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Jerome Clarke was sleek, good looking, confident, smooth talking, intelligent, an excellent painter, a wonderful dancer, a practised singer, he had a brilliant memory, a romantic heart, and was quick on his feet.

Of course, that wasn't all he was.

Jerome Clarke was also, a thief, a con-man, a player, a kidnapper, a black mailer. He was cruel, occasionally heartless, untrusting, deceitful, hurtful, and had been in prison for the last three years and nine months.

That's right, Jerome Clarke, after committing crimes all his life, had been caught three years and nine months ago, convicted only of forging the Mona Lisa and selling it on. He was given a four year sentence, in a maximum security prison. Because Jerome Clarke had been on the top of the FBI's most wanted list for years and years and years.

So technically, he was only a convicted paint forger. But everyone knew. They knew. Even if it had never been proven. They knew he was a robber, a crook, a con-man, a bond forger, a diamond stealing, selling on the black market con-man.

Jerome looked at himself in the mirror, and he smiled.

Because today, my dear friends. Jerome was breaking out of the maximum security prison. He stood in the guards bathroom, and changed into the uniform. He shaved the beard he had been growing for months, until he was clean shaven. Used the water to slick his hair back, "Gel would have been better," he grumbled to himself. But he was working with what he had.

He readied himself, nodding, and stepping out.

He walked with such grace, such confidence. Even some of his friends in the prison, didn't recognise him. He'd had a beard for so long, of course, that was the plan.

He even had the nerve to smile at a guard, and he wasn't noticed. He walked right up to the door, and the guard stopped him. Jerome froze

"Let me get that for you," the guard reassured him, opening the gate. Jerome nodded, and he walked out of the prison, a free man. It was as easy as that. Well, for Jerome anyway. He walked into the parking lot, the sun beating down, hot wired a car, and he drove away.

Line Break

"You're not gonna believe this," Mara laughed, shaking her head. Fabian turned to her

"What?"

"Jerome Clarke has escaped,"

"What?" Fabian whispered, standing up. Mara stood with him

"Yeah, he broke out this morning. Got a guards uniform, and walked out." Fabian froze. Mara frowned "Why do you think he did it? Only three months left of his sentence and he would have been a free man?"

"I don't know…" Fabian whispered. "Have I been given the case?"

"Of course you have," Mara rolled her eyes "You're the best FBI agent, you're the only one who caught him."

Line Break

Jerome changed his clothes, shrugging into a bright yellow coat. And he drove to the air port, posing as a valet. Running up to a rich looking man, he grinned, tipping his head "May I take that for you Sir?"

"Take good care of her," the strange approved "We're going to Miami," he handed Jerome £100, and Jerome resisted the urge to laugh. He slid into the car, and tore off. The wind blew his hair back and he turned up the song on the radio, laughing loudly.

If this is a dream, won't open my eyes, am I asleep, no I'm alive. I just can't believe that this is my life! In my fantasy I'm running wild!

Jerome shook his head in amazement, prison music sucked, look at the gems he was missing out on.

Line Break

Fabian looked around Jerome's jail cell. The bed was made, there were paintings on a desk, and something that really tugged at Fabian's heart, was the right wall. Tallies, hundreds and hundreds of lines. Jerome had been counting the days. "Why would he break out?" Fabian whispered, touching the wall gingerly.

Mara, Fabian's favourite assistant, she was a great agent. Beautiful, intelligent, surprisingly good with a gun. He supposed it didn't help that he harboured a small crush on her. "His sister," she sighed "Remember Poppy Clarke?"

"Ah yes," Fabian nodded slowly "The gem thief,"

"Alleged, gem thief," Mara corrected with a smile. Fabian nodded, almost in admiration. Mara stuck to the law. Always was Innocent, until proven guilty. And she was right, Poppy Julia Clarke had never been proven guilty. Never been caught, so she'd never had a trial. Never solid evidence against her. She was almost as good as her brother. Well, maybe better, she'd never been caught.

Fabian lifted the mattress, and pulled out some books. "Car Mechanics," he read the title of one aloud, frowning, then he turned to the other one "How to be the perfect Valet?"

"We have CCTV footage of him breaking out, and of him hotwiring a car."

"Best have a look at it,"

Line Break

"That's not Jerome Clarke," Fabian laughed in disbelief, staring at the monitor.

"That was Jerome Clarke yesterday morning, we record them coming out of their cell every morning." The large guard announced. Fabian shook his head, staring the photo.

"The Jerome I arrested doesn't have a beard, or a moustache," Mara said nothing, for she'd never met Jerome Clarke before. "Rewind," Fabian whispered "Keep going back to the day, let's find out when he stopped shaving." They had to go back months, but they got it. 14th July. "Something happened on that day," Fabian whispered.

