It was getting close to 10:00 pm when Connor angled the Hummer into Julie’s drive.

He hadn’t wanted to see this place again, but Greg had fucked everything up with the credit cards so the Red Roof wasn’t an option anymore.

Not that the hotel wanted to put up with them anymore anyway…

Connor hit the garage opener on the visor and guided the vehicle inside. Nathan and Jamie hopped out once he’d parked. They grabbed their bags and went through the door into the house.

The dog whined from the back seat. Connor glanced in the rearview mirror to see him squirming impatiently, a miserable look on his face.

“Shit, I didn’t walk the dog,” he sighed heavily. “Goddamnit!”

“I’ll take him around back,” M said in a little voice.

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

“I’m just going into the backyard,” he said.

Connor huffed, but he kept quiet as the blond climbed out of the back.

“C’mon Jack,” M called sweetly and the dog bounced after him. They exited the garage and disappeared around the side of the house.

Suddenly, Connor was alone with his mother. They sat in the dark, silence stretching between them.

“How about I run you a hot bath?” Julie started.

“No thanks.”

“Well, how about we clean up your hands,” she said and they both glanced at his battered knuckles as they rested on the steering wheel.

Connor shook his head. “What about you, mom? He got your face,” he said viciously. “Again.”

“I can take care of it,” she said, looking away.

“Let me help,” Connor insisted.

Julie sighed. “Let’s bring the bags in first.”

Connor got out and started grabbing everything. His stuff, M’s, Julie’s little suitcase… he wasn’t letting her take anything.

Julie watched with a nervous look on her face. She peered out of the garage, at the houses across the street with their cheerfully lit windows.

Connor wondered if they were being watched.

“That’s everything,” he said and Julie nodded tightly.

She led the way inside, shutting the garage door as they entered the laundry room. The door creaked ominously as it made its slow descent.

“If you want to leave your things in the wash, I’ll start a load in the morning,” she said.

Connor shrugged and dropped the bags by the washing machine.

They went through into the kitchen. There were a few dirty plates stacked on the counter, some beer bottles upended in the sink, and a smashed bag of chips in front of the pantry, but nothing that a couple minutes of cleaning wouldn’t take care of.

Julie started for the mess on the floor, but Connor took her arm and steered her towards the downstairs bathroom.

“We’ll get it later. Your face is more important.”

“I hate that you have to keep seeing me like this,” she said tiredly.

“I hate it, too. But maybe it’s over now,” he said and then he directed his mother to sit on the edge of the sink. He ran some warm water and grabbed a clean cloth from the rack. Carefully, he began to wipe up the dried blood she hadn’t bothered to tend to since this whole debacle had started.

“I can’t believe Greg’s in jail,” she said, and then winced as Connor dabbed at her mouth.

“I can,” he said. “It was long overdue.”

A tear tracked down Julie’s bruised cheek. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all that,” she said. “I shouldn’t have put Nathan through it either. He’s been dealing with this for years.”

Connor pressed his lips together, thinking of his similarly rough upbringing with his father, but he reigned in his anger and gently wiped her tear away. “It’s over now,” he said.

“Yes,” Julie said softly. Finally, she looked into Connor’s eyes. “I’ll go see the lawyer on Monday. I’ll have him draw up the divorce papers.”

Connor smiled a little. “Jesus, mom… It’s for the best. You know that right?”

She nodded.

Connor finished cleaning the blood away. “There,” he said. “I think you should grab some ice and lay down.”

“I’d love a cup of tea,” she said as she slid off the sink.

“I’ll take care of it.”

Julie smiled and rubbed his shoulder. “You and M are free to move back in,” she said. “You boys can stay forever if you want.”

“Thanks,” Connor said awkwardly. He stuck his scraped up knuckles under the warm water. It stung, but he wasn’t bothered by it. He knew Greg’s face was stinging too, and that idiot probably wouldn’t get to wash up any time soon, the stupid fucker.

M suddenly appeared behind Julie in the hallway. “I hooked Jack up to the chain,” he said and Julie whirled to face him, startled.

“How’d you get in?” she asked. “We locked you out… Goodness, I wasn’t even thinking when I shut the garage door.”

“The glass door was open,” M said cheerfully. “The porch light was on too.”

Julie shook her head. “I’m going to get that ice.” She moved around M, stroking his hair in passing.

Connor rolled his eyes. “Greg’s useless,” he said. “He can’t even lock up.”

“Nobody’s in the house but us,” M said helpfully.

Connor didn’t ask how he knew. He was too tired to get into it. “I’m going to make mom some tea,” he said. “Why don’t you go upstairs and wait for me. I won’t be long.”

“OK,” M said. Then he leaned up and kissed Connor on the mouth.

Connor hugged M tightly for a moment, but then the blond was retreating, his eyes twinkling with affection and overly sentimental words better left unsaid.

Finding the tea was quite a challenge, but in the fifth cupboard he checked, Connor found a box of Lipton. He’d already grabbed a mug from over the stove so he filled it with water and put it in the microwave to heat up.

