Dean's POV

"You better run you little bastard!"

I threw back my head and laughed, spinning for a second and running backwards to flip him the bird. I half tripped and faced forward again, unfazed. This was just right. My blood hummed in my veins as adrenaline crackled like electricity down my spine and through my nerves. I was alive. This was the conformation I routinely needed.

A scream cut through the air and I did trip this time, horror making me lose focus. Franks! She shrieked again and I could hear the panic in her tone. I got up and ran full tilt towards the noise.

Stupid stupid. Come to a mall on her second try at shoplifting? What were you thinking? Franks being Franks, when we'd run out of the store she'd outstripped me in seconds and had sped around the corner before I was five steps out the door. She must have run into someone.

I rounded the corner and my eyes immediately found her. A mall cop had her by the back of the shirt and was holding her off the ground with a disgusted look on his face. Franky kicked at the air and her cheeks were starting to blotch as her distress grew. "Let go of me!" She hollered.

"Settle down you rascal," the cop said sternly and he gave Franky a shake.

Seeing red I sprinted forward, ramming my head into his side. He let out a startled grunt and dropped Franky, who landed on her knees with an audible thump. I shook my head to clear it and rocketed to Franky's side, hand extended. Automatically she grabbed it and I yanked her up, lifting her off her feet for an instant before she landed and fell in stride. Soon she was the one in front of me, tugging me to go faster. Mall cops swarmed but we dodged each one in turn and slammed into the front doors with all our weight, falling out into the street and still running.

We kept running for almost half an hour, never breaking stride, still holding hands. I could have kept running forever. Suddenly I felt free, as if nothing could touch us. We were moving too fast.

But suddenly Franky halted, stopped dead in her tracks, and I collided with her and we fell to the ground in a heap. I got off her quickly and crawled a foot away. "What was that Franks?" Why did you stop us from running away?

Franky gave me one of her tired looks, face serious and pinched unhappily. "We had to stop sometime." She'd known exactly what I was thinking. That way that she always did. She stood up and reached a hand down to help me up. "Pirate ship?" Our safe haven. A place between where we were stuck and freedom.

"No Franks. Not today."

Her face cracked slightly behind the blank look and she half turned away. "Right. I'm gonna go. See you tomorrow." She walked away.

I watched her go and almost started to follow, but my stubborn nature made me stay put. When she was out of sight I turned and started to run again.

Wind pulled my curls out of my face and the beat of my feet against pavement felt good. I closed my eyes and kept going, not caring if I collided with anything.

I could keep running. I could keep going right now. Without her.

But I never would.

Finally I hit something, a fire hydrant in my path, and I fell to the ground, hands scraping against the cement. I opened my eyes a sliver and took in the raw red of my palms. I laughed and jabbed a finger into one of my palms.

It felt almost as good as the running.