Lee returned to the living room and turned on the television, which showed the news. Nothing but the weather, which showed all upper eighties for the week as high. A knock sounded at the door before he sat---five even knocks, spaced carefully apart. Bringing a key from his pocket Lee unlocked the padlock on the door, opening it to a man in white. A white short-sleeved shirt and light gray jeans. "Denver. I was just about to call you."

"Were you?" His doctor friend entered the living room without being invited in---Lee had made it clear to enter if he answered, regardless. "Thought I'd drop by. Got another today?"

"Like clockwork, Denver." Lee went around to the couch and sat. "A bit complicated today, though. Found another one, like last time."

"Another? Young again?"

"No, older. You remember the news some years back, going on about a kidnapped boy?"

Denver nodded, sitting on the other end and staring at the news. "Yeah, that the one you found? Thought he'd be dead by now."

"No. Found him when I went to get Jerry. Tied to the bed like..." Lee shook his head. "Son of a bitch. Can't wait to take a belt to him... Anyway, Denver. I need you to forge some documents for the kid."

"The whole package?"

"Yeah, the whole thing. You know about him well enough from the news, don't you?"

Denver bit his lip and shook his head. "I don't have a memory as good as yours, Lee."

"Black hair, shoulder-length, dark eyes, light skin. Use some old prints if need be. Doesn't look quite six feet tall, but he crouches a lot so I can't be sure."

Denver nodded. He'd remember it this time. The rest he'd make up on his own, including relation to Lee. The way he explained it, the kid was similar to him in appearance. They'd make good siblings.

Hearing talking from downstairs, Antony crawled from out of the cupboard he had made a bed in using multiple blankets and pillows. He sneaked to the stairs and peered down them, not able to see anything from the living area. He could hear the television going, something that Jerry had watched constantly before getting drunk and abusing him. He never really liked the thing himself, especially the type of filth the man would watch. If Antony could choose a programme, he'd watch the history channel or a news channel. He liked finding out about the world he wasn't allowed in.

He crept almost silently down the stairs, crouching as he went to the living room's door. He peeked around it, seeing another man sitting on the couch with Lee. There was something strange about this one too, he seemed to be wearing mostly white. Antony screwed up his nose. It hurt his eyes to look at him.

Denver stared at the news for a moment, then turned back to Lee. "Heard on the news a couple hours ago that they're hitting a dead end in investigating the disappearance of the heart surgeon you took."

Lee nodded, tuning out the woman talking and shut off the television. "Never thanked you, by the way. I really needed that distraction. You're sure you didn't have connection with him in any way?"

"No, Lee, I never even met the man. They'll probably question all the staff on different shifts, though. They're the only ones who'd have no alibi around the disappearance."

Lee shook his head. He'd taken the drug-and-child abuser from the back of the hospital. Perhaps he had others that would have vices against him, though. But they'd probably have alibis too. He pushed them aside mentally and sighed, putting his arms behind his head. Denver had become a pretty static visitor since last year. Considering his affiliation with various strongly family-oriented mobs within and outside the city, it was easy for the man to get many things with just a favor repaid.

Antony crept quietly into the room and sat in the corner of the room, just behind the couch. He was interested in hearing what the two men were talking about. Something about another victim, by the sounds of things. He has far too many accomplices," Dan spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "When we do this sort of thing, we'll make sure we work for no one and tell no one." Antony swatted the voice away, as if he was shooing away a particularly annoying fly.

He was sad that Lee had turned off the television, as he liked watching the news. He was especially pleased to hear about the wars in other countries. Maybe one day he would be able to see one with his own eyes. He knew that it was a strange craving, but then again he wasn't a normal kid in the first place.

Denver stood and stretched. "Thanks a lot, Lee." He muttered.

The younger man raised a brow. "For what?"

"Trusting me. Of all people I never really expected you to be able to trust me."

"Really, Denver. It was blackmail. So long as no one knows you're a mob boss, no one'll know about my... work here. Right...?" He stood after Denver as the doctor stepped around the coffee table and to the front door. Still, Denver nodded and huffed lightly. "I'll get the records down tonight. They'll be in the system by tomorrow morning, and any search on Antony will bring up both a dead-end kidnapping and a few pages of generic information about a man with the same name living here."

"That works for me. Get out of here, you got work to do." He patted Denver on the shoulder and sent the man out, padlocking the door afterward. Then he turned around. "Antony, get out of there. I know you were listening in." He went around to his place and sat again. "Hope you found a room to like."

"No. I hated all of them," Antony replied straight forwardly. He found no reason to sugar coat his speech with lies. Lying was for weak people that couldn't face the truth and that were too afraid to know what others thought of them. "They were far too big and empty, so I am sleeping in the cupboard." He crawled from behind the couch and sat next to Lee, tilting his head and smirking at the man. He wanted to test him, see what annoyed him and where his line was before Antony crossed it.

"So your friend is some sort of gangster?" he asked Lee, not blinking at he smirked up at the man. "And he is going to make up some lies so people will think we are related? I guess we look similar, but you are much darker than me..." He lifted up his pale skinned arm and put it against Lee's.