He didn’t know what went with tea, so once he had a cup of hot water and a tea bag, he gathered up the sugar and a creamer he found in the fridge and took it to the living room.

“Thanks, honey,” Julie said as Connor slid everything onto the coffee table. “I don’t need the creamer though.” She smiled.

Connor took it back. “Um, can I get you anything else?”

Julie lounged back on the couch, a pack of ice over the right side of her face. Strangely, she looked pretty content.

“No, baby. Why don’t you get some rest? I’m sure you had a long day.”

Connor bit his tongue. Nobody but M knew he’d been fired and that he’d spent the majority of the day playing pool and drinking.

After a moment’s consideration, he decided to keep quiet about the bad news.

“Goodnight,” Julie said pleasantly.

Connor went back to the kitchen and returned the creamer to its rightful place. He was standing in the middle of the kitchen, taking in the mess his tub-o-lard stepfather had left behind when his phone started ringing… Only, it wasn’t the normal ring he’d picked specifically because it was normal and plain. It was just… different.

He fumbled his phone out of his pocket and checked the screen. Then he double checked it, because he’d never seen a screen like that before.

Hannah’s picture was in a little bubble and Connor could swipe one way or the other to either accept or dismiss her.

After staring at his phone in confusion for a couple seconds, he swiped green and accepted.

“Hello?”

“Connor! You’re on Facebook!” Hannah said excitedly. “I accepted your friend request hours ago! How are you doing? Where are you?”

“Uh.” Connor stumbled to the island and sat on the nearest stool. “Good?”

“Where are you? You disappeared off the face of the earth,” she said. “I’ve been so worried.”

“I’m in Florida,” Connor said. He was numb with surprise. He’d forgotten he’d friend requested her awhile back.

“Florida?”

“It’s… a long story,” Connor said with a nervous chuckle.

“Does it have anything to do with the blood in your trailer?”

Connor swallowed. “How do you know about that?”

“This is why I called you,” Hannah said firmly. “Obviously, we need to talk.”

“What? Am I in trouble or something?” Connor bristled.

“No,” she said. “But there’s a lot of unanswered questions floating around. I just about had a heart attack when I logged onto Facebook this afternoon and saw a friend request from you of all people. Mr-I’ll-Die-Before-I-Touch-Social-Media.”

Connor smirked.

“You didn’t… chop M into little pieces did you?”

“What?! No!” Connor cried and then he looked wildly around the kitchen, waiting for an eavesdropper to pop out of a cupboard or something. He got up and slipped into the dark laundry room. “He’s upstairs, in bed,” he hissed.

“Well, ok, that’s good, I guess,” Hannah said though she certainly didn’t sound convinced. “But what about the blood? We talked to your Pizza Hut coworkers. They said M showed up at the store, dripping in it. They said you ran off with him and that you took a bunch of delivery money.”

“Who’s ‘we’,” Connor scowled.

Hannah was quiet for a minute. “Don’t freak out, ok?”

“Fine.” Connor clenched his teeth together. Hannah hesitated again and after another uncomfortable moment had passed, Connor snapped at her: “Go on already!”

Hannah fumbled her words and Connor struggled to keep his cool. Finally, Hannah spoke: “The police opened a case on you…”

“Is that all?” Connor rolled his eyes. “I was just surrounded by cops a couple hours ago. I was in jail the other night, too.”

“What?!”

“It’s not important,” he sneered. “But the cops aren’t after me. That I know.”

Hannah huffed with impatience. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, obviously.”

Connor laughed and Hannah pulled a face of annoyance.

“I did more research on Michael Thomas after you went missing. I think I finally found him.”

“Yeah?”

“He was declared dead. About a year ago,” Hannah said slowly. “In Detroit.”

Connor pressed his lips together. That… fit perfectly with what little M had told him… Michael had been stabbed by some deranged black guy in an alley.

“They say it was murder. But they never found a body. Just a pool of his blood behind a liquor store,” Hannah said. “There was no suspect either. They opened and shut the case in a week.”

“Hmm.”

“Cmon, Connor, keep up with me here. Michael wasn’t murdered,” Hannah said forcefully. “He’s obviously alive and… and has amnesia!”

“I’m not really worried about that at the moment,” Connor said blandly.

Hannah made an impatient sound. “So, who’s blood’s in the trailer, Connor? A policewoman came to my new place and questioned me… I didn’t give her anything good, though. I told her we’d broken up recently and that we hadn’t been in touch.”

“No one’s looking for me,” Connor repeated. “They would have nabbed me by now if they were. That stuff at the trailer isn’t important anymore.”

Hannah scoffed. “What the hell is going on?!”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” he said.

Hannah sputtered on the other end of the line. Connor imagined her getting red in the face, frustrated with him, as usual.

He smiled a little. “Calm down, alright?”

“I’m perfectly calm!”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I can hear your brain melting through the phone.”

