So this story is fun… Has a bit of a following, too. Always good to see. :3 Loved all the reviews. People asking if Sophie will be next, or Jamie, or Jack's sister. You'll all have to wait and see, I suppose.

Is it too late to warn you of Character Death? Woops… SIDE NOTE: I actually have the next three chapters of this already typed up... Heheh...

In Love With A Killer (Chapter Two.)

Jack went to school at his usual incredibly early time again. Mary was lucky, she got to sleep in until eight- Jack had to wake up at five in order to be ready by the time the bus came to pick him up. Sometimes he would walk to school, but with all the recent killings his mother said if she found out he walked that she would kill him herself. Bus today…

He sat with one of his friends, though, not exactly a friend. It was hard to say. Phil was kind of a big burly mean kid who just happened to sort of like Jack. His massive mustache and ponytail combo made him a very intimidating sight…

As soon as he got to school, Jack made sure to throw everything into his locker and head to his first class of the day. He missed Tianna; why did she have to be in a private school? Oh, because she was talented and had a promising future, that's why… What did Jack have to look forward to when he got out of the hell hole that was high school?

"Well, there's always the job with Sandy," he muttered, scribbling pictures into his notebook. He drew about six different cats. He couldn't get the nose right, and eventually gave up and drew dogs.

Classes went by slowly, with Jack mostly tuning everything out, minus gym which involved a very energetic game of dodge ball, and then it was off to work.

He punched in, waving hello to Sanderson, and then went straight to the room full of the kids. Parents had dropped them off earlier, but a few were coming in late for the afternoon shift. Jack smiled when he saw Nick St. North, one of Sanderson's pals, picking up two of his kids. Jack always thought they looked like elves… How many kids did he have again, seven or something? Yeesh…

"Hiya Nick!" Jack greeted him, waving happily. Nick smiled, tried to wave, then lifted both his little boys onto his shoulders and walked out. Jack quickly turned and began playing with everyone. Sophie and he built a fort.

He stayed for hours, working and giggling throughout all the fun and games. They finger-painted for a while, and Jack was sure he had run his hands through his hair a couple of times during that. His hair probably had streaks and splotches of blue and pink in it. He knew his nose had a green smear, and his cheeks had purple fingerprints, but he was happy to be messy. He had fun getting this way.

When he left he didn't even bother cleaning off his face. He just waited for all the kids to go home and then headed out himself. A few people gave him some funny looks, just because he was so colorful, but he grinned them off. Life was good as far as he was concerned.

Standing at the corner, waiting for the light to change, he heard a laugh to his left. Blinking, Jack turned his head and quickly blushed to find the man from the other day standing next to him. He was chuckling at the paint all over his face.

"Were you helping a pixie paint its walls?" he asked, lifting a finger to his lower lip and resting his teeth on it. Jack was ashamed to say he followed his hand with his eyes.

"Oh, I uh… Eh heh… No, I…" he fumbled for words, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "I was… We finger-painted…"

The man grinned. "Any more bunnies, Jack?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest and walking beside him across the street. The light had just changed, giving them the little walking man to say go.

Jack blushed. "Oh, um… No, none today… uh…" he felt his cheeks burning. He had forgotten the man's name! How could he remember his eyes so vividly but completely forget his name? Craaaaap…!

The man chuckled a little more, shaking his head. "Well, if I were you, I'd head home and try to wash the blue out of my hair," he said, pointing to Jack's messy locks, "People may think you're dressing up as a smurf…" Jack blushed deeper and averted his eyes.

"Alright, uh… See ya later, then…" he said sheepishly. The man smiled at him, just standing there, waiting; for what, Jack didn't know. He hoped not to hear his name.

Scooting away a little, Jack said, "So, um…. Bye, then…" He nodded once, still smiling. "I uh…" Jack laughed awkwardly, "I guess I'll be seein' ya…"

"I guess you will," the man said, sending Jack a chillingly seductive smirk.

Jack scooted back a little more. "Okay…" he whispered, staring at the man's eyes, blushing like an absolute lunatic, "B-bye…!" He kept scooting away, not turning around to stop facing him, just staring at him with a nervous smile and a dopey blush. The man only smiled as he watched Jack go.

Once he was finally far away and had lost sight of the man in the crowd, Jack breathed a sigh of relief. "God, the sexual tension there was practically tangible," he muttered, "I must've looked like a complete boob…" He rubbed his forehead, frowning when he saw purple flakes fall from his fingers. Right, he still looked like a clown…

Jack got home shortly after that, smiling at his mother's shocked reaction to how colorful he was. Mary laughed at him, and he stuck his tongue out at her.

"In all honesty I'm surprised your tongue is the right color," his mother said, sounding tired.

