a mother to Dwayne as she was a grandmother to Kyle. He was going to miss her.

"Thank you," he whispered while her face was still close.

Molly just smiled again and slapped his shoulder. "Go."

Dwayne took one last good look at his support system and prayed Vic would just come after him and leave Molly alone.

Little grunts echoed over his shoulder and when he turned around Kyle was trying to pull one of the bags off the couch. He couldn't help but laugh at the effort.

"You just carry the food, okay? I got those."

Kyle let go and held tighter to the food bag. Dwayne grabbed onto the handles of both bags and flung them over his shoulder while reaching out with his free hand to Kyle. The little hand found his and they walked toward the door. Dwayne glanced one last time over his shoulder, taking in the apartment, seeing Molly's face for the final time. She wiggled her fingers in a small wave and Dwayne ducked out the door.

xXx

Of course there weren't any cabs around. Dwayne had no idea how quickly the news would travel. He didn't know if Vic had the club cased or not. He didn't know if they'd be jumped going around the corner or if they had a few hours. It was a total guessing game.

A car backfired a block away and Dwayne's head nearly flew off his neck trying to find the source. Kyle was being so good. He wasn't asking questions and he was doing his best to keep up. Dwayne tried not to walk so quickly but even the slightest scuttle in an alley made his feet bound harder.

The wait for the subway was the longest. The trains ran slower at night. Dwayne's eyes bounced from the platform on the other side of the tracks to the stairs leading to the one he was on. They were at the end. There couldn't be any surprises.

A full five minutes later the train pulled in and Dwayne was ready to tear through the car instead of letting the doors open first. The subway cars were the worst. Doors and windows everywhere but still, they were at the end. Kyle wanted to sit but Dwayne made him stand up with his back to the caboose door, just like his was. He made it a competition – whoever could stand the stillest won.

By the time they reached the Port Authority of course Kyle had won.

There were bums in all corners of the station but Dwayne just hurried both of them past and to the nearest ticket window. The furthest west the next bus was leaving for was Louisville, Kentucky. Whatever. Dwayne dropped the bags, pulled out his money and paid for the tickets. They had ten minutes.

They scurried along to the bus port, Dwayne throwing looks over his shoulder every other step. He nearly threw their bags in the luggage compartment and Kyle stomped his way up the stairs and into the bus, the food bag slapping into everything as he went.

Before making the climb himself he gave a good glance around him but didn't notice anything off kilter. On the bus were only a handful of heads, most already nodded off. He checked each seat as he passed it, making sure there wouldn't be any surprises once those doors closed.

Kyle had already made his way to the three-seater in the back, unintentionally reading Dwayne's mind. He settled himself into the seat directly in the aisle's path, a perfect line of sight to see anyone getting on. Kyle, for the moment, was busy at the window pointing things out.

According to the clock at the head of the bus they had five more minutes before they headed out of the city. Dwayne took a deep breath and kept his eyes toward the front of the bus and his ears on Kyle.

xXx

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