"Showers all yours." I said to Sean as I walk out of the bathroom of Karen's hotel room, fully clothed but a towel wrapped around my head. Sean gets up and heads towards the bathroom while Karen was unpacking her stuff and moving it off of one of the beds.

Sean goes into the bathroom and shuts the door as I pull off the towel off of my head and start to dry my hair as best as I could. "So what's your story?" Karen asked me and I look over at her. "What do you mean?" I asked. "Well...how did you end up here...with Sean?" She asked me. "Well...long story short...I ran away from home..." I started to explain and she gives me a curious and confused look. "Don't worry, it wasn't my real parents. I'm an orphan in foster care." I replied. "Ah!" She said as she nods at me to go on.

"I overheard my foster parents saying they were gonna send me back and get a different kid....course I did give them a hard time from time to time." I said. "Most teenagers do." Karen said and I smirk a bit.
"So I got upset and ran away....two days later....I met up with your sons. I honestly didn't think I would hang around them as long as I've had. But...they've basically become my family. I care about Daniel....and I care about Sean too....deeply." I said after I finished drying my hair. "Because you love him." She said and I look up at her, quickly.
"I could tell by the way you look at him. It reminded me of the way I used to look at his father." She said and I stare at her for a few moments then looked away.

"I know you're gonna want to explain yourself to Sean but I'm gonna warn you, he's gonna be very angry. Whenever you were brought up...he would shut the conversation down." I said. "I know...I'm not expecting a welcome back party." She said. "I just want to help get Daniel out of that...church. And if you care about him as much as you say you do, then you will let me help you and Sean."

"You don't have to convince me, Karen. I do believe we need all the help we can get...to get Daniel out of that place....but it's your oldest son you've got to talk to and convince...not me." I said and she and I stare at each other before she looks away from me then let's out a heavy sigh.

"I'm going out to get some supplies and some food. I'll be back in a little bit." Karen informed me. "Are you sure?" I asked her, narrowing my eyes at her. "Yes. I promise." Karen said as she heads towards the door. "Oh, that kid, Jacob, left his number in his letter over there." She said once she turns and points towards the other bed, where I see a piece of paper at the end.

"When you get the chance, call him." She said and I nodded at her. She gives a curt nod then walks out of the room and closes the door. I sigh at this then get my medicine bottle, take out a couple of pills and put the bottle up. I grab a water bottle, popped the pills in my mouth and swallowed them with water.

I set the water bottle down on the sidetable and sighed once again then I happened to look up and see a new set of clothes for Sean on the other bed. Looks like he forgot his clothes. I thought as walk over to the bed and pick up the clothes then looks towards the bathroom door. I mean, it's not like I've seen him naked before... I thought as I felt this huge lump in my throat.

I swallowed then head towards the door and grabbed the handle, realizing that it was unlocked. I take a breath then opened the door and head inside the bathroom. The shower was still running and the shower curtain was pulled to cover Sean. I go over to the toilet and set his clothes on top of the closed lid, just as the shower shuts off. I gasped as I turn and see Sean walking out of the shower.

"Oh, uh..." he stammers, embarrassed, and I bite my lips. "I was just bringing in your clothes..." I said. "Uh-huh...you sure you weren't just trying to sneak another peek?" He asked as he smiles and winks with his good eye. I give a playful scoff and said. "Oh yeah...you foiled my..." I stopped as I look at his torso and noticed the bruises on his sides. "Oh Sean..." I said, sympathetic, as he looks down at his body. "I know." He said, softly, as he looks back up at me. "That...that just makes me want to go back and beat the shit out of those assholes." I said then I turn to the toilet and pick up his clothes. "Here you go." I said as I hand him the clothes.

He picks up these boxers and gives it a questioning look. I shrug as he starts to put them on. "Once you get ready, we need to call Jacob. He left his number on the letter he wrote to your mom." I informed as he puts on the pants then takes the shirt out of my hand. "Cool...okay." he said after he puts the shirt on and I give him a fond smile. "Feel better?" I asked him. "Well...the shower didn't clean the pain away but...still felt good." He replied and I frown a bit at this.

