First Date

These good fellows don't belong to me but I promise when I'm done to pick um up, dust um off and with a kiss on the cheek return them safely home.

"Good instincts tell us what to do long before our heads have figured it out." Michael Burke

Reviewers are the backseat drivers to my laptop, now labeled 'student driver'.

Chapter 17

Roy pushed her arms off from around his neck and stepped back from the passionate kiss until he found himself pressed up against the wall. His breathing was heavy and fast, his heart was racing, and his head spinning over what just happened. When he found his voice again he barked at her, "What the hell are you doing?"

Joanne took a step towards him, "I'm just so scared Roy. I need to know that you are here for me."

Suddenly feeling very claustrophobic he pushed past her and into the hallway for some fresh air. Knowing that Chris was right behind him and not wanting to wake him up he headed down the stairs only stopping when he finally reached the kitchen.

Joanne was hot on his trail, "Roy??"

He turned sharply to her, "I am here for you Jo when it comes to Jenny and Chris but that's it." His previous fear, anxiety and feelings of helplessness were now funneled into anger. "How dare you?!" Her look of innocence only fueled his fire as the memories of what Chris told him and Kanda that day after school. "How dare you manipulate this into what you want! We are divorced and we will never be anything more than that."

With his hands on his hips he took a deep breath, "Do you even know why Chris didn't care if you were here or not?"

She looked stunned at his choice of words, Chris not want her here? "I don't…"

He walked around the table, putting it between him and her, "Chris told me what you've been saying about Kanda." This time his voice was low and angry.

She paled slightly, "Roy, I…"

Johnny had been right. If he had found her that morning he really didn't know what would have happened. "Get one thing straight right now Joanne. I love Kanda and she is going to be a part of my life from now on. If I ever hear the kids come home and repeat one word from your mouth about her it will be the last time you see them. You will never again put them in the middle of your own petty selfish issues."

She stood frozen at his barrage of words. "Roy, I'm sorry." She then watched his own color become paler as he suddenly doubled over onto the table.

His stomach was in that vice grip again as it lurched, threatening to lose what little contents it had left. Not able to move fast enough he quickly turned and threw up on the floor.

"God Roy, what's wrong?" She rushed to the sink and grabbed a towel and ran some water over it.

He just shook his head as his shaking hands took it and wiped his face off. "Don't know. I think they are in bad trouble Jo." His eyes met hers this time with no anger but only a deep fear that told him he couldn't sit there any longer.

"I have to go find them," he said quietly.

"What? Where?"

"I don't know yet but I can't sit here." He circled the table and grabbing his jacket that was draped over one of the chairs, took out his keys, and ran to the door. His gut was screaming at him for whatever reason and all he knew was that he had to get out of the house and find them right away.

Joanne was left standing in the hallway, alone.

Memories of sand, beach and broken foot were now forefront in Kanda's mind. She was in so much pain that every step was agony but she knew she had to press on. Her hand held Jenny's as the little girl seemed to be keeping better pace than her with her bad foot. Glancing back down the beach behind them she wondered if he was hot on their trail. Johnny had hit him hard that last time but they both saw him working to get back on his feet as they ran down the hallway in a desperate attempt to escape.

The clouds continued to obscure the sky for the moment and the ocean breeze was a bit chilly. Realizing that her shirt was still undone she let go of Jenny's to put herself back together just a little bit. "Are you doing okay my little Aponi?"

The exhaustion was easily seen in her blue eyes but she smiled back and nodded, "Are we there yet?"

Kanda had to chuckle. That sentence must be a part of a child's DNA, no matter where they are or what the situation. "Not much farther sweetheart. You are being such a brave girl. You're daddy will be so proud of you."

Jenny beamed then yawned, "I'm tired."

Getting the last button done she reached down and took her hand, "Just a little bit farther alright then we will rest."

Johnny heard them talking behind them and almost told them to be quiet but he realized that the sound of the waves on the beach would drown out their conversation. His mind was focused on keeping going. His side burned, his ribs hurt and his head was pounding as hard as the crashing waves at their feet. The second gunshot had him perplexed. If Adler was shooting at them then he would have caught up to them by now. So what was he shooting at?

He had no intentions of getting the opportunity to ask him. Distance, they just needed distance from him. After what happened Johnny knew that if Adler got his hands on any of them now he would kill them all.

Roy ran out of the house, keys in hand and almost ran right into Marc.

"Is there a problem Mr. DeSoto?" Marc asked seeing how upset the man was.

"No, I have to …I just have to get out of here for a minute," Roy said now paranoid that the police officer would try and stop him.

