+Liam's POV+

       I walk out as Raleigh's parents walk in with Randy, giving me weird looks but I ignore them and walk to the cafeteria where the rest of her family is. I notice Ethan eating next to Tillie and how his arm is wrapped around her shoulder and how she leans into him. Glad they are happy. Across from them is Aiden in between the twins. Didn't take him long to find some lady friends.

       "Hey, guys." I say as I walk over and Zoey and Zaya give me dirty looks but Tillie offers me a small smile, which shocks me. Aiden just nods to me and so does Ethan.

        "So Aiden, when do you want to get going?" I ask him as I pull up a chair to the end.

      "You're leaving?!" Ethan yells and I nod my head. Why wouldn't I? Aiden and I were here for a reason and finding Raleigh was just a coincidence.

        "Yeah, we have things that we have to do." Aiden mutters, seeming annoyed but I get it. He doesn't want to see Cassandra and why wouldn't he? She completely destroyed him.

"What's more important than staying with your family?!" Zoey yells at us, standing up.

"Protecting them!" Aiden yells back at her, also standing up.

"Fuck protection!"

"That's what she said." I hear Zaya mutter under her breath and snap my head to her.

"What did you just say?" I ask her, not believing what my ears heard.

      "She's been watching a lot of 'The Office', ignore her." Zoey explains with a sigh and a bit of annoyance. Ah; that explains it.

"Anyways, Aiden and I have to go. It was nice seeing all of you. Definitely like a breath of fresh air. Maybe our paths will cross once again." I say as I start getting up to walk away but someone grabs my arm and pulls me back into my seat.

"Neither of you idiots are going anywhere until you tell us what the hell is going on and what happened, where you're going, where you've been and what the hell happened?! Because all you've said is that you left to protect us and that you have to leave to protect us again! I am calling bullshit! So get talking before I shove this spoon down your throat!" Zoey yells at me, holding up her wooden spoon (something about saving the turtles). I sigh and look at Aiden; who nods his head. I know Randy will want to know and Raleigh doesn't know everything yet, but maybe someday she will.

"Well as you know Ria came ruined our lives and whatnot but Raleigh and I-" I start to explain but Ethan interrupts me.

"We already know what happened with all that, get to the part where you faked your death and started your life as Isaac."

"Alright, alright." I mutter before I take a deep breath and get ready. There's a lot that I haven't talked about and so I have to prepare myself emotionally and mentally for all the things that are about to come out of my mouth.

        "I left because I didn't have my life together, I thought leaving was the best choice. I knew I had to figure things out and work on myself before I could be with her and that's the only solution I saw to that. I had to walk away from everything to see who I was without everyone interfering. Was it selfish? Yes. Do I regret it? No because I learned who I was. I decided to do some soul searching and Aiden found me. He told me about the connections he had and I decided to take a leap of faith and go. But what neither of us realized is once you get in, you can't get out. We do the dirty work for them. Tha-thats why we are here in the first place." I whisper the last part, hoping no one hears me but I know by the way everyone is looking at me, they are holding onto every word I say.

        "Anyways, it's an underground society were we find the people who have done wrong to the gang or who have lost family members, we help them too. After the Ria mess, we had hunted down some of her allies and helped save people and help them recover from what they had down to them."

       "Did they find her?" Ethan asks and Aiden looks at me with a look all too well. It's his way of asking me the the truth, well demanding the truth. I never did tell him what happened. Well, not all of it.

"They didn't. I did. I was walking with Raleigh as Isaac and we heard voices. I told her to stay back, I could tell she recognized them but didn't know exactly who. But as always, she didn't listen. I was ready to shoot, I saw Tulip and her there and I didn't want Ria to kill her. As I was about to shoot, an arrow zooms into my line of sight and hits her, I try again and but again the same thing happens. I then see Raleigh run and-" I stop when I see Randy walking over with shaky hands and a nervous expression.

"Why'd you stop?" Zoey asks but turns, like everyone else to see Ryder patting Randy on the shoulder and giving him a smile as he walks over to us. What is going on?!

