Reformation

17: Trouble in Pecos Texas

"We need to split up, cover more ground,"

"I'm coming with you, you're still weak,"

"No, we need to cover more ground, I'll be fine."

He wrapped me in a hug. "If we split up, and you find him, you kill him, no matter what he says. Deal?"

"Deal,"

He kissed me on the cheek. "I love you,"

"Love you more,"

"Half an hour, then meet back here, okay?"

I nodded. We both went our separate ways. I wanted to break the watch, I wanted to smash it and scream. It was the watch his dad had given him for his sixteenth birthday, it stopped working a year later, so he would always set the time of a special moment in his life. At six o'clock on my twentieth birthday, we had our first kiss. He wanted me to find him, and I didn't want to know what was waiting for me when I did.

I hadn't been walking very long when I heard a twig snap behind me. I whipped around and held up my gun. Seeing him again made me want to scream. He looked weathered, tired, but he still had that mischievous look in his eyes. Hunter kicked in his arms.

"You're looking wonderful this morning, I'm glad you found my little gift," He smiled evilly.

"Jim, just give him back and I'll walk away, nobody gets hurt," I tried to sound strong and commanding, but it just came out as a plead.

He smiled. "Put your gun down," I didn't move. His smile disappeared. "Gun down,"

I dropped it to the ground. "Just give me my baby,"

He looked down at Hunter who was whining. "Ryan guilted you into it, didn't he? You don't even love him, do you? It's ok. He isn't here. You can tell me-"

"Give him back!"

He looked down at Hunter, sadness filled his eyes. "This was supposed to be my baby, we were supposed to be having kids together. We were supposed to return to bed after long days of taking care of the kids, tired, our hearts still lit with a passion for each other, we were supposed to have a happy ending together. Then Ryan comes along and, no doubt, held you against your will, just to make me unhappy." He looked up at me. "Has Ryan hurt you?"

"No! He didn't! The only person hurting me right now is you so please just give me back my baby-"

"I have a proposal," he took a step towards me. "If you come with me, we can be happy. We can start a family of our own, Hunter can be apart of it-"

"How did you know his name? How did you know where we were?"

He ignored me. "Maybe we could change his name to Luther, his rightful grandfather. Hunter never did anything for you, he left you. I would never leave you, I never did. I've been watching over you, why did you think the creepers never got to you when Ryan was being chased? Who did you think brought down the third car? I wouldn't leave you now either. Ryan left you so many times. I would never do that,"

"Jim, please," tears dripped down my cheek.

He looked down at Hunter. "He looks like you, he could easily pass up as my son. We could get married, for real."

"Jim, I don't love you. It wouldn't do either of us any good if that happened,"

"We can go to Cleveland together, I could keep you safe,"

"I saved your life. This is how you are going to repay me?"

"I saved your life. Without me, Kiera would've never finished the cure-"