Disclaimer: I don't ATWT or anything/anyone having to do with ATWT.
A/N-This story starts right after Jack turns JJ over to his real parents. And I only manage to catch bits and pieces of ATWT, so some of the story lines might not be exactly right.
-Chapter 1-
Jack Snyder slowly turned away and forced himself to walk in the opposite direction, away from his son. Except JJ wasn't really his. That one thought kept echoing in his mind, over and over again like a broken record. Julia had lied to him yet again, but this would be the last time. He'd wised up, learned the hard way that she wouldn't be trusted. That she'd pull any trick, any deceit, to get what she wanted. And what she wanted was to see him and Carly hurt. Looking over at his wife, he almost allowed himself a small smile. She had been so great through all of this, always there to support him and stand by him. Sure, she'd lied to him many times and had planned and plotted to get her way, but the lies she had told had never been so big, so horrible, so devastating. In the end, he'd been ever to forgive Carly, but he knew that he would never be able to forgive Julia. She had done more than crossed the line; she had completely erased it.
`````
The little stuffed toy in his hand was so small. Gently, Jack ran his fingers over the bear's soft surface and remembered placing it next to JJ in his crib. As he looked at it, he slowly felt the pain begin to rise inside of him once more. It wasn't fair. After wanting a son for so long he had thought he was finally getting his wish. But Julia stole that from him.
"I'll pack all that up and move it out of sight." Carly said, as she eased onto the couch next to him and took his hand in hers. "We can give it to charity if you want or simply put it away."
For a moment, Jack didn't respond, but simply looked at the little animal he was still holding. "We should probably give it away." He finally answered. "There's no use for it now and some other little kid might enjoy all this stuff."
Carly nodded, understanding that he couldn't stand looking at it. Knowing JJ's things were there would be too hard and would only remind him that his son was gone. "I'll take care of it first thing in the morning." She paused, as if weighing her words carefully. "You shouldn't blame yourself. What happened was Julia's fault and no one else's."
"I know that Carly, but if she hadn't wanted to hurt me."
"No buts Jack. She's crazy, remember? You didn't drive her to do any of this."
"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm fine."
Carly shook her head. "You're not fine. You're hurting and I."
Standing Jack spoke harshly. "I said I was fine, can we just drop it now?" With one look at her hurt expression, he cursed himself. "I'm sorry. I just, I really don't want to talk about Julia or JJ or any of this. Please."
"Alright, but I'm here if you need me."
"I know and that's one of the many reasons I love you." He smiled a little and pulled her into his arms.
"I love you too." She whispered back, moments before their lips met.
Just then Parker burst into the room. "Ewww! Kissing!" He exclaimed.
`````
"Good news." Hal said, approaching Jack's desk at the Oakdale Police Station.
"It's about time someone had some good news. Is it about Will?" Jack asked, looking up into his friend's face.
"No." Hal's voice was slightly sad for a moment, before he broke out into a smile. "Word has it your crazy ex has been apprehended."
"They caught Julia?" Jack felt hopeful for the first time in a long time. Maybe with her safely behind bars he could get his life back, have a little peace.
"Yeah, NYPD found her wandering around the city. She was mumbling something about needing to get home." He paused for a brief moment. "Anyway, they took her into custody, but said she seemed genuinely confused about why they would arrest her."
"That's Julia for you." He gave his head a little shake. "She turned out to be quite an actor."
"Not to mention a nut job." He let a comfortable silence lapse. "Why don't you go home and give Carly the good news. I'll call you if something comes up."
"Thanks Hal, Carly will be thrilled to know that she no longer has to worry about Julia."
Before walking away, Hal told him, "I think just about everyone to be thrilled to hear this news."
`````
"No one can know, Mike. Not Jack, not Molly, no one." Carly felt like she'd been saying the same over and over again these days. Her mistake seemed to haunt her every waking moment and she dreamt about it every night.
"You really think Craig will keep our secret?" Mike asked.
Carly shrugged. "He said he would. He even told Roseanna it was him that night at Monte Carlo."
"What night at Monte Carlo?" Jack asked, entering the living room.
Carly spun around to face him. "Jack, I wasn't expecting you home so early."
"Obviously." He frowned. "What's going on here?"
"Nothing." Carly answered quickly. Too quickly, Jack found himself thinking. "Some money turned up missing." She began with a half-truth and turned it into a lie. "And you know Roseanna, she was quick to blame me. But Craig said it was him that took the money."
"Was it?" Jack asked, skeptical.
Carly shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Anyway, I was just telling Mike about. And that's what you walked in on."
"I was actually just leaving." He patted Jack on the shoulder as he walked past. "Later, man."
"Later." Jack watched the door swing shut before facing his wife.
"What?"
Jack couldn't keep the grin from spreading across his face. "It's over."
Carly looked at him, confusion etched on her face. "What's over?"
"Julia's reign of terror." He put his arms around her waist and looked into her arms. "She's been arrested. It's finally over."
`````
Julia looked around the interrogation room; her expression matched that of a dear caught in the headlights. The thoughts rushing through her mind at the speed of light were giving her a headache. Reaching to rub her throbbing forehead she groaned as the cold metal dug into her wrist. She's forgotten about the handcuffs. An uniformed officer walked and Julia's eyes lit up a little with renewed hope. "Look, officer. I think there's been some kind of mistake. I don't belong here."
"Right." The officer nodded in understanding. "This is all a big mistake and you didn't do a thing wrong."
"You believe me?" She asked relieved.
The officer smirked. "Do I look stupid? Every criminal that walks through that door sings the same song of innocence. If I believed everyone of them, the streets would be polluted with scum." He looked over carefully. "No, you're just like the rest of the filth we bring in off the streets. Sorry sweetie, but by the looks of things you're going to be in here for a very long time."
