"You got a lot of stuff packed in here." Liam says as him, Cordell, and Janie walk into the farmhouse with some boxes. "Is this all from the old place?"

"Yeah. That was the last trip." Cordell says.

"Hey, dad?" Stella calls, getting off the couch.

"Hey." Cordell calls back, them putting the boxes on the counter.

"Can I paint my room?" Stella asks, walking over to them as Liam leaves.

"Paint your room?" Cordell asks.

"Benjamin Moore has this app that helps you choose colors." Stella says. "I like First Light." She shows the screen to her dad.

"First Light." He mumbles, holding the phone. "Uh, very calming. Which would be great for you." He turns the phone off and hands it back to his oldest. "Now, please help us unpack."

"Ooh, can I paint my room?" Janie asks.

"As long as I approve of the color." Cordell tells her and she nods, grinning.

"He added me on Insta, oh, my God." August dramatically says with a slight accent, walking in with sunglasses and a blue wig on.

"Knock it off. Give me that." Stella tells him, ripping the wig off his head.

"Okay, hey, hey. Once we get unpacked, we can grab pizza." Cordell tells them. "Okay?"

"Yeah." The twins grin, going upstairs.

+++

Janie gets home after dance class and before she can make it to her room, she's grabbed by her arm and pulled into August's room by him.

"What the heck, Augs?" Janie asks, pulling her arm out of his grip.

"Dad's hiding something." August states.

"What do you mean?" Janie asks.

"I brought one of dad's old work boxes in the other day since I didn't know what it was. But I kept the camera and phone from the box without him knowing and I got a picture from the camera." August informs.

"So, what, now you're snooping through stuff?" Janie asks. "That's very non-Augie of you, don't you think?"

"I just wanted to see what was on the camera. You know, figured it was just pictures of him. Maybe mom could've been in a couple. It's curiosity." August says.

"Curiosity killed the cat." Janie says.

"I get it, Jane." August rolls his eyes. "I found this on the camera." He says, holding up the picture. Janie looks at it, her eyebrows furrowing when she doesn't recognize the woman on her dad's lap.

"Who's that?" She asks, taking the picture from her brother.

"I don't know. I found her contact on dad's phone and texted her." August says.

"You texted her?" Janie asks.

"Yes. Dad looks way too happy and I know it was taken while he was gone for 11 months." August says.

"What'd you text her?" Janie asks.

"Just hi." August says.

"Why does he look so happy?" Janie mumbles.

"I don't know. He seems a lot happier with her than with us." August says, sitting on his bed.

"Well, maybe it's a good reason or something." Janie suggests.

"What good reason?" August asks.

"I don't know." Janie sighs, putting the picture on the bed. She sits next to August and puts her head on his shoulder. "You gonna confront him?"

"Yeah. I just need to know." August says, resting his head on top of hers.

"Want me there?" Janie asks.

"No, I think I'll just do it alone. Unless you wanna be there." August says.

"Well, I think I'm gonna ignore the emotional turmoil tonight. I don't have the energy." Janie says, getting up and grabs her bag. "Good luck." She calls, leaving.

+++

Stella is cooking breakfast while August and Janie are sitting at the table. August is dealing with a fishing pole and Janie is eating cereal.

"Dad?" Stella asks, watching him walk past in his Ranger uniform.

"Hey." Cordell mutters.

"You're just leaving?" Stella asks.

"Uh, James called. Prison break over in Kyle. Now we're stuck manhunting. Hoping to catch this guy local. You know how much I love bunking up at whatever crap motel they assign, so..."

"Wait, you're leaving town?" August asks, cutting him off.

"Trying to avoid it." Cordell corrects.

"That would be a no for today, then." Stella says.

"Today. Right, today. Game day." Cordell says as Stella sits at the table. "Uh... noon kickoff? I'll be there."

"Yeah, unless he leaves town." August scoffs.

"Stell, do me a favor. August is grounded." Cordell states making August look at him. "So I need you to come back after the game and watch him."

"What, is he 5?" Janie mumbles.

"Watch me? And no, I-I can't be grounded. Ruby and I are on assignment at the game. She's picking me up soon." August says.

"You want to push me? After this?" Cordell asks, holding up the phone August stole making the teenager slightly roll his eyes. Janie's eyes immediately divert to her cereal. "It was boxed up for a reason."