"I'm so sorry, Sean." I said. "It's okay... not your fault." He said and I lean up and kiss his cheek. I pull back and we smiled at each other before I spoke up. "Um...we should go and call Jake." I said. Sean nods and we leave the bathroom, I head over to the bed and pick up the letter and show it to Sean. "Okay..." Sean sighs then he goes over to the phone on the little table and picks it up.

He dials it and sits down on the bed, I go sit next and he holds the phone out so that both of us can hear it. It rings a couple of times until we hear someone pick up. "Hello?" A familiar voice said. "Jacob? It's me, Sean." Sean replied. "Sean? No way! I've been waiting to hear from you for months! Is (y/n) there with you?" Jacob asked. "Yes, I'm here." I replied. "Oh thank God. So you-you found my note in your sketchbook, Sean?" Jake asked. "Yeah." Sean replied. 

"Where are you guys? Both of you have to come here, Sean." Jake said, desperately. "We know. We're not far. In a... motel." I replied. "Good. Listen, I-- I can't talk right now. I gotta go." Jake said, quickly. "Wait! Daniel. How's he doing?" Sean asked. "Meet me tomorrow afternoon on Brandy Highway, there's a-- a junction just above Haven Point. There's a -- a Wild Mice Ranch billboard there. I'll be there at 4." Jake replied.

"Jacob, wait!" Sean and I said in unison. "I can't talk, guys. Be there tomorrow. Please." Jake said then he hangs up. Sean gets up from the bed and places the phone back on its base. "Well...what do we do now?" I asked him. "I don't know. I guess wait around." Sean said as he sits down next to me. "We could just go ahead and rest until your mom comes back." I said as I get up and go on the other side of the bed and lay down while Sean scoffs and lays down next to me. "Yeah, if she comes back." He grumbles.

"I have a feeling that she will, I mean she left alot of important stuff here." I said. "Hasn't stopped her before." He mutters. "Point taken." I replied as we laid on our sides, facing each other. I raise my hand and placed it on his cheek then began run my finger along his jawline. His eye closes for a few moments, like he was enjoying the feeling, before he opens it again and stares into my eyes.

The moment he stares at me, my heart started to beat faster and I couldn't help but smirk at this for a moment before I start to frown when a thought pops in my head. "What's wrong?" Sean asked me. "I just had a thought..." I replied. "About?" He asked. "Well...it's a thought that has popped up in my mind from time to time and I guess I've just been too scared to say anything." I said. "What is it?" Sean asked and I could hear worry and concern in his voice.

I look into his eye and stare at him for a moment before speaking. "Sean...do you think...if your father hadn't got shot by that officer and Daniel unleashing his power, accidentally killing that officer, and then you guys running away....do you think we would've met?" I asked. "Why are you asking this?" He asked me, confused. "I don't know, sometimes I think about what could happen or what could've happen if things went differently." I said. "It's stupid..."

"It's not stupid. Sometimes I think about what would happen if thing went differently too." He said and I look up at him and smile. "So, do you think we would've met...if all that shit didn't happen to you and Daniel?" I asked him. "Honestly...I don't know. But given your track record of leaving foster homes....I'm sure we would've met at some point." Sean said and I chuckle. "True..." I said.

"And, knowing my dumbass, I would be too nervous to talk to you." He said and I raise an eyebrow at this. "And why's that, Wolf Boy?" I asked him and he smirks. "Because...I used to have a problem with talking to pretty girls." He replied and I feel my face burn up and I bite my lips in embarrassment. Sean smiles, softly, before he leans in and gives a light kiss on the tip of my nose.

"Sean..." I giggled as he chuckles at my reaction and lays his head back on his pillow. "But I'm sure I would eventually talk to you cause my friend, Lyla, would've forced me once she figured out I liked you. She was already trying to do that to me with this girl, Jenn, who I really liked at the time." He replied. "Like I told you that night at the lake, I'm not much of a player." 

"Okay...so after your friend forces you to talk to me, you would come up to me and say hi." I said and he nodded. "Would you talk to me, if I came up to you?" Sean asked, nervously. "Yeah...I would, honestly. Unless you're a dick to me then we'd have problems." I said and Sean chuckles. "Nah, I promise. I wouldn't be a dick to you. More like be awkward as fuck." He replied and I giggled again. "And I would've found that cute." I said and he scoffs at this but follows it with a small chuckle.

