Chapter Text
"....." Normal talk
'.....' Normal thoughts
~....~ Mind Link
It was night as Skipper and Alister settled in for the evening. As the mates were snuggled against the other, the bedroom was echoing with purrs as Alister wrapped his arm and wing around Skipper and held him close.
“How are you feeling, my love?”
Skipper smiled at his husband’s question. It’s been a few months since they found out that they were expecting and Alister made it his top priority to make sure his mate and unborn baby were safe and happy, even though Alister was pretty much glued to Skipper and wouldn’t leave him, even for a few seconds but Skipper never minded.
The town that they lived in was a small one and not very busy at all and the townspeople were extremely friendly, especially towards vampires and never had a problem with them. So they lived in safety and peace.
As Alister waited for his answer, he noticed that his husband was taking a bit long to answer him so he gave Skipper a kiss. Feeling Alister’s kiss on his cheek seemed to pull the Corsair out of his trance as the Super Hornet asked, “Are you okay, Skip?”
Skipper gave a small, embarrassed laugh, “I’m sorry, Alister. I was just thinking. Please forgive me.”
Tightening his hold around his partner, Alister smiled, “You didn’t do anything wrong. I was worried when you didn’t answer me.”
Leaning over and kissing Alister’s cheek, Skipper responded, “I’m fine, sweetheart. Just thinking about everything that’s happened to us. Me finding you, dating for a few months, getting married, moving here to a town that accepts us, finding out that we’re gonna be parents. So, in answer to your question, I’m happy.”
Skipper then reached over and gently took Alister’s dark colored hand and gently placed it on his side. After a few moments, Alister was rewarded when he felt a kick on his mate’s side. Keeping his hand in its position, Alister kissed Skipper’s lips and proceeded to make out for a few moments until Skipper broke the kiss to get some air. As they panted, Alister smiled, “I’m such a lucky plane to have met you, Skipper. I love you so much.”
As the planes were laying back down on the sleeping mat, and Skipper was trying to get comfortable, he whispered, “I should be the lucky one, Al. You gave me everything I wanted and more and I love you too.”
As the planes were settling down to sleep, neither one knew what fate had in store for them.
Later that night, Skipper was sound asleep when he felt a hard nudge trying to wake him up. As it took the pregnant Corsair a few moments to wake up, he heard his husband’s voice, not near him though but in his mind:
~Baby, wake up.~
As the Corsair was trying to figure out why Alister was using their mind link, Alister’s voice was heard again but this time harsher:
“Riley, move your ass!”
The harsh tone itself made Skipper fully wake up as he was trying to understand what was going on. Alister was quickly but gently trying to usher his mate outside as he was trying to explain the situation. He had left the house earlier after Skipper fell asleep to get some more oil for him when he heard some vehicles talking about some vampire hunters coming into the town. The vampire hunters were an enemy to all vampires who would want nothing more than to finish off the monsters that had no right living. As Alister was still listening, a car happened to quickly glance his way and quietly spoke to a Jeep in front of the car. The Super Hornet decided that now would be a great time to return to Skipper, little did Alister know that this would be his last night alive.
As he was flying back, he heard numerous screams. Torn between wanting to help whoever was getting hurt and getting to Skipper, his wants overpowered his needs as he flew back towards the screams. When he got there, however, there was nothing that could be done: the vampire, who was a truck, lay dead on the street with a gunshot wound to his engine, a knife sticking out of his side and blood pooling beneath him. The Hornet knew that the truck was beyond help and tried to find others he could help.
After a few more moments and finding more dead brethren, Alister decided to fly back home, his wings getting tired from all of the flying. As the house was in his vision, he quickly flew through the open window and quickly tried to wake Skipper up.
As Skipper was trying to move, as it wasn’t easy being pregnant, and towards the window when they both heard a sound.
‘GUNSHOTS!’
Knowing that Skipper would make a good target, Alister decided right then and there that he needed to make a decision and fast. Helping the Corsair on to the roof, the Hornet explained what he needed Skipper to do.