"Um, what is going on here?" Stella asks.

"Why don't you ask him." August says, looking at their dad.

"Nothing." Cordell tells her.

"That he'll tell you." Janie mumbles and Cordell looks at her.

"What, you know?" Cordell asks.

"I'm his twin, he's gonna tell somebody." Janie scoffs like it's obvious.

"I'll deal with you later." Cordell tells her. "August is just not to leave." He tells Stella. "But now, I gotta go. I'll see you at the game, okay?" He leaves.

+++

It's later in the day and Stella already left for her game. Janie walks outside to see that August connected the camera to the fishing pole. He's standing in front of the Mustang and taking pictures.

"You can't just hold it?" She asks, getting her brother's glare. She holds her hands up in defense. "Sorry. Just... never seen someone hold a camera with a fishing pole before."

Before she can say anything else or at least try to comfort her calm her brother down, Ruby walks up.

"Let's go. We should be tripods down, side-lined up soon." Ruby says. August deeply sighs, putting the fishing pole down and resting the camera on a bench. "Is everything okay?"

"Honestly? Not my best day." August states. He walks to the trunk of the Mustang and opens it. "I found this. Don't how know how to explain it, but I think it's my dad's go box." He says.

"Wait, what?" Janie asks, going over to him and looking at the few contents in the box.

"It's lighter than last time." August says.

"Hold up, is this about that picture? Your dad with the woman?" Ruby asks.

"Wait, she knows?" Janie asks.

"She developed it." August tells his twin.

"She might be the excuse to do what he wants to do anyway." August says, shutting the trunk after he put the box back in there.

"Which is?" Ruby asks as August leans against the trunk.

"Leave. Again." August states.

"He just got home."

"Look, you don't know him. All right, whenever he gets... cagey... last time he left for almost a year. And now he's lying to me, he said he was on a case and bolted this morning and I think he's with her. I'm just... I'm just scared that he's not coming back tonight."

"Okay, well, maybe he has a good reason." Janie tries to defend, despite having the same doubts August does.

"For what? Leaving again? What, like we're not good enough for him or something?" August angrily asks.

"I..." Janie can't think of anything else to say.

"He's your dad. But mine? I'd want to give him an earful on why he should stay. How do you think you'll feel if you don't even try?" Ruby asks.

August quickly decides to try.

"I'm going with you." Janie states.

"You always go to Stella's games." August states. Since Cordell hasn't been here, Janie does her best to make it to all of Stella's soccer games, unless something with her dance happens to be on the same day.

"Yeah, and somebody has to make sure you don't get yourself killed." Janie says.

"I can do that." Ruby says.

"Yeah, I've known you for like 5 minutes, not happening." Janie says.

"Janie." August rolls his eyes.

"I will hurt you." Janie threatens.

"Fine." August sighs.

+++

They get to where they tracked Cordell and all 3 get out.

"Augie, Janie." Cordell mutters, walking closer to them. "How'd you two find me? You gotta get the hell out of here."

"He just wants to talk to you." Ruby states.

"Hey!" They hear a woman call out. They look to see it's the woman from the picture. "What you got, Duke?" He holds his hand up to signal her not to come closer.

"I knew you were lying to me." August says.

"We can't talk right now, okay, so go." Cordell orders.

"So, what, you're just gonna leave again? We're not good enough for you, are we?" August asks.

"Leave." Cordell orders. "Listen, kid.." He says louder.

"Kid?! Is this who you really want to be? A fake cowboy badass with crap aftershave? Does she know what you're leaving behind? That you're a coward who abandoned us twice? Maybe I should just go and tell her."

"You don't want to do that." Cordell stops August from walking past him. "You don't know what you're messing with and you sure as hell can't handle it."

"How would you know?" Janie asks.

"So take your girl and the other girl and get out of here, kid." Cordell says, loud enough for the blonde to hear.

""Other girl"?" Janie asks, a look of hurt flashing in her eyes.

"Go!" He yells.

"That's why you emptied your go bag, huh? If I never see this guy again... it'll be too soon." August says. Ruby gets in the car and starts it. August gets in the car.

Cordell looks at Janie and sees the hurt, sad look in her eyes.

"You know, I thought you were actually getting better." Janie says, blinking the few tears back. She gets in the backseat and Ruby drives off.

