Hey all...so after taking a long look at myself and these stories (this one, Roommates, and Growing Up), it's pretty clear to me at this point that I'm really not going