Page 17 of Rough Night

The more Mia thought about it, the sadder she got. All her life she had felt out of place, like she didn't truly belong anywhere and now she did. She belonged in Florida with the Screaming Demons and the Hell Kats. She had made herself into a person she loved and who people loved. She had made friends with everyone in the club, she had earned her place there and now she would have to leave because someone snitched on them.

"Is there nothing else we can do?" she asked. She knew what he'd say before he said it but she still didn't want the decision to be final.

"I'm sorry, Mia, but no, we have to leave,” he replied. "If we stay here any longer, who knows what could happen. We could go to prison, for example."

Mia knew leaving was the only option they had but she had just gotten comfortable in Florida and she had nothing in Pine Hill. She was just getting control of her life. She had the Hell Kats who she could always count on. They had all been there for her on the sidelines when Sage had gone missing, they would constantly check in on her, making sure she was okay. She loved them for it. She had also just been made a Screaming Demon and she wasn't sure how her role would change when they got back to Pine Hill. She had a family in Florida which made it harder for her to leave. She felt as if she had found a place where she belonged. She didn't have a family of her own, she didn't even know where her parents were and so the club was all she had.

"When do we have to leave?" she asked.

"Right now,” he replied. Sage could see the sadness in Mia’s eyes. He stepped toward her and took her face in his hands. He kissed her passionately for a while. He knew how much it all meant to her and he hated that they had been blind to the law enforcement officers in the first place. He knew they must've been watching them for a while but they had both been so caught up in their own little world that they didn't even notice the car parked outside.

"We'll come back, I promise,” he said when he pulled away from her. Mia believed him. She knew that he would not only protect her but kept her best interests at heart.

"I guess I should go pack,” she said as her lips tingled from the kiss. She almost had the urge to have Sage right there in the kitchen but she stopped herself. They didn't have time to stop and have sex, she thought, they had to catch a flight back soon.

They both headed back to their bedrooms to pack a few essentials, leaving most of their things behind in the hopes that they'd be back relatively soon.

They met at the door with carry bags in their hands.

“Well, I guess it's goodbye for now,” Mia said as she looked around the house.

"We'll be back so yes, it's only goodbye for now,” he said.

They called a cab and made their way to the airport where they boarded a plane to Boston.

Mia watched out the window of the plane as Florida went out of sight. Sage took her hand from next to her.

"I know it feels like home to you and I know it's important so we will come back as soon as the heat goes away,” he said with a gentle squeeze of her hand.

Once the flight was over and they landed in Boston they made their way to meet Fiona and Grier. They would need a rundown of what to expect while they were back. They also needed to know exactly what was going on in the first place.

“Hi, guys. Thanks for coming back so quickly. Right now it's for the best,” Fiona said.

Mia tried to put on a brave face as she nodded in agreement with Fiona. She understood that they couldn't risk being in Florida if law enforcement were on their trail but she already missed home. She longed to be in the kitchen cooking dinner and singing to the radio like she had been just not so long ago.

"If it's for the best, it's the only choice we have,” Sage replied. Mia knew he was right, they were both right, but she wished she could have been in her home, the home she had made with Sage. She wondered if Sage would treat her differently now that they weren't in Florida, away from everyone.

"We're working on getting the heat off of us and the organization. It may take some time but it's the best we can do."

It was obvious that Mia was saddened by the news as Fiona reached out for her and took her to the side.

"I know you didn't want to leave, Mia, and to be honest I wish you didn't have to. I've seen how well you have been down there, what you've been doing for the club and I'm really proud but unfortunately, this is out of our control right now,” Fiona said. She knew she was right, it wouldn't help anyone if they got caught up in something in Florida they couldn't get out of.

"You're right, I know you are. It’s just hard to leave something I've worked so hard for."

"Once everything is cleared up, I’ll need you and Sage to go back. We're just in the process of shutting down some business with the Omens, mostly guns, but I have a feeling once that is sorted you’ll be able to go back,” Fiona said.

"I understand and I'll do whatever I can here to help with that,” Mia replied.

Sage and Mia were given a place to stay for the meantime. It was a two-bedroom apartment. Fiona and Grier still wanted them to stick together even while they were away from their home. It wasn't obvious to them that they had gotten closer over the past few weeks. Sage didn't want it to be a known thing yet and he had explained that to Mia before they left.

"I think it would be best if we didn't make anyone question what's going on between us," he said. Mia knew what he meant. He didn't want anyone to know about their relationship, although Mia wasn't even sure what they were herself.

"That's no problem, I understand,” she replied. She didn't want to push the topic because she didn't want to hear anything she wouldn't like. She didn't know what Sage thought was going on, and she didn't want to know if they were just sleeping together and that was it. She wouldn't like it if it were just that so she was too scared to ask.

“So, what now?" Mia asked Sage as they got to the little apartment they'd be staying in.

“Well, we have to wait it out, don't we?" he replied.

"I guess so but I'm not sitting on my ass doing nothing,” she said.

Sage loved her attitude.

"Neither am I,” he replied. He already had some ideas of his own.