We stare at each other for a few seconds before he speaks. "For what it's worth...I'm glad I met you at the woods." He said. "Me too. I'm just sorry it was at the expense of your father, your home, your friends...your whole life." I said as he reaches his left hand out and places it on my cheek, stroking it with his thumb. "Don't worry. It's okay. You and Daniel are my life now. And that's all that matters now." He said and I began to smile really big, feeling tears forming in my eyes, then I leaned in and kissed him and he kisses me back.

This kiss was different from any kiss we shared. This one felt very loving, almost like he meant every word he said and he was trying to convey it. I smiled into the kiss as I kiss him with just as much passion and love as he was. 

Finally after a few minutes, we pull back from the kiss and we smiled. "I love you, (y/n)." He said and I felt like my heart exploded in my chest. He loves me? He loves me?! He loves me!!! I thought, frantically, as I smiled. "I love you too, Sean." I said and we share another kiss. Then, once we stopped kissing, he pulls me close to him and I lean my head against his chest and he lays his head on top of mine. Then my eyelids start to become heavy as I start to drift off to sleep in the arms of person I love the most.

After a while, I wake up to the sound of a door opening, and so did Sean, as both of us raise up our head and look towards the door. Karen re-enters the room with several shopping bags in hand. "Hey, sorry it took so long. Fucking store was packed..." she said as she places the bags on the desk by the television while Sean and I start to sit up.

"How you guys feeling? Nothing broken? Altar boys don't fight fair..." Karen said with concern. "Yeah, I'm okay." Sean mutters as I said. "I'm fine." Then Karen pulls out a couple of fast food cartons and hands it to us. "Double cheese, no onion, right?" She asked Sean, who stares at her for a few moments. As she begins to turn away, Sean grabs the carton out of her hand. "That'll do." He said as he opens the carton and pulls out the hamburger, then begins to eat it. 

"I wasn't for sure what to get you, so I hope you don't mind a double cheeseburger with everything on it." Karen said to me as she hands the container to me. "It's fine." I said as I take it, pull the burger out and began to eat it. Then Karen turns to Sean. "Got you some gauze and, uh... anti-bacteria stuff... for your eye..." she said and then she noticed that Sean was eating his burger pretty fast. "Hey, don't wolf that down... Or at least take a breath..." she said and he looks up at her. "Like you care..." he sneers.

"Sean... I do..." she said, her voice full of hurt and Sean scoffs at this. "Come on, Karen. Don't act all hurt. It's too late." Sean said, angrily, as he glares at her. "Where were you when I broke my leg when I was 13? Not with me... When Daniel got a bad flu a couple years ago, you didn't sleep next to him every night... Where were you?! Where were you?" He asked, his voice full of anger and hurt.

"Fair enough. So let's talk. Because we do have to get your brother out of a cult." She replied then I look between the two. "Um, I feel like this should be between you two. I'm gonna go sit outside, come and get me when your done, okay?" I said to Sean and I lean and kiss his cheek before I walk out of the room and sit on one of the plastic chair in front of the door.

*Sean's POV*

I watch (Y/N) as she leaves the room then shuts the door. "She seems nice. And I can tell she cares about you and loves you, very much." Karen said and I look down then sighed as I look back at her. "I'm listening." I said, ignoring what she said, and she let's out a sigh as she leans against the dresser in front of the bed.

"How did you two and (y/n) survive alone on the road for that long?" She asked me. "We just got lucky, and got some help along the way. Total strangers... We even had our own little family..." I replied. "Good. How did you go to Beaver Creek?" She asked. "You know I don't have to answer your questions, right?" I said.

"You're right. So tell me what you want from me, Sean..." she started to say but I cut her off. "Nothing, Karen. I mean, what do you want from me? A fucking hug?" I asked her, angrily. "Hey, I just want you to know what I did and why. If you care. So, ask me anything." She said.

