This song is very special to me. :) It's not meant to be taken seriously, but I love the story that it tells, and James Taylor's voice is soothing for me.

Any mistakes are mine, I'm so sleepy but I wanted to get this chapter up. This is a continuation of the previous chapter. The next two will be up in the same order.

As always, your reviews make me smile. Thanks for that :)

Part two of four

The bright country sun rose slowly, casting light over trees and warming the faces of those who slept. Hunter sat up in his bed and rubbed his tired eyes. He never set an alarm, so why was his going off? He looked at his alarm and realized that he started school today, that's why he'd set an alarm. He was actually kind of excited to meet some kids his age. At this school he wouldn't have to explain why his parents never came to school events, his Momma had promised that she would go to every single one.

Jumping out of bed, the young boy hurried to change into his clothes that he had picked out the night before. He knew that his mother did the same, and it worked for her, so he would try to be the same. He threw on a sweater just to be safe, grabbed his book bag and ran into the bathroom to brush his teeth. After a successful game of lets-not-get-toothpaste-on-a-black-sweater, Hunter ran into the kitchen to see his mother making breakfast. She hadn't heard him coming and she was singing quietly and dancing while flipping the pancakes.

Maura turned around to see her son looking very dashing for his first day of school. The sight itself made tears form in the corners of her eyes. He would finally go to a school where no one knew that his mother didn't go outside and he was the reason. She smiled at her son and turned back to the sizzling pancakes so she could wipe her eyes without him noticing. When the pancakes were browned perfectly, Maura set them lovingly on a plate, making sure that they didn't touch, just like Hunter liked. While most people ate their pancakes with syrup or jam, her son had taken a liking to honey instead. So, she set the honey next to the pan so it would warm up a bit.

Hunter smiled up at his Momma, he really could see just how much happier she was out here. It was like meeting a new person. When they'd lived in Boston, his Momma only wore black and never went outside. She would get dressed really pretty every day, and wait at the door for her husband, for him.

His father was a wretched soul. Hunter didn't like to think about him because when he did, he always wished he'd saved his Momma earlier. If he'd saved his momma before she had her accident, he might have had a sister too. Maybe…

He looked into his mother's hazel eyes and he knew that she'd caught him thinking about their old life. Her smile faltered a bit, as she asked him the question she'd been trying to hold in for a long time.

"Are you happy here Hunter? Now that we're alone out here?" He knew that his Momma really meant if he felt safe, but she was hesitant to talk about it sometimes.

"Yeah Momma, I like it here. I like how happy you are, we're free. Safe. We're safe too" Hunter shoved pancakes into his mouth to silently stop the conversation from going any further. He had no problems talking about it, but not on the first day of school.

"Almost done? I'll get the car ready, it's getting cold so we won't walk just yet. "Maura wiped her son's face with a wet cloth. As old and wise as he appeared, he did still manage to get honey all over his face.

When her son returned all ready to go, Maura felt her chest bursting with pride for them. They had conquered so much, and they were so happy right now. They walked out the front door, and Maura noticed that one of the barn doors had blown open the night previous. She'd have to remember to shut it when she came back, the weatherman had said to expect temperatures in the low 30's well into the month of October.

They got into the car, and drove towards the school in a comfortable silence. When they arrived, Maura asked if Hunter wanted to go in with him-which he quickly declined. He knew that entering a building like that with so many kids would be very hard for her after spending so much time alone.

Maura had just smiled, and kissed her son on the head. She ruffled his hair and rubbed his cheekbone with the pad of her thumb until the first bell rang. He bid her goodbye quickly and ran towards the door, he didn't want to be late on his first day of school.

Tears streamed down Maura's face, she was ashamed of herself. There was no one here to hurt her and she still had problems facing people. It's not like any of them hurt her, it was only him.

He had forbid her from seeing the sunlight, saying that it made her age. He used to lock her in the bedroom for hours on end, just for walking too quickly past a curtain, revealing the sunlight. He would cuff her to the bed, and leave her there until Hunter woke up and needed feeding. Then, he would make her breastfeed their son whenever he cried, until her chest was so red and raw that showering made her cry out in pain.

Once their son was a toddler, Maura was forced to sit in the dark with the child in the basement while he slept. She thought every single day about leaving and running away but, the last time that she had tried that, he had smashed her head against the bathtub so hard that her eyes turned red and she couldn't speak clearly for days.

She hadn't had consensual sexual intercourse in nearly five years when she discovered that she was pregnant. Hunter was four and asking a lot of questions about why she always cried in the shower, or why she sat at the door for hours, just looking outside.

A shrill honk brought Maura out of her flashbacks as she realized that she was sitting at a stop sign in front of the school. She quickly left, gripping the steering wheel extra hard with her sweaty hands. She was on edge- she never dealt with flashbacks well. They'd been gone from that place for nearly six months, and had yet to hear a peep from her husband. She's thought about filing for divorce about a hundred times, but she was scared to even contact him.