Marc was concerned since it was the middle of the night. "I think you should go back inside and try to get some rest. You don't look in any kind of shape to drive sir."

He didn't have time for this crap, "Am I under house arrest?"

"Uh, of course not," Marc said in a surprised voice.

"Then I'm leaving. Keep an eye on them while I'm gone." Roy climbed into his car and pulled out not waiting for a response.

The officer walked over to his car and pulled out the radio, "Dispatch, I need a patch through to Detective Carter right away."

Every step was full of pain now and she stumbled, falling onto the sand.

"Uncle Johnny!" Jenny called out.

He turned and ran to her side, "Kanda we can't stop now," His voice was full of fear but in control.

"We have to rest a minute Johnny," she pleaded with him.

He knelt down next to her. It was obvious she was in pain but he knew what could happen was much worse if they were found again. Keeping his eyes scanning the beach he shouted in pain.

"OOWW!" Looking down he realized she had poked at his gunshot wound.

"Finally ready to let me look at that?" She said with a contorted and ticked off looking face.

"Its fine," he said as he pushed her hand away.

But she wasn't stopped that easily. Pushing his shirt up again she took the corner of it and wiped away some of the seeping blood. "I can see the entrance and exit sites, they are very close together. It's a shallow wound, looks like mostly flesh. You were lucky TeeTonka."

Her using his Indian name made him smile, "I always am. Haven't you learned that by now?" He shot her a crooked smile.

She leaned closer to him and moved his shirt up further to check his injured ribs. As she pressed along them he grimaced and again pushed her hand away, "Will you stop that. We don't have time for you to play doctor."

Standing up quickly she put her hands on her hips, "Now you listen to me John Roderick Gage. You are the one that is hurt here and since I AM the damn doctor you WILL let me check you out. There is no way in hell I can carry you down this beach if you decide to collapse. So sit down and shut up!"

His brown eyes got big and he sat down on the sand next to Jenny. "Big sisters," he whispered to her with a crooked smile and a wink. Jenny just grinned at him then laid her head down in his lap.

Kanda sat on the rock next to him and checked his bandage on his head which seemed to have stopped the bleeding, "Pretty nice dressing you made little brother."

"Ralph Lauren, only the best."

She then reached down and finished checking his chest, ribs then abdomen. Her hands moving with tenderness and expert care. When she stopped he looked up, "Done?"

Smiling at him, "Yes done. You're pretty beat up but doesn't look like anything major. The only thing that bothers me are those ribs, no way to know if they are broken or not for sure out here. We also need to stop the bleeding on your side and then you'll get a nice collection of stitches when we get out of here."

He looked up to see the clouds had parted some and the moon provided an amazing amount of light. Johnny looked back down the beach. They had actually come so far that he could no longer see the house and he couldn't see that anyone was following them.

Standing back up he picked up Jenny, "We need to keep moving."

Kanda just nodded in agreement and despite her highly protesting foot she began the limping gait to keep up with his pace.

Roy drove away from the ranch and headed into LA. He had no idea where he was going but it just felt good to get out of that house and away from Joanne. Guilt began to wash over him. First from the yelling, he knew that he had not handled things well at all. It wasn't often that he got truly angry at someone but if they pushed him that far then he was capable of letting loose. Then there was the kiss. Sure Joanne started it but as she pressed towards him her familiarity in the moment of crisis was almost inviting and he started to return the kiss. He shook his head knowing that she didn't mean anything to him anymore just the thought that he had betrayed the one he did love left him feeling despondant again. He only hoped his stupid actions wouldn't cause him to lose her.

The traffic was fairly light since it was the middle of the night by now and without paying any attention to where he was going he found himself on the interstate that would carry him over to the coastline. He simply drove, numb and without any sense of direction as his mind thought of his best friend, his love and his daughter.

After checking the garage and knowing they were on foot Adler went back into the house and into the bathroom to clean all that spray off his face. That damn worthless fireman had really knocked him for a loop and by the time he made it back to his feet they were gone. He had been in such a fury that he hoped the one random shot into the air would scare them into doing something even more stupid.

So they were on foot, but where? She was in a cast, he had a head wound and then the little brat would only add to slowing them down. Knowing they wouldn't get far very fast he picked up the reloaded gun and stood in the hallway debating on which direction to attempt to find them. Then a smile came across his face as he saw the trail of blood droplets leading him down the hall. He followed them out to the garage and to the car. They had tried to use it, he thought as he saw the pool of blood in the drivers seat. Continuing to follow the drops they led him to the side door. He couldn't see anything else in the dark outside but now he knew where they were and that yes he had hit the brother.

This would be a piece of cake.