Lee rolled his eyes. He knew what this was---this was a test. He hated 'testers'. They said what they meant but always studied or stared at him to gauge his reaction. "Okay, you can have the closet. I'll just put my brooms and vacuum somewhere else. Just---act like you're living in one of the other rooms at least. In case an unexpected visitor comes by I'll hate to be explaining why there's a bed in the hall closet."

He nodded then, bringing his hand over his hair absently. "Denver's what you'd call a mob boss if they were less flashy. He prefers to work under the radar and keep favors quiet." Lee laughed a bit, and shook his head. "I'd rather die than let anyone know about what I do, but if he doesn't want to be put away too, he'll keep quiet. With who he knows, he'll put up legit paperwork for anyone who might be looking for you, or any relatives. Even if we're a little different in skin tone..." He looked at himself. His skin would never fade---it was a good thing, perhaps, or he'd be white as paper. "Indian blood really helps you keep your tan, though..."

Antony went quiet, looking away from the man. He hadn't thought about his family for years. He wondered if they were still looking for him, or even thinking about him. "I doubt that," Dan said quietly. He usually teased Antony when he got all moody over his family. Today he had been rather quiet. Antony supposed that it was because he was in company of someone he could talk to.

"So I call you brother? Or daddy?" he asked Lee, staring blankly at the TV. It was off now, but he was remembering the time he had watched the news and heard about his kidnapping. That the police were now looking for a body... His parents would think he was dead. Most of him was. He sighed and touched his hair, still not used to its length or how nice it felt to be clean. "You know, I think I could get used to living here. I don't care about my family. I am interested in 'your work'... Though I do want to know if you have at least a back yard. I really miss the feel of grass... Being outside... I hope I can at least have that freedom..." Antony realised he was speaking like a normal young man. Something about Lee was making him forget about his childish way of talking.

Lee paused. What a stupid question...! But perhaps, not for someone like Antony. He couldn't be sure if it was a legit question, but he shook his head and studied his nails before answering. They were short and well-kept, mainly to make it easy to clean the blood out from under and around them after he was finished with his bloodier work. "If you call me Daddy people will be really wondering about our relationship." He said, snickering at the thought. Especially if they looked at it like a true father-son thing. He'd have been five when he had Antony, should he have had a child the teen's age. That was definitely a strange thought.

Standing, Lee stretched and went around to one of the bookshelves beside the television. This one held movies of varying age, many old horror movies and some children's animated movies. Just a few, though. He never watched those. "The back's through the door at the end of the hall. Go past the stairs and you'll see a sunroom, that'll lead to the back yard. It's fenced in, has a lot of trees. It's bothersome keeping up the grass so you'd better enjoy it." Being in an arid state like this, it was hard forcing nature to stern its course and keep up lush grass, but now he had a good reason for his high water bill. Or, at least, a good excuse. But Lee himself enjoyed the back yard too. It had a nice, high fence that he managed to see over without standing on tiptoe, heavy trees that could honestly be found in places like this, but with thick, hard leaves that trapped water and kept the tree alive when rain was rare. Which it often was in summer---which was ending soon.

Antony smiled up at the man, thankful that he was allowed to go outside. He glanced out of the window and then at his pale skin. Perhaps it wasn't a good thing to go out right now, as he would probably burn straight away in the sun. Instead he went to the TV and turned it on. It was already tuned to a news channel, so he sat down on the floor and watched it. He only realised that he was rather hungry. His last meal seemed forever ago now.

Lee breathed in deeply, then let the breath out through his mouth. It'd been a long time since he'd ever watched a movie. Still, he only ever had to watch one time and he'd remember everything. It was still fun to put one of those old zombie movies in late at night for a little added ambiance. Turning around, he wandered, almost, into the kitchen and stared around. It was a little early to start supper, but a good idea to begin ahead of time. Jerry wasn't making a sound still, and might be awake by the time Lee was finished. Chicken pot pie sounded good---he'd not made it in a little more than a year, and felt a bit nostalgic.

Glancing behind him, he studied Antony as he watched the news. Seemed well enough---Jerry probably wouldn't be missed until he didn't show up for work after a few days. They may find the house, the leftover hostage situation, and decide that whomever was living there got tired of it all and took matters into their own hands. Lee shook his head, going to the refrigerator and pulling out a ziplock bag of chicken and a few packs of light pastry. It'd take about fifteen minutes to put everything together, and another thirty to let things simmer together. Evaluating times in his head kept Lee focused, noted, and dulled the edge of a situation that felt sharp to him.

Disclaimer/End

Over the next three years several hundred people vanish, only their ground bones discovered.

Lee grows tired of his work and, as Antony has been updated on the world and has adapted accordingly, sends the young man away while he goes to 'turn himself in' in a way.

For the past eight years Lee has been kept in a maximum security mental ward as he was found insane and unable to enter a normal prison facility.

~Ended RP due to repetitiveness and eventual crash~