~I’m not leaving without you, Alister! Please!~
Taking one of Skipper’s taloned hands in his, Alister squeezed it gently, “You have to, Skipper. It’s the only way to keep you safe. There’s not much time. Please. I’ll hold them off for as long as I can. There’s a town called Propwash Junction and I’ll meet you there, okay? We’ll be able to raise our baby there. I promise. Now, please go. I’ll see you later, baby-” Alister then closed the 2 inches of space between him and the Corsair as he gently laid his lips on Skipper’s lips as he whispered, “-I love you”
Squeezing his mate’s hand back, Skipper closed his eyes momentarily as his husband sweetly kissed him and whispered back, “I love you too. And please, be safe..”
Promising that he would, Alister waited until Skipper spread his leathery wings and took off. As soon as his mate was in the air, the Hornet then went after the vampire hunters.
As Skipper was flying away, he didn’t know that someone had spotted him and had him in their sights as the Corsair was too busy trying to get away from the hunters. The vehicle, a van, had a clear shot and-
After he was able to take down a few hunters, Alister’s senses started tingling like something bad was going to happen. As he took flight, with his enhanced vision, he was able to see the van. But who the van was watching made his oil run icy cold: he had his sights set on Skipper! With as much strength and speed he could muster, the Hornet took off as fast as he could!
After Skipper rested for a few minutes, he spread his wings and……
He heard a gunshot coming from behind him and he wasn’t prepared for the pain that hit him in his heart as he knew what that meant. Instead of flying towards Propwash Junction, he turned around and raced towards his fallen mate. As he landed and went towards the Hornet, Skipper wanted so badly to comfort Alister and tell him that he would take care of everything only if he would hang on. When he saw Alister’s injuries, he gasped and started crying and asked why he had to do that. As the Hornet’s green eyes started closing, he used the mind link as he couldn’t use his voice:
~Because, Skipper, you’re my world, my light, my life and my everything. The vampires are gone here as I heard from someone earlier who let slip that vampires live here. I need you to get as far away as you possibly can, beautiful. Save yourself and our baby.~
~Alister, please, I can’t leave you! I can still save you!~
Reaching up, Alister traced a line down Skipper’s cheek, gently grasped his chin and gently brought his Corsair’s face down as he kissed his husband’s lips one last time as he whispered, “I love you, Skipper-”
Then the taloned hand fell limp as green eyes closed forever.
As Skipper wept silently, the tears were falling onto the Hornet’s face as the Corsair kissed him goodbye, “I love you too, Alister and I always will.”
With that, he opened his wings to their fullest, flapped them a few times and took off with a different destination in mind.
As he flew towards the familiar area, something didn’t feel right. When the Corsair flew towards his childhood home, something was wrong as it was too quiet. As he flew closer, he saw something he never wanted to see: his and Alister’s parents were killed. The heart-breaking sight was more than what he could handle and he started to vomit.
After emptying his stomach of its contents, Skipper panted as he tried to calm himself down and he then vowed that he would get revenge on the vampire hunters one day. But right now, he would need to find somewhere else to live……Hmm, maybe Prowash like Alister said, but the question was: Where was it located? The Hornet never told him and he couldn’t just go up and ask anyone since he was still in his vampire form. Well, he had a long night of flying if he wanted to get as far away as possible from the hunters and he flew off as far as he could.
It was a few days later and before the sun rose in Propwash Junction, Mayday was coming out of his hangar when he happened to see someone lying in front of his door. As he looked closer, he gasped. It was a vampire! Before he could call out, something seemed…..off.
As he drove closer, he saw the protruding belly on the plane and immediately knew that this plane was pregnant. Knowing that someone was close, the exhausted plane opened his eyes, giving the fire truck a look that broke his heart as the Corsair half whispered/half pleaded, “Please help me.”
Mayday didn’t want to move/injure the vampiric plane so he drove back into his hangar, turned on the radio and called out, “Hey Sparky, this is Mayday. Do you copy?”
A sleepy, “Huh?” answered him.
“I need your help, please. Come to my hangar.”
After hanging up, Mayday waited for the pittie to come over. A few minutes later, a groggy pittie came over and before he could ask what the big idea was of Mayday waking him up, the firetruck quietly shushed him and pointed. When gray eyes saw the unconscious vampire, Sparky gasped, “Skipper?!”
“Wait, you know this-”
Before Mayday could even ask Sparky how he knew this vampire, the pittie gently pulled the Corsair into a vacant hangar that was close by.
