He tried to smile but made it only as far as his busted lip would allow. Shane began to cry and he pulled her in so her head was against the chest of his torn and bloodied shirt.

“Promise me next time you won’t open the door”

“ No, never Donny I…”

He quickly covered her mouth and the froze in terror as they listened to their surroundings. When he saw the tears running down her cheek he whiped them away with his swolled hand.

“We’re gonna be okay I…know we will… Father won’t leave us here long”

“ He’s never coming for us Donny… he knows where we are, he always does and he leaves us everytime.”

“No Sam…I know it he won’t give up on us”

Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the far off glimmer of hope in his eyes. A look she’d never even dreamt of having. She knew he put too much faith in a man that would never claim them as his own. He’d named them and dropped them off leaving them to fend for themselves. And yet he always managed to show up when things had gone too far, when it was too late when the damage was done, and wisked them away to another place for them to start the evil cycle over again.

Shane wrapped her arms around him and pulled their bodies in tight. She pulled his head in to her chest knowing now what she had to do.

“ Donovan, we’re all we’ve got now…its just me and you and I’m going to do whatever I can so no one ever hurts you again… Its just you and me okay?”

“Okay sis”

Shane smiled down at him and brushed his hair away from his face.

“We’ll be like Father said…”

“ What?”

“One day we’ll get away, like Remus and Romulous and we’ll live off the land, and start our own empire from the ground…the most powerful empire…more powerful than anything even Alexander the…”

“ Shhh go to sleep Donny”

“Okay”

She kissed his forehead and held him tight as they did almost everynight.

“Sam?”

” Yeah?”

“Thanks”

“ Anything for you Donny”.

“Make sure you get back to bed before he gets up.”