It Was two years ago I'd escaped from that hell of a town, two years ago I'd been able to lay down all my demons, and live for myself at last, and even though it may not have been the best decision at the time, I took that young girl with me, and gave her a home, and love, too, when she needed it.

I had to do it all for my dearly departed wife…

Mary…

James Sunderland was now thirty one years old, and he'd decided that, after leaving Silent Hill, the then-eight-year-old Laura leading, he wouldn't go home ever again…It would be just too hard, to face Mary's parents, knowing he'd killed her, or facing his own father…

His father…

He was someone that James never wanted to hate him. Since his mother died quite a few years ago, Frank was his only lifeline, and if he lost that, well, he'd have let the Executioner kill him…

So, he just had to leave, without warning, they'd all think he was dead or simply missing, and he'd start a new life with his 'daughter' in the first town he came across…

And that's where they were now, a nice set of apartments in a small quiet town, near a subway and a mall, it was if Silent Hill never existed for him, and the girl never showed any signs of seeing the dark side of life.

He was thankful. So thankful that Laura never suffered the trauma he did…

But, just maybe he scarred her…

He looked up to see a box flying at his face.

"M-mister Sunderland, look out!"

James was sat sharply on the floor, manuscript paper and ink splashed all over him.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, man!"

James looked up at the newcomer, must just be moving in, he thought, and smiled sheepishly.

"Welcome to the Daisy Villa apartments!"

James was sitting at a table in the new guy's room, while his daughter walked back and forth, putting things away.

"U-uh, you sure I can't help?"

The man James was addressing turned to look at him, hands still submerged in the soapy water, and gripping the green jacket he was trying so hard to get an ink stain out of.

"Please, it's my fault this happened, it'll be okay."

"Okay then…Oh, my name is James. James Sunderland."

The brunette male smiled gently, and James smiled back bashfully, face slightly red, as the other turned back to the sink.

"Mason. Harry Mason…" Then there was the smallest of chuckles, but James heard it clearly.

"What's so funny, Harry?"

"Nothing…I just sound like a really bad movie!" He laughed again, before finishing his comment. "That movie was in bad taste…"

James smirked and tried to hold back a snort of laughter, and surprisingly, succeeded.

The young blonde scampering around turned on the radio, but the frequency wasn't right, and it emitted static. Harry and James' spines both stiffened, but Harry relaxed composure quickly enough, realizing there was nothing to be scared of and decided to lighten his mood again.

"There's something going on with that –snrk- radio."

Then he turned back to the two stupefied blondes, hands on knees, tears running down face and laughing his heart out.

"Daddy?"

"H-Harry?"

Harry quickly drew a hand to his face to wipe the tears away, still smiling.

"I-I'm sorry…"

James smiled back at him again, this guy sure was unpredictable. But he seemed very mature though.

"S-so, when is your wife going to be back?" James shakily asked, having a bad feeling for some reason.

Harry's spine stiffened and James startled quite a bit.

"Che-Heather, go to your room, I…I need to talk to Mr. Sunderland…"

"Y-yes, daddy…"

And then the 5-year-old blonde backed out the room slowly, as If she was scared by Harry.

Harry silently took hold of a chair on the opposite side of the table from James and sat down, carefully.

"I-I'm sorry, have I done something wrong?" James asked shakily, scared by the brunette a bit, too.

"This is never easy to tell people…my wife…died. A-about seven years ago…"

James was looking down at his hands, they were clammy and grasping each other carefully. But when he looked up again, he noticed Harry had his head down, and the back of his hand pressed against his eyes. James shot up from his seat so quickly that the chair toppled backwards and onto the floor, but ignoring this he rushed to Harry's side, and patted his back.

"Harry…Shhhh…man, it's okay…Tell me what happened…" He gently tried to calm the other man down.

"I-it was a unknown t-terminal illness…nobody could save her…"

James flinched; Mary also had a terminal illness no one knew anything about, but her end…was not natural…

"I understand…my wife…was the same, but I k- I mean, her death wasn't natural."

