“Okay,” she agrees softly. “I will.”
“Promise,” he demands in seriousness.
“I promise,” she assures sincerely.
He nods weakly at her promise and then steps away. “Bye,” he greets softly.
“Bye,” she greets in return.
He watches as she walks out of the room, feeling a pain in his chest at her leaving.
“Bye, Dad,” Jonathan calls from his doorway.
Dawson turns and smiles at him proudly. “Bye, son,” he greets happily.
“Do you need me to drive you anywhere?” Jonathan asks curiously.
Dawson laughs softly. “No,” he assures. “My driver is here.”
Jonathan nods and then waves at him. “Have fun then.”
“I will,” Dawson thanks sincerely.
“Call me later,” Jonathan requests in return.
“Of course,” Dawson agrees.
Jonathan nods happily at his agreement and then closes the door.
Dawson walks back to his car, thinking about his son happily. He is glad Iris has allowed him to still be in Jonathan’s life.
His phone rings as he gets into the car. He takes it out and looks at the screen. He smiles when he sees Iris’s name on the screen. “Hey,” he greets.
“Hi,” Iris replies. “How are you?”
“I am good,” he answers.
She smiles at his words, glad he is doing well. “Good,” she agrees happily.
“How are you?” Dawson asks, curious.
“Good,” she replies instantly.
He laughs happily at her quick answer. “Good,” he greets again.
“I missed you,” she confesses softly after a few minutes of silence. She had been missing him since the day she left.
He beams proudly at her confession. “I missed you too,” he tells her.
“Good,” Iris agrees again in happiness.
They are silent for a moment and then Iris speaks up again. “Did you see Jonathan this week?” she asks curiously.
“Yes,” Dawson replies instantly. “I went over there on Tuesday.”
“Did he say anything about me?” she presses curiously.
“He told me he missed you,” Dawson answers instantly.
“Oh,” she says sadly. She hates that her son misses her.
“It is fine,” Dawson assures instantly in comfort. “I told him you would be back to visit soon.”
She smiles at his words. “You did?”
He nods. “Yes,” he confirms. “He will be fine until you can come back.”
“I hope so,” she replies softly.
Dawson nods weakly, knowing he will be okay. “He will,” he assures confidently.
Two years later
Iris knocks softly at Dawson’s door, nervous about what she will tell him.
“Hello, love,” Dawson greets cheerfully, answering the door.
She smiles weakly at his cheerful greeting. “Hey,” she replies nervously.
“What is wrong?” Dawson asks instantly in concern, seeing her worry.
She shrugs weakly. “Nothing,” she replies. She doesn’t want to worry him, not yet.
“Are you sure?” he presses stubbornly. He doesn’t believe she is okay, not with the look on her face.
She nods firmly, refusing his concern. “I am,” she assures stubbornly. She looks past him, curious about his house. “Is Jonathan home?” she asks suddenly.
“Yes, why?” Dawson answers curiously.
“I need to talk to him,” Iris explains weakly.
Dawson frowns weakly at her answer, realizing something is wrong. “What is wrong?” he demands again.
She sighs weakly. “Can we talk about it inside?” she requests softly.
He shrugs, seeing no other option. “Okay,” he replies weakly. He steps aside and gestures for her to come in. She nods softly and then walks inside.
He closes the door and then follows her to the living room. “Sit down,” he orders softly. She nods again and then sits down. He sits down too, looking at her worriedly. “Now, what is wrong?” he asks again.
“Your mother called me,” she explains slowly. “She knows about Jonathan.”
“What?” Dawson demands in shock.
“She knows he is your son,” Iris continues sadly.
Dawson’s face pales at her words. “What does she want?” he asks worriedly.
“She wants me to bring him to her,” Iris explains fearfully.
He shakes his head firmly in refusal. “No,” he refuses stubbornly. “Absolutely not.”
“I know,” she agrees in agreement. She didn’t like the idea of his mother getting her hands on her son either.
Dawson sighs worriedly. “What did she say exactly?” he demands tiredly.
“She said I need to bring him to her before tomorrow,” Iris tells him weakly.
Dawson narrows his eyes furiously, angry at his mother again. “Like hell,” he growls.
Iris nods weakly again. “I know.”
“What did you say to her?” Dawson demands curiously.
She shrugs again. “That I would think about it.”
He nods weakly in understanding. “Okay.” He sighs tiredly again, not sure what they should do. “Do you know why she wants Jonathan?”
Iris shakes her head. “No, she didn’t tell me.”
Dawson frowns worriedly again, realizing his mother is up to something bad. “We need to stop her,” he realizes tiredly.
She nods in agreement again, knowing he is right. “How?” she asks weakly. She doesn’t know how they could stop his mother.
He shrugs weakly again. “I don’t know,” he confesses.
“We have to try,” Iris insists stubbornly. She wants to protect her son, no matter what.