"I don't like this place."
"We just got here. You haven't even given it a chance."
"I don't want to give it a chance. I want to go home." Eddie pursed his lips, holding back the reaction that wanted to spill out. He wanted to go home too, but it was impossible. They were never going to be able to go home again. And while on a logical standpoint he understood that, it was still hard. He couldn't imagine how hard it was for Gav- Christopher. It was Christopher now.
"This is home," Eddie sighed, pulling into the driveway of the house that they were going to be living in for the foreseeable future. It was a duplex, which wasn't as private as he would've liked, but it was better than an apartment. Beggars couldn't be choosers, but they needed a place where Christopher would be able to move around comfortably.
"Stupid home," Christopher grumbled, pressing his forehead to the glass of the window in the backseat of their new-to-them truck. Everything they owned now was given to them, even down to the clothes on their backs. Some people dreamed of a chance to reinvent themselves, but not to this extreme. Most of the decisions were completely out of their control.
"Come on. The sooner we go in, the sooner we can have pizza for dinner," Eddie said, trying to at least get a small smile from his son. The boy was the only thing Eddie had to keep him going right now and making him happy was the top priority. It didn't matter how Eddie felt, but his son deserved the best life he could scrape together from this mess.
"Pizza was my favorite food before. Am I still allowed to like it?"
"Of course you are. You're still the same person, just a few of the details are different." Christopher was young enough that not much had to change for him. Besides his name and where he lived, he still got to decide the rest. He couldn't talk about a lot of things from the past, but he only really had a couple years of memories at this point. Anything that didn't involve family was pretty much fine. Eddie had lost his career and the ability to take a relaxed breath for the rest of his life, but he'd manage.
Eddie glanced around the neighborhood as Christopher climbed out of the truck. It seemed quiet enough, although he doubted any bad guys would be obvious about their intentions. And the people they were hiding from weren't that sloppy. He didn't really know much about them, even after everything, but he knew what they were capable of. Regardless of his training, Eddie wouldn't stand much of a chance.
"I don't like the sun here," Christopher grumbled as he walked up to the front door of the house.
"Tons of people come to California just for the weather. We're not too far from the beach, you know."
"Sand is just dirt that's next to the water."
"Actually, dirt is a mixture of things from the earth, but sand is made from rocks that have broken down over time." Eddie startled, throwing an arm in front of Chris to stop him from going further. Eddie wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed him come out, but there was a man standing in the doorway to the other unit of the duplex. He had an easy smile on his face, but Eddie wasn't going to trust it. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I couldn't help but overhear. And I just so happened to have watched this show on National Geographic about that stuff recently."
"It's still boring," Christopher mumbled, glaring up at the stranger. Eddie shifted so he was in between them more, without it looking like he was expecting the guy to attack. Acting too jumpy would raise suspicion, if someone decided to pay attention.
"Did you know there are some beaches that have black sand? And even pink?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow. There was a mark around it, which could've been from fighting.
"Really?" Christopher questioned. Eddie could tell his curiosity was piqued, even if he didn't want to admit it. His kid was like a sponge when it came to new information.
"Yep. They aren't around here though, unfortunately. But I still think what we've got is pretty cool," the man shrugged.
"Whatever," Christopher sighed, ignoring the man to look up at him. "Dad, can I check out my room?"
"Go ahead," Eddie agreed, unlocking the door and letting Christopher go into the house. There was a state of the art security system throughout the house and he'd gotten the all clear before they drove up, so he wasn't too concerned about letting Chris out of his sight for the moment. If he got a nagging feeling, he could pull up the feed on his phone in a few seconds.
"Sorry if I overstepped. Sometimes I can get so excited about something I learned and end up annoying people. All my friends are pretty much sick of me at this point," the man said bashfully.
"It's fine. My son is just having a hard time getting used to moving to a new place," Eddie replied, giving the man a quick once over. He was a couple inches taller than him and looked a few years younger, which was kind of annoying. He was also built like someone who knew how to handle himself. Not a guy who lifted weights for aesthetics, but because he found a purpose in being strong.
