Live and Die Hard

5. Boo and Cupcake.

Saturday.

Jack hasn't unclenched his teeth for miles. Nor his fists which are slowly but surely pulverizing the steering wheel. 
He has spent most of the ride staring at the rear-view, desperately trying to catch Shade's eyes. The three times he succeeded, her green glance was desperate and wet. 
He has to fight the urge to slam on the brakes, slam the car's door, slam his palm on her face, slam his lips on hers.

Anna is sleeping like the baby she still is, curled up against her ma, clinging to the fluffy rabbit John bought her during their last stop for gas. 
She's his baby. He has been a father for 5 fucking years and he has known nothing about it.
Fucking Shade.
And she's the one who complains. 
OK he was gone for months but she could have left a note, a text, anything. Even months after. So he could have known about Anna. His baby girl. His angel. 
Shade opted for a rougher way to announce his fatherhood.
Oops I forgot: you're a dad fucking asshole!

He grits his teeth and digs his nails further in the wheel.

Shade forces her stare out the window, avoiding Jack's murder glare. His usual blue eyes turned ice black by anger.
How could he blame her for Anna? He left without a word, a note, a text, any fucking thing. 
After a whole month waiting for him, worrying to death, she started doubting. 
She thought he has gone for a mission, that's the job, but they had their secret code. 
She has checked all her official and unofficial e-mails, twice, ten times a day. Nothing. 
She ran to the general delivery of their 5 secret spots where they spent romantic getaways. No tracks.
She begged, she cried, she yelled at McKay to glean some crumbles. No news.

She thought he was dead. And cried.
She found out she was pregnant. And burst into more tears.
She found the engagement ring, and she lost her mind.

And now she's here, main witness in a dangerous drug case, threatened to death with her daughter by some old Mafioso and his squad, forced to run and breathe close to the man she hated the most. Forced to somehow live with him for her own safety. Forced to tell him about his daughter. Their daughter.

With Jack's stare caressing her face, she feelsher hate vanish, then multiply with each breath.

The atmosphere in the car is so thick and sticky, anyone could feel the electricity in the air.

John gets bored with the heavy silence and opens his mouth to practice his main skill :sticking his foot in his mouth.

"Kids, you are stupid. Talk, kiss, fuck, whatever you need but this is fucking unbearable." He points to the two of them.

"FUCK YOU JOHN!" is the only answer he had.

*
They had driven for two days, the safe house they are sent to is located in the next state. Safety rules keep them from riding the highway 15, which would have saved one day of torture.
John thinks to himself these are the longest two days ever. Even being threatening to death by a gun or jump blindly from the top of a building would be more fun and entertaining than this fucking trip.

Last time they had a stop for the night, Jack went to the reception and paid for two rooms. One for the girls, one for the McClanes, not to draw attention on them.
But they actually stayed the four of them in the same room, the witness protection program forced Jack to keep an eye on Shade and Anna 24/7.
Shade and Anna slept in the bed, John snored onthe sofa. Jack couldn't sleep a wink at night, obsessed by the news Shade has delivered.
He's Anna's father.

He kept his mouth shut, despite his need to scream his guts out. 
He had sworn to himself since he was 8 that he 'd never be a missing dad. He decided to never become a father after Shade left him, devastated and desperate with love.