"All right. Why did you bail on us?" I asked her. "I wasn't meant to be a wife...or a mother. I thought I was supposed to...I tried to pretend for many years...but I was unhappy and the urge to leave just became unbearable...I had no other choice." She replied and I felt anger in my chest as I punch the spot next to me on the bed. "Are you serious? You chose this life! You fell in love, you made your own choices. Right?" I shouted at her.

"Making your own choices doesn't mean you can never fool yourself, Sean... After I had Daniel, you were about eight and Esteban's garage was getting busy. There was so much going on around me yet somehow I just...felt that my own life was just slipping away. Felt like an empty shell." She replied, honestly, then she sighs, looks down then back at me. "Sean, it was the hardest decision I ever made. I knew I might never see you all again, but I took that responsibility."

"Did Dad know about all this?" I asked her. "I was honest with your father. We did family therapy, but it wasn't about him. It was me." She replied. "He was heartbroken for months after you left. Years." I yelled. "I was too. I was in love with your father. He was the best person I ever met." said Karen. "But just not enough for you..." I grumbled. "Something was missing from the equation, yeah. I was." She said.

"So what exactly are you doing in Nevada? You live around here?" I asked her. "No, I'm way out in Arizona. Sean, I told you. Your friend Jacob wrote my P.O. box and said Daniel was in trouble. That's it." She said. "Arizona? Holy shit, it's just lizards and rocks." I said. "Guess I found something there. New York didn't really do me good, so..." she said and I rolled my eye.

"Yeah...okay. Think I've heard enough." I said as I turn my head away from her. "I didn't have a choice, Sean. We only have one life, and I didn't want mine to be spent in regrets. For years I've fooled myself, thinking I'd find satisfaction into what society expected me to be, and that was my mistake. I hope someday you can understand that...but I never stopped caring about you...For what it's worth, I am sorry for hurting you and Daniel...and Esteban." She said.

"I know you are, Karen. That still doesn't change the way I feel..." I said. "Of course not...I know I can't change the past, Sean." She said. "I don't think you would...I need some air..." I said as I get up and walk outside.

*(y/n)'s POV*

I hear the door open then slam shut. I look up and see Sean stomping out then taking the chair next to me. "I'm gonna take a wild guess that it didn't go well." I said and he huffs at this and turns his head away from me. "Hey...it's okay..." I said as I place my arms around his shoulder and hug him. "She basically said we weren't enough for her..." he said to me, his voice breaking, and I hug him harder and kiss the side of his head. Then the door opens and I look up to see Karen walking out and looks down at Sean as I pull my arms off of him.

"Sean, whatever you want to say to me... this is the time. Let's just get it all out in the open, see what happens." She said and Sean sighs but doesn't look at her. "I mean, I get you wanted to leave and stuff...Okay. But why ghost us like that? Not even a fucking birthday card." Sean growls. "I just... I thought if I vanished, you would all move on. But I wanted to contact you guys so many times. I almost did." She said.

"But you wanted a clean break from us..." growled Sean. "I didn't want to be a part-time pissed off mother. Not fair to any of you. I left when Daniel was still very young so he wouldn't remember me." said Karen. "Cool plan, Mom. You hurt Daniel way worse. He thought you took off because of him." Sean said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I know. I hope I can make it up to you and Daniel... someday. I can start by getting his ass out of that church... cult... whatever." She said.

"So... what did you do when you left? Where did you go?" Sean asked her. "I pursued some dreams...and failed. learned the lessons. I guess all this time I tried to find out what really matters to me." She replied. "Which doesn't involve a husband and two kids." Sean grumbles and I frown at this. 

"It does to a lot of people, and I totally respect that. Just not to me. I wasn't good at making plans, which is what most of modern life is about, right? School, job, marriage... Ask my mom and dad. They wanted me to follow their rules, their faith... And I tried... But I wanted to find my own way with no security blanket. Family, religion, social norms...It's just all about security, after all. But it just looked like a sweet golden jail to me. I tried to escape that." Karen replied. "Yeah, hope it was worth it..." Sean mutters. "It was. For now, I've found my place in the world with like-minded people. I'm at peace with my fuck-ups and my decisions." She said.

"How do you make peace with bailing on your parents, your husband, and your kids?" I asked her. "I know, that's a little hard to understand. But I think people should know who they are....and not fake it for anybody." She replied as she stares at me.