“Maybe I’m not your girlfriend anymore, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about you!” Hannah cried. “What are you doing, Connor?”

“Just barely getting by,” he said grudgingly. He felt obligated to elaborate, but he honestly didn’t think now was the best time. “But there’s stuff I’d rather not talk about on the phone. Ok?”

Hannah was silent for a long minute. Connor was about to check his phone to see if the call had ended when she finally spoke. “When am I going to see you again?”

“I don’t know.”

Hannah sighed. “I’m going to find that policewoman. I’m going to find out what she knows.”

Connor didn’t say anything.

“You have Messenger now, so I’ll be in touch,” she said. “Don’t shut me out. I can help you.”

“Ok.”

“Bye, Connor,” she said sadly. “I’ve got a lot of papers to grade in the morning, and then I guess I’m going to find that cop.”

“Alright,” he said, at a loss. “Goodnight Hannah.”

The call ended, but Connor stayed in the dark, scrolling through his phone until he found Facebook Messenger. He didn’t remember installing it, but he must have.

He slid out of the laundry room and stood in the silence of the kitchen. As he scanned the room, he spotted the unended bag of chips for the third time and he strode to the pantry to grab the broom.

He swept up the mess methodically, thinking about Hannah and the unexpected call. He had lots to tell her about, and he wondered if they’d ever find the chance to meet up again.

She’d been a good friend…. He missed her.

Once the floor was clean, he emptied the beer bottles from the sink and ran some hot water to start on the dishes. He had a headache, but he worked through it.

He checked on Julie when he finished. She was asleep on the couch, so he covered her in a throw blanket and took the ice pack and empty teacup back to the kitchen.

Connor checked all the doors were locked before he went upstairs. He could hear Nathan and Jamie talking when he’d finished with his rounds and headed upstairs.

Their voices floated from Nathan’s room. The door was open a crack and Connor crept past. He didn’t care to eavesdrop on his stupid little brother… He gladly left them alone.

Up in the attic, his and M’s room looked exactly the same as before. The bed was still there, and so was the desk and chair along the opposite wall. There wasn’t much else though. It was a barren room lit by moonlight.

M was curled up on the bed. A patch of the pale light ghosted through the window and fell across his hair, bleaching it white.

He was asleep and breathing gently. Connor kept an eye on him as he stepped out of his boots and jeans. He kicked them out of the way and then he climbed into bed.

The little blond hummed in his sleep, a gentle smile on his lips. Connor kissed his forehead quick before he chickened out, then he slid under the sheets and closed his eyes.

***

Connor woke up the next day, blinded by sunlight. He pulled the covers over his face and groaned. His head hurt… it felt suspiciously like a hangover. He lay in misery for a couple minutes when his belly started to grumble. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten.

Grudgingly, Connor dragged himself out of bed and stumbled down the staircase. He started towards the second-floor bathroom when he heard a familiar sob, followed by the splash of bile hitting toilet water. He didn’t even have to peek to know it was M.

He grimaced and rerouted back down the hallway. He took the next set of stairs a bit quicker and slid into the half bath off the entry hall.

Connor whipped out his dick and pissed long and hard, moaning with relief. He hoped Julie was making breakfast… the thought of eggs or pancakes or well, fuck, anything really, sounded good. His belly grumbled as he shook off and tucked himself away and he washed up and flung open the door with a new determination—

Jamie was on the other side of the door with a funny look on her face. Connor froze, but Jamie shoved past him and fell in front of the toilet.

She puked her guts out.

“C’mon!” Connor cried in disgust. He backed out of the bathroom, but Jamie was too busy to apologize.

Shaking his head, Connor headed to the kitchen where he found Julie cracking eggs in a skillet.

“Good morning, dear,” she said cheerfully.

Connor grumbled mutinously. He sat at the island and glowered at everything in sight.

“I hope you’ll eat some eggs,” Julie said. “Jamie got sick when I started breaking them open. I’ll have to make her something else.”

“Everybody’s sick,” Connor said bitterly. “M’s hurling upstairs. Again.”

“Really?” Julie glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was morning sickness.”

Connor made a face, watching Julie finish the eggs. “Whatever.”

Julie popped some bread into the toaster and cut up some bananas and strawberries from the fridge. She buttered the toast, plated everything up and served it to Connor with a smile. “How are you feeling? Did you get any sleep?”

“Yeah, I slept alright,” he said. “Thanks for breakfast. I’m starving.”

Julie squeezed his shoulder.

“How are you, mom?” Connor asked as he started to dig into his food.

Julie turned and went back to the stove. Her shoulders tensed a little, but she relaxed as she pushed the skillet aside to make room for a teapot. “I spent most of the night on the couch,” she said. “I didn’t want to bother with the bedroom. I was comfortable down here.”

Connor chewed his breakfast. He didn’t know what to say.

“It was nice coming into a spotless kitchen this morning,” Julie said, throwing him another sunny smile. “Thank you, honey.”

Connor swallowed his mouthful. “Don’t mention it.”

