Washington D.C., Washington, Marsden Household, 2019

Charles surreptitiously flicked open a small section of wooden blind and peeked down to his front lawn sprawling with news reporters and camera equipment.

He could just make out his press secretary taking questions at the makeshift podium.

The media event played live on the large screen television in his home theatre. His campaign staff sat around the table in silence; tapping pens, writing notes. But all paying careful attention to what was being said.

"Again..." Marsden's press secretary told the assembled reporters. "The senator categorically denies that he was ever involved with any such biological studies."

Charles cringed. He hated these damage-control type situations. It always seemed the more he denied, the more guilty he looked.

Marsh had been very careful about the level of information he'd shared with the press. Any suggestion Charles might make that Marsh was involved in this situation, could not be proved without drawing even more attention in the senator's direction.

That left Charles with no option but to lamely deny any involvement; and chalk the allegations up to feeble attempts by his opponents to destroy his race to the White House.

"If anybody needs me, I'll be in my office," Charles muttered, feeling all eyes on the back of his head as he exited the room. His head pounded.

He sat heavily in his large leather chair, closing his eyes and rubbing at his temples. A pair of soft hands massaged deeply into his shoulders and he sighed into them.

"This is bad, isn't it?" his wife asked.

Charles swiveled round and pulled Maria down on his lap. She curled her hands around his neck and smiled softly.

"Nah," he told her. "So long as we can keep the actual documentation from getting out, we should be okay."

Maria thoughtfully twisted a few of his remaining grey curls between her fingers. "Was it Marsh?"

He nodded, rubbing at the small of her back. "Has to be… I guess being this close to capturing Snyder and Mayer means he's getting ready to protect his position. If he wants, he can destroy me without any harm to himself."

She placed her forehead against his. "So no matter what, Marsh will always have this hold over you…"

Charles was no fool. When he first met his wife, he recognized in her the same burning ambition he himself embodied. Their marriage was one of mutual support to reach the pinnacle of power. She saw in him the drive needed to achieve that goal. She married him primarily for that reason. The fact she'd grown fond of him over the years didn't mean her aims had altered. She was his wife for one reason and one reason only.

Even the three children they'd so carefully planned and raised were merely ornaments to facilitate the perfect family life expected of a US Presidential candidate.

He grabbed both Maria's manicured hands and placed a chaste kiss upon the back of her fingers. "You sound defeated, Love! You should know by now I'm no loser! I'm going to have to find another way to bring Marsh down."

"Yes," she replied. "But nobody can know it was you."

"Don't you worry about that," he replied with a wink. "I'll think of something."

…

Rio Grande Forest, Colorado, 2019

"I can't see my friends again, Dad? Not even Max and Shane?"

Noah shaded his eyes, looking out over the gushing river. "They're gone now, Leo. That whole life… it's gone. I'm sorry."

Leo nodded, intent on the fly between his fingers; two tiny yellow tail feathers lying flat over a down feather, perfectly emulating the spread of a beetle's wing.

Luke sat back in the shade of a Pine tree, watching his two men quietly interact; trying to catch lunch. If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine they were away on one of their fishing trips, something they often did together.

"I was just starting to get Sally Green to like me," Leo revealed, shaking his head.

Luke opened his eyes quickly, worried that Leo was getting upset again. But to his relief, Leo was grinning cheekily.

"What happened to Claire?" Noah asked.

"Oh… she was already my sorta girlfriend. I like to keep my options open, ya know?"

Luke scoffed.

Little Flirt!

The surface of the pool they'd chosen to fish was restless; the water busy. Dozens of tiny ripples spread and overlapped, rings of light multiplying and breaking in endless plethora.

Luke watched Noah thread his line through the metal guides and tie a fly to the end with his usual carefulness. He stepped forward until ankle deep in the water; drew back his arm; and rocked his wrist back and forth. He fed out more line with each circle of his forearm, until snap! Noah sent the line sailing out in a great loop, the fly bobbing gently atop the water's surface.

He casts his line with the same perfection he makes love…

As Leo followed Noah's example, Luke nibbled contemplatively on the corner of one thumb nail; drinking in the line of Noah's body, from his long legs, to his strong chest and up until…

Busted!

Noah was grinning right at him, head tilted slightly to one side; one eyebrow lifted in that mocking manner of his.

Luke pursed his lips to hide a laugh. He shrugged, smirking back. "What?"

"Like what you see?"

"I do as it happens…" Luke teased back.

"Oh brother!" Leo wrinkled his nose. "Key it down folks, okay?"

The two men smiled softly at each other, until Noah's smile faded suddenly, his expression changing. His gaze flittered between Luke and his son; eventually settling on Leo; watching the boy as he patiently waited for the fish to bite.

Finally, he glanced back up the bank toward the cabin.

"What is it?" Luke asked, sensing something profound happening within the other man.

There was fear in the other man's eyes. But more than that… a sudden and deep determination.

"You were right," he whispered, staring down at the swirls of water between his hip waders.

"About what?"

Noah looked back up and licked his lips. He turned sharply and reeled in his line.

A concerned Leo looked over at Noah. "What is it, Dad?"

"We can't do this." Noah shook his head.

"What?" Leo asked, looking with confusion back out at the river. "Fish?"

"I didn't want to listen to you, Luke…" Noah continued. "But only… only because… I'm so scared of losing you guys… and…"

"What do you want to do?" Luke asked, getting to his feet; brushing sand from the back of his jeans.

Noah stepped out of the river, carefully laying his poll flat on the ground. He took a deep breath, scanning the tree line.

Luke could almost hear him thinking.

"What we should have done from the start," he finally replied. "Find the evidence! Clear our names!"

"Hell yes!" Leo whooped, punching the air.

Luke shook his head at Leo, silently asking him not to get too excited. "Noah, we went over this with Damian."

"Dammit, Luke!" Noah exclaimed. "Damian rescued us because you're his son. But that's it! He wantedus to disappear! It was better for him that way…"

They stood in silence, drinking in the possibilities.

"We were just kids, Luke," Noah continued. "We were two scared kids, who did what we were told because we couldn't imagine there being another option…"

"So… you wanna… what?" Luke asked warily.

"I wanna find Damian," Noah replied. "Get him to help us."

"No."

"No?"

"It's crazy, Noah! If we stay here we're safe… we're together… if we leave then… then we're…"

"We're free, Luke," Noah finished, moving forward to grip both the blonde's arms in his hands. "For the first time in years, we can actually take back some control in all of this! We can fight!"

Luke's heart pummeled in his chest at the thought; the risk of being separated from these two people, who were his whole life.

"Come on, Baby!" Noah encouraged, indicating around them. "Anything's gotta be better than this?"

"It's too dangerous for Leo."

"No it's not!" Leo protested. "I wanna fight too!"

Noah ruffled the back of Leo's head, proudly smiling at him.

Luke couldn't help but smile at the picture the two of them created. He was scared, terrified if he were truthful. Still, they had to try. And maybe, just maybe, there was a chance they could dig themselves out of the deep dark hole they'd found themselves thrown in... like somebody's forgotten trash.

They packed up the fishing gear and made their way back up to the cabin, where they sat for over an hour on the grass discussing the logistics of a new plan of action.

Then, throwing all caution to the wind, they scrambled into the van and headed back to civilization.