Chapter Text
When Smurf goes to jail, Pope does what he knows he should have done a long time ago.
He makes a run for it.
While his brothers bickered over money and jobs he quietly grabbed all the cash he had, packed Lena into his truck, and then drove north.
Initially his plan is to hop the border to Canada—perhaps start over fresh in Vancouver—but unfortunately by the time he reaches some sleepy little town just north of Portland he realizes that they would never get very far without fake passports. So, instead, he decides here is as good a place as any to lay low and start over.
He gets them a place. A little house in the forest owned by a sweet old woman who lets him pay cash every month. Lena enrolls in the local school and finally seems to make friends.
They rely on Pope’s pile of cash for a while, but eventually that runs out and he’s forced to take a job. An assistant mechanic position at the local auto shop. He…doesn’t hate it. He gets to work with his hands and as long as he’s kept as far away from customers as possible he does fine.
It’s also where he meets you.
You were the only other person who worked at the shop. Part receptionist, part customer wrangler he was pretty sure you were the only reason the place kept running. Larry, the chief mechanic, had no people skills to speak of—a bit like him—and wouldn’t know how to sweet talk a customer if he tried.
You were…nice. Normal. At once everything he shouldn’t want or get involved with and yet he can’t help but feel drawn to you. One day he brings Lena to work with him on a Saturday and you take the reins immediately. Playing tic-tac-toe with her and watching cartoons on your phone.
He thinks it’s then that he falls in love with you.
He elopes with you to Canada six months later.
The family never does end up finding them.