"Um...Zoey? I-I have to tell you something." Randy whispers once he gets to the table but he looks at Aiden and he instantly backs up.

      "What?" Zoey asks with...hope in her eyes.

       "Uh...never mind."

       "Randy, what is it?"

       "N-Nothing."

      "Then stop stuttering and spit it out!" Zoey yells at him, standing up and walking towards him. Why am I always present when something like this happens?! First Casandra and Aiden now these two?!

"Fine! I LOVE YOU! There I said it!" Randy yells at Zoey and everyone's jaws drop. Well not mine or Ethan's; we already knew that. Although why anyone else isn't surprised is beyond me; it was pretty obvious.

"You what?!"

"I LOVE YOU! ARE YOU DEAF?!"

       "NO, I'M NOT DEAF!"

"ARE YOU SURE?!"

"YES, I AM SURE! ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU LOVE ME?!"

"OF FUCKING COURSE I'M SURE!" Randy screams and Zoey marches up to Randy and kisses him so hard that he almost falls over. Once he realizes what she's doing, he kisses her back with as much force. By now, everyone in the cafeteria has their eyes on us. Why don't people mind their own business for once?! Humans are so nosy.

      I see Ryder grinning at their exchange and I look to see Zaya rolling her eyes but she has a sad look in her eyes. Ethan and Tulip look at each other with smirks and love in their eyes. Aiden looks at the table, frowning. I understand that pain.

      Raleigh may say she loves me but just because you love someone doesn't mean you'll fight for that person. We may love each other but doesn't mean we are good for each other. We have always gone back and forth with arguments and then just make-out, as if that helps the problems we avoid.

"I'll tell Casandra that you are busy and that you'll come later. Bye, guys." I tell Aiden and then I announce the last part as I start walking out of the hospital. Aiden and I's car is parked next to our friends' cars. I shake my head, trying to get rid of the ache of leaving them behind again. I can't get out of this. I start the car and sigh, resting my forehead on the steering wheel. I just sit there for a few minutes as everything goes through my head.

Raleigh first kissing me. Us jumping out of the hotel window. Us driving and on the run from Ria. Her laughing. Her smiling. Finding her in the woods and carrying her back. Her coming back for me. Us on the road, laughing, telling stories. God, why did I have to fall for her so damn hard?

       There's a knock on my window that makes me jump and I see Delilah glaring at me. I gulp but roll down my window, trying to hide the fear in my eyes.

      "Not even a proper goodbye for me?" She asks and I give her a sad smile, getting out of the car and hugging her. This woman has been there for me for many years. In a way, she was my mother. She cared for me with love that I had never known. I will forever be thankful for her for that.

       "That's better. Now, what about Raleigh?" Delilah asks as she looks her over shoulder and I see my princess shining bright in the sun. Everything in me screams to go see her but my rational side tells me that I shouldn't.

"Do I not get a goodbye this time around either?" Raleigh asks me and I grin, walking over to her. God, she's beautiful.

"Well since your came all this way, I should give you a proper goodbye."

"That's better, bad boy." Raleigh says with a smirk and I wrap my arms around her, pulling her closer to me. I don't care how hot it is out, I want her as close as possible because I don't know when the next time I'll be able to hold her like this will be. I press my lips against hers and try not to cry. I don't want to leave all this behind. I don't want to leave her behind. Not again. But I have to. I have to keep her safe.

"I love you. Never forget that, princess."

"I love you too, you know that. Do you have to leave?" Raleigh asks me as we pull away from each other. Tears start to slip down her eyes. I wipe each one away as I try to hold myself together as I answer her.

"If I want to protect you, I do. I wasn't joking when I told you that they'd kill me if I left and if they found you or anyone else I care about, all of you would be dead too. I can't let that happen. I can't loose you."

      "Liam, don't you see we are losing each other because we can't be together?!"

       "I know, princess. Believe me, I know. But not having you and you being alive is better than having you but dead."