Just then, M came shuffling through the door. He looked towards Connor’s plate of eggs and his face paled.

“Can I have cereal?” he asked.

Julie pulled a bowl down from over the sink, accommodating, as usual.

Jamie joined them next. She instantly looked away from Connor’s plate and she followed M’s example, requesting a bowl of cereal.

Connor finished up quickly. Julie was busy serving the two pukesters mugs of hot tea so he sidled over to the sink to wash his plate. As he was finishing up, looked out the window to see another beautiful, sunny day kissing the edges of the gated community. He plunged his hands into the warm water and decided he’d get dressed and take the dog down the bike path.

“Jamie, was that you bombing the bathroom?”

Connor set his dish in the drain board and turned to see Nathan strutting into the room. The younger boy rubbed his eyes and smiled at everyone in a sleepy daze.

“That was probably M,” Jamie said. “But neither of us are feeling well.”

“Oh,” Nathan glanced at the blond. “Sorry,” he said. “Do you have the flu or something?”

M shrugged.

Connor pushed away from the sink as Nathan came further into the kitchen, angling for the bar stool he’d just vacated. He wholeheartedly wanted to avoid his stupid brother. He’d been waiting for him to get an attitude about last night and for him to mention the showdown with Greg and the police. He had a feeling it was coming.

And he so wasn’t in the mood for it…

Connor was almost out of the kitchen when Nathan called his name. He froze and tensed up in the entranceway, refusing to turn and face the spoiled little teenager.

“Connor?” Nathan tried again. His voice was suspiciously devoid of his usual brattiness, but Connor still didn’t turn around.

“What? I have to take the dog out.”

“I was just wondering… Can you give me a ride later?” Nathan asked.

“A ride to where?”

Nathan cleared his throat, and Connor finally glanced over his shoulder at him. The teen was fidgeting with a little hole in his worn wife beater. He looked uncharacteristically hesitant.

“Since dad’s in jail and everything—”

Connor grit his teeth, waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the idiot in front of him to start pointing fingers and playing the blame game.

“I just thought maybe I really should try to help out.”

“What are you talking about?” Connor narrowed his eyes.

“Getting a job,” Nathan said awkwardly. “You were right, I wasn’t trying very hard when dad was here, but with a baby on the way and my fiancé depending on me… Well, my friend works at a car wash a few days a week. He said he could get me in real easy.”

Connor blinked. “That’s not a terrible idea,” he said.

“Yeah. “ Nathan perked up. He grinned hugely. “Can you drive me there later this afternoon? My friend’s working today. He can put in a good word with the manager.”

“Uh, sure,” Connor said. He almost smiled at the goofy look on his dumb brother’s face, but he hurried upstairs before he could give himself away.

He was relieved… Instead of whining like a baby, Nathan had chosen to get proactive!

Fuck, he was hopeful for the little brat’s future and that was saying something.

***

Connor and Nathan rolled up outside a pricy looking car wash, a few minutes after noon.

The place was packed; there was a line of cars snaking around the side of the building. A blue-shirted boy ran from car to car, taking orders from customers and collecting money to speed up the process. A few more kids stood in front, drying and polishing the sparkling vehicles as they rolled out of the automatic wash.

“Looks busy,” Connor said.

“Yeah.”

Connor pulled off to the side of the big building, avoiding the line of vehicles as he parked directly behind a little shack that was attached to the other building with pipes. It hummed with mechanical activity.

Nathan had cleaned up before they left the house. He wasn’t wearing anything fancy, of course, but he had a pair of jeans on that actually fit and that didn’t contain holes. He had a blue polo on top, and it looked like it might have actually been ironed. His hair was combed, he smelled nice, and he wore plain nondescript tennis shoes.

For once, Connor wasn’t embarrassed they were related.

“Alright,” Nathan said, letting out a gusty breath of nerves. “I’ll be right back.” He jumped out of the Hummer and followed the line of cars around to the back of the building.

Connor put the windows down and waited patiently as a warm breeze tickled his face.

Oddly, he felt comfortable and very relaxed.

He had a feeling this was yet another trick, a calm before the storm, but he didn’t care.

The agent was after M, but the boy was safe for now. Sure, Connor didn’t have a job anymore, and his plans to escape Florida with Marcus were more than a little hazy, but, again, Connor couldn’t find it in himself to care.

Greg was gone now and Connor knew his stupid family would finally be safe. That he cared about, and he was almost shocked by how much the knowledge eased his mind. He knew everything else would fall into place…

M was going to get him abducted or something crazy, but then the tracker would be removed and they could leave Florida behind and move on with their lives.

Connor liked the idea of that. He could always find another job, another place to stay, and he and M could fall into the same domestic bliss they’d been shooting for back in South Dakota.

Somehow, everything would work out.

He zoned out for a bit, thinking about nothing in particular. He was enjoying the warmth of the day and the dull hum of the water pumping through the pipes. The car wash inside made a soft whooshing sound, like waves, and Connor closed his eyes and thought about the beach.

