The first time she had ever seen him, actually, the first time she remembered having seen him; she'd been terrified.
Her mother would later say that she had met him many times before that night, but this was the first image of him that had burned its way into her long term memory.
Ava had been just three years old that cold October night, when a knock at the door had roused her from her sleep during the wee hours of the morning. She was about to leave her bed and flee to her mothers room when the sound of the front door opening, followed by a pained moan and the shuffling of two pairs of feet had stopped her.
"I can't believe this, Jackson. I haven't seen you in six months and this is how you decide to show up?" her mother had whispered.
"I just couldn't stay away," an unfamiliar male voice responded weakly.
By now, Ava's curiosity had gotten the better of her. She hopped out of bed and padded quietly down the hall, coming to a stop beside the door to the main bathroom that stood open scarcely more than an inch.
"I told you, Jackson; I won't have this in my home," her mother scolded.
"I didn't plan on this, sweetheart. There was no where else to go. I'm sorry."
Ava looked at the man as her mother cleaned his beaten and bloodied face. He looked like a monster, but as her mother wiped all the blood away, she realized he wasn't so scary after all.
"What the hell happened?" her mother asked, still speaking in a hushed tone.
"Fight broke out…you should see the other guy," the man said and winked at her.
"Are you trying to turn yourself into a topographical map of the Himalayas? I few more scars and you'll be there, Jackson."
"Don't make me laugh," he groaned. "I think I cracked a rib."
Ava couldn't see her mother's expression, but her gestures were affectionate as she dabbed his wounds with a moist cloth; she cared about this man, and his eyes….even at her young age, Ava knew they were the same as her own.
She tip toed down the hall and jumped back into bed seconds before her mother had stepped out of the bathroom. As she had anticipated, her mother came in to check on her and she had pretended to be asleep, managing to drift off while keeping up the masquerade.
When she woke later that morning and walked into the living room, she saw the strange man splayed out on their couch, snoring softly.
Her mother was in the recliner directly across from him. She was also asleep and Ava crawled into her lap, waking her.
"Mama, is that daddy?"
The man's eyes popped open in an instant and he looked at her mother with uncertainty.
"No, baby," she had said without missing a beat. "Say hello to your Uncle Jack."
"Hi, Uncle Jack," Ava said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Hi, angel," he responded.
Author's Note: I've pretty much retired the character of Vanessa. She'll have a supporting role, but this is Ava's story. Being the daughter of the infamous Scarecrow will make life tough enough….but things are about to get worse!
I hope you all enjoy. The first full length chapter should be up tomorrow or the next day.
Thanks to emptyvoices for being a wonderful sounding board.