"So, did you ever actually miss us? Or Dad?" Sean asked her. "Of course, Sean. I do miss your father. He had such a big heart. He could brighten up a rainy day, that was like his superpower...But above all I missed watching you grow up... See how you saw the world...I missed sharing these moments with you, Sean." said Karen as she looks back at her son. 

"We used to do so much stuff. Like when you taught me to ride because Dad sucked... Or when we went camping near Vancouver... just me and you..." Sean said and I give him a small smile as he looks over at his mom. "You always loved night skies..." she said as Sean looks down at the ground. "I did stargaze a lot when I was in California..." he replied and I run my hand up and down his back. "Trust me, the further south you go, the better it gets..." she remarked as Sean turns his head away from her and looks at me for a moment then looks down.

"Whatever... You sound so careless. It's like you can't even realize how much pain you've caused." Sean said, shakily. "I do care, that's why I'm here... To help you, and your brother...If I didn't step up to help him now, I couldn't live with myself." She replied then she takes a cigarette out, lights it, and takes a drag as Sean and I watch her.

"Oh, man, Esteban hated when I smoked... He didn't want me to die an early death... Fuck...life can be so cynical, sometimes..." she said as she let's out a smoke then takes another drag. "I remember he would smoke sometimes... long ago..." Sean remarkes.

"We didn't fight much, but when we did... I would go out on the porch and light up so I could calm down... Esteban would come over and ask for a drag. Then we'd just look up at the sky and watch the stars...or the planes...I do miss that." She said and Sean smiles a bit. "I used to do the same with my best friend, Lyla... Sitting on the porch, just letting time go...just the other night, (y/n) and I were sitting on the hood of a car and we just sat there and watch the night sky." He said and I smiled again as we give each other loving looks. "That's when you know someone is good to you. When you can just sit together...shut up and let the universe do its own thing..." she said and the three of us sit there, in silence, and look over the motel. 

"We should go back inside. I gotta change this dressing." Sean said as he gets up from his chair and heads towards the door. "Okay. Let's go." Karen said as I just nod and we head back inside.

I follow Sean inside as he grabs the shopping bag with the medicine. Then he goes to sit down on one of the beds and pulls out the medicine. "You gonna be okay?" I asked him. I felt really bad for him. I know what it feels like to listen to someone, who is supposed to be your mother, to say basically they didn't want to be a mother. That's what my mother told me when I found her. She told me I was a mistake and she didn't feel like being a mother.

"Yeah..." he mutters as Karen walks back in. "Sean, I know I can't change the past... or what I did... but this is about helping your brother. You gotta trust me this one time." She said as she sits down next to him. "I know... it's still hard...But yes, we have to be a team to rescue Daniel." Sean said and Karen places her hand on Sean's leg. "We can do it." She said then Sean lifts her hand away.

"Okay... how?" He asked. "We need to get in touch with this Jacob. He obviously knows a lot more than us about the church." She replied. "Well... we called him when you were out... we can meet him tomorrow." I replied to her. "Okay, good. I also got these." She said as she pulls out a walkie-talkie. "Just in case." She said. "Okay... better take care of the eye." Sean said and I start to gather the medicine and he raises his head up at me as I start to peel the bandage off of his eye.

"So... you feel like telling me the story here?" Karen asked, nodding towards his eye as I got the bandage off. "When we have time." Sean said. "Gotcha." Karen said as I picked up the medicine and started to clean his eye. He gives me a sad and defeated look and my heart shattered as I cleaned it then started to use the Q-tip to dab the medicine in his eye. But I gave him an encouraging smile once I finished then I lean down and kissed his forehead.

"Here. Try this on." Karen said as she digs into a shopping bag and pulls out a black eyepatch and hands it to Sean. I smiled as he takes it and puts it on. "How do I look?" He asked us. "Great." Karen said. "Thanks..." Sean said. "Now you just need a hook for a hand and a parrot on your shoulder and you're ready to go be a pirate." I teased and Sean scoffs at this, playfully. "Shut up." He laughs, smiling.

"Big day tomorrow, so we should get some rest." Karen said to us. "Yeah... I'm ready to get Daniel." Sean said. "Same here." I said.