He wanted to take M there again before they left. He wanted to see M’s skin warmed a delicious golden color under the sun. In his mind’s eye, M was lying naked in the sand, dusted in the soft powder and Connor imagined he’d have to carry him out to the blue waters so he could gently wash away the grains, kissing M tenderly, caressing his silky flesh—

“I got the job!”

Connor sat up with a start as Nathan hopped into the Hummer. The teen got a little rowdy and he kicked his feet up on the dash and cheered with exuberance.

“Awesome.” He shoved Nathan’s feet off the dash. “Don’t wreck up the Hummer, though. Idiot.”

Nathan ignored him. “Whooooo!” He yelled out the window. A couple customers looked his way and Connor figured they should get out of there before the teen’s excitement made the manager change his mind.

He maneuvered the Hummer out of the tiny parking space and they hit the road again.

“So, what happened?” he asked.

“My buddy was inside vacuuming the cars or something,” Nathan said hurriedly. “He took me to see the manager and the guy hired me on the spot!”

“That’s great.”

“I know!” Nathan grinned. “It’s only minimum wage, but the manager said he’d start me out front, drying cars, so there’ll probably be tips!”

“Very cool,” Connor said. “Tips are always nice.”

“I start Monday,” Nathan said excitedly. “I can get a ride after school from my friend, but I’m sure either you or ma can take me on the weekends,” he continued with a shrug. “You know until I can get some money together for a car.”

Connor nodded. “I’m sure something can be arranged.”

Nathan laughed. His hair was a total mess now. The wind blew it crazily in several different directions, but he was smiling hugely, not caring in the least.

“Alright, fuck all this work talk.” Nathan pulled something out of his back pocket. It was a tiny aluminum mint container, but when he popped the lid, Connor saw it contained a freshly rolled blunt. “Wanna bake out my dad’s car?” He wagged his eyebrows.

Connor snorted, but he was already putting the windows up. “Light ‘er up,” he said.

They drove around aimlessly for a while, smoking and talking about bullshit. It was mostly Nathan that was doing the talking, but Connor let him chatter. He was too relaxed to care.

They made it home before dinner. Julie was preparing something in the kitchen and she looked up when they burst in through the garage.

“You two were out for a while,” she started tentatively.

“Ma, I got the job!” Nathan cried. He gave the lady a quick hug and kiss on the cheek and then slid past her and grabbed a bag of Cheetos out of the pantry. He went to sit at the island before he started snacking. “I start Monday. I’ll be making major tips.”

Julie quirked an eyebrow. “You’re sure car wash isn’t another word for smoke shop?”

“C’mon ma, don’t be a narc,” Nathan said around a cheesy mouthful.

Connor snorted. Julie obviously smelled the pot.

“Dinner’s almost ready. Don’t fill up with chips,” she said and Nathan plunged his hand into the bag again, deliberately ignoring her.

Connor rolled his eyes. He’d had enough of Nathan for one afternoon…

“Where’s M?”

“He and Jamie were sitting on the porch, last I checked,” Julie said as she turned back to dinner prep.

Connor nodded and took his exit. He glanced out the sliding glass in the living room and saw the pair sprawling on pool chairs, Jack lying between them. M and Jamie looked like they were deep in conversation.

Connor didn’t want to interrupt, but he missed the little blond. He wasted a couple minutes in the living room, feeling out of place and awkward, but when he heard Nathan coming through the front hall, he decided to just go for it. Nathan was going to ruin any conversation the pair were having anyway…

“Hey,” Connor said as he opened the sliding door.

M turned immediately and he leaped up with pure joy on his face. “Where’ve you been all day? I texted you,” he said, his lower lip protruding in a cute little pout.

“Nathan got that job at the car wash,” Connor said coolly. “We drove around for a while and smoked. I guess my phone was muted. I’m sorry.”

“Oh,” M said, the pout melting off his face. He wrapped his arms around Connor’s waist and pressed his cheek to his chest. Connor rubbed the boy’s bare hip. His tight little t-shirt rode up in the back, and Connor ghosted his fingers over the smooth skin.

Jamie chuckled from the pool chair. The dog had his head up and he looked towards Connor with interest, but the girl scratched him behind the ear and kept him occupied.

“I hope he got it out of his system,” she said. “I still feel like crap. There’s no way I want to put up with a party monster tonight.”

“Babe! Good news!”

The sliding glass banged open and Nathan came strolling outside. Jamie tensed up and Connor pitied her a bit, but honestly, there wasn’t anything he felt he could do for her.

He pressed his lips to the fragile shell of M’s ear. “Come walk the dog with me?”

The blond nodded without hesitation and then peeled off Connor to collect the dog.

They were off in a matter of seconds, putting distance between them and the house. Jack ran ahead a few paces and then paused to wait for them, looking curiously over his shoulder. He kept up the staggering pace even as they neared the familiar bike path.

