Sorry about the long wait. I had been out of town last week and although I brought my computer I had really bad writers block. But then out of nowhere an idea came. It wasn't what I originally planned but I liked how it flowed. This chapter actually is kind of sad but it does kind of tie in some stuff from previous fics so I guess you have to do what you got to do.

With that I don't have much to say except enjoy the chapter

Crash is still not mine. OC's are still mine.

Chapter 2 Faces

Evening had come much sooner than Crash would have wanted it to. For the past several hours, he had sitting on the couch in Coach Tanner's living room. The boy hadn't spoken a word since he had gotten there and he really didn't have any plans to otherwise.

Elkie and Jan had joined him; but eventually they had to go home as they had family members, especially Jan's unstable parents, that would be worried about them. So Crash was alone with his gym teacher. Honestly, Crash enjoyed the silence; it was giving him to time to clear his head.

Crash remained in thought when he thought about the vision. What did he want to avoid; and more importantly, what did he want to escape from?

Crash sighed as he banged his fists against his knees.

Coach Tanner had walked into the living room.

"You all right Crash?" He asked.

"Yeah Coach; I'm just fine."

"Do you want to talk about it?" The older man, asked.

"I'm not really sure..." Crash said, mostly to himself.

"Are you in any sort of trouble?"

"I'm not sure; but judging by these memories, I probably am." Crash sighed.

The bandicoot looked over his shoulder when he noticed a picture of an older boy; but when Crash looked deeper into the photo, he recognized the same boy hanging on the wall in the coach's office.

"Hey Coach Tanner, who's this boy in the photo?" Crash asked.

Coach Tanner lowered his head.

"That's my son, Craig." He said, sadly.

"Where is he?"

"I honestly don't know."

"Why?! What happened to him?!" Crash demanded.

"Kiddo it's a long story..."

"Please... I really want to know... I think I've seen him once before."

Coach Tanner sighed deeply.

"Well as you can see, my son and I look nothing alike; actually we never really had anything in common. We had a pretty strained relationship as it was but it got even worse when my wife died."

"When did she die?" Crash asked.

"About five years ago."

"I'm sorry." Crash said.

"Don't be; it wasn't your fault. Anyway, after she died, Craig became very rebellious; he would disappear for long periods of time that he would be in and out of the house without me even realizing it. It's pretty fair to say that he was blaming me for his mother's death. I know watching his mother dying was hurting him."

"How did she die?"

"Well my wife had sprained her ankle when she was practicing yoga and had gone to get an X-Ray. However they had found something and had to run more tests. When they got the results back, they discovered a rare but fatal illness that could be cured, if found earlier enough; when they discovered it on my wife, she was in the final stages and was beyond treatment, and all we could do was watch. It didn't even take 3 months for her body to completely shut down. Afterwards, Craig refused to say anything to me and did so many things just to spite me, at least I believe it was out of spite. I'm surprised I managed to keep Craig out of jail, then again he was rebellious even when his mother was alive."

"So what happened to him?"

"About 3 or 4 years ago, Craig and I got into a huge fight, I don't even remember what the fight was about, something stupid I'm sure. But Craig had stormed out. I didn't go after him and I regret that; if I had gone after him, then none of this would have happened. But I blew it off letting him go; letting go to cool himself down." The older man felt tears stream down his face. Crash felt himself crying too.

"So what was the result?" Although the bandicoot he had a feeling he already knew.

"About 3 hours later, I got a phone call from the please saying that Craig had been hit by bus and was taken to the emergency room. I got there is fast as I could and I only was able to see him through the window, there was so much blood; the doctors were even amazed that he wasn't dead yet. They gave him very little hope; even if he had survived, he would have had severe spinal trauma and would have been paralyzed from the neck down. But that wasn't the worst of this story, no it was even worse than having to watch my own child die! I was going to stay at that hospital until my son was gone! I was not going to abandon him! But then what happens?! In the middle of the night a doctor comes to you and tells you your son is missing, hospital bed and all! Some sick bastard took my son and I couldn't do a thing to stop it! I don't even know if Craig's alive or dead! But is it wrong to think that he is dead so he doesn't have to suffer anymore?! Am I a horrible father for feeling this way?!" Coach Tanner sobbed.

"No... You aren't a bad father; you loved your son very much, and you would've done anything for him. I'm sure Craig knows that and I know he loved you too." Crash said, trying to smile, however a another cold feeling seemed to spread around him.

Coach Tanner got up from the coach. "Crash would you be angry if I asked you to leave? I want to be alone."

Crash wasn't angry at all. "No Coach not all, I might have overstayed my welcome anyway."

"Of course not Crash; you're always welcome in my home. You're a kind boy Crash; there are not many people like you out there."

Crash walked toward the door.

"Good night, Coach." He said.

"Good night, Crash."

Crash walked into the darkened streets; he relayed everything that Coach Tanner had told him about his son. He then remembered when he first saw Craig's picture in the office and he had recalled that the older boy seemed really familiar.

That's when he another flashback come to his mind; he was floating in some sort of electric tunnel; strapped to a jet pack. From the shadows, Craig had appeared; only his lower face was hidden by a mask and instead of sharp blue eyes like in the photos, they were in impure blood red.

"What do you want?!" Crash had demanded.

"I have promised that I would make sure you would not go any farther." The boy said in a deep but soft spoken voice, much different from his father's rough voice and thick Brooklyn accent.

"But I have to get past or the world will be destroyed!" Crash demanded.

Craig held something in his hand.

"If went to move on, you'll to get past me!" He charged towards him as the vision faded away.

"Craig was trying to hurt me; he promised he wouldn't let me go any farther. Who did he promise that to and why? His father said he received spinal trauma from the accident and was going to die. So how was he up and around as if nothing ever happened?" Crash shook his head roughly when he thought he heard a sound behind him.

"Whose there?!" Crash demanded.

Nothing but silent darkness surrounded him. However Crash was not satisfied; he knew someone was following him, they just weren't dumb enough to expose themselves.

"I know you're following me, whoever you are, but I know you won't attack me; it's too crowded and you know you'll get caught, you're nothing but a coward." Crash stated, boldly.

Again whoever was stalking him, didn't answer.

"I'm going to go now; I know you aren't going to show yourself, not yet at least. But when you do, I'll be ready." Crash walked towards the subway to go back downtown. In the shadows, a tall pale figure was standing on the roof of the building, his face covered by a mask and his blood red eyes seemed to glow in the night.

"So Crash, this is where you've been hiding. It doesn't matter now that I know where you are; all that matters is Dr. Cortex will be pleased by this update. I have to return to tell him the news."

The figure laughed as he jumped from the roof as he landed gracefully on the ground taking off into the darkness.

OMG Crash has regained another piece of the missing puzzle in his memory. It seems like in each chapter he gains a little something back and I like that sequence in a way. Also it's more than obvious that the figure was Craig let's not try to mystify it and that he knows where Crash is. So some serious shit is coming soon. Until then Read Review or PM DUECES!