Harry looked up and at James, face flustered, but trying to remain composed; it just wouldn't do to turn into some kind of dam!

"Sigh…all these years, all those long long years, looking after that girl…all twelve years…" Harry muttered quietly.

"Twelve? B-but your daughter…she doesn't look a day over five!" James exclaimed, happy for a change in topic.

"O-oh crap! Sorry, forget what I said, I was…rambling." Then he smiled sadly and bowed his head again.

Then he stood up, inadvertently shoving James backwards, and went back to the sink. He picked up the Jacket, wringed it for a moment, then wrapped it in a towel and handed it back to James.

"Here…And I'll uh..I'll see you later?" Harry said, avoiding eye contact.

"Yeah…" James replied, doing the same.

This meant they were never going to see each other again.

James turned over in his bed and looked at the alarm clock on his dresser. He spent many hours of an evening just staring at it, and since Laura was at a friends house for a sleepover, it was quiet…Just, too quiet. He'd had enough of Silent Hill quiet, he'd had enough of being unable to help people, and he had enough o-

Wait, his wife died 7 years ago? But he was VERY sure that girl was only five. The numbers didn't match up!

He flung himself out of bed, disregarding the big flashing 2:56 AM on the alarm clock. And slipped on his blue jeans, not giving a rats ass about putting a shirt on; it wasn't like anyone else would be up right now!

He picked up Harry's blue towel too, deciding to return it while he was interrogating.

'This is how you're going to lose friends, Sunderland…' Said the voice in his head, but he ignored it, as always. He ignored it when he put his hand in the toilet, he ignored it when he was going to jump down those holes, he ignored it before he put the video in the VCR and of course, he was going to ignore it now.

His common sense never helped him anyway.

He made his way out into the dimly lit apartment hallways. He smirked. He never thought that after his bad experiences with apartments, he was going to live in one. But then again, he did still go to hospital, and once or twice joked darkly in his head about smashing one of the nurse's heads in. Afterwards he started questioning his sanity all over again.

He had made his way to the elevator, and shied away slightly, remembering his bad elevator experience but went inside anyway. There was a girl in there, about sixteen or so, with long black hair, she was staring at James all the way down, and it made him uncomfortable. When he stepped out, he heard her speak.

"Better know what you're getting yourself into, with Harry Mason…"

James turned sharply, and the only thing in the black hallway or the elevator, was the light coming from inside it. There was no girl anymore, she couldn't have gone back up and sent it down again that fast, nor ran away so quickly either.

"Holy sh- I'm going nuts aren't I? I mean, imagining random gir- Wait…Getting myself into? What am I getting into?" James nearly shouted, before remembering the time, and he didn't want to annoy the neighbours; they could be REALLY mean sometimes.

Here he was, room 102, Harry Mason's home.

Crap, was he suddenly nervous. He turned to go back upstairs when the door opened.

"Sunderland."

"Oh shit! H-Harry…"

He was pulled by the bicep roughly into the apartment where the door was closed and locked behind him. He flushed slightly, and turned to face a scowling Harry.

"What the HELL are you doing here?" He hissed out. "And what's with the screaming? Wanna wake up your neighbours!"

James flinched; this guy sure was scary when he was angry!

"I came to give you your towel!" He said, and clumsily threw it at the gob smacked brunette. "A-and there was this girl in the elevator, about sixteen, long black hair, seemed to know you; said I should know what I'm getting into with you!"

Harry stood there wide-eyed, just looking at the blonde. His eyebrows furrowed and he frowned.

"Did she say a name?"

"N-no, she was just there…She disappeared suddenly too! I think I'm going crazy, Harry!"

Harry sighed deeply. "Alessa…"

He took hold of James' bare arm, and tugged him toward a door.

"Let's sit down comfortably, this…is going to be a long conversation."