"He had a visitor," Mara whispered, looking up from the records she'd been examining.

They looked at the footage, Jerome had been visited that day, by Poppy Clarke. And that was all they needed. They knew exactly where Jerome was going.

Line Break

Jerome sat there, tears still rolling sadly down his face, as he held the empty wine bottle in his hand. He sat on the floor, in the bare apartment, leaning against the wall. All alone. He stiffened at the sound of footsteps, but didn't have the strength to move. So what if someone was coming into the room? All the confidence, and the grace had been drained from his body. What was left was a lost young man.

"Jerome," came a whispered voice.

Jerome looked up, and he actually managed to smile, a wide teethy smile. "Agent Fabian Rutter," he nodded "Of course it's you, who else could catch me?"

"The great Clarke?" Fabian echoed. He sighed, he was all by himself. He had agents surrounding the building, and he'd instructed Mara to go back to the office, just in case anything happened to her.

"How many are there?" he whispered. Fabian looked down, almost sympathetically

"Hundreds,"

"All for me?" Jerome tried to joke, and he pushed the hair out of his eyes.

"Hey," Fabian was trying to cheer him up, and he didn't understand why "Jerome, you broke out of a maximum security prison. I mean, a stupid thing to do, but…bravo to you." Jerome said nothing, only nodded. "Poppy's long gone, Jerome. Even I knew that,"

"I only missed her by two days," Jerome defended himself. He placed the empty wine bottle on the ground.

"What does the bottle mean? A secret message?"

"Not so secret," Jerome whispered. "It means goodbye." Poppy was the reason he'd done it. He just wanted to see her, it had been so long, and he knew, he too knew of her plans to move to France, to steal a few things, live there for a few years. And he just wanted to see her before she went. He had risked everything for her, and she wasn't even here.

"I'm gonna have to take you in, Jerome," Fabian said quietly. For Fabian knew Jerome, in the years, the years Fabian had spent tracking the FBI's most wanted, he had learnt everything about him. Jerome Clarke wasn't a killer, never had a weapon on him, hated guns. Never harmed anyone. Never seemed to have a motive, he seemed to steal just for the rush of adrenaline. Just to push himself, just for a challenge. In Fabian's eyes, in some twisted way in his mind, it was almost admirable.

"Yeah, yeah I know," Jerome sighed, hauling himself up. His eyes flickered to the window, and Fabian's hands went to the gun in his belt, but he didn't pull it out. Jerome held out his hands in surrender, when he noticed something on Fabian's shoulder. Gingerly, he picked it up. Fabian watched him. "Do you know what this is?"

No. That was the short answer, Jerome had picked up a piece of fibre, that had probably stuck to him from the case he was currently working. "Do you?"

Jerome smiled, as Fabian tightened the cuffs, and gestured for more police officers to come in. "What's it to you, if I tell you what that is?" his eyes were wide, shining eager. Fabian said nothing. "Is it worth a meeting?"

"What?"

"Meet me in prison. In one week. Just meet me."

"Why?" Fabian stared him, so confused. He had never been able to understand his blond haired…something. Not a friend. But more than an acquaintance.

"Promise." Fabian said nothing, but Jerome was being pulled away "It's a strand of fibre for the new Canadian one hundred dollar bill, someone's gonna make counterfeits." And with that, Jerome was pulled away "One week!" he called, desperation leaking into his voice.

Line Break

"Something's up," Fabian whispered, sitting at his dining table. Mara sat beside him. His best friend. "How did he know it was the fibre?" For Jerome had been right, and it was due to him, that they had arrested someone.

"Visit him," Mara urged quietly "He helped."

Fabian stared out into the night through the window "Something feels weird," he shook his head "Why was he so desperate to see his sister?"

"Some people care about family," Mara smiled gently. Fabian touched her hand, but he shook his head

"Mara, this is Jerome Clarke. When I was chasing him, he sent me birthday cards, hand sent, he came to my house, he taunted me, teased me, and-"

"You kinda like him," Mara smiled. Fabian couldn't help but smile. He did kinda like Jerome. Smart, intelligent, funny, a lot like Mara.

Line Break

Jerome sat back in his cell, lifting the black chalk, and drawing another tally line. He stepped back, and it only took looking at all the lines for him to crack.

He cried out in pain and slashed the wall with the chalk, creating messy lines, someone from another cell cursed at him to shut up. Jerome kicked the wall and shoved the desk over.

Before sighing.

Unclenching his fists, he tenderly lifted the desk, setting every back. And he picked up the chalk, and went to the next wall.

And he started the tally all over again.

I really hope you enjoyed! Next chapter up in a few minutes!

xxx