After taking Skipper’s vitals and making sure he was comfortable and that nothing happened to the baby, Sparky drove out and saw Chug, Dottie and Mayday outside. Before he could say anything though, Chug asked, “Is it true that you found a vampire?”
“Shhh, Chug!”
“What?”
After looking around, Mayday whispered, “Not so loud, Chug. Now-” the fire truck looked over at Sparky, “-can you tell us how you know the plane?”
After Sparky told the trio of how he knew Skipper, that he was a soldier on the Flysenhower and that they had worked together. When asked, quietly of course, about the Corsair’s form, Sparky said that it wasn’t permanent that Skipper also has a day form. When the pittie was done explaining everything, Mayday said, “I want us to make a vow that no one, and I mean no one, says anything about Skipper.”
Sparky then said, “A vampire’s trust is very hard to earn and I should know so if you guys want to be his friends, you need to have him warm up to you first otherwise he won’t trust you at all.”
Since Mayday had found Skipper, he decided that he would keep an eye on the Corsair and tell Sparky if anything had arisen. After a few days, Skipper finally woke up. Mayday, who was just coming into the hangar to check up on the Corsair, saw his eyes open. And once they did, the fire truck saw so much hurt and pain in them, he felt really bad for the plane.
When Skipper saw the fire truck, he actually thought that the truck would hurt him as he was in his vampire form and tried to protect himself by trying to wrap his arms and wings around his body but they didn’t respond. That was when he realized that he was in his day form. As Skipper tried to remember what had happened, everything came back and he started sobbing.
Mayday, who was quiet, drove up to the extremely distraught plane, “No one’s gonna hurt you, I promise. You’ll be safe here.”
After hearing the words “I promise” made the Corsair sob even harder as he sagged on his landing gear.
‘How could I have been so fucking stupid? I should have stayed with Al and protected him and he would still be alive. Why would he do that?’
Before he could berate himself, a voice asked, “Skipper?”
Looking down, he softly gasped as he saw his best friend and mechanic.
“Sparky?”
“Hey, Skip-” thinking about his words, the pittie didn’t want to ask “-How are you?” so he left the sentence hanging.
“Where am I?”
“Propwash Junction.”
As the name was bringing back memories, Skipper didn’t want to have another crying spell but his eyes started filling with tears and he closed his eyes. A few moments later, a soft cloth was being gently wiped across his eyes as he tried to take a deep breath.
“It’s okay, Skipper.”
After a few minutes, and a couple of deep breaths, the Corsair had almost but calmed himself down. When Sparky was done, he tapped a button that lowered the lift he was on and he drove to the front of his friend.
“You don’t have to tell us anything, Skip but what happened?”
Looking at the fire truck that was still in the hangar with them, Sparky followed the Corsair’s gaze and said, “That’s Mayday, he’s the one who found you a few nights ago.”
Skipper’s eyes widened, ‘Did he just say a few nights ago?’
Before he could ask the pittie anything, an extremely loud growl was heard, making Sparky and Mayday’s eyes widen. Sparky then drove over and presented Skipper with a very large can of oil with some added supplements.
As Skipper quietly thanked his friend, he slowly sipped the liquid. As he was drinking, his eyes went back to the fire truck, who was standing quietly by the wall, opposite him.
He had so many questions to ask but he settled on one, “Why didn’t you kill me?”
“Killing someone who is weak and pregnant is extremely wrong, no matter what species they are. I could never do anything so heartless.”
“So you know that I’m a-”
Mayday cut him off, “Yes, I do and I’m not prejudiced. Sparky’s told me a lot about you, Skipper. And please, believe me when I say that you’re safe here. There two others who know-”
Quickly looking at Sparky with fear in his eyes, the pittie quickly calmed Skipper down, “It’s okay, Skip. They can be trusted, they’re our friends. They’re busy right now but would you like to meet them later? You don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable. I’m just asking if you would.”
Skipper was scared to death but he trusted Sparky but he just couldn’t deal with meeting any mortals at the moment so he asked if he would forgo on meeting the other two vehicles later, to which Sparky said, “That’s not a problem, Skip. Now, I have something to ask you: how far along are you?”
A gentle smile graced Skipper’s lips as he answered, “Three months.”
“Due date?”
Thinking for a moment, the Corsair responded with, “December twenty-eighth.”