She pulled into the driveway, and realized that she didn't even remember the drive home. She noticed the barn door was open and she needed to close it. So, she got out of the car and set her keys and purse inside the front door, on the counter. She grabbed one of Hunter's jackets and walked the 10 or so yards out to the barn.

She had picked this place because of the serenity surrounding the property, and she never once used any of it. They never took walks, or played in the yard, or used the barn for anything. Maybe when it got nicer out, they could learn how to play soccer together or something. Maura wrapped the sweater around her small frame. She had put on some weight since they'd left. She couldn't have been more than 95 lbs. when they escaped. Now she had lost the gaunt, angular look that she had before. For the first time in nearly a decade, Maura Isles loved herself, truly.

She finally reached the big white barn, it had seen better days. The wind whipped her honey blonde hair all around, it was sure getting cold quickly. They might actually get snow tonight. Maura pushed the door shut and right before she closed it, she thought she heard a whimper. But, there was no one out there, so it must have just been the wind between the old rafters. Using all of her strength, Maura pushed the door shut and latched it once again. She turned around and suddenly felt very vulnerable out here all alone.

Chills ran up her spine as she took off in a sprint towards the house, something wasn't right. When she got to her porch, out of breath, she looked all around and saw that nothing had moved. Maybe she was just paranoid.

She locked her house up and double checked the locks and windows. She still felt off a little bit, she thought maybe a hot bath would do the trick. Her bathroom wasn't much, just a claw foot tub and a sink. She usually showered for the sake of time, but sometimes, a good soak could clean more than the skin.

She locked the bathroom door behind her and stripped her clothes off. She gazed at herself in the mirror for quite a bit. Her hips had widened a bit, she looked more curvy and feminine. Her ribs were no longer visible, that made her feel much more attractive. Her skin no longer hung gaunt and pale. Her breasts were still scarred from him, but that would never change. She crossed her arms over them so she didn't have to see it. Moving on, she saw that her face was fuller, happier. Her skin was pink and healthy, compared to the pale yellowed skin she'd left with. She looked alive again, and it was great. But, there were scars that no one but her could see, or feel. Maura never forgot them, or where they came from. Would they ever heal?

Maura stepped into the cold porcelain and dumped some beads into the bath. She started the water, not able to suppress the moan that escaped her lips when the warm water pooled around her sore body. She lay back against the cold white bathtub and closed her eyes. This was heaven.

After nearly a half hour, and two more warm fillings of the bath, Maura finally decided to get out. She felt so relaxed and happy, she felt free for the time being. Deciding that she needed a cup of tea, Maura wrapped her robe around herself and made her way into the kitchen. She looked out the window and smiled, it had started to snow lightly. The tiny white flakes dusted the top of the porch and everything outside. She started the kettle and saw that her son would be done with school in about an hour. She set the time and sat down on the heated porch with a book and her tea.

After 45 minutes had passed, Maura rose and stretched from her position. She needed to go pick up Hunter; hopefully he'd had a nice day at school. She filled two travel cups with hot tea and grabbed a snack. Five minutes later saw Maura walking out the door towards her car fully clothed and bundled. She'd have to be careful, she wasn't really used to driving in snow anymore.

Once inside, set set one of the cups in her holder and the other in the backseat space, along with a bag of grapes and some thin mint cookies. She knew that getting some sort of snack after school made her son feel loved and cared for. Maura backed down the driveway and drove off to the school.

She didn't have to wait long after she'd arrived to see her little man walk out of the building with a huge smile. He opened the back door and slid in, grabbing the little bags of goodies and smiling at the warm drink his Momma had packed. He always wondered how she knew things like this made him so happy.

"So, little man, how was school?" Maura asked her son, making eye contact in the rear view mirror while she sat at the stoplight. He smiled at his Momma and continued to eat his grapes.

"It went well, I met a few nice kids. We mostly just talked about what we all learned last year. Mrs. R was surprised when I knew all of my times tables up to 9! She told me I was a bright young boy." Hunter bragged, he wasn't used to being complimented like that by anyone other than his mother. So, it really meant a lot to him.

"Well, you are a bright young boy. You'll have to tell me more about her when we get home" Maura said, turning onto the road. They'd be home in ten minutes and then she would start dinner while Hunter did whatever work he had at the table.

"Thank Momma, I love you" Hunter blushed at the loving tone his mother had used towards him. He had never heard it until they had moved out here. He was used to her cracking, small voice and pleads for help. But after they'd left, he hadn't heard either one of those.

"I love you too baby boy" Maura whispered.

They pulled into the driveway and Hunter was quick to get out and run to the door, not liking the cold air and snowflakes that were dropping quickly. Maura giggled as she flipped her keys around, eventually finding her house key. They'd entered the warm house that smelled like cinnamon and vanilla.

They'd hung their coats and scarfs up while knocking their shoes against the door frame to clear the snow off them. Hunter padded to the kitchen and took out some books while his Momma went to the cupboard to start dinner. They worked in a comfortable silence, something they would never take for granted.

One their food was done, Maura started to set the table and smiled when small hands took the plates out of her hand and finished the job. Her heart warmed to know that she had the best son in the world.