Connor captured M’s hand and laced their fingers together. He felt safe, even though he had absolutely no idea if they actually were. He tried to put the negative thoughts out of his head though and they faded without a fuss.

“Are you feeling any better?” he asked the boy at his side.

“I’m not puking anymore,” M said with a smile.

“That’s good.” Connor squeezed his hand. “Maybe we should get you a doctors appointment on Monday. Since I’m not working, I could take you.”

“A doctor?”

“So we can figure out why you’re sick every day. Julie said you had morning sickness.”

“Jamie said the same thing,” M said. He stared straight ahead, watching the dog sniff a patch of grass as he waited for them to catch up.

“Well, they’re just joking around. I already told you pregnancy is impossible.”

M nodded.

“I’ll ask Julie to make an appointment,” Connor muttered.

They hit the bike path and Jack ran ahead again. He barked and chased after some seagulls that were picking through the beach grass.

They walked in silence for a few moments. The salty sea breeze played through M’s hair, layering it in interesting patterns.

Connor let go of his hand and brushed the hair out of M’s face and over his ear. He lingered on his supple neck and trailed his fingers down his spine. He felt his heart do a little flip in his chest when M looked up at him with his golden lashes lowered.

He wanted to tell M he loved him… he thought he should fill the blond with the same warm feelings M was sparking in him… but M broke the silence before he could say anything more.

“So, I talked to Mother last night. She’s ready for you,” he said softly and Connor furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Ready for what?”

“She can safely remove the tracker,” M said in a serious tone. “But we shouldn’t come back here after it’s out. It’ll be too dangerous. Once the agent realizes we got away, he’ll be looking for us, and probably cooking up some new, crazy plans to get information out of me.”

Connor took a deep breath. He looked down the trail to make sure the dog was still within sight. “I guess I’ll have to make some arrangements with Marcus—”

“There’s no time for that,” M said. “Mother can take us anywhere on the planet, we can’t come back here to meet up with your friend. It’ll be a disaster if we do.”

Connor chewed on his lip. “Well, maybe—”

“We’ll talk about it later,” M said quickly. “It’s probably not a good idea to make plans out here in the open.”

Connor scoffed. “Oh, but we can talk about removing the agent’s shitty tracker?”

M glared at him and Connor broke away with a scowl.

“Nevermind then. We’ll figure it out later.”

M slowed his walk, frowning out towards the water. Connor sighed and jogged down the path to catch the dog. He figured they should wrap up the walk and head home since M was so fearful they’d be spotted or heard, or whatever…

“C’mon Jack,” he called and after the briefest of hesitations, the dog lifted his leg, pissed, and then ran to Connor’s side. “Good boy,” he said, ruffling the mutt’s yellow fur.

The three of them walked home in silence. Jack stuck close to them on the walk back. He paused just before they entered the neighborhood to squat in the grass one more time. At least the walk had been a success.

The rest of the night crawled by at a lazy pace. Julie made meatloaf and potatoes and Connor ate in an uncomfortable haze of worry and indecision.

Nathan talked loudly over dinner about his plans to see friends later that night. Jamie had already bowed out though and Julie suggested a movie on HBO. Both Jamie and M seemed excited about the idea, but Connor was far from enthusiastic.

After dinner, he offered to clean up and he sent everyone else to the living room. Julie gave him a bear hug and kissed him on the cheek. M stared after him longingly, but he let Jamie drag him off anyway.

Nathan of course, flew out the front door to wait for his ride.

Connor took his time washing up. He didn’t like cleaning, hell, he’d trained M to do it back at the trailer so he wouldn’t have to bother with it as much… but he felt like he owed his mother. For taking him in, for putting up with Greg’s abuse in his stead, for loving him, when Connor had always assumed she’d left him behind and forgotten about him.

California had been the plan… Another long road trip, a new city, new prospects, but now that it was finally time to go, Connor wasn’t sure he wanted to.

Florida wasn’t great or anything… His little brother was annoying. He still had a lot to think about before he felt he’d be ready to find another job, and Julie was almost too loving and willing to prove she cared. It was unnerving.

But Connor kind of wished they could stay a little longer. He didn’t want to leave as badly as he thought he would.

After cleaning up and putting everything away, he ventured into the living room.

“Sit here,” M said with a smile as, Connor edged uncomfortably into the room, taking the empty spot on the loveseat beside the little blond.

Jamie and Julie smiled at him too, but they quickly moved their attention back to the movie. It was some stupid chick-flick and Connor instantly tuned it out. He got on his phone and scrolled through one boring news feed after the other.

After a while, M put his hand on Connor’s knee. He didn’t really think about it, he just took M’s hand in his own and they finished the movie like that. Holding hands like a happy couple…

When the credits rolled, Connor finally looked up from an article about pet health.

“Let’s watch something else,” Jamie said as she grabbed the remote from the coffee table. She started flipping through the TV guide.

“I think we should go to bed, actually,” M said and Connor blushed when his mother and his future sister-in-law turned to them with knowing looks on their faces.