      "Find a way to come back to me, okay?" Raleigh asks, holding my hands in her soft ones that are a little smaller than mine but they fit perfectly together. I press my forehead to hers and close my eyes. I want to remember every moment with her. Even if it's with her dark scarlet hair and not her light brown hair that I always see blowing in the wind as I dream.

"I promise, I'll do everything I possible can to come back to you." I assure her, hugging her as if it's the last time. As far as I know, it could be. I could never see her smile, never hold her in my arms again or-STOP! If you keeping thinking all of that, you won't be able to walk away. As I go to walk away something in her snaps she holds onto me tighter.

      "Please don't leave me, Liam. Not again."

      "Raleigh, I have to. You know that."

      "Please don't go. Please stay. Please." Raleigh begs me and my heart breaks looking at her sobbing and clinging to me as she begs for me to stay as if her life depended on it.

       "Raleigh...we've been over this, I have to."

      "No, no, no! You can stay! We can be happy! Together! Please don't leave!"

       "Princess, you have to let me go."

      "Why can't you see that I can't let you go! Everything in me screams for you! It craves you! I need you! No one can make me feel like this! How am I supposed to let you go when my heart wants you and only you?! How am I supposed to be happy looking into someone else's eyes when they aren't yours?! How am I supposed to wake up with someone else next to me for the rest of my life?! I CAN'T!"

"Come on, Raleigh. Don't make this harder than it has to be." I practically beg her. This hurts so much and she's making it worse. I know if she keeps begging me to stay, I won't be able to fight it anymore. I'd pick her up and hold her in my arms and never let her go. But I can't. It's not safe for her.

         "I can't lose you again!"

        "Then let me go! We will both be dead if I don't go and everyone we care about! Why can't you see I'm doing this to protect you?!"

      "Promise me you'll try to come back to me! Promise me that you won't forget about me! Promise me that you'll come back for me!"

      "Raleigh, you know I'll never stop fighting for you."

       "You didn't promise me!"

       "I promise I'll do everything I can to come back to you. If I ever get free, I'll get you a real ring and that's a promise." I tell her as I kiss her left ring finger, right where a ring would go.

      "Try to come home, Liam."

      "I will and that's a promise." I give her a kiss on the lips and then the forehead, trying to hold myself together. If I fall apart in front of her, I'll never be able to leave. We let go of each other and I take in her scarlet red hair, her ocean blue eyes that have tears in them and just the way she looks. If this is going to be my last memory with her, I have to be able to remember what she looked like. How her eyes were begging me to stay. How she looked like she was falling apart.

        I get in the car and my hands shake as I start it. I take a deep breath and start driving. As I pull out, I look and see all of my friends standing in the parking lot, watching me go. But they aren't just my friends, they are my family. And that just makes leaving so much harder to do.

++++++++

"Ah, Isaac. Nice of you to join us." Casandra tells me as I walk over to her and three others in the corner of a small café. I take a seat next to Cassandra, trying not to glare at her. I turn my attention to the two gentlemen across from me and the woman in a chair on the end on Cassandra's side.

The gentleman directly in front of me is around my age and has black hair, green eyes and has olive skin. He wears ripped jeans and a white button down with some buttons undone. He has black sunglasses resting on top of his head and a thick bracelet/band thing on his left wrist with a family crest on it. The other gentleman is older and wears black suit pants and a red dress shirt. He has gray hair that is gelled back and has a beard that is well-kept. On his right wrist is a black Rolex.

The woman seems to be my age too but a little older. Her skin is the color of mocha and her dark curls are out in full. She wears a black pencil skirt that hugs to her tightly and a bright red blouse that goes down a little bit. Her red lipstick matches her blouse but I notice she's wearing other makeup as well; not a lot but enough that I notice. The rest of it is more natural than the bright red lips. She has gold earrings in the form of spikes and a gold arrow hanging on a golden chain around her neck. I see a gold infinity ring on her ring finger on her left hand.

      I glance at Casandra and notice she's fidgeting with her tight black skirt and fixing her light pink blouse. Her eyes keep glancing to the corner, as if she's waiting for someone to walk over here. I give her a worried look but she shakes her head, telling me not to worry about it. I know I shouldn't care but something about her being fidgety and...worried, makes me a little nervous.