Jack blushed. "Mom! That wasn't funny!" he whined, rushing upstairs to the bathroom to wash up. He showered, closing his eyes as the steamy water cascaded over him: and because he didn't want paint in his eyes… Jack was happy to step out, look at himself in the mirror, and see a normal white blonde haired eighteen year old boy looking back.

Heading back downstairs, wearing a loose pair of grey sweatpants and a flimsy white tang-top, Jack bounced onto the couch, knocking Mary over and knocking the game controller out of her hand. She squeaked excitedly at him and the two play fought for a while before their mother interrupted.

"Jack, I forgot relish at the store this week, could you run up to the department store and get some?" she asked, holding out some money.

Hopping to his feet, Jack asked, "Do I get to keep the change?"

"No," his mother said with a stern frown, "Now go to the store and get relish…" He groaned, but took the money and grabbed a sweater before heading out.

He left the zip up hoodie open as he walked down the street. The department store was only a few blocks away- he had walked there dozens of times on his own.

Tugging his white tang top down a little, Jack continued walking down the street. His hair was still wet- the cold air chilled it and made him feel that much colder. Maybe he should zip up the sweater…

"Jack, back so soon?" he jumped, literally jumped, when he heard his name behind him. Spinning around, Jack breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the cat-eyed man standing there. He had a briefcase with him this time, and a few books. He was smiling at him.

"Oh, it's you," Jack whispered, pressing his hand to his chest, feeling his heartbeat slowing down a little.

The man chuckled. "You?" he repeated, "Forgotten my name already?"

Jack blushed, grinning sheepishly, and he shrugged his shoulders. "I remembered who you were, I just forgot your name…" he said, rubbing his arms shyly.

Again the man chuckled at him. "It's Pitch," he said.

"Pitch," Jack echoed, "Pitch… Pitch, Pitch, Pitch… I gotta remember that… Pitch, Pitch, Pitch, Pitch, Pitch…" He began chanting it, pumping his arms up and down each time he did as they walked down the street together. Pitch laughed warmly at seeing how hard Jack was trying to remember his name.

"It's fine if you forget," he said, adjusting his books, "After all, we've only just met…" Jack looked over at him and blushed when he saw that Pitch was looking at him.

Rubbing his arm, he said, "Well, uh, I'll try not to…" Pitch smiled. Jack saw the department store coming up. He quickly skirted around in front of Pitch, hopping nimbly on the balls of his feet, so that he was to his right. He tried not to notice the way Pitch watched him. Tried not to see the fact that the man was scanning him over with his eyes. He tried not to feel the dizzy nervousness that came with being looked at like that.

Coughing uncomfortably, Jack said, "Well, uh, I gotta head in here. Gotta buy something for my mom…. You know…" Pitch smiled at him as Jack tried scooting backwards toward the store.

"Bike rack," he said. Jack blinked, spinning his head around to look down behind him. Sure enough, he was about to back into a bike rack.

Jumping to the side, Jack gasped a little too loudly when he jumped right into Pitch's chest. Pitch blinked back in surprise, but smiled when Jack quickly hopped a good six feet back towards the store. Jack was so flustered, he could hardly think straight.

Pitch sighed, pushing his books under his arm holding the briefcase, and he bent, picking up the money Jack had just dropped. "Here," he said, holding it out to him, "You seem to have a knack for dropping things…" Jack blinked rapidly, hands jumping all over himself, feeling for the money. Pitch chuckled at the way the boy felt into his pockets and came back with nothing.

"Um…" Jack blushed brightly as he took the money back. "Thanks," he whispered, pulling it close to his chest and brushing his fingers behind his ear like he was tucking hair back but really was doing it out of reflex. He swallowed, glancing nervously up at Pitch, before saying, "I, uh… Guess I'd better head in there…"

Pitch smiled down at him. "Until next time," he said warmly, as if oblivious to the boy's emotional turmoil. Jack's cheeks darkened and he nodded several times, backing into the store, glancing up at the tall man a few last nervous times. He then hurried into an aisle, if only just to be out of his line of sight.

He hid there and watched Pitch walk away; sighing with relief once he was finally gone. He went and bought the relish for his mother and hurried back home. He gave it to his mom when he got back, and she thanked him. She had made hamburgers for dinner, and Mary liked putting pickle relish on hers- for some reason, though she didn't like full pickle slices. Whatever, she was just picky…

Jack tried to ignore how ancy he still was. That time with Pitch had really left him squirrely… He felt like he needed to run laps around a gym for a few hours. In fact, he decided that he might as well go do just that. He could go visit Adam, too- he worked at the local gym as a personal trainer. That'd be fun!

Jack took a bottle of water and his MP3 player with him before rushing out to the gym. He waved excitedly over at Adam, who was busy spotting a very burly looking man who was benching. Adam sent him a smile and a small wave before he helped lift the weights back onto the little divots.