Julie tried to hide her goofy smile at least, but Jamie didn’t even bother. “I hope you guys find something a little more entertaining to do up there,” she said.

“Jamie, hush,” Julie scolded, but Connor’s face burned with embarrassment. “Let them go in peace,” she said. And then she fucking winked.

“Fuck off.” Connor tore his hand out of M’s. “We’re just going to bed.”

“Straight to bed?” Jamie snickered. “Then how did M wind up pregnant?”

Julie covered her mouth, but her eyes were laughing. She didn’t cover those…

“Seriously, stop putting stupid ideas in his head,” Connor snapped. “He really needs to get to a doctor. All this throwing up can’t be good for him. He probably has a stomach issue or he’s allergic to something, but what the fuck do I know? I’m not a medical professional!”

Everyone had stopped smiling by the time he finished his rant and Connor suddenly felt like Scrooge on Christmas day. He huffed in frustration.” Just… Goodnight everyone.”

“I know a great doctor downtown,” Julie spoke up. “I’ll call him Monday morning. I’m sure he’ll be able to squeeze M in sometime next week.”

Connor nodded briskly. “Thanks.” He stood up and M scrambled to follow him.

“It was just a joke,” Jamie called after them.

Connor flipped her off over his shoulder. “Let’s hope M doesn’t have stomach cancer or something really fucked up.” He said as he left the room.

“What’s cancer?” M asked as they reached the stairs. Connor grimaced and ran up the second-floor landing. M was hot on his heels, his eyes turned up at Connor with burning desire for knowledge. Connor turned away from him and hurried into the bathroom at the other end of the hall.

“Connor?”

“Cancer is something horrible!” he snapped, busting into the washroom and unzipping his jeans. He aimed a steady stream of piss into the toilet water before he finally made himself look at the boy hanging in the doorway.

M gnawed on his lip, worrying about the potential of cancer.

Connor sighed. “Listen, I’m sure you’re fine,” he said in the calmest voice he could muster. “It’s probably just a bug.”

“Bug?”

Connor bared his teeth. “Don’t worry about it. Seriously. I’ll take care of you.”

M looked at Connor with huge eyes.

“I promise, ok?”

M didn’t say anything. He watched Connor finish at the toilet with a distant look on his face. Connor tucked himself away and paused at the sink to brush his teeth.

“Go pee,” he huffed around his toothbrush. “I really would like to get to bed at some point.”

“Are you tired?”

Connor shrugged.

“Mother’s waiting on us,” M said. “Once you’re asleep, she’ll take you.”

Connor froze, the toothbrush hanging out his mouth.

M squeezed past him and went to stand in front of the toilet. He pulled his shorts down and exposed himself shamelessly. Connor watched him handle his cock with a strange sense of foreboding creeping up his spine.

“I wish you hadn’t told me that,” Connor said slowly. He spat out his mouthful of toothpaste and quickly rinsed.

“What did you think would happen? I told you she was ready.”

“I didn’t think it’d be tonight!” Connor cried.

M peed and pulled his pants up. “We shouldn’t wait. We should get this over with as soon as possible.”

Connor bit his tongue and cursed when he tasted blood. He tossed his toothbrush aside and stormed out of the room.

He was upstairs and changing into some pajamas by the time M caught up.

The blond kept a respectable distance as Connor dressed. Fully. He knew he’d be more comfortable in boxer, shirtless, with some socks on, but he felt like he’d be vulnerable to an alien butt probe if he didn’t cover up.

He climbed into bed once he’d finished dressing and turned on his side. The moon shining through the window was half full, but it was spectacularly bright.

He wondered if M’s spaceship was hiding behind the brilliant white light… and he shut his eyes tight as a swell of fear crept upon him.

He really wished M hadn’t told him about his alien plans…

The bed dipped as his companion got into bed beside him.

Connor didn’t realize how stiff he’d become until M touched his shoulder and his entire body shuddered at the shock of it. He was strung so tight, he felt like he was about to snap.

“Are you comfortable?”

“No,” Connor muttered.

M scooted closer and laid a hand on his hip. “Maybe I can help—”

“Please,” Connor snapped, yanking away from the touch. He had a strange feeling M was trying to get in his pants. “It’s going to take a while for me to relax. Just… leave me alone.”

M tisked with disappointment. “Ok,” he said and Connor felt him move back to his side of the bed.

M was silent after that and Connor listened for his breathing to deepen and slow into sleep patterns. He waited and waited, laying perfectly still, almost holding his breath, but M seemed to be waiting for him just the same.

After maybe an hour of this, Connor pulled the blankets up to his chin and flopped over onto his stomach.

He clenched his eyes shut and sighed heavily.

“If you’re just going to lay there all night, maybe you should go watch another movie with the girls,” he said roughly.

M continued to breathe shallowly. He didn’t respond, but Connor wasn’t convinced he was sleeping.

He growled and tried to get more comfortable. He shifted around, he kicked the sheets out flat, he pillowed his head in the crook of his arm.

