Here we are. Not going to lie. TERRIFIED. Can I do this? Can I write another Fanfic that is as satisfactory to you all as the other two? Here's hoping. I will do my best.
Seabiscuit: Here it is. Enjoy!
Dex Zabeth: I promise not to forget the blood. Don't you worry!
Koryandrs: Thank you so much. I hope you like this one
Panda-Chan8: I'm not a genius, but thanks! Here's hoping he can.
SoaringPheonix86: The scary bit. Can I pull another fanfic out my arse and make it kinda decent? I'll let you decide.
Tanairy Cornelio: You're just as awesome!
Robotic Unicorn Ninja Cookie: Love the candy! Also the image of the sexy ninja ;D
Chapter 1 – The choices we make.
Zoe opens her front door, laughing as her two dogs leap through the doorway and skid on the wood flooring in their haste to get to their water bowl. She shuts the door and walks into the kitchen where they're fighting each other playfully for the right to drink first. She steps over their tails and turns the kettle on, a yelp behind her lets her know that one of them has won. She counts to ten, just as she gets to the last digit she feels a nudge. 'Water bowl empty?' She says knowing that was the reason. She chuckles moving past them both to refill the bowl, even before she puts it on the ground two snouts are lapping at the liquid. She rolls her eyes leaving them to argue and goes over to the whistling kettle. She hears her house phone go off, a sharp, shrill noise. She grabs the cordless handset and wedges it between shoulder and ear as she opens her cupboard for a mug. 'Hello?'
'Zoby!'
'Hey Ren,' she laughs, wincing at her friend's loud greeting. She met Lauren at a support group. Both of them believed that the group itself was useless and patronizing, so they hit it off right away. Staying in close contact. They had known each other for about ten years, Lauren had Dissociative identity disorder, something she was luckily diagnosed with at a very early age. It meant that she had several personalities in her head, doctors believed it was caused from a traumatic experience she had when she was two. A process of controlled medications, therapy and counsilling kept Lauren in the single frame of mind. They lived about an hour apart but called each other every day.
'I tried calling earlier after your appointment. Where were you?' Lauren asked suspiciously. Zoe glanced over to the fridge where a picture was sellotaped. It was from Zoe's eighteenth. Lauren with her long deep red hair, with a slight curl. Bright blue eyes and heart shaped, freckled face. She was about five foot five, quite a bit smaller than Zoe. They were both covered in glitter and wore bright pink for ultimate embarrassment.
'I went for a walk with the dogs,' Zoe replied with a smile she didn't realise she was wearing. She chucked a tea bag into the mug along with a couple spoonfuls of sugar. The dogs had eaten most of their food and wandered off into the frontroom.
'You sound happy.' Lauren said back. 'Why do you sound happy? You never sound happy after seeing the whitecoats. Why are you happy?!'
'Ren!' Zoe laughed. 'Calm down, it's nothing major.' She said pouring water into her mug and giving it a stir. 'I just think this town agrees with me, that's all,' she says taking the top off the milk. 'Where are you I can hear a lot of interference,' she adds with a frown.
'I'm in a lift, I thought I would lose signal, but it's actually being pretty alright,' she replied. Something in her voice made Zoe think that she was grinning. Really grinning. She brushed her paranioa aside and poured in a glob of milk and began to stir. 'Hey, Zoby, you still got that peach and cherry leaf tea that I like?' Lauren asked hearing her spoon clink against her mug.
'Yeah why?' Zoe replied.
'No reason,' Lauren said as she hung up. Zoe raised a brow and looked at her phone, she was just dialing back when she heard the frantic knocking at the door. Zoe smiled brightly.
'No reason my arse,' she laughed as the dogs bounded down the hallway. 'Could one of you open the door?' Zoe called and got a bark in reply. She began to make a cup of the herbal that Lauren wanted as the door was opened.
'Who's a good puppy then? Who opened the door? You're such a good dog, yes you are!' Lauren cooed as she greeted the dogs. 'Guessing you're in the kitchen?' She said loudly.
'You guessed right for someone who's supposed to be an hour away,' Zoe laughed taking out a pack of biscuits as well. Lauren bounced into the kitchen and hugged Zoe tightly, the dogs returned into the front room. 'Hey Ren,' Zoe smiled hugging her back just as tightly.
'I missed you Zoby bear!' She replied giving her a squeeze before letting her go. Then she brushed past her to the mug of tea. 'Oohh my favorite.' She said happily picking it up.