Jack took his water and his music up to the indoor track and quickly began blaring himself some Simon Curtis. Once he had his upbeat song, off he went. He ran twice, three times, seven times, twelve. Soon he lost count of how many laps he had completed. He did, however, notice when Adam stood there smiling at him.

He tugged his headphones out of his ears and smiled brightly at him. "Hey Adam!" he greeted.

"Hey yourself," He said, chuckling a little at seeing the sweat stain on Jack's shirt. "How many laps you do?"

"Oh, I dunno," Jack said, "I lost count at twenty eight… I think… Maybe twenty seven…" Adam smiled- he looked impressed. "So what've you been up to, besides working out like a madman?"

"Nothing special," he said, shrugging his shoulders as the two began walking around the track, "Sand told me what happened to Pippa… I feel bloody awful about it…"

Jack sighed sorrowfully. He loved the Aussie like a brother, but sometimes he had a tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Jack had been trying to forget about what happened to Pippa… He didn't want to think that it might have been his fault… He could have kept a more vigilant eye on her… He could've walked her home… He could have done something… Anything…

Adam rubbed his shoulder warmly. "It's alright, Jack," he said, "It's too late to change what happened… All we can do now is pay more attention to our little anklebitahs…" Jack nodded, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Well, I'm gonna be heading home now," he said, stopping at the track door. Adam nodded and began jogging around the track. Jack sighed and walked down the stairs. Slowly, without any real pep to his step. He had come to the gym to feel better. Not worse…

He walked home by himself, occasionally dabbing at his eyes to stop a tear or two from rolling out. It was dark by now, and streetlights flickered above his head. Sometimes he wished the world was a better place… This was one of those times…

When he got home, Jack just sat on the couch and watched the news. His mother was finishing up dishes, Mary was taking a bubble bath, and he just wanted a moment alone with his thoughts.

But he didn't get that moment alone. The television screen suddenly burst into a bright screen of red that said "Breaking News". Quickly a man's voice came over the television, and images of an area taped off surrounded by police shown. A helicopter filmed, shining a spotlight down on the cops. The deep voiced announcer said calmly, "This is breaking news- the body of a little girl has just been found outside Jillery's Department Store on Fifer Street. Police will not give any names, but apparently this appears to be the work of The Boogeyman, the serial child killer."

Jack gasped, jumping onto the balls of his feet, gripping the TV in his hands and staring right into the picture. Jillery's… He had been there earlier today! That was the store he went to buy the relish from!

"Oh my God," he wheezed, his face going white and his arms starting to shake. "Oh God, I was just there…! Oh God..!"

He fell backwards, holding his head and he began to cry. His mother quickly rushed out to the living room, falling to her knees beside him asking him what was wrong. He just pointed at the TV and sobbed into his palms.

She watched the screen, listening as the announcer said, "The body was discovered draped over a bike rack, her stomach cut open and her eyes gouged out… Her clothes had been removed, leaving everyone to speculate if she had been raped… According to a witness, the body was found a little after seven."

Jack wailed, covering his ears and falling to the ground. He had been at the department store just two hours before that! Oh, God, it could've been him! "It could've been me! It could've been me! Oh, God, Mom, it could've been ME!" he shrieked, gripping his mother's arms and sobbing into her chest. She tried to calm him, but they both knew he was right. It very well could have been him. Jack was just lucky he hadn't been there.

His mother quickly turned off the TV. "Jackson, listen to me," she said, placing her hands on his shaking shoulders, "I'm going to tell your sister what's happened… But you have to promise me you'll be strong for her… This is scary for all of us… And she's still little… Promise momma you'll be brave…"

"I promise mom," he whispered, wiping his hands across his eyes, "I'll be brave, I promise…"

"Good boy," she whispered, going upstairs to wait for Mary to finish her bath. Jack just remained kneeling in his living room, crying to himself. Another body… Another Goddamn body… Why? Why would anyone kill little kids like that? Where was the sense in it?

Sniffling, he went upstairs to his room and tried to sleep. He managed a few nightmare plagued hours before he had to get up and get ready for school. He tried to do so with a smile, but he had no energy left for it. He just went and droned on like a mindless slave.

When he got to work, he sat and read the newspaper for more details on the murder. The girl had been the one he had seen listed as missing just the other day- he felt sick by that… And he read that, yes, the girl had been raped, both before and after death again. Her eyes were gouged out, just like the ten others… It was awful to think of whether that had happened before or after she had been killed.

Swallowing, tears rolled down Jack's cheeks as he set the paper down. Sanderson saw him crying and quickly was by his side, rubbing circles into his back and telling him it wasn't his fault. What happened couldn't be avoided. No one had predicted it…

"But that's not why I'm upset," Jack said, sniffling and wiping his sleeve across his nose, "The girl was found outside the department store I had gone to… She was found two hours after I had left… Sandy, that could've been me…!"

