Page 109 of Darkness Falls

“That does sound like something that the world would benefit from,” Natasha says, thoughts clearly spinning in her mind.

"We would set it up with the money father had hidden away, so it’s already fully financed. Anyone who was part of Rogue can receive support by name or anonymously, with no questionsasked. We could even build housing just off of the main location for those needing somewhere temporary to stay."

"That is a wonderful idea LeeLee." Natasha smiles and nods. "I would love to be part of something like that. That is work that I would be proud to assist with."

"It would be mostly you, though, Momma. I don't mind helping when needed, but I don't want to be the face of this," Callie admits.

“That is why you were asking if I wanted to lead it? I don’t know if I can be that person. I can barely keep myself in check some days.”

“It’s valid for you to feel like that, but you’re so much stronger than you know. The women of Rogue were all in agreement that you would be the perfect person to lean on. What if you just give it a chance, and if you don’t like it, we could find someone else?” Callie suggests.

“I think I could do that. Where exactly would we be setting all of this up? Certainly it wouldn’t make sense to be here with everyone at Mary’s farm.”

Everyone drifts off in silence for a few minutes to eat and mull over their thoughts. I wait quietly for someone to suggest the cabin because why not? It’s vacant, private, and close to where the women already are if they don’t want to stray far from Tennessee.

“I found a folder on Gabriel’s flash drive with a list of nearly one hundred properties scattered across the country. I haven’t had time to go through all of them yet, but we could use one ofthese places. It seems Gabriel was buying them up to potentially expand Rogue,” Barrett says.

“Does he have any that are close to Rogue?” Callie asks.

“Yeah, there were a few. I believe he was keeping you in them when you weren’t on the compound.” Barrett gives her a half smile.

“Where did you find this flash drive?” Natasha asks.

"There is a cabin not far from Rogue. We found the coordinates inside Gabriel's notebook. He used it to house blackmail on everyone Rogue crossed paths with and kept it under guard. I think it would be the perfect place to get the foundation started. We would just need to move the files elsewhere," I suggest.

"How far is it from Rogue, exactly?" She questions, clearly intrigued by the cabin.

"It's close, just north of it," Barrett says, pulling out his phone to show her the approximate location. Natasha closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

"If we're talking about the same cabin, it belonged to my parents. When I married Gabriel, he told me he sold it. He said I didn’t need it any longer since our lives were on the compound. I never considered the possibility of him using it for other things. I was young and impressionable and took him at his word. If that cabin is still around, I would love to see it again. It would be the perfect place to start the foundation." Her eyes light up, and Callie smiles at her.

“We could always use the other houses as safe places for people who are not in the Tennessee area to go,” Callie suggests.

“I think that’s a perfect idea, wanderer.”

“So we’re going back to Tennessee?” she suggests, waiting to see what her mother says.

“Yes, we are. This could be the start of something I think I could really be proud of. Thank you for considering me,” Natasha beams.

"You’re the perfect fit, Momma. You’re kind and caring, and you always try to do the right thing.”

“I’ve failed in that respect, but I appreciate you saying otherwise.” Natasha’s eyes fall to her plate for a moment.

“You did the best you could with the cards you were given.” Callie smiles at her.

“We would need a name," Seb speaks up finally, and all of our eyes land on Natasha.

"The Maxton Foundation," she states plainly, and it fits better than anything the rest of us could have thought of.

"It's perfect," Callie whispers as she walks over to give her mother a hug before sitting down next to me again.

"We should get back there as soon as possible to settle things, tomorrow ideally. You can speak with the women on the farm, and they will let us know how they would like to move forward with things," I say, and Natasha nods.

"There is one other thing I need to tell you," Callie says nervously.

I wasn't sure if she was going to tell her mother the news about Avery being her sister or not since it's all still so fresh. I guess this is my answer. The only thing that matters is that Callie feels confidentenough to get this off of her chest. Hopefully, it won't change the dynamic of her relationship with her mother. Natasha doesn't seem like the type to feel insecure about something like this, but you never know.

"I'm all ears," her mother replies, listening intently.

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