She dished it out, and sat down. Her son brought her a wineglass and she filled his cup with milk. They were quite the pair, and they knew it. Once they were all settled, they ate in more silence. Tiny smiles of appreciation were traded, as were ruffled head rubs and loving glances.

Hunter finished first and asked to be excused. He was allowed to watch an hour of television per night, and his favorite show was on in fifteen minutes. Maura nodded and laughed as her normally too mature boy took off like the child he was. She cleared the table and started to fill the sink with water, she'd decided against a dishwasher out here. She and her son took turns doing dishes, although Maura still refused to let him touch the knives.

Maura glanced outside and gasped, the snow had really picked up! There was now almost two inches outside, and the darned barn door was opened again. She knew that she really should shut it before it blew off the hinges or before any critters made themselves a home inside it. Maura dried her hands on her jeans and grabbed her son's coat-it was quicker to put on and it had a hood.

"Hey Hunter, I'm going to go shut the barn door again. I'll be back in a minute, okay?" Maura called towards the living room.

"Okay Momma, be careful- it's cold outside" her son's voice resonated through the house and she smiled, he was looking out for her.

She pushed her way outside and cringed as the cold wind stung her cheeks and ears. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail she'd had it in, hoping to warm her ears a bit. She trudged the familiar path in the snow, until she reached the barn. It looked very different at night, sticking out in the dark of the night.

She stepped back to put her force into the door again when she suddenly stopped. What was that noise? Maybe it was a hurt animal, or it could just be more wind in the rafters. Maura grabbed a piece of wood from the side of the barn and used her phone's flashlight to look around the barn. There, under some hay, was a form that was shaking badly. Maybe it was seizing?

Maura approached carefully and gasped when she saw that it was a woman wearing almost nothing. She was clutching her hands to her chest and moaning, it looks like she might have a fever? Her lips were blue and her ears were so purple that Maura feared they were frostbitten.

"H-Hello? Are you awake?" Maura asked cautiously, kneeling down in front of the form. She saw dried, frozen blood on the shirt of the woman and also noticed that she was wearing badge. Was she a police officer? Maura grabbed out to touch the woman to gauge her body temperature and nearly screamed when she realized that this woman was freezing? How long had she been out here?

Maura made a quick decision and scooped up the woman in her arms. She was a thin person but Maura was still struggling to keep her balance. She forgot about the barn door as she moved step by step back towards the house. The journey that normally took a minute was nearly approaching twenty. She saw her porch light flick on and her son ran out in only his boots and his pajamas. Before she could even yell at him to put a coat on, she realized that she was wearing it.

"Hunter! Fill up my tub with some cold water okay? Hurry!" Maura directed her son, who just nodded and ran back into the house, leaving the door open for Maura and the woman who had yet to wake up.

Once Maura had gotten into her house, she tried her best to set the woman nicely down on the couch on the porch. Her arms were shaking, as were her legs, but she needed to get this woman's body temperature up soon!

Hunter came back in with a pair of his sweatpants and a hoodie, she assumed was for the woman. She smiled at his thoughtfulness and kissed him quickly on the head.

Together they carried this woman to the bathroom, and Hunter backed out once Maura had started to strip the woman out of her frozen clothes. Maura threw the clothes into the bin without thinking and set the woman's badge on the sink next to them. Once her frozen body was down to just underwear, Maura lowered her into the cool bathtub. The woman's brown eyes shot open at the change in temperature and began to whimper at the cold water which was most likely burning her skin.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe, I'm a doctor. Well, I used to be but that's beyond the point" Maura whispered, stroking the woman's dark brown waves.

"He was too. Don't hurt me" the woman whispered, coughing hard when she used her voice. She hadn't spoken in a long time, and she was in so much pain she almost blacked out again.

"I won't hurt you, I swear on it. Just sit in here until this water feels cold, okay? Once it's cold, just tell me and I'll warm it up again. You were lying in my barn, why were you out there? Are you hurt?" Maura asked quietly. She generally avoided people as much as she could and she never just let someone into her home like this. But, she just felt that this woman needed help, and Maura knew that she needed to help her.

"You're an Angel, aren't you? Am I alive or am I dead?" the woman's eyes closed as she fell asleep in the bathtub.

Maura just blushed and drained the tub. Once it was empty, she ran the water again, only a little warmer. She reached under the sink and grabbed her old medicine bag. She sifted through the tools inside until she pulled out a thermometer. It was a child type one, so it needed to be inserted into her ear, but it's all she had right now.

98.1. Whew, Maura sighed.

She was close to being back up there, she might just be okay. Maura wiped her brow with her hand and shut off the water. She let the woman sit there for a minute, eventually grabbing a cup and pouring the warm water over her head. She uncurled her hands, which were still up by her chest and gasped. There was a red, angry, infected circle on each of her hands, right in the middle.

She dunked them under the water and nearly cried when the tub turned copper. She would fix those too. Whoever this woman was, she was in bad shape. But, it had been years since Maura practiced medicine, so she was just the woman for the job.