A/N-This story starts right after Jack turns JJ over to his real parents. And I only manage to catch bits and pieces of ATWT, so some of the story lines might not be exactly right.
-Chapter 1-
Jack Snyder slowly turned away and forced himself to walk in the opposite direction, away from his son. Except JJ wasn't really his. That one thought kept echoing in his mind, over and over again like a broken record. Julia had lied to him yet again, but this would be the last time. He'd wised up, learned the hard way that she wouldn't be trusted. That she'd pull any trick, any deceit, to get what she wanted. And what she wanted was to see him and Carly hurt. Looking over at his wife, he almost allowed himself a small smile. She had been so great through all of this, always there to support him and stand by him. Sure, she'd lied to him many times and had planned and plotted to get her way, but the lies she had told had never been so big, so horrible, so devastating. In the end, he'd been ever to forgive Carly, but he knew that he would never be able to forgive Julia. She had done more than crossed the line; she had completely erased it.
`````
The little stuffed toy in his hand was so small. Gently, Jack ran his fingers over the bear's soft surface and remembered placing it next to JJ in his crib. As he looked at it, he slowly felt the pain begin to rise inside of him once more. It wasn't fair. After wanting a son for so long he had thought he was finally getting his wish. But Julia stole that from him.
"I'll pack all that up and move it out of sight." Carly said, as she eased onto the couch next to him and took his hand in hers. "We can give it to charity if you want or simply put it away."
For a moment, Jack didn't respond, but simply looked at the little animal he was still holding. "We should probably give it away." He finally answered. "There's no use for it now and some other little kid might enjoy all this stuff."
Carly nodded, understanding that he couldn't stand looking at it. Knowing JJ's things were there would be too hard and would only remind him that his son was gone. "I'll take care of it first thing in the morning." She paused, as if weighing her words carefully. "You shouldn't blame yourself. What happened was Julia's fault and no one else's."
"I know that Carly, but if she hadn't wanted to hurt me."
"No buts Jack. She's crazy, remember? You didn't drive her to do any of this."
"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm fine."
Carly shook her head. "You're not fine. You're hurting and I."
Standing Jack spoke harshly. "I said I was fine, can we just drop it now?" With one look at her hurt expression, he cursed himself. "I'm sorry. I just, I really don't want to talk about Julia or JJ or any of this. Please."
"Alright, but I'm here if you need me."
"I know and that's one of the many reasons I love you." He smiled a little and pulled her into his arms.
"I love you too." She whispered back, moments before their lips met.
Just then Parker burst into the room. "Ewww! Kissing!" He exclaimed.
`````
"Good news." Hal said, approaching Jack's desk at the Oakdale Police Station.
"It's about time someone had some good news. Is it about Will?" Jack asked, looking up into his friend's face.
"No." Hal's voice was slightly sad for a moment, before he broke out into a smile. "Word has it your crazy ex has been apprehended."
"They caught Julia?" Jack felt hopeful for the first time in a long time. Maybe with her safely behind bars he could get his life back, have a little peace.
"Yeah, NYPD found her wandering around the city. She was mumbling something about needing to get home." He paused for a brief moment. "Anyway, they took her into custody, but said she seemed genuinely confused about why they would arrest her."
"That's Julia for you." He gave his head a little shake. "She turned out to be quite an actor."
"Not to mention a nut job." He let a comfortable silence lapse. "Why don't you go home and give Carly the good news. I'll call you if something comes up."
"Thanks Hal, Carly will be thrilled to know that she no longer has to worry about Julia."
Before walking away, Hal told him, "I think just about everyone to be thrilled to hear this news."
`````
"No one can know, Mike. Not Jack, not Molly, no one." Carly felt like she'd been saying the same over and over again these days. Her mistake seemed to haunt her every waking moment and she dreamt about it every night.
"You really think Craig will keep our secret?" Mike asked.
Carly shrugged. "He said he would. He even told Roseanna it was him that night at Monte Carlo."
"What night at Monte Carlo?" Jack asked, entering the living room.
Carly spun around to face him. "Jack, I wasn't expecting you home so early."
"Obviously." He frowned. "What's going on here?"
"Nothing." Carly answered quickly. Too quickly, Jack found himself thinking. "Some money turned up missing." She began with a half-truth and turned it into a lie. "And you know Roseanna, she was quick to blame me. But Craig said it was him that took the money."
"Was it?" Jack asked, skeptical.
Carly shrugged. "I honestly don't know. Anyway, I was just telling Mike about. And that's what you walked in on."
"I was actually just leaving." He patted Jack on the shoulder as he walked past. "Later, man."
"Later." Jack watched the door swing shut before facing his wife.
"What?"
Jack couldn't keep the grin from spreading across his face. "It's over."
Carly looked at him, confusion etched on her face. "What's over?"
"Julia's reign of terror." He put his arms around her waist and looked into her arms. "She's been arrested. It's finally over."
`````
Julia looked around the interrogation room; her expression matched that of a dear caught in the headlights. The thoughts rushing through her mind at the speed of light were giving her a headache. Reaching to rub her throbbing forehead she groaned as the cold metal dug into her wrist. She's forgotten about the handcuffs. An uniformed officer walked and Julia's eyes lit up a little with renewed hope. "Look, officer. I think there's been some kind of mistake. I don't belong here."
"Right." The officer nodded in understanding. "This is all a big mistake and you didn't do a thing wrong."
"You believe me?" She asked relieved.
The officer smirked. "Do I look stupid? Every criminal that walks through that door sings the same song of innocence. If I believed everyone of them, the streets would be polluted with scum." He looked over carefully. "No, you're just like the rest of the filth we bring in off the streets. Sorry sweetie, but by the looks of things you're going to be in here for a very long time."