Chrysler, that was 2 more months! Sparky knew that he needed to make sure everything was okay with the baby and had asked his best friend if he was comfortable with the pittie being his doctor. After replying with, “But you already are my doctor, Sparky.”
“Nah, Skip, I’m just your mechanic. There’s a difference.”
After telling the pittie that he could, Sparky smiled as he raced off to find stuff to help Skipper be comfortable.
Later that afternoon, Chug and Dottie came by Skipper’s hangar to say hello but at the moment, the Corsair wasn’t welcoming anyone to the hangar and Sparky told them later that Skipper would need his rest since he was due in two months.
Knowing that giving birth was a delicate situation, Dottie asked if she could help. When Sparky told her that he would, the female pittie cut him off by saying that males don’t know anything about giving birth and should leave it up to females. Sparky glared at her and said, “Skipper doesn’t trust you, Dottie and I don’t want to put any more stress on him because in his state, it’ll kill his baby.”
Dottie was about to argue more but decided against it and dropped the subject.
When the afternoon skies gave way to the night, Skipper stayed in the hangar. Earlier when Mayday was in the building with him because of a promise the fire truck had made with Sparky, Mayday had told Skipper that the hangar was his to keep, if he liked. Quietly thanking the truck but not saying much afterwards, Skipper sighed and tried to get comfortable. As unbidden thoughts of what had happened, Skipper’s emotions got the better of him as he silently started sobbing. Mayday was about to leave to give the upset corsair some peace and privacy when something told him to stay. Before he could ask Skipper if he wanted the truck’s help, the Corsair started changing. His blue paint was replaced by dark purple and black, his metal wings settling into soft, leather wings, his landing gear changing into long, dark arms with taloned fingers and his tail wheel splitting in two, doubling in size into two larger tires to accommodate his vampire form.
Mayday watched in silence as the Corsair changed before his very eyes and when Skipper looked at him, the Corsair thought that Mayday would do something to him but he didn’t. The truck just stood there, a bit in awe. Then Mayday drove up to Skipper, “I don’t know what you've been through, Skipper but just know that I’ll also be here for you just like Sparky so you have nothing to fear from me. I’ll never hurt you.”
With that, to show Skipper that he could trust the fire truck, Mayday drove closer and gently gave him a hug. The gentle gesture almost drove him to tears but Skipper kept them at bay.
After a few minutes, Mayday broke the hug knowing that Skipper must be feeling uncomfortable so he brought his tire down. Before Skipper could ask why the fire truck hugged him, Mayday smiled, “You looked like you needed one. Anyway, I’m not sure what you do at night but feel free to do whatever you’d like. A lot of townsfolk live in the outskirts of Propwash and come here in the afternoons and evenings but no one stays out past 10 pm unless it’s a holiday like New Years so if you need to, uh, stretch your wings, you’re more than welcome to. Oh and before I forget, welcome to the family.”
Giving the Corsair a friendly smile, Mayday drove out.
A few hours later, Sparky drove over to Skipper’s hangar and knocked on the door. After hearing a quiet, “Come in”, the pittie pushed the doors open and saw Skipper lying on the sleeping mat. Closing the doors, Sparky drove towards the Corsair, “How are you feeling, Skip?”
Telling his best friend everything from how he was feeling to Mayday, Sparky smiled, “Yeah, when Mayday sees someone in trouble, he doesn’t turn his back on them, no matter the situation.”
After awhile, Skipper suddenly started feeling very tired so Sparky said that he would be back the next morning and check up on the Corsair. Nodding, both friends bid the other good night and Sparky left the hangar and closed the doors.
The next couple of days went by and Skipper was finally comfortable enough to meet Chug and Dottie. After introducing themselves, they went on to ask Skipper a lot of questions but he quickly shut down after Chug asked who the father of his baby was and where he was at. Sensing that Skipper didn’t really want to talk anymore, Sparky quickly ushered Dottie and Chug out of the hangar. As their shouts were getting louder, asking why Skipper couldn’t just answer the question, Sparky quickly hissed, “That is a very sore subject and you should have never asked him-”
“Well I was just wanting to know, what’s wrong with that?”
“I told you not to ask Skipper that particular question, Chug!”
Taking a deep breath, Sparky said, “Look, maybe it’s for the best if you don’t come around Skipper for awhile. He needs his rest and he doesn’t need anymore stress, okay?”
“Alright.”