Sanderson swallowed, but quickly hugged Jack close to him. "Well thank the heavens it wasn't," he whispered, fondly ruffling Jack's hair.

The two remained that way for a while longer before Sandy returned to playing with the kids. He didn't want them to know anything was wrong. Nobody did. Their parents each arrived at least five minutes early for all of their children. And Jack couldn't say he blamed them.

Whimpering, he sat on a bench on the side of the road. He didn't feel like going home just yet. He just wanted to sit for a while and try to process everything. A young pregnant woman came and sat beside him. Jack smiled warmly at her, she smiled back. Then her bus came and she was gone.

Jack texted his mother, letting her know he'd be home before dark; he was just stopping for a breather. She replied with 'alright, just get here before six.' Why would he stay out and risk being the next victim?

Jack felt the bench creak with extra weight. "This seat taken?" he blinked his eyes up and smiled when he saw it was Nick who had joined him.

"Hey Nick," he said weakly, smiling warmly up at the old man.

"How you feeling Jackie?" he asked, looking at him with concern.

Shrugging, Jack said, "I've been better, I guess… Just… These murders have been a lot to take in…" Nick nodded solemnly.

"Yes, is terrible… An awful, awful crime against humanity," he said with his thick Russian accent. Jack only nodded, staring down at a crack in the sidewalk. He wanted to go home…. But at the same time, he just wanted to sit here forever…

Nick patted his back comfortingly, saying a fond farewell, and he headed off toward his home. Jack watched him go; smiling at the big red coat he wore. Nick was quite the character… But he had been like a father figure for Jack, and he was grateful to him for that.

Placing his hands onto his knees, Jack mentally prepared himself to leave. He pressed won into his kneecaps, shifting his weight forward, when he heard a police siren. His whole body froze where it was. The siren sped past him on the street, and soon enough faded. Still, it had frightened him. Maybe it was time to head home…

He got up quickly, rushing across the street, bumping into a few people as he did, and he gasped at the other side. He placed his hand against the side of a building and tried to catch his breath.

"Run a marathon Jack?" he screamed a little, jumping back at the sound of the voice.

He practically felt his neck snap when he looked up. He squeaked with surprise seeing a pair of bright yellow eyes. "Pitch!"

Pitch laughed happily, his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes, "You remembered it this time…!" He sounded genuinely happy. Jack blinked a few times, then his face went deep red. Pitch laughed openly at him again, seeing this change.

"You look so precious when you blush," he said, reaching a hand out and poking one of Jack's chubby red cheeks. Jack's face went darker, and Pitch laughed again.

Swallowing nervously, Jack said, "Uh, actually, I'm supposed to be heading home, so, uh… Sorry, but I uh…" Jack tried going one way around him, toward the building, but the space was too small. He tried the other way, but there were people coming that way. He went back to Pitch's right, closer to the building, and he tried to squeeze his way through there.

Pitch watched him as he tried to worm his way through. And Jack noticed it. He shivered when their eyes met. Jack gasped when Pitch suddenly pushed his arm into his way, blocking off his escape.

"Jack…" he whispered his name, staring straight down at him.

The teenager blinked rapidly, cheeks going hot, and licked his lips. "Um, I uh… L-look, P-Pitch… I… I've gotta get home, so… You, uh… I…" he stammered. He couldn't look away from this man. His eyes were hypnotic.

"Pitch…" he moaned softly, eyes fluttering against his will. The black haired man smiled down at him.

People continued walking by them, as if they weren't even there, and Jack wasn't sure if he was happy about that or not. This man was so sexual it was frightening.

Pitch licked his lips hungrily as he gazed down at him. "People are watching, Jack," he whispered.

Jack's eyes flew open. What… what… Wait… What…? He lifted his head, looking around in confusion… He was still on the bench… Had he fallen asleep? When did it get so dark out…? Rubbing his neck, Jack checked his phone. It was six o'clock! Shit!

He hopped to his feet, calling his mom quickly, explaining that he fell asleep. She was more worried than angry, but she did keep yelling at him to hurry up and get home.

When he got back he got a tight hug from his mother. "M-mom, what's going on?" he asked, shocked by her behavior.

"They found another body," she whispered, "They said he had blonde hair and blue eyes… I was so scared that it was you Jack… Oh, thank God you're okay…!"

Jack blinked, his entire body beginning to tremble. The victim looked like him? He sobbed. Was the murderer targeting him? He didn't understand. It was all too much for him. He began crying into his mother's shoulder. He promised he'd be brave… But who could be brave when faced with something like this…?