Before he answered the phone, Pete turned to David and handed him the keys to the mustang. A feeling deep in his gut told him that it was Judy calling; He wanted to spare David hearing what would, most likely, be an unpleasant conversation.

"Why don't you wait for me in the car? I won't be long." He patted the boy on the shoulder and gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. The older man wasn't the least bit surprised to see the lad grab the keys and head towards the car. The phone was still ringing.

"Hello", Pete sent a glance heavenward in silent prayer that it wouldn't be Judy on the other end.

"Pete? Thank God. I've been calling you for the last three hours. Is David with you?" If there was one fact he was sure of, it was that he was still in his apartment three hours ago, but he refrained from pointing that out to her.

"He's waiting for me in my car. I stopped here to call you before I brought him home. He's alright." When he finished answering her, he started to count the seconds it took before she spoke. The longer the pause; the worse the response would be. Pete was up to "Six Missi" when she started in on him.

"How could you take him without my permission? Do you realize that I was about to call the police?

"But, I didn't…"

"How would that look for you when he was found in your car? I told you to stay away from him. You could get him hurt."

"Calm down!" So far, he had kept him temper, but she was nearing the limit of his patience, something that was already stretched thin with the kind of day he's been having.

"Maybe I should report this to your superiors. Child stealing is a crime." The threat caused that Scottish/Irish temper of Pete's to explode.

"Don't you dare threaten me! I haven't stolen David and you know it. If you weren't being such a hard ass about things maybe he wouldn't have to sneak out to see me. I said he was fine. Or are you going to call me a liar too?" Pete stole a look through the curtains to make sure that David was in the car and not coming back to the apartment.

"Don't you swear at me Peter Malloy. That's the kind of behavior that I want to protect my son from."

"I can assure you that David knew the word ass long before he met me. I'm pretty sure he also knows the word bitch too. Now, if you want your son home soon, then shut up so I can drive him there." He would never call a woman a bitch outright, but implying it was another matter. Pete slammed down the receiver and seriously considered pulling the phone from the wall.

He grabbed his suit jacket, shut off the lights and left the apartment; totally ignoring the phone that had started ringing again.

He slowly walked towards his car in an attempt to calm himself down some before he got inside. If possible, he didn't want to let on to the boy see how mad the phone call had made him. He needed to be calm to have the talk with David that he knew he needed to have. How do you justify cutting someone you love from your life? His heart urged him to promise David that it was only for a while, but the realistic voice in his head argued against saying anything he wasn't sure of.

Pete stopped mid-step when he got his first view of the boy in his car. David sat in the front passenger seat; there were tears in those deep blue eyes and his head slung low. The sight tore at Pete's heart and he silently cursed Judy.

"Now, let's take that ride. Are you ready for some fun?" Pete pretended not to notice when David wiped his eyes and sniffled. They needed time and some distance before he could explain things to the child. David didn't ask who was on the phone, almost as if he wanted to avoid hearing a goodbye from the man he loved like a father.

They had been riding in silence for ten minutes when David reached over to turn on the radio. Jim Croce's song "Lover's Cross" filled the car. Pete quickly changed the station. He wasn't sure if the song was God's weird sense of humor or an ironically bad omen.

Once he entered the highway, he floored it; enjoying the dizzying sense associated with a rapid increase in speed. Pete let up on the gas pedal when the car reached highway speeds. He wouldn't go over the limit, but he didn't need to. For once there weren't too many cars on the road and Pete could avoid the constant starts and stops common to California highways.

For a time, they both forgot about anything else; they simply enjoyed the ride and the company. They talked about the basketball team and the coming tournament; the guitar the youngster was trying to learn to play and the upcoming Boy Scout camping trip David would be going on. Pete shared with David stories of his boyhood in Seattle; The friends he had and the dumb things that kids do. David laughed hysterically when Pete told him how he and his cohorts had once been caught spreading fresh manure on the front porch of an unpopular teacher.

Finally, Pete turned off the highway and pulled into a park that was close to David's house. He stopped the car near a small pond and shut off the engine. As much as he didn't want to, he knew it was time for that talk, but not here in the car. With a wave towards the passenger door, he opened his own.

"Let's take a walk David. It's almost time to get you home." In actuality, he had not told Judy when he would be bringing her son back. He was running out of time though. There were other places he needed to be. Silently, the towhead joined his friend on the path around the pond. Pete spoke softly.

"Your mother was very worried about you when she called. I understand why you didn't tell her that you were coming to see me, but you can't do that again." Pete sat on one of the benches and tapped the wooden seat, indicating that he wanted David to join him.

"But….she won't let me see you. She says I can't call either." Already, he was visibly upset; a stray tear slipping down his cheek.

"I know. She told me the same thing. You do know that your mother and I are not a couple anymore, right?" While he wasn't tearing, Pete's eyes mirrored David's feelings of separation.

"Uh huh. She said you abandoned us. That you don't love us anymore, but that's not true. I know it's not." Damn that woman. He ran his fingers through his red locks, clearly upset and frustrated.

"I do love you and I care about your mother, but we want different things in life. That's why I stopped seeing her. It has nothing to do with you. Do you understand?" He wondered how much of this made sense to a ten year old.

"That's why I can't see you now. Your mother is upset that I decided to break-up with her. I think when she calms down, that she might let us see each other once in a while." Pete pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to the crying child.

"Really?" David wiped the tears from his eyes and blew his nose. When he tried to return it, Pete told him to keep it.

"I hope so. Come on back to the car and I'll drive you home." He held out a hand to the boy he once thought would be his step-son. Together, they got back in the car and drove the rest of the way in silence. When they arrived, Pete parked the car at the curb and got out. He opened the door on the other side and ushered David out. He knelt down and gave David a final hug before standing and pointing him towards the door. Pete had seen men walk into prison with more enthusiasm, but they weren't ten and due for a good scolding from their mother.

"Remember, I love you David." By now, Judy had opened the door and looked about to say something in response to that; Pete had no desire to hear anything she had to say. He got back into his car, gunned the engine and took off, heading towards the station. God protect the first man who mentioned his toe….

A/N. For copy write reasons, I didn't include the lyrics to "Lover's Cross". However, it is available on You Tube and most music sites. Listening to it might give you an idea about why I chose to have Pete break up with Judy.