7 years later

Chicago, Illinois

Richard Maxwell sat on the pavement and thought. The moment he met Regis Blackgaard was the moment in his life that led him down a twisted road. A twisted road that saw him breaking hearts, deceiving those who had come to trust him, hurting children and worst of all, burning down Tom Riley's barn.

Richard shuddered at the thought. He could still smell the smoke. Richard wondered how his life would've turned out if his mother hadn't died and if his father hadn't left him.

"Well, well, well." A voice suddenly brought him out of his thoughts. "If it isn't my fellow jail bird."

Richard knew that voice all too well. He looked up.

"Why hello Myron." Richard said calling the voice by it's hated name, "Fancy seeing you out of jail. I thought you be in there for at least another twenty years." Richard said sarcastically.

"Naw, not when I have unfinished business." Myron replied, "And I told you to call me Jellyfish."

Richard stood up, "Right. But seriously, how'd you get out of jail so soon?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." Jellyfish said smugly.

"You had to be in there for at least five more years unless... you escaped!" Richard exclaimed loudly.

Jellyfish cupped his hand over Richard's mouth and shoved him into an alley, where the darkness would hide them from the world.

Richard pushed Jellyfish away, "What'd you do that for?!"

"Well I don't want you shouting it out to the world? Escaped convicts want to stay escaped and I don't like the idea of being caught or," he glared at Richard, "turned in!"

"If you didn't want me to turn you in to the police then why are you here?"

"I missed my old enemy and like I said, I have some unfinished business to take care of." Jellyfish replied, "Business that involves you and how you told the police all about my laptop and the plan to destroy Whit's End."

"Oh I see, that kind of business." Richard said coolly, "the business of revenge."

"Yeah, and I'm about to take my revenge. Right. Now!" Jellyfish lunged at Richard, knocking him against the wall. Richard tackled Jellyfish and got in a few punches before Jellyfish returned those punches to Richard.

"You came all this way-" Richard was standing again, "-just to beat me up?"

"Oh no, I have a lot more planned!" Jellyfish tripped Richard and than pinned him down, "this is just instant gratification revenge."

Richard listened to Jellyfish gloat while he reached down into his pocket and pulled out his electric stunner he had gotten on sale at the Electric Palace back in Odyssey.

"Believe me, I have a lot of pain in store for you!" Jellyfish said,

"Yeah," Richard shot Jellyfish with the stunner and stood up, looking down at his unconscious enemy, "Yeah, I bet you do, Myron...I bet you do."

Now the real question was how to contact the police. Richard didn't have a cell phone because he couldn't pay phone bills and he couldn't very well drag Jellyfish to the police station. Wherever that was.

Maybe he could just leave Jellyfish in the alley while he went and called the police on a pay phone. He did have a few quarters on him. But what if Myron woke up while he was gone? There was a great possibility that could happen. What other choice did he have anyway? This seemed to be his only option so it'd have to do.

"Don't go anywhere." He said to the unconscious body laying on the pavement. "Boy that was dumb!" He said aloud, "why am I talking to myself? Maybe because you have no one else to talk to? You're the only friend you've got!" He looked down. "Even I wouldn't want to be friends with me."

Richard ran out of the alley and hurried to call the police before Myron woke up. In his rush Richard collided with a man who was walking down the sidewalk.

"I'm so sor-" Richard looked up in astonishment, "Mr. Riley?! What are you doing here?!"

"I've been looking all over for you!" Tom explained,

"Looking for me? But why? How long?" Richard flooded Tom with questions.

"Slow down!" Tom laughed. He was so glad to have finally found Richard. "I have a lot to talk to you about. But it can all wait until the car ride back to Odyssey."

"Back to Odyssey?" Richard's face fell. "I can't go back to Odyssey. No use staying in a town where you're not wanted."

"You don't really believe that do you?" Tom asked,

"Well...yeah?" Richard said, but it sounded more like a question.

"Was that a question? Or an answer."

"I-well?-you see I-" Richard was so unsure of himself, "Ugh! I don't know! I'm not sure of anything anymore!" Richard fell apart.

Tom had never seen Richard so helpless and crestfallen before. He had always been a guy who had it all together, who was always so confident and a guy who always knew what he was doing. But now he was just a lost, unloved 16 year old who pretended to be older than he actually was just to make ends meet.

"Richard Maxwell you listen to me now." Tom commanded, "You have no idea how big of a hero you are in that town! Everyone likes you, loves you!" Tom paused, "I love you." Richard looked up at him in astonishment. It was only two months ago that Tom couldn't stand to be in the same room with Richard. "I love you like you were my one of my own. I've never felt this way about someone since my son Timothy died."

"Really?" Richard asked. Was he hearing right?

"That's why I chased you all the way to Chicago." Tom continued, "Richard, I want you to come and live with me on my farm."

"Are you serious?" Richard stared in disbelief.

"Well I wouldn't have come all the way out here if I wasn't." Tom smiled. Then the unexpected happened. Richard embraced him. For so long he had been searching for happiness and so many times he thought he had found it. Now Richard knew for sure that he did.

"Wait! I almost forgot about Myron!" Richard exclaimed.

"What?" Tom said clueless.

But Richard didn't reply. Instead he just ran back down the street and then turned into the alley.

"Oh no!" Richard exclaimed just as Tom caught up with him. "He must've woken up and ran!"

"Who? Who ran? What happened?" Tom asked,

"I'll explain it all on the way to the police station!" Richard said. He remembered Jellyfish's words all too well, ' Believe me, I have a lot of pain in store for you!' These words would burn in the back of Richard's mind for eternity because of one simple thing. He never forgot.