Lee was waiting in her driveway for Johnny to pick her up. "Are you sure about this?" Her dad was waiting with her.

"Yes, dad. It's my fault Miguel ran away. I knew something was wrong but I ignored it because I was focusing on myself. I should have asked more questions when he asked about mom. I can talk Miguel into going home." If there was one thing she was good at was talking sense into her dumbass friends.

"Alright, but be careful. Don't drink the piped water, you'll get sick. Your body is not used to it." He hugs her when the van pulls up. "You better take care of my girl." He looks into the driver's seat.

"Of course." He nods. "I'll take care of her like my own."

Robby had to bite his tongue to stop from saying that didn't mean anything. She got into the backseat. He pulled out of the driveway. "Why is he here?" She nods to the passenger seat.

"Look, I want all of you to get along. We're going to start easy with Robby and you. There is no bad blood between you two." He looks at her in the rearview mirror.

She tilts her head while meeting his eyes. "So, we're going on the road trip just so she and I can bond?" Robby tilts his head too.

"Us too, we'll be driving for hours, and that'll force us to talk. We get an adventure that we can tell to friends, future kids, and grandkids." He was going to make this trip fun for Robby while finding Miguel.

Lee shook her head at Johnny lying to Robby about what they were doing. "Driving to Mexico seems extreme. Why don't we go to a theme park or something?" He asks.

"Because Mexico has beautiful beaches and babes." He stopped at a light.

"We have that here." He looks out the window at the girls jogging by in sports bras and spandex shorts.

"Hey, Lee." A girl noticed her in the van.

"Hey, Natasha." She leaned forward to wave through the passenger window since the side didn't go down.

"So, is this why you don't call me anymore?" She looks at Robby.

"What? No? I mean… I ummm… I thought I explained it." She stumbles.

"Nope, must have been another girl." She scoffs.

"What? No…" She was sure she did.

"I'm just joking. You did." She laughed. "We're cool. We were only friends with benefits. Call me and we can hang out."

"I will." She yelled out the window when Johnny went on the green light.

"So who was that?" He asked.

"A girl I met through Moon. It was while Eli and I were broken up." She explains.

"You told me you weren't dating anyone." His jaw dropped.

"It wasn't dating. We hooked up." She shrugged. "It wasn't anything deep. Outside the bedroom, I don't know much about her other than what she likes to drink and where she goes to yoga."

"Were there others?" He asked.

"A few girls." She shrugged. At the time she wasn't ready for a relationship. When it came to hooking up, she felt safer with women than she did with men.

"And I thought I only had lonely virgins in my dojo." Johnny felt smug that one of his students had some game.

"It's not like I meant for it to happen. But, offers came rolling in when I broke up with Eli. Girls wanted me to do for them what I did for Moon." Moon had plenty of friends in their school and the neighboring schools because of cheerleading. All of them had a lot of questions about her relationship with Lee and Eli. After she got rid of her intimidating boyfriend, the curious girls slid into her DMs. None of them were ready to take the step of being in a public relationship with a girl."They were all on the down low, so I wasn't going to go around talking about them when I couldn't say names. It would sound like I was making them up. Not that I would if I could. It's just trashing to brag about a girl who slept with you."

"You must have a certain charm that they want to be friends with you." Robby had heard of Moon and her from Sam who didn't understand the three-way relationship and would complain that her friend could do better.

"The gay world is different from the straight world. It feels smaller because you're not sure who is or isn't. You want to explore but you want to be safe. So, you'll hook up or even date someone and be their friend when it doesn't work out because you want someone to call that knows what you're going through when you get confronted by an ignorant relative or any gay struggle." She tried to explain the different community to the two straight white men.

"I guess that makes sense." Robby nods.

"Were they all that hot?" Johnny smirks. "Show us some pictures on Instagram."

"They're all minors, so maybe you shouldn't be so excited to see them." She grimaces.

"Yeah, I agree. You're coming off as a creep." His son nods.

"Oh come on." He groans.

"Let's stop to get some snacks for the road." She looks at the 7 eleven coming up.

"Alright." They got out to get their favorite snacks. Lee grabbed a few green teas and a bag of sour gummy worms. She went to grab a bag of barbecue chips to see Robby's hand on it.

"We can share." He shrugs.

"Okay." She got a sandwich as he did. They meet Johnny in the front who paid for it. Robby joined her in the back seat so they could share the chips.