+++

Cordell walks into the house to find August at the table and Janie is on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands.

"If you really are leaving... you need to tell her." August states as Cordell shuts the door. "I'm not doing that for you and I'm not letting Janie do it for you either."

"Tell me what?" Stella asks.

"That's your mom's jersey." Cordell says, looking at the article of clothing in Stella's hands. "Why do you have that?"

"I'm gonna change my number to hers." Stella says before remembering what she walked in on. "Tell me what, dad?"

"Nothing." Cordell states. "Other than I'm sorry." He looks at between the twins. "I'm sorry. August, Janie, I'm not leaving. It breaks my heart you thought I would."

"Is this about your manhunt?" Stella asks, sitting next to her brother.

"Yeah, kind of. Um... your brother and sister followed me today. Which would've been an impressive recon op, if it weren't so dangerous. That's why I had to yell at you two. I-- to get you away from those people. I didn't mean a word of it."

"I did." August states.

"Believe me, I know. Um... put me straight." Cordell says.

"So... you're not really leaving?" August asks.

"No. It's over. Duke is over... because of you. Nothing inside or outside this box will ever keep me away, ever again." Cordell promises. "You know, uh... Duke is dead. But he still needs to be cremated." He holds up a box of matches. "So, what do you say we take this fake cowboy badass and his crap aftershave and light him up? Once and for all?" He tosses the box of matches to August.

The four make their way outside, August carrying the box.

"Uh, dad, I got a question... about Duke." August says.

"All right, buddy. Uh... as many as you want. Girls, you, too." Cordell tells them. "I will tell you what I can."

"What was he like?" August asks.

"Uh, he, uh, he pretended a lot. To be happy. To feel whole. To, um..."

"To be in love?" August asks.

"Yeah. Yeah. He pretended there, too. But after your mom, it was, um..."

"Yeah. We pretended a lot, too." Stella states. Cordell pulls her into a hug.

"Why don't we, uh, why don't we say goodbye? Once and for all." Cordell says. August lights the match and sets the small pile on fire.

"Come here. Come back." Cordell grabs the twins and brings them into the hug.

+++

Janie is lying in bed and on her phone before she goes to sleep. There's a knock on her door and she can tell it's her dad since it's too heavy to be one of her siblings.

"What?" She calls out and Cordell walks in, shutting the door behind him. He sits on the edge of her bed and grabs the phone, turning it off and placing it on her nightstand.

"I am sorry." Cordell tells her. "About everything."

Janie sighs and sits up.

"Do you know how hard it is to be a single parent? While also having two people single parent you?" Janie asks.

"I would say, yes, but I don't. I'm learning, though." Cordell says.

"It's not fun." Janie says.

"No. No, it's not. And you all shouldn't have had to take on those roles for each other. I'm sorry I made you all grow up faster than you should've. Especially you and Augie, you two should still be kids." Cordell says.

"You know, I never realized how boring soccer was until I went to 99% of Stella's games." Janie says making Cordell chuckle.

"Yeah, you haven't liked any sport since you were 4." Cordell says, smiling fondly, thinking of 4 year old Janie declaring her disdain for sports.

"Hey, dance is a sport." Janie insists.

"Right. Sorry." Cordell holds his hands up.

"I would like to see you try it and then see if you don't think it's a sport." Janie says.

"No, no, I'll take your look for it." Cordell states, laughing lightly before he grows serious. "Look, I know this past year has been hard on all of us. And I know we're all getting better day by day and everything, but... I'm here now. So if you do actually want to talk to somebody..."

"I never talked before she died. Why start?" Janie shrugs.

"I know you don't like talking about your feelings, but it helps, baby." Cordell tells her.

"So does writing them down." Janie smiles.

"You know, I can find those journals." Cordell says.

"No, you can't." Janie denies.

"Oh, yeah? What, are they under your bed?" Cordell asks, starting to get up.

"What, you mean where Augie hid your phone? I'm smarter than that." Janie states as Cordell looks under her bed, only to find a couple of unpacked boxes and container of winter clothes.

"Fine. Fine, I'll leave it for now." Cordell says. "But really. You can talk. Or you can write and leave it on my bed or something."

"Thanks for the notice." Janie says.

"Get some sleep." Cordell tells her. "I will see you in the morning." He promises, kissing the top of her head.