'Yeah, love you too,' Zoe grinned picking up her own tea. She nodded with her head and Lauren followed her into the bedroom where they both plonked on her double bed. She shoved a DVD on and pressed it to play in the background.
'So. In all ten years of knowing you, I've never, ever, ever heard you so happy after coming back from the whitecoats,' Lauren said raising a brow and shoving a biscuit into her mouth. Zoe rolled her eyes and gave her a look. 'Tell me what happened Zoby,' Lauren said through a mouthful of crumbs. Zoe sighed and gave in. Her best friend wouldn't give in, she would just keep pestering on until Zoe snapped and told her anyway. This way was a little less painful.
'Okay, but you gotta promise not to like, freak your shit,' Zoe replied tugging on Lauren's naturally red hair. Lauren perked up and instantly went quiet nodding frantically. 'Okay, right,' Zoe began aware that her friend's silence wouldn't last long. 'Well, we went for a walk, to the park. Next thing I know the dogs have like vanished. So I'm calling them and whistling and nothing.'
'Little buggers,' Lauren chipped in, making Zoe giggle and grin.
'I know right?' She laughed. 'Well, I spot one of them and call out, asking what the fuck they're doing. They wander over with massive grins on their faces, I mean really big, grins,' Zoe said smiling at the memory. 'Anyway, I'm there telling them off for running away and I hear the snow move. I look up and there's this guy lying in the snow.'
'No fucking way,' Lauren said laughing.
'Seriously! The dogs had knocked him over,' Zoe laughs with her. 'I was absolutely horrified,' she adds. 'I like, ran over and was apologising out my arse. Meanwhile the dogs are there sniggering like they do.'
'Wait is this guy like our age or like, an old man?' Lauren asked. Zoe took the moment to sip on her tea. She blushed a little and Lauren cackled like a witch. 'Oh I get it now! Bit of alright was he?' She teases poking Zoe on the shoulder.
'He was a year or two older than us maybe?' Zoe replied staring at her mug, refusing to rise to the bait. Lauren snorted and ate another biscuit.
'Come on then, are you going to tell me what he looks like? Or am I going to have to guess? He's gotta be cute,' Lauren says with a sigh. 'It's so hard to find a cute guy.'
'I could draw him for you,' Zoe says smiling a little, she wanted to draw him, but she didn't have an excuse to do it. She felt a bit weird just randomly drawing a stranger's portrait. But now Lauren was here she had her reason.
'Oh my god yes!' Lauren said jumping off the bed, almost slopping her tea over herself as she went over to Zoe's desk and grabbing her sketch book. She grabbed her pencil case shoving it under her chin to carry. 'I want a full colour picture,' she explains moving back over to the bed. 'How long will it take?'
Zoe placed her mug on the bedside table and took the sketch book, pulling the pencil case from under her chin. 'Not long,' she admits. His face was a clear picture in her mind, she caught herself smiling. Lauren watched intently as Zoe took out a mechanical pencil and clicked it. 'You're not allowed to see mid-drawing,' Zoe said pulling up her knees and hiding the sketch book. Lauren pouted and rolled her eyes.
'Fine. Bitch,' she replied snatching the biscuits away. Zoe laughed and flicked a rubber at her.
...
'Jack!' North said in a scolding tone of voice. Jack looked at him with a smitten look on his face. He had stumbled through the portal and been directed firmly into an armchair and made to sit down. North was speaking to him but he wasn't listening. His mind was elsewhere.
'Hm?' He said finally focusing. All of them were there with worried looks on their faces. Bunny rolled his eyes and threw his arms into the air, he was still holding Jack's staff.
'It's no good. Look at him!' He swore. Tooth sighed and whispered to one of her fairies. North grabbed Jack by the shoulders.
'What happened?' He asked, worried.
Jack grinned, finally crashing back off the cloud he had been inhabiting. 'North!' He said happily. 'I found her! I found Zoe! She's been reincarnated!' He said jumping to the balls of his feet. 'She's nearly twenty, which means that she was only gone ten years!' He laughs.
'We know,' Tooth says quietly. Bunny looked at North, who shared a look with Sandy. They all looked very guilty.
His good mood disappears almost instantly. 'W-What do you mean.. you know?' He said frowning a little. 'Wait.. you all knew? You all knew that she was alive and you didn't tell me?! For twenty damn years!' He says getting angry.
'And what good would that have done, huh?' Bunny replied pointing his own staff at him. 'It would have meant that for twenty years ya would have watched a small girl grow up. Stalking her. Strewth mate, it's not the same Zoe, Jack! She doesn't know ya! Doesn't love ya,' he said harshly.