"So, what do these girls look like?" He took a bite of the sandwich. She rolled her eyes but took out her phone to find their Instagrams to show him. Johnny smiles at hearing them laugh together as they share funny dating stories.


Robby and Lee were sitting in the open van, waiting for Johnny to come out from a convenience store. "Got us some choice supplies for the next leg of our road trip." He came out with sunglasses that had a price tag hanging between the eyes. "I got some Mexican Cokes." He pulled out a case of bottled cokes.

"I think they're just cokes." Robby snickers.

"Mexican candy." He pulled out a bag that had a bull on them. "Chicharron." He showed them the bag of pork skins. "I got you a little something to say welcome to Mexico." He pulled out two bobbleheads of a chihuahua wearing a large sombrero. "Don't tell me it's offensive. We bought it in Mexico. It was their idea."

"So cute." Lee snatched one from his hand to look at the cute doggy up close. Robby took the toy and put it on the seat.

"Gift number two." He pulled out a shirt. Robby opened it to see it was a blue long-sleeve shirt that said FBI on it. He looks at his dad confused. "Turn it around." He did so to see it said female body inspector on it with an outline of a babe above it. "Isn't that great? I got one for you and me too." He threw one at Lee.

"Thank you." She put it on her lap.

"What are we doing here? Don't say it's family bonding time. We could have done that 500 miles ago." Robby knew something was up.

"This is a bonding thing but there is something we have to take care of first." He took off the sunglasses. "She'll explain in the car." He nods to Lee. She perks her head up from cooing at the toy dog to look at Johnny with wide eyes.

After they were back on the road, Lee explained the situation. "I messed up big time. I was too caught up in my own drama with Piper to notice something was wrong with Miguel. I did notice something was wrong but I didn't do my normal prying which is even worse."

"Miguel, what does he have to do with us being here?" Robby wanted her to get on with it.

"I'm explaining…" She huffed at him for interrupting. "Anyways, Miguel asked me a question about my mom. I answered honestly."

"Very wrong." Johnny scolds.

"But, I didn't know he was going to run off to try and find his dad. I didn't know his dad was the dangerous leader of a crime organization and didn't know about him. Now, we have to find him before he finds his dad." She concluded why they were there.

"You've got to be kidding me." Robby glares at his dad.

"You have every right to be upset." Johnny knew that he and Miguel didn't get along.

"How could you take me to Mexico and not mention we were coming to get Miguel? Come on Robby, let's go to Mexico and come back with some stories." He shook his head while looking out the window. He felt like an idiot for believing his dad was putting him first.

"I wasn't bullshitting you. I want to fix our relationship. But, when I heard Miguel was in trouble I had to do something. I couldn't leave you at home. I'm done doing that. Besides, I need your help finding Miguel." Johnny wanted to spend the summer with him and he was going to do that.

"My help, do you have a plan?" Robby wondered how much wandering they were going to have to do.

"Yeah, of course, I do. Miguel is looking for Hector Salazar. I know where the kid gets off the bus, that's our first stop." Johnny nods with confidence.

"When we get there what do you plan on doing?" Robby knew his dad was impulsive and didn't do anything with a full plan.

"I'm going to ask around if anyone saw Miguel." He told him.

"That's the big plan." His jaw dropped.

"Of course not!" He scoffs. "We come up dry, I'll check the Mexican phone book."

"What? You told me you got good information from Ms. Diaz. You got nothing. I'm texting his grandma right now. See if she can get an update from her family who lives here." She took out her phone.

"Oh my god, you drove me a thousand miles to check a phone book." He gasps. "We might as well put Miguel's face on a milk carton."

"They still do that?" He asks.

"I could be at home with Tory right now. Come with you as a mistake." He clenched his jaw.

"I'm sorry, okay. I think this trip would help you get along with Miguel and Lee better." He wanted them to have a well-blended family.

"I get along with Lee fine. Why do I have to get along with Miguel?" He sighs.

"Because he's dating Miguel's mom," Lee answered. He looks at his dad in surprise that he was doing all this for a woman. He never saw the man think outside of himself.

"When we get to the bus station, if you want to buy a ticket home then you can. I don't want you to go home but…" Johnny sighs while looking at him.

"Dad, watch out," Robby screams. Lee looked up to see they were heading toward a truck that had a lot of bananas in the back.

