Getting him winter gear was an expedition. He decided to go with a leather jacket and hoodie, so he ended up looking even more like a teenager and getting me even more dirty looks from people who saw us together at lunch holding hands as we waited to be seated. I kept waiting to be called a child molester any moment. I was relieved when he added the hat the odd little rock star had given him. It made him look older and made me feel a little less like a pervert. I dropped him at the tattoo studio and went to check out the department he was going to be working with and visit my contacts.

He told me it was going to take a while for him to get done, but over 7 hours later I still hadn't gotten word to pick him up, so I went back by the studio to see what the hold up was. I walked into the shop and was directed into a back room where I found him sprawled out, face down , shirt off, with two guys working on him, one putting the finishing touches on a spectacular black and grey effect phoenix that covered all the scars on his buttocks and lower back. It seemed to rise out of his lower back, with the flames wrapping up his sides. It was beautiful and looked like it would be sore as hell. The other guy was working on a monkey across his shoulders. The monkey was wearing a top hat and the tail extended down his right arm, wrapping around in an armband while the monkey held a match in a paw that led to a flame that extended down his other arm and wrapped around. It was also spectacular and a bit odd, but it was classic Jasper. He was sound assed asleep and the guys worked on him and he didn't even stir as I sat down on the chair in front of him. The adrenalin high from all the pain had probably bottomed out and left him drained. I waited while the guys finished up and wiped him down and then I warned them to get back as I grasped his shoulder and gently shook him awake. He shot straight up and almost back into the wall and would have fallen on his ass if I hadn't held onto him, but he soon realized where he was and calmed down. The artists that worked on him watched solemnly as he checked out the work and thanked them for a good job.

"Hey man, If you ever decide that you want that word gone, I can do something with it to make it less noticeable or less choppy. It would be a freebie, you just let me know."

Jasper thanked them and explained that he was keeping the scar for the time being, tipped the guys and told them he would be back for more work down the road a bit, and we headed home to dinner.

You are gonna be sore as hell tomorrow. That's a mighty big pair of tattoos you got there.

He grinned sheepishly. "I didn't intend for the monkey to be quite that big, but the guy had the idea to make it cover up the bite mark and the other words across my shoulder and it just seemed like a good idea."

Only you would have a flaming bird coming out of your ass, but hell! I know its hot, so its all good for me. That brought a roar of laughter out of him and then a wince as his jeans rubbed some of his raw hide. Why don't you strip down and I will rub some of that A&D into them so maybe I can get some loving tomorrow. "You know we got other ways of taking care of business, so why don't we get settled in for the evening and explore our options?"

With nothing else pressing for the next couple of days, we simply lounged around the house and christened every surface that was available. He was back in old form and the sex was fantastic. I was going to miss him when I returned back home, and I contemplated trying to find a way to be able to visit frequently, but I wanted what was best for him and if I was going to be sheriff down there and staying, then that was going to mean that an eventual clean break was going to have to be made so he would move on.

All to soon it was time for us to return to San Diego so he could check out of the rehab facility and pick up his truck for the drive to Portland. I had gotten GPS installed in his truck along with new tires and some other upgrades that I hoped he would like, so he would be traveling in comfort. I stayed in his room with him the last night as he packed up and got ready to walk out of the facility a totally free man. His bill was settled up and his records were being sent up to Portland to a doc who specialized in trauma cases. We loaded up his things into my truck and I drove him over to the storage lot where I had kept his truck. He smiled when he saw it, the new locking bed cover making him happy along with the new tires. It cranked right up and the gps started talking to him right way, giving explicit instructions how to reach the hotels he would want to stop at on the way to Portland as well as the final destination.

'Damn! This thing does everything but wipe my ass, doesn't it?"

Pretty close. Those hotels are just suggestions. According to Emmett and Rose they are bug free and safe, so I thought you might want to know about them. It will probably take you a good day of hard driving to get there or two days of sane driving if you go that route.

"Ill probably take the sane route. I haven't really spent much time at the beach so I am thinking I will wander over that way and drive up extra slow and maybe spend some time just wandering for a bit."

That sounds good, if you need to reach anyone, your phone works anywhere and if you need anything, just call. I will be back there working on getting things taken care of.

He smiled and I tried to lock that image in my mind. That smile. I didn't know if I would ever see it again because when he realized I wasn't coming, he was going to either hate my guts or he as going to crash and crash hard. I was hoping he would just decide to hate me.

I hugged him tightly as we stood there by his truck. You go build that life we talked about. The connections at the department are programmed into your phone and there is a file with all the details on your desk. You have your wallet and I.d.? He nodded and patted his butt pocket. " I've got a stack of cash, my credit cards and the phone charger is in my bag ready to go in the front seat."

You'll check in from time to time and let me know how the trip is going?

"You know it. Ill call you tonight once I stop at the hotel. Don't worry about me, Ill be fine."

I know you will. You just start that new life and live it. "Tell Emmett and Rose they need to come visit as soon as they can, I will be getting one of those spare rooms set up as a guest room so they can come and stay as long as they want."

Ill let them know and I am sure you will be hearing from Emmett on XBOX pretty soon. He snickered and shook his head. 'He still thinks he can beat me at COD."

We were stalling the inevitable. He didn't want to go, I didn't want him to go, but he had to. He had to start that new life and after seeing the house and the city, I knew he would be fine. I just had to nudge him the right way.

J.D., you need to hit the road. Its getting later and if we keep standing here we are both going to hit rush hour traffic.

He stepped back and nodded, rubbing the back of his neck in that way that I knew meant he was stressed. I ran my hand through his hair one last time, memorizing its feel as I pulled him to me, wrapping my other arm around his back, trying to miss the still sore tattoo. Pulling him into the embrace, I bent down and kissed him for all I was worth, lovingly and deeply and publicly, shamelessly like I wished I could have every single time.

We finally parted and he got into his truck, and I walked over and got into mine. He started his, the loud assed pipes rattling the windows of the cars around us and startling a passing tourist. I didn't have the heart to change them while I had the truck, that was so much a part of his personality that it would have been like erasing part of him.

He pulled out of the lot and headed towards the interstate onramp. I sat there watching for a minute to make sure he was actually going and then I turned on the GPS tracking device, my little security blanket letting me know he was headed in the right direction.