With that, everyone parted ways with Sparky staying with his friend for awhile before leaving as well. As he was thinking about it, maybe it was time to bring in nesting material for the Corsair. Getting in his mind what would be the best material as he didn’t want to get anything harsh, Sparky quickly set off.
Later that afternoon, Sparky arrived with his tines full of a box of soft blankets, pillows and some oil. He placed the box on the ground so he could knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Pushing the doors open, Sparky picked up the box, brought it inside and placed it on the floor and closed the doors.
“Heya, Skip. I brought some nesting stuff for you.”
“Thank you so much, Sparky. I’m sorry if I’ve been a pain in the ass lately. I’ll leave-”
“Skipper Riley, you are NOT a pain in the ass and you sure as hell ain’t leaving so don’t you dare say shit like that.”
Knowing that he really shouldn’t be yelling at Skipper, the pittie apologized, “I’m sorry, Skip. Please forgive me.”
Smiling, Skipper reached out a tire and hugged his mechanic as Sparky hugged the Corsair back. After breaking the hug, Skipper and Sparky started talking for a bit until Skipper changed into his vampire form. Driving over to the box he had just brought, Sparky reached in and grabbed the can of oil and placed it in front of Skipper, who thanked him and started drinking.
As the Corsair was sipping his dinner, Sparky started getting the stuff out of the box and put it off to the side. After Skipper was finished with the oil can, Sparky picked it up and told Skipper that the material was there if he wanted to make a nest out of it. Thanking his best friend again for his thoughtfulness, Sparky left after they bade each other good night.
After everyone fell asleep that night, Skipper decided that he wanted to take a flight. After quietly making his way up to the roof of his hangar, the Corsair stretched his wings out to their fullest wingspan, he gave them a few flaps to warm them up and after a few moments, he took off.
As he was flying through the dark cloudy sky, his thoughts went back to Alister.
‘Why couldn’t he have just left with me when he had the chance? Why did he-’
As he flew on, 3 hours had passed and he was getting tired so he turned around and flew back home. When he got back, he saw the nesting material in the corner and started arranging it on the sleeping mat. Skipper then picked up the pillows and placed them where he would be laying down. Getting comfortable, it didn’t take long for Skipper to fall asleep.
The Corsair was awakened early the next morning and was in excruciating pain. The Corsair noticed that he was in his day form and quickly went to Sparky’s hangar and knocked on the door. There was no answer and Skipper went back to his own hangar. Closing the doors and quickly going to the nest, the Corsair tried to calm himself down and relax.
As he was situating himself to be more comfortable, he brought a pillow up next to him in case he needed it. Not even an hour later, he had a sudden urge to push and he started pushing as hard as he could. Grabbing the pillow, Skipper put it in his mouth and bit down on it to keep himself from screaming. Not even a moment later, he felt the baby’s nose coming out of him. Hoping that the rest of the delivery wouldn’t be a problem, Skipper relaxed for a few moments and pushed again.
Not long after the baby’s nose was visible, the rest of its body soon made an appearance. After the Corsair was finished, he started panting and he turned around to see his baby. The baby was too small and fragile but he leaned down and gently started cleaning the baby plane. When he was done, he settled down and started purring. The baby plane couldn’t move very well at all but Skipper moved himself a bit closer. As soon as the baby could feel someone close, it rolled closer, latched on and started suckling. Skipper suddenly felt exhausted and as soon as his baby started nursing, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Sparky came back later that morning and when he went to check on Skipper, he saw the way the Corsair was curled on his side. Quietly driving over, he drove up next to the sleeping plane and looked into the nest. Before he got closer to see, he heard a low bass growl, which he felt and heard.
“It’s me, Skip, Sparky.”
A blue eye cracked open to see if the voice was speaking the truth. As soon as he saw that it was indeed Sparky, Skipper relaxed and moved a bit to show his best friend what he was protecting:
“Oh Chrysler, Skip! You weren’t due for another month!”
“I don’t think he knew that, Spark.”
“It’s a boy?”
The Corsair chuckled, “Sure is. Sparky, I know I’ve been asking you alot for things and-”
“Whatever you need, you just tell me what it is and I’ll get it for you, no problems.”
Sighing softly, the Corsair asked, “May I get some oil, please? I am really hungry.”