"Shit!" Johnny had to serve and drove them into a ditch. They got out to see they had a flat tire. He pops open the trunk."Where did LaRusso hide the lug wrench?" He pushed around the dirty clothes.

Robby pops up a side compartment to take out the tool. "I used to live here, remember?" He held it out to him.

"Of course, I remember." He took it from him to walk around the van.

"How did you get this car anyways?" He looks at the spray-painted eagle on the side.

"I went looking for you. After you went missing me and LaRusso tried to find you. We found this hunk of junk instead. We found some pissant driving it instead of you. We chased him to a chop shop. Ended up fighting the douchebags that stole it." He bent down to change the tire.

"I had no idea." He leaned against the van.

"I know I haven't been there for you, Robby, more times than I can count. But I've also failed Miguel. Hell, I'm the reason he ran off in the first place." He stood up. "I'm out here trying to fix my mistake so I don't have to live with regret. If you're serious about making things right then you can start by helping Miguel. I know you have your fair share of regrets when it comes to him. I'm going to call Carmen. I'll be right back. Finish this off." He hands the tool to Robby to walk away to talk to her.

Robby bent down but watched his dad who was promising to find Miguel. "He is serious about making changes." His dad promised to change many times but that was when he was drunk or hungover regretting his headache.

"Johnny, of course, but he's clueless on how to do it." She nods.

Johnny hung up his phone when Lee got a call. "Oh my god, oh my god, it's Miguel."

"Give me the phone." Johnny reached for it but Lee ran away.

"He called me, not you." She answered the phone. "Miguel, what the hell, man?"

"I know. I know." He laughed at her reaction. "I need to do this. You know more than anyone that I need this."

"I didn't know he was dangerous when I gave you my advice." She put a hand on her hip.

"Is that what my mom told you?" He watches a man, whom he believes to be his dad, with a woman and a small child.

"Yes, so drop your pin and I'll come to get you with Sensei." She ordered.

"Are you and Sensei in Mexico… if so, you can turn around. I'm watching him right now and I think he's changed." He watches him buy a treat for his family.

"What do you mean you're watching him?" She looks at Johnny who had wide eyes like hers at the news.

"As I said, I'm watching him. He has another family. He seems caring and kind. Everyone around knows and likes him." He explained his observation to her.

"Okay? We won't take you back. I want to be there for you in case things go bad. I don't want you to end up like me heartbroken in a foreign country stuck with… oh my god you wouldn't be stuck with him because he might not take you in. What are you going to do if he doesn't? Where are you going to sleep?" She gasps when she realizes it was worse than she thought.

"I can sleep on a park bench." He shrugged.

"I'm sorry… what? Miguel, you don't have to be alone. We won't go with you to meet him. We'll stay at the hotel but I have to tell you something." She took a deep breath when Johnny took the phone from her.

"Miguel, stop fooling around and come home. We're all worried sick. Your dad is a bad dude. I don't want to see you hurt." He couldn't let Miguel interact with this guy.

"You don't have a perfect track record either. But, you're getting a second chance with Robby. I deserve one with my dad." He hangs up the phone.

"He hung up on me." Johnny stared at the phone in shock.

"I can't believe you did. He was going to drop his pin." She snatched her phone from him.

"What the hell is a pin?" He tilts his head.

"Oh my god, I don't have time for your naivety about the modern world. I need you to not be a dumbass hothead." She tried to call Miguel for it to say that this phone is no longer taking calls. "He blocked my number. You don't talk to me until we get to the bus station." She pointed at Johnny before getting in the van. She looks on all her socials to see he blocks her on there too.


Johnny was talking to someone about catching a bus back to California. "Alright, the next bus leaves in a few hours. This will buy your ticket, some drinks, and a snack." He hands him some money.

"Where are you going?" Robby asked when Johnny was about to walk off.

"Ticket guy thinks he saw Miguel talking to these surfers. I'm going to ask around. I'm sorry I dragged you into this Robby." He walks up to the surfers.

Robby went to sit in the van with Lee until his bus came. "What are you doing?" He watches the girl on her phone.

"I'm sending Miguel some money so he can stay at a hotel if he needs to." She sent it on .

"That's a lot of money." He looks down at the phone.

"I don't want him to be out of options." She ran her hand through her hair.

"I don't think I've seen a friend as loyal as you." He didn't know a friend that would travel to another country to save his ass.

