Hey guys, here's another chapter of Run With the Shadows. If you're wondering when I'll add new chapters, judging by how long it took to make these two chapters readable, I'll update every week or two. MadHatBalloons and Sylanc, thanks for the follows! Reviews and criticism is always welcome. I hope you guys will like the new chapter and stick around for more!

Disclaimer: Saints Row and all of it's material are owned and copyrighted by Volition. Original characters and ideas are the author's intellectual property and are not to be used without explicit permission.

"Matt, I'm home!" I stumbled in the door and to our room. Dad was passed out on the couch, pistol in his hand. The three beers I chugged were taking their toll, everything seemed light and airy. My mind kept flashing back to Angel and how good he looked

"I'm in here!" Matt called tentatively. I stepped into the room. He was hunched over his computer, typing away madly.

"What're ya doing?" I stepped up behind him and looked over his shoulder. Code was flashing in little green specks against a black screen. A window popped up, reading firewall breached in red capital letters. "Matt!" I yelled and shot my arm toward the computer.

He yanked himself away and typed even faster, muttering under his breath.

"What are you doing?" I got on the bed and slammed my hand on the top of the computer.

"It's a game!" He yelled. "It's a hacker game!"

I sighed and flopped onto my bed, "Fine, I don't have enough energy to care." I started taking off my knee-high, black boots.

He sat up and put his hands in his lap, "Sis, can I tell you something without you getting mad?"

"Did you kill someone?"

"No!"

"Did you join a gang?" I sat up to look at him face to face.

"No."

"Then shoot."

"I started one…" He shied away from me.

The news hit like a bomb. My spirits fell. He shouldn't be doing crap like that while he was still a kid. "Matt," I started.

"Look, just hear me out!" He placed his computer on his lap. "I get good money doing this, and that money can get us out of here."

I stepped to the bed where he was cowering. "Matt, I'm getting a job with The Pale Riders, you don't need to do this."

He glared, "So you're leaving me again?"

"I've looked after you since you were born, so you know I wouldn't leave you if I didn't have to," I grabbed his shoulder, "If you let me do this, I won't leave ever again."

He wavered for a long moment but then spoke softly, "Never?"

"I swear to God."

He glanced around for a moment before looking back to me, "Okay."

"Do you swear not to get in trouble in the meantime?"

"Yeah," he bowed his head and put his computer to the side.

Tiredness swept over my body, persuading me to lay on the bed and sling a blanket over myself. "Night, Matt."

It seemed like five minutes before my phone started ringing. My eyes opened to the bright light on the nightstand. "Hello?" I picked up.

"Hey," it was Mike, "you still wanna do this?"

"Yeah," I murmured and sat up. Matt was still asleep, hugging his pillow. "When are we leaving?"

"Today, our flight's in two hours."

Jesus, that was quick. "Is it your habit to give everyone such short notice?"

"Well, keep up and you won't have to worry. See you then." The line clicked off.

Matt sat up and rubbed his eyes, "So you're leaving soon?"

"Yeah, not too much time."

He dropped a little bit, "So what are we going to tell Dad?"

That would be tricky, he'd probably take his loss out on Matt, maybe even kill him. "I need to take blame away from you, so you can't be faulted for what I did," I pondered for a moment, and came up with a cover that Matt wouldn't be involved in, "I fell in love with a man there, we ran away together and will never come back. Tell him that if he interrogates you."

He nodded. "But will you for real?"

"God no, I'll probably find someone at med school, have an uneasy marriage that will be eventually torn apart, then be bitterly divorced for the rest of my life. And maybe be a cat lady, I don't know," I chirped.

He glared at me, "Wow Serena, I wish I was as optimistic like you."

"You should. Life's better if you think that way." I pulled all of my clothes out of the closet and packed them in my bag. They would last a week, two if I kept them clean. Some of my textbooks went in too, they'd be good to have if something went wrong on the job. My dog tags glinted from their spot under my old clothes. I picked them up and slipped the chain over my head. The cold metal's presence felt good, assurance that I could kick ass.

"Maybe more realistic, but not happy."

"Well, predators tend to prey on the happy, it's a shame," I pouted and walked to the closet. A few gun cases were hidden behind Matt's clothes. "Matt," I growled.

He put his hands up in defense, "I'm just holding onto them for someone."

"Sure," I yanked out a red shirt, jeans, black jacket, I'd keep the boots from last night. I peeled off my dress and threw it in Matt's face. He kept it over his eyes until I was done changing. "I'm driving."

"No, I am," Matt was in his blue shirt and jeans.

"You're fifteen, there's no way you can!"

"Do you want Dad to drive us?"

A heavy feeling settled in my chest. "Fine," I threw him the keys on the nightstand, "just don't kill us."

We walked out of our room and tiptoed past Dad's open door. He was snoring away atop the king sized bed next to a hooker he must've got last night. Mom would've had a heart attack if she saw the beer cans lining the floor, stains on every surface in the room, and used condoms piled up in the trash can.

