Not sure how many chapters I'll be writing for this. I might end up writing two or three more... Otherwise, I'll be writing this story for the next five years, like some of my ongoing stories. Enjoy this next installment of "Leaving California" Thank you to those who have left reviews! I appreciate them all.

I know I should stop believing. I know there's no retrieving. It's over now, what have you done?- What Have You Done; Within Temptation

Danny was still alive, playing ball with Tom outside. Joe was in the garage, tinkering with something he had been working on for Tom's birthday. Dylan was playing on the floor, while her and Beth sat on the couch drinking coffee and discussing motherhood.

Then the scenery changed to the moment they had invited Detective Carver over for dinner. The dining room walls seemed to be turning red with every sip of wine that Joe took that night. Time seemed to go in slow motion as she stood up from the table; neither one seemed to notice that she was studying them. The way Joe talked about how he had been fed up with being an EMT seemed to spark something inside that she hadn't noticed before. Had he been planning this all along?

"Maybe not in the way that you think." The dark glint in her husband's eyes, almost made him seem possessed as he stared at her from across the dining room table. Carver stayed seated in place, shoveling food in his mouth as if nothing were happening around him. "You know that I didn't mean to harm Danny that night."

"But you did harm him! You knew exactly what you were doing when you went to the cabin that night, and you deliberately put Danny in harm's way. You made our son believe that nothing happened when he hit his friend with the paddle—"

Slamming the palms of his hands on the table, his face screwed up in anger. "I would never intentionally harm anyone-"

Carver scooted his chair away from the table, wiping his face with his napkin."I almost forgot—who wants pie?" They both stared at him as if he had grown two heads. Of course he didn't wait for either of them to reply as he disappeared into the kitchen.

"Can you believe that guy?" Joe pointed towards the kitchen. She looked towards the direction that he was pointing, but seemed to focus more on the blood that was starting to trickle down the walls. "Remind me again why we invited him?"

"This isn't you." She placed one hand on her forehead, turning around and pacing.

"What do you mean this isn't me? Of course it's me." He looked desperately confused as he reached over and took a sip of his wine. As he did, blood would gush out from the growing crack in the wall.

"I must be dreaming because this conversation never happened between us."

He took two steps towards her; that charming smile gave her false hope. As long as she lived, she would never trust that smile again. "But darling we're having it now." She eyed her wine glass and threw it against the wall behind him. Another crack formed; blood reached the floor this time and pooled around his feet. Innocent blood. Her nice china was next as she hurled it at him like she were throwing a frisbee. Dodging it, the plate was now half embedded where the wall and ceiling came together. The wall cracked open and blood poured down the walls and surrounded him until he had completely disappeared.

This is the hardest story that I've ever told. No hope or love or glory. Happy ending's gone forevermore. -Happy Ending; Mika

Waking up with a startled cry, she tried desperately to catch her breath. Her heart continued to pound against her chest as she reminded herself that they were now in a hotel room, five hundred plus miles away. Regardless, the dream still felt real, and it caused an ache to settle in the pit of her stomach.

At five in the morning, she had grown accustomed to dragging herself out of bed, so that she could get ready for work. After Dylan had been born, she and Joe had thrown the idea back and forth about putting him in daycare, just like they had with Tom. When they couldn't decide what to do, Joe admitted that being an EMT wasn't working and he would gladly give it up to be a stay at home dad so she could go back to work. Two years later, this is what that moment lead up to.

Why? She didn't know. Maybe it was the freedom of him being home all day. Yet, he always claimed to have been doing laundry, cooking, cleaning the house or looking after the boys whenever she called to see how things were going. She had no doubt that he was doing those things, because when she came home, the house was always clean and her kids were healthy and safe.

At least she thought they had been safe—now she wasn't so sure they had been. If anything, those were the thoughts that kept her from going to sleep at night. Who was she kidding? Those were the thoughts that kept her from going back to sleep now. Instead, she blinked up at the ceiling and felt the emotional pitfall of the last couple days.

All of her dreams had become nightmares; she no longer slept soundly without him by her side. This bed wasn't hers, nor was it comfortable or soothing. Sitting up again, her body stopped swaying as she touched her bare feet to the carpet and quietly padded to the bathroom. As she looked into the mirror, her skin was paler than usual; her eyes had lost any remaining sparkle.

Her movements were slow as she reached for her towel and threw it over the curtain; stripping down to nothing, she pulled the curtain closed and let the hot water flow over her tired body. The water seemed to temporarily wash away the hurt, betrayal, isolation, sadness and many other emotions that were swirling around her at this point in time.

She took her time stepping out of the shower, wiping the condensation from the hotel mirror and wrapping the towel around her thin frame; her weight having hit its lowest point, due to skipping meals and stress reducing her lack of appetite. There were days where she only had the strength to go home and fall into bed, especially on the days both Danny and Jack had been discovered on the beach. And yet every time she had looked at that ring on her finger, she considered herself lucky that she had a family to come home to.

So what did that ring symbolize now? Broken vows? Lies? Secrets? None of it seemed right. Not that Tom had accidentally killed his best friend. Not her husband's secret coming out when he protected their son. Not that they were running away from one a wonderful home and definitely not the fact that they were so broken, they didn't know how to move on from it all.

There she waits looking for a savior; someone to save her from a dying self. Always taking ten steps back and one step forward. She's tired, but she don't stop. -She; Laura Mvula

Tom leaned against the car on the other side, leaving the door open as she buckled Dylan into his car seat. "Tom? Why don't you get settled in." She called from across the seat. "It's going to be another long drive."

"I don't understand why we can't stay here." Tom called over his shoulder.

"There you go, sweetie." Handing Dylan his dinosaur, she closed the door and carefully approached her eldest son. "You asked me earlier what was in Oregon and I told you that we were to start over."

"I know." He licked his lips nervously. "What about Uncle Owen? We kind of just left him in California."

"You're right, we did. But your Uncle Owen is a grown up has been living on his own for awhile, so we have to believe that he can take care of himself."

"Okay." He didn't seem completely convinced as he hopped into the car. She let it go for now, not having the energy to explain everything just yet.