"You've been hanging out with the wrong people." She blew some hair out of her face.

"That's true…. Oh, shit." He looked at his dad who had a guy's arm bent back.

"He finds a fight everywhere he goes." She was unamused.

"Stay in the van, roll up the windows, lock the doors." He ran off to help his dad when the surfers surrounded him. Lee did what he told her to and hoped the fight ended fast because the car was hot. Lucky for her, it did end quickly. After her two companions knocked out all the surfers, she jumped out of the van. She got three colas out of the cooler.

They sat on the beach and drank the soda while putting it against their skin to cool off. "This trip has been a disaster since the beginning. You're right. It was a mistake to bring you here." He put his kids in danger by doing this.

"No, it wasn't, okay some of it was." He admits. "Technically, you kidnap and take a minor across the border. But, we already got one good story out of it."

"Yeah, we did." He nods. "Are you still mad at me?" He looks back at Lee.

"Yes, but we're still going to find Miguel so it's okay." She sighs.

"Your bus will be here soon and you should go, both of you should. This is my mess to clean up" He drank from the bottle.

"You're right, but I'm going to stay." He said getting a surprised look from Johnny and Lee. "You're trying to make things right and I want to help you. At least now we know where we're going, X marks the spot, right?" He held up the map they got off the surfers. It was the direction he gave to Miguel.

"Alright." They cheer for that.


They decided to drive through the night. Johnny took the first shift while the teens slept. Now, Robby was driving while Johnny slept in the back and Lee was in the passenger seat. "So, you said you gave Miguel bad advice." He wanted to know what was going on since he was going to stay.

"He asked me if I would ever talk to my mom about her leaving. I told him that I did. It didn't go well but I was able to grow from it. I wouldn't have been able to get over that empty worthless feeling if I didn't." She looks out the window watching the darkness speed by.

"Your mom left you?" He thought this whole time she was living a perfect life.

"When I was one month old, she took off to Paris. She got a job at a hotel there. Since then she has been traveling the world setting up new hotels for a chain. When I was old enough to take care of myself, she let me visit her. On one trip I built up the courage to ask why. She was cruelly honest. I wanted to die when she said that she cried through her whole pregnancy. She felt nothing when she held me as a baby. The day she left she felt relieved." She cleared her throat to hold back the tears.

"My god…. That helps you get over it?" He knew his mom had her struggles but he never doubted her love for him.

"I felt unloveable at the time. I called my dad crying. I want to go home. He made me go to a therapist when I did. I learned that some people weren't meant to be parents. I was able to take myself out of it. Her leaving was a good thing. If she stayed, who knows how bad her postpartum would have got. A miserable parent in general is a bad thing that can lead to abuse." She gave him a strained smile.

"You know you don't have to be completely over it, right? It's okay to be bitter. To feel what you're feeling." He knew pushing down emotions was dangerous.

"What am I going to do? Be angry and scowl at everyone." She teased.

"We all got our self-coping mechanisms. I am filled with rage and hold on to grudges, so I can blame them for my issues. You put on these perfect images and take care of everyone else so that you can pretend you have no issues." He didn't need to go to therapy to notice that.

"I genuinely care about others. I have talked about wanting to be perfect with my therapist, that is not why I do that." She shook her finger at him.

"Then why?" He wonders.

"Do you want to hear every depressing thing about me?" She sighs.

"What can I say misery loves company?" He shrugged.

"From a young age, I knew that I wasn't planned. I could tell that I didn't fit into my dad's playboy lifestyle. I didn't want to cause him any problems. So, I excel in school. I never told him about the bullying or…" She was going on when she got cut off.

"Wait… you never told him about the bullying?" He stopped her.

"Why would I tell him that? So, the teacher would do an anti-bully speech. I'll pass. He would worry. He only needs to know the good details." She didn't want to disturb him with unsolvable problems. "Let's get back on track. Miguel decided that he needed to talk to his dad. His mom wouldn't tell him anything so he took off."

"You shouldn't feel guilty. You didn't lie or know about his dangerous father." He sees her frown deepening.

"I'm worried. I don't want him to be alone and hurt." She wrapped herself in the blanket she brought along.

"We're going to find him before that. We're not driving in the middle of the night for nothing." He wants to find him for his dad and new friend's sake.

"Thank you for coming. I need someone to help keep him in line." She nods to the sleeping adult in the back.

"No problem." He laughed.