With a smile on his face, Sparky took off to get some oil for his friend. A few minutes later, Sparky came back but he wasn’t alone. Mayday, Chug and Dottie came with the mechanic after he had told them that Skipper had his baby. Wanting to see what a baby plane looked like, they followed the male pittie. When they got there, though, Sparky knew that the Corsair would want his privacy and, stopping everyone at the door, Sparky said, “Guys, I’m not so sure it’s the right time-”
“Aww, come on Sparky. Can’t you just ask him to bring his baby out so we can see?”
“First of all, Chug, it’s getting pretty cool right now and newborn babies are very susceptible to colds and could die. It’s probably best to wait a bit until Skipper feels comfortable to show you. Right now, he is very protective and you never want to get between a parent and their newborns, especially a brand-new parent. Believe me, guys, it’s best to wait a bit.”
Knowing that the pittie was right, everyone turned around and went back to whatever they were doing as Sparky went into Skipper’s hangar to give him his oil.
When Sparky set the oil can on the floor where Skipper could get it, Sparky told him about the others and their wanting to see his baby. It was true that Sparky’s friends hadn’t hurt him and they made sure to keep his secret, the Corsair said that they could see the baby the next day but they would have to come into the hangar because he would not be bringing the baby outside at all. Smiling, Sparky went outside to let the others know after he thanked the Corsair, who smiled back.
After a few moments, the baby decided to wake up. Shifting his body into a comfortable position, the Corsair guided his newborn to his stomach and felt his son latch on and started suckling. After he ate and curled up by Skipper, the Corsair leaned over a bit to start cleaning the baby plane. When he was done, Skipper stretched out a bit before settling back down for a bit longer. His landing gear was starting to get stiff as he had laid in the nest for a day without moving, not even when he was in his vampire form.
Later that day, Sparky came back with another can of oil, he asked Skipper if he was up for some conversation, to which Skipper was happy and agreed.
After half an hour of talking, Sparky asked, “So, do you have a name for your baby, Skip?”
“Yes, it’s Dusty. Dusty Nicholas Riley. Nicholas was Alister’s middle name.”
“I’m so happy that you two got together, Skipper. You both always bring out the best in each other.”
A sad smile found its way to the Corsair’s face, “I am too. I miss him so much though, Sparky. I just wish there was something I could’ve done differently.”
Placing a tine on the Corsair’s side, Sparky patted the spot, “He still would’ve saved your life and he knew what he was doing when he told you to get out of there.”
“*sigh* You’re right.”
As the two carried on for awhile longer, Skipper said, “Go ahead and bring them in.”
Looking confused, Sparky asked, “Huh?”
“Bring the others in so they can see Dusty.”
A smile was on Sparky’s face as he went out and gathered Mayday, Chug and Dottie. As they came to the hangar, Sparky warned them, “Skipper is letting you see his baby so please, don’t do anything that’s going to make him regret anything.”
So as Sparky led them into Skipper’s hangar, Chug was getting really excited but toned it down as they were allowed near Skipper’s nest. When the Corsair shifted a bit, he allowed them to look at his pride and joy. As Mayday, Dottie, and Chug 'oohed’ and ‘aahed’ at the baby, Skipper smiled. When asked what his son’s name was, the smile never left the Corsair’s face as he said, “ Dusty Nicholas Riley.”
Mayday drove a bit closer to see Dusty and whispered, “Welcome to the family, Dusty. I, uh ‘we’ are extremely lucky to have met you. Your father is a good friend of ours-” as Mayday said this, Skipper looked at the fire truck and smiled, “-and just know that you both are extremely safe here, ok? We love you, Dusty and we’ll see you soon.”
When he backed up, Mayday saw the tears in Skipper’s eyes as the Corsair tried to keep them at bay but failed as they slipped down his face. Being extremely careful, Mayday drove over and hugged the Corsair and-to everyone’s shock and surprise-Skipper hugged him back. Knowing that Skipper needed some rest, Sparky led everyone outside, and after turning around to address his best friend and telling him that he would check in on him later that evening, the mechanic left, leaving Skipper alone with his son.
As Skipper settled down and started nursing Dusty, he suddenly realized that maybe coming to Propwash was the best idea Alister had. Although he missed his mate dearly, he knew that Alister’s memory would live on with Dusty, which was why he would protect his son with his love and everything that he had.