In the pale light of the moon Aidan and I listened quietly in the alley, the sounds from the other side of the open window barely interrupting the world outside. Kneeling on the damp ground beside the window, I strained my ears for Drake's voice.

It was still unbelievable that we had even come to such a point. In a short time the three of us had started a happy life together and eventually added another member, just to lose an important part of it because someone else wasn't happy with my decisions. Nothing I said or did was good enough for that person. The only thing that mattered was that they got what they wanted; forget that I had carried Drake for nine months. Forget that I loved him more than myself. Ben wanted him, so he'd gotten him. Or, he was going to.

The plan was to stop it from happening.


Upon getting out of the hospital after my fall, Aidan and I returned home to find a visitor that we hadn't expected to see. Dina was seated patiently on our front steps, her hands resting on her skinny knees as she stared up into the morning sky. When I approached her, she lowered her eyes to mine with such sadness.


She was there we soon found out, to tell us what she'd come to learn that morning. Or, as she said it, what she thought she knew. Aidan listened quietly from the middle of the living room, his arms crossed as she expressed her worry that her sister Nina was involved with Drake's disappearance, as well as Ben.


"You have to do this, Nina," Ben growled at the trembling red head. "That bitch wont let me see him alone, and then it's not very long or often."

"We'll never get away with this, Ben! It's ridiculous."


"Just take him somewhere in Veronaville and stay there a while," he instructed, his patience wearing thin. "I'll join you as soon as I can.

"I can't believe you want to do this..." Nina trailed off with a heavy sigh. "I don't see how this can possibly end well."


The morning news is what had put two and two together for her. A missing child, in particular my child, was taken in the middle of the day by someone that was supposed to be my friend. The wedding photos had shown Maya to the world, and Dina instantly recognized her sister with the new dark locks and blue contacts. Suddenly everything she'd overhead made sense. When she'd called the police they blew her off, so she brought her suspicions to us.


In a couple hours we had packed and were throwing the bags in the trunk and driving away from the house. Passing Ben and Kennedy's, we saw that they were indeed still there and waiting it out. It was the perfect time to ambush the girl.


A week had passed before we caught sight of her. Nina had surfaced at a coffee shop where much to my dismay, she relaxed alone on the small patio. What had she done with my son; she hadn't left him alone had she?! I knew she was an idiot, but I'd thought she'd take more care than that!

Meanwhile, back in Tifa Island Julia was seated quietly at a large wooden desk. Mr. Dresden would be in shortly she was told, and she knew she was doing the right thing by going to see him, she couldn't help but feel unsettled by the wait. It gave her an opportunity to back out.

Although she chose not to show it, a large part of her had regret the decisions she'd made back then. At the time it seemed like the best thing for everyone, but how illogical it was to think Aimee would ever recover or even forgive her. She knew that if it had been her, she'd certainly never let it go.

And so there she was, trying to fix it. Or at least start the process. She knew going in that she wouldn't get all the information, there were things they were not permitted to share.


Mr. Dresden -Paul as he would insist she call him, was a very kind man of great stature. She felt very comfortable with him, easily telling the story of how the little girl had come to be on the doorstep of the orphanage those years ago. Her late husband -who had confessed where he'd brought her on his death bed- had taken the infant from the mother just minutes after birth, and left her on the doorstep sure she would find greater care.

It wasn't a complete lie. The little girl had been left there, but her husband had known nothing about it.


Confirming the arrival of a female infant on the day she specified, Paul asked more questions about hair and eye color. The details were accurate and Paul informed Julia that the little girl was taken into foster care a month following her arrival. She was quite intelligent and above her years, but there was always something that didn't work out and so she returned to the orphanage numerous times. She'd recently been taken in by a new family in Bridgeport and reportedly things were going well.


Julia left that afternoon with little more than she'd come in with, but it was a good start she figured. If the girl had truly settled well with the new family she did not want to disturb all that the girl had waited long to have, so she let it be. However, Paul was instructed to call her should she happen to return.

All had been quiet for some time in Nina's motel room when her cell phone rang, shaking Aidan and I from near slumber nestled in the shadows below the window. Answering it after the first tone, Nina nervously paced the room.

"What?" she whimpered, brushing a stray hair from her face. "What do you mean they're missing?"


I silently waved a hand at Aidan, who quickly pulled the cam corder from the bag on the ground. Positioning myself to peer just over the window sill, I turned it on. Nina's constant circular movement was now visible on the small screen.

"Dina did what?!" she cried, touching her face. "Oh my god, Ben. I told you this wouldn't work! Now my sister has them coming out here, and maybe the police!" I couldn't stop my devious smile.

"They didn't? Oh, thank god," she whined as Drake waddled past her in his pajamas. My heart jumped in my chest with relief and I sighed. At least he wasn't confined to the bathroom, which I half expected from her. "But what now? If Aimee is coming... Ben, you need to come here, like now!"

"Dahh!" Drake squealed and ran across the room before breaking into a fit of giggles. In a moment I realized he was running towards the window towards us, and trying to pull himself up. Nina turned and watched him curiously as she listened to Ben on the other end of the line.

I wanted to tear through the screen and grab hold of my son, wrapping him safely in my arms. Never in my life had something felt so close yet so far. At least he could see I was there watching over him; I hoped he felt more secure because of it.


"Dahh, Dah!" Drake cried again, pulling himself onto his toes and reaching for the camera through the screen. I winced and quietly pulled it back, hearing her footsteps approach our direction. Grabbing the bag and ducking just out of sight, I heard her gasp into the night air.




"You have to come right now, Dammit!" Nina cried nervously, yanking Drake away from the window and sliding it nearly closed. "I think someone's watching us; Drake was just talking out the window -what if it's them?!"


Aidan and I remained in the damp darkness as the quiet returned in Nina's room. In little time she had collected Drake and everything she'd taken and retreated to a car in the parking lot, looking nervously about her for watching eyes. When she was settled inside and driving away, we quickly piled into a car and followed her, keeping a safe distance behind a couple others.


When she arrived at another motel and went inside, we remained in the shelter of the car and watched from close by. Hours passed with no signs of movement in either her room or outside. I grew very tired and allowed myself to doze, only to be startled awake almost three hours later by Aidan's agressive shoving.

Walking slowly along the front of the motel was a lone woman with a pizza box in her hand, humming to herself. Straightening in my seat I cast my eyes to Aidan, who nodded. It was now or never.

Continue to 1.28.1