"I get it. I moved around a lot when I was younger and it can be hard. I was an adult, but still. You really learn about yourself though," the man said, looking off in the distance. He shook off whatever he was thinking about after a few seconds and thrust his hand out between them. Eddie just barely stopped himself from jerking away in response. "Where are my manners? I'm Buck. Well, Evan, but everyone calls me Buck."
"Eddie," Eddie replied, proud of himself for how the name rolled off his tongue. It didn't feel natural yet, but he'd been practicing. He shook Buck's hand, letting himself pretend for a moment that this was real and every relationship going forward wasn't going to be built on lies.
"Looks like we're gonna be neighbors. I already like you better than the last. They had these yappy little dogs that made noise at all hours. And I usually like dogs, but they totally messed up my sleep. I keep odd hours, so I need to be able to sleep when I can," Buck babbled, still shaking Eddie's hand up and down. He wasn't sure if the guy had noticed that he hadn't let go yet, as he went off on his tangent. "Not that I can't deal with some noise. I'm a pretty heavy sleeper actually. It's not like I'm going to hound you for every little sound or anything. Those dogs just sort of wormed their way into my ear, so I couldn't ignore them."
"Right," Eddie chuckled, finally pulling his hand away.
"Sorry."
"It's fine. And we're pretty quiet, so I don't think you'll have to worry about us."
"You don't have to worry about me either. I'm not really the type to throw parties. I'll have friends and my sister over occasionally, but that's it. And you're more than welcome to pop over anytime. Like, if you need a cup of sugar or something. I feel like that isn't really a thing people actually do though. More like something you see on TV."
"Right," Eddie chuckled again. Buck reminded him of some of the more outgoing guys he'd met while in the Army. The ones who could boost morale in the shittiest of circumstances. Not the worst neighbor he could've gotten stuck with.
"Wow, I am not usually this annoying. Well, depending on who you ask. I'll get out of your way and let you get settled in," Buck said, shaking his head as he walked backward toward the house's other driveway. There was a jeep parked there that completely fit the personality of Eddie's new acquaintance. "It was great meeting you. And if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come over. Or knock on the shared wall."
"Will do," Eddie agreed, nodding politely. He wouldn't. Eddie waited until Buck got into his jeep and drove away, waving as he maneuvered down the street, before finally stepping into his new home. It looked smaller than what he'd seen in pictures, but it would do. It wasn't like he had a lot of stuff to fill it with yet. And living sparsely was the name of the game now. It was easier to pick up and leave in a hurry if you didn't have anything to take with you.
Eddie walked down the hall, peeking in on his son's room. Christopher was laying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. There were a few things inside that made it obvious that it was for a kid, but it was very generic. Once Eddie got a job sorted out, he'd help Christopher make the space his own.
"So, what's the verdict?" Eddie asked.
"It's fine," Christopher sighed, rolling onto his side to face him. "I just wish mom was here."
"Me too," Eddie whispered, feeling his heart clench in his chest at the thought of his wife. "I'll be in my room if you need me." Eddie felt like a terrible father for running off quickly, but he hadn't perfected his reaction to Shannon being brought up yet. And his warring emotions would bring up too many questions that he couldn't answer.
Eddie pulled out his phone as he sat down on his bed, sending out a text to say they were all settled in the new house. The response was swift and direct, without any hint of emotion. He deleted it as soon as he read it, which was protocol. His life was going to be guided from now on by a set of rules, not too unlike how it was in the military. But these rules could mean the difference between life and death.
It was crazy to think that just a week ago, he was living a normal life. He was a single dad to the greatest kid and that was enough. But then his estranged wife died in a car accident that turned out to be not quite the accident it seemed, and his whole world unraveled. Now there were people out there who thought he was involved in illegal things and wanted to find him. And if they found him, he'd end up just like Shannon. Eddie couldn't let that happen. He was going to do whatever it took to make this new life work for him and his son.