NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This chapter's gonna be a bit short. In the next installment, well...there's going to be a few tweaks to what I'd originally planned. Let's just say that Jay's not ready to retire yet, and he and the other Wyatts will find the perfect way to spread their message and drag the WWE, kicking and screaming, into a new era. Gotta admit that this one will be easier to write, because I'll only be rewriting one year of WWE history.
DISCLAIMERS: Please see the previous chapters in this story. If I haven't provided proper credit for something, PLEASE, PLEASE...tell me! I'll be happy to fix things if necessary.
Chapter Seven
"This life is for loving, sharing, learning, smiling, caring, forgiving, laughing, hugging, helping, dancing, wondering, healing, and even more loving. I choose to live life this way. I want to live my life in such a way that when I get out of bed in the morning, the devil says, 'aw sh*t, he's up!"
― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on Life and the Human Experience
"And so I wait. I wait for time to heal the pain and raise me to me feet once again - so that I can start a new path, my own path, the one that will make me whole again."
― Jack Canfield, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II
Jay let out a soft sigh as Luke's firm, strong hands massaged at his tired shoulders.
"I wish you didn't have to go back to Tampa." There was a hint of melancholy in Luke's deep voice.
"I have to," Jay explained, leaning back slightly. He and Luke were on the porch, watching the clouds gather in the west. "I need to get everything in order before I move out here for good. I have to sell my house. I have to re-home my cats. I have to go through what I want to bring up here. I have to put things in storage." Jay turned to face Luke, and then ran his fingers gently across the big man's face. "But I'll be back as soon as I can."
It had taken two hours on the phone earlier in the day, not to mention a considerable number of charges to Jay's credit card, but his arrangements were already underway. Jay's house/pet sitter (as well as her daughter) would take his cats. A moving company would pack Jay's things and place them in secure storage a week after Jay arrived in Tampa. He figured it would give him plenty of time to go through whatever he needed to and decide what to keep, what to throw away, and what to sell.
He'd gotten in touch with a realtor in his area, who was happy to put his house up on the market, with the provision that the house NOT become a rental property. The realtor expected the place to sell by the end of the year.
It wasn't often that problems could be fixed by throwing some money at them. This was one of those rare occasions.
It was now the second week in September. Jay's eyesight had returned to normal weeks before. His health had been restored; he'd gotten slightly out of shape during his extended stay, but as soon as he was able, Jay helped Bray and the others around the property. Eventually, his strength and stamina returned as a result of the manual labor, and eventually, he'd start his in-ring training again and hopefully return to the WWE.
Jay had either read or heard the entire Scriptures by now, parts of them many times through. And he still found more things to study, to question, to learn. If he was supposed to be a creator, and an agent of change who brought down the fist and united the masses, he was determined to learn as much as possible in preparation for that role.
He had nightmares every so often, and he'd screamed himself awake on more than one occasion. And sometimes, his heart would begin to race when he was by himself, and it looked like walls or objects were moving closer towards him, making him feel trapped and defenseless. He'd find something to curl up next to for security; the corner of a couch, a wall, a pillow. Sometimes, he'd cover himself up almost completely with a blanket to feel safe. They were souvenirs of an ordeal that broke him, and ultimately fixed him, in more ways than he could imagine.
But emotionally, Jay knew he was getting there. His priorities-and his life-were simpler than he'd allowed them to become. He now had an appreciation for the simpler things in life. A warm room and soft bed. Three meals a day. Hot showers, books, a radio. Sunrises and thunderstorms and sunsets. Running around doing errands. Intelligent discussions and funny stories around a bonfire. Jay was talking more. Laughing more. Smiling more. He was much closer to the Lord now than he was when he'd first arrived. He had a mission. A sense of purpose. And more importantly, he'd found a place he belonged. He'd found his family.
And he found someone he loved, someone genuinely who loved him back and made him feel safe, happy, loved and desirable. To think that he and Luke had instilled those feelings in each other was a bit odd, but a good odd. One that he wouldn't trade for anything material.
He was reflecting on these changes when the weather abruptly turned. It wasn't another thunderstorm on the horizon, not this time. Dark clouds began to billow from the west. A sudden chill bit through the misty, humid air as a cold wind gusted across the compound and the wild green countryside. The cold was so sudden and so intense that Jay had to go inside to find a jacket.
When Jay returned to the porch, the shadows were gathering; night was close at hand. Then the storm struck. Lightning flashed across the sky, making it look almost as bright as day. The thunder that rolled through the sky was so deep and so loud, it felt like the very air was vibrating. There was just a smattering of rain, and briefly, Jay wondered if all that buildup was for nothing.
He was about to be proven wrong.
The hail began to fall, much like the water did during the monsoon thunderstorms. The skies opened and practically vomited cold, hard and jagged chunks of ice onto the ground. Eventually, he and Luke decided to head inside to watch the spectacle through the living room window. In the safety of the big, cluttered house, the two of them watched the storm unfold, the hail creating a tremendous racket as it landed. It came down so hard, Jay feared that it would punch holes into the roof of the house.
Once the storm passed, Jay cautiously stepped back out onto the porch. The green landscape was covered with a layer of hail that made it look like winter. He ventured off the porch and found that the ground that wasn't touched by the hail was slippery and wet. The air was chilly, and Jay shivered as he returned to the safety of the house. Summer had officially ended in one fell swoop.
As he stared across the drastically changed landscape, Jay thought it was a metaphor for what he'd gone through at the hands of the Wyatts.
Jay had come a long way in the two and a half months he'd been on the compound. He'd arrived against his will to the place his companion and lover called home. Now, here he was, standing on the porch of a weathered old house in the Louisiana backwoods, staring out onto the distance, and feasting his eyes on the wild beauty of the countryside. He leaned back slightly, enjoying the warmth that Luke had to offer. A contented smile creased his lips.
His place in Tampa felt like it was a world away…and he no longer missed it.
This was now his home.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This one was a bit short, but sweet. Thanks to all of you who reviewed and critiqued my story. I didn't think I'd get so attached to Jay and Luke like this, but I'm glad I did.
Once again, a million THANKS to theytalktome for allowing me to use her work as the inspiration and backstory for this series. Her work called Live In Fear inspired this last chapter.
I'll publish some holiday fluff sometime in the next couple of weeks, and then I'll put out Book Three (Bray's POV, called Follow Me) near the end of this year or the beginning of next. My OC's will be more prominent in the next installment. Book Two didn't really need them; this was Jay and Luke's story of how they evolved from captive and captor, to infirm and caretaker, to companions and friends, and eventually, to lovers.
Thanks again to everyone who's read this series, and I'll see you soon!:)
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