He stared boldly out the little window, high on the wall, glaring hatefully at the shimmering moon.

He was never going to fall asleep…

But he didn’t know what he could to do. He felt like he was trapped in the bed. He tossed and turned and tried not to think about what was waiting for him in dreamland.

M continued to be a constant distraction, as well. He was unusually still and eerily silent beside him and Connor finally ended up putting a pillow over his head and pretending the blond was asleep.

Nothing was helping. Connor wanted to scream with frustration, but instead, he started to count sheep.

It was a last-ditch effort… He’d never done anything so fucking stupid in his life.

He forced himself to visualize the fluffy, white creatures in his head, really going for detail because fuck it! He didn’t have anything better to do!

He put a thousand of the little fuckers in a grassy field, bisected by a long fence that stretched over a distant hill.

He started counting backwards… The stupid sheep lined up and flung themselves gracefully over the fence and one by one, their numbers slowly diminished.

After a while, somewhere in the 700s, Connor’s mind wandered a bit.

He was in the field, walking along the fence. He could see the wood grain in high detail and every blade of grass under his feet. He could see the gentle green foliage bend with the wind.

And the stars… They were so bright overhead, they were stunning to look at. The tiny pinpricks of light glittered like diamonds spilled across black velvet…

***

A light burned through Connor’s eyelids with the strength of a million suns.

His throat was raw, but he screamed hoarsely as a fear he’d never experienced consumed his body. His ears rang with echoes of his own desperate voice and his eyes fried under their thin, fleshy lids.

“Try to relax.”

Connor blinked into the searing light, but his eyes watered and he shut them immediately. He tried to turn his head, but it was firmly secured. Something cold pressed against his forehead and on either side of his temples and he screamed again, wordlessly, confused and upset…

“It’s over,” the voice said. A vaguely feminine voice Connor had never heard before. “I woke you so that we could meet. Please try to relax.”

Connor struggled to sit up, but his entire body was affixed to a hard, unforgiving surface. No matter how thoroughly he thrashed, neither he nor the support below him would move.

“Connor?”

“Let me go!” he yelled.

“The tracker is out,” said the voice and suddenly the light blazing into Connor’s eyes vanished completely. He was plunged into darkness and he sobbed as he slowly opened his burning eyes and searched for the voice’s owner.

“What the fuck,” he whimpered.

“Connor, I am Mother. I am M’s protector.”

“Nooo,” Connor moaned. His eyes were leaking hot tears. He could taste it, the sweet salt of them, as they tracked down his cheeks. He still couldn’t move. He couldn’t do anything but roll his eyes uselessly in their sockets and open and close his mouth.

“I wouldn’t lie about that,” said the voice and Connor picked out an odd, almost metallic quality to it that he hadn’t picked up in his initial panic. “He’s my favorite. I’ve never met a being as special as him”

Connor tried to process the statement as his mind whirled with a million frantic thoughts. He remembered M telling him to go to sleep… their ill-fated conversation about the abduction… the tracker…

He cried in the dark like a helpless child. “What do you want from me?” he asked as his heart pounded in his chest. He could feel the firm points of contact around his skull… the force pinning him flat on his back…

He was going to become an experiment. M had set him up. He’d walked right into this trap! There was no way out!

He started to hyperventilate. He almost didn’t hear the voice when it spoke again.

“Where am I taking you? I can take you anywhere on the planet.”

Connor gulped large amounts of cold air. He wasn’t naked, at least he didn’t feel naked, but it was definitely cold in here… In the spaceship…

“I also wanted to speak with you about the importance of the next few months. To make sure you understand the burden in front of you.”

“Let me go,” Connor cried. “Take me home… I want to go back to South Dakota!”

“That can be arranged,” said the voice.

“Now,” Connor said roughly. “Let me sit up. You’re scaring the fuck out of me!”

“I must explain something important to you first—”

“Are you going to let me go or not!”

“I cannot release you in your current state—”

“You fucking liar!” Connor howled. “What are you going to do to me, really?! M said he’d be here with me! Where is he?!”

“I’m running some tests on him—”

“WHAT KIND OF TESTS?!”

“M and I won’t be in contact for some time,” said the voice. “I have to keep my distance to avoid drawing the attention of the being you call the agent—”

“Fucking LIAR! You can do whatever you want!”

“It’s very important that you keep M safe,” said the alien spaceship in its slow mechanical, robot voice. “It’s important for everyone that you see this through to the end—”

“FUCK YOU!”

“I can see that any further attempts to communicate will be fruitless.”

“Yeah! Now, let me go already!”

“M will have to explain this on his own—”

“We can talk about it all fucking day as soon as you get me the fuck out of this place! I’m not talking to you anymore! M!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. “M!!!” His voice broke, but he continued to holler wordlessly, his body shaking uselessly under the strange alien restraints.

“Goodnight Connor.”

“Ah!” A shot of ice lanced through his head and his eyelids drooped. He felt all the fight drain out of his body.

“It was nice to finally meet you…”