'She can see me!' Jack snapped back.
'She can see you?' Tooth said brushing Bunny and North aside. 'But how? She's too old to see you now,' Tooth said looking at her fellows. Sandy shrugged. North began to rub his chin, thinking deeply.
'She may still hold memories,' he says quietly.
'Oh bloody hell mate, don't go telling him that!' Bunny said rolling his eyes.
'What's done is done,' North replied in a sigh, shrugging.
'What the hell do you mean ''what's done is done?'' You damn well hid this from me for twenty years! You're all supposed to be my friends!' Jack said shaking his head angrily and getting up off the chair. He snatched his staff back from Bunny, after a moment or two of struggling. 'I can't believe you all,' he snaps.
'Jack, we were just trying to protect you!' Tooth replied placing her hand on his arm.
'By doing what?!' He says moving away from her. 'Keeping me in the dark? I thought I had lost her-'
'Ya still have!' Bunny shouted at him. 'She's a mortal Jack! She doesn't know ya! What are ya going to do? Kill her and hope that the man in the moon brings her back? She doesn't know ya, doesn't love ya. She's only going to get older and older. She's going to find another man, fall in love and get married. Have a couple of sprogs-' He was cut off by Jack; who punched him. Bunny was sent stumbling backwards. North pulled Jack away from him, Tooth flying over to Bunny who was rubbing his jaw. He scowled at his fellow Guardian.
'You think after all these damn years I'm going to simply let her walk away?' Jack said wringing his hand. He pulled himself from North's grip. 'You kept this hidden from me. I don't care for the reasons why. It wasn't your choice to make. Now Zoe can see me. That says enough. I'm not going to let her go again. We've been through too damn much-'
'Exactly!' Bunny said, not dropping it. 'You've both been through far too much. Doesn't Shelia just deserve to be happy?' He says softly. 'Jack, what you're doing to yourself is cruel mate, we don't want to see ya get hurt.'
Jack looks at him and shakes his head. 'That is my choice to make,' he replies turning from his friends and leaving. Sandy catches up to him and pulls on his hand. Jack looks at his fellow, who grins and holds out his palm. The necklace that Zoe gave him all those years ago rested in his hand. Jack smiles and tilts his head. 'Keep it Sandy,' he says quietly. 'You can give it back to her yourself.' Sandy grins and pats Jack on the back before giving him a wink before floating off. Jack shook his head as he smiled, at least one of them believed in him
…
Lauren was babbling away as Zoe drew. Who was embarrassed to say the least, as her drawing became more and more complete she felt her heart skip. He really was handsome. She swore quietly to herself. She hated that she was talented at drawing. It meant that she really did draw what she saw. Which meant that he was that good looking. She choose to draw the moment that he caught up with her and asked for her name, the moment where he smiled brightly and it made her feel all giggly. She was sure that Lauren was making her feel more girly than she really was. She sighed and put down the navy pencil. 'I'm done,' she said looking at the picture.
'Oh fuck yeah!' Lauren said putting down the magazine that she had pulled from her bag. She waited bouncing slightly as Zoe sighed and passed the sketch book over. She took it from her and her jaw dropped. 'Oh my fucking god.' She said in a breathless sigh. 'You had this guy. This guy, right here. This guy.'
'Yes Renny,' Zoe said laughing and going pink. 'That guy.'
'And you let him go? You didn't drag him back here and have your way with him?!' She said in a scolding voice. 'Fucking hell Zoby bear! Have I taught you nothing?!' She said looking at the picture in a dreamy way. 'Did you at least manage to get his number?'
'I got his name' Zoe replied with a shrug.
'Well?' Lauren demanded.
'Well what?' Zoe asked confused.
'What is it?!' She said rolling her eyes.
'Oh,' Zoe laughed. She took the drawing back from Lauren, who clung onto it a little too tightly. She ran her fingers over the sketch, smiling gently. 'His name is Jack,' she says softly. Lauren grins at her friends expression.
'Are you going to see him again?'
Zoe laughed and looked at her. 'I hope so.' She admits. What worried Zoe was that whenever she thought of Jack, the darkness inside her began to turn. Maybe wanting to see him again wasn't such a good idea.
There we have it.
Chapter one. I know. Boring.
I needed to do a bit of world building first.
I'm hoping this one will be longer than 15 odd chapters.
Though I can't promise anything.
PLEASE REVIEW. I can't read minds lol