"Before we begin, how about some introductions?" I suggest.

"Of course. Where are my manners? I am George Whitmore." The older gentleman says and I nod my head and shake his hand.

        "I'm Lucas." The other gentleman tells me, giving me a nod.

       "I'm Janice." The woman says, reaching her hand over Cassandra who shoots her a dirty look. I shake it and then I notice that everyone else has some sort of drink.

       Casandra sips her dark coffee which I'm sure she slipped alcohol in. George has black coffee; like straight up black. Lucas just has an espresso sitting on a small plate. Janice sips her bubble tea. I can't believe no one ordered me anything.

       "I'll be right back, I'm just going to order some coffee or something." I announce as I get up to get in line. There's a petite woman about eighty in front of me, holding a small boy's hand. I wonder what it's like to have a grandmother or even a mother. The woman who birthed me will never be my mother, even if she's dead in the ground from bullet wounds that I shot in her.

        "Why are you sad?" The boy asks me and I just look at him confused. Do I really seem that sad that he'd notice?

"I'm okay." I assure him. The boy shakes his head, let's go of the woman's hand and looks up at me with his bright blue eyes.

"No. Abuela said that when a man is sad you see it in the eyes."

"You see it in my eyes?"

"Yes."

"How old are you?" I can't help but ask as I kneel down to his level.

"I'm four." He tells me, holding up three of his fingers. I let out a small chuckle and bring one of them up so it's four.

"Oh. I always get that mixed up."

"It's okay. Mistakes happen, you just have to learn from them."

"You have to learn that the sun will come out TOMORROW!" The boy yells as he starts singing, making a ton of people look at us. The old woman turns around and sighs, as if she's done this a million times.

        "What have I told you about singing musicals in public, Anthony?! Don't make me use my chancla!" She says and the little boy huffs but immediately stops singing.

        "That not everyone wanted to hear a song and if they did, they would've asked. But Abuela-"

       "No buts! Now apologize to the gentleman, right now."

       "I'm sorry."

       "Hey, it's okay. He was right about me needing a little sunshine and remembering that the sun will come out tomorrow." I tell the woman with a smile on my face. I stand up and give him a wink.

       "Next!" The cashier orders before the old woman can say anything and I watch in awe as they interact like a family. I didn't have that when I was younger. As it is, I don't have that now. All because of this fucking garbage. What if...I bring it up?! Everyone's there that needs to be there. I could be free. I shake my head. They aren't just going to let me go, not when they never figured out what happened to Ria or where Christian put Eliza and Garrett. Or anyone else.

"Next!" The cashier calls and I walk forward but wave goodbye to the little boy and his Nana before looking at my options. Hmm.

        "A medium American Frappuccino, please." I say, noticing the limited edition frappe in honor of the 4th of July.

       "Eight dollars and seventy-five cents." The teen girl with blonde hair tells me. I try not to look shocked but damn! I swipe my card and she hands me my receipt. In red ink is her name with hearts and her Snapchat under it. Well sorry Marissa but not today.

"Thank you." I say as I walk back to the group, thinking of ways to try and get out of this mess.

       "You good now, Cap?" Janice asks with a smirk and I give her a confused look so she nods to my very American drink. It even has red, white and blue star sprinkles on the whipped cream. The drink itself is a mixture of blue and red.

      "'Cap'?" Cassandra mutters and I just shake my head, knowing she wouldn't understand.

      "Yeah for Captain America?"

      "Who?" Cassandra asks Janice; I swear I see Janice debating whether or not to shove her metal straw down Cassandra's throat.

"Let's focus on more pressing matters, shall we?" George snaps at the two women, sending each of them a glare.

"Speaking of pressing matters, there is one I would like to bring up." I announce.

"We three are here to debate pressing matters, you are here for a reference."

"Ease up, George. Let the man talk for Christ's sake! You were just talking about manners and now you are interrupting him!" Lucas mutters.