Matt sighed, "I'm going to have to clean all that later."

"Don't worry," I whispered, "he can learn to clean his own room if his teenage son already knows how to keep house." When we reached the door, I opened it for Matt and shut it quietly.

"Yeah, I'm a regular Mary Poppins," he chuckled.

"Girls like that. Trust me Matt, once you get hot, you'll get a good woman."

"Once I get hot?" he asked, "Like I'm already not?"

"You look like a prepubescent John Lennon that walked through a Goth mosh pit."

"Thank you."

We went out the door and into our car. As Matt started the car, I looked out at the busy street. "You sure you're gonna be okay?" I asked nervously.

"I'll be fine," Matt replied calmly as he started pulling out.

"Stop!" I yelled as a car whizzed by us. "You will not be fine!"

"I will be!" Matt gunned out of our parking space and into the lane of traffic.

"I don't think your feet can reach the pedals!" Matt was leaning forward over the wheel pretty far, guaranteeing his death if we crashed.

"I'm fine!" We lurched down the street, I didn't even think you could lurch in an automatic car. We kept getting closer and closer to the opposite lane.

"You do realize we're not in England?!" I yelled and jerked the wheel so we were going straight for once.

"I know that!" He yelled and slammed on the brakes. My whole body flew forward and was stopped roughly by the seat belt.

"Why did you do that?"

"We're at a bloody stoplight, that's why!"

I looked forward and spied a red light in front of the car we'd stopped centimeters behind. "Never mind…"

He groaned and accelerated when the car ahead did. "At least I'm trying to keep distance between the other cars."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down, "You are, you are."

He snickered, "Why are you freaking out so bad?"

"I'm not freaking out," I crossed my arms and resisted the urge to grab the wheel again, "I'm just nervous."

"About what, my driving or your job?"

"Both," I said bluntly, "I'm scared I'll get hurt here or there."

"You aren't gonna get hurt, I won't let that happen."

I snorted, "You won't let that happen? Do you think you're James Bond or something?"

"No," he glanced at me, "I just won't let you get hurt." He made the car decelerate so it wouldn't go into the next lane as we turned into the airport's entrance.

My hand was shredded into the strap of the duffel bag. "Don't drive again," I growled through clenched teeth.

"I won't," he parked and got out.

I followed him inside and looked around for anyone familiar. "Crap, he didn't say where to go."

Someone grabbed my shoulder from behind. "Glad you could make it," Mike spoke.

I jumped and turned to face him. "Glad I wasn't late," I nodded towards my brother, "this is Matt."

"Oh yeah, the guy who knew me," Mike reached into his pocket and handed him an autographed picture of the Pale Riders, "Serena said you wanted an autograph."

"Thanks," Matt pocketed it and smiled, "that'll sell good on Ebay."

Mike grimaced, but regained composure. "Glad to hear it, our ride's this way." He turned and started walking into the airport.

We followed closely, trying not to get separated in the crowd. "Where's our stop?" Matt asked when we passed all of the terminals.

"Up ahead." We went through an exit and walked onto the airstrip. A plane sat on the runway.

"That's ours?" A private plane?

"Yep."

I turned to face Matt, "You gonna be alright."

He stepped up and hugged me, "Yeah."

"You sure?" You won't be hurt, was the unspoken part. I squeezed him hard.

"I'll manage, go have fun." Matt was acting like the parent instead of me, telling me to have a good time. It broke my heart.

I sighed, "Don't let Dad hit you too much."

"I won't."

I let go, "See ya."

"See ya," he nodded.

I turned and followed Mike to the plane. He was shaking his head, "Hope Dad doesn't hit you too much? Jesus, no wonder you took this job."

"Yeah, daddy issues are really motivators," I deadpanned, "I'm just worried about Matt."

"Don't worry about it." He looked to me, "I tell you what, if he calls up about your dad beating him, I'll send Eddie and Angel to kick his ass."

The thought made me grin from ear to ear, "Thanks."

We stepped up the stairs into the plane. It only had ten seats, but it had leather seats and an open bar in the back, it probably cost more then the plane I'd arrived on. Angel and Killbane were in their seats, their workout clothes were the same colors as their show outfits. Mike got into a seat in front of Killbane.

Angel reached into his hoodie pocket and held up my scarf. "You forgot this last night," a smile crossed his smooth face and reached his eyes.

"Thanks," I grabbed it and wrapped it around my neck.

The plane started up suddenly, making me jerk forward. I swung into the seat behind Angel and strapped myself in.

"Please don't get hurt right away," Angel remarked.

"I'll try."

The plane ascended for a few more minutes, until the seat belt lights on the overhead went out. Mike got up and stood between the two wrestlers. "So my boys, are we gonna win tonight?"

"Hell yeah," they both replied.

Mike looked to me, "We gonna win tonight?" The two looked back to me expectantly, they wanted me to be a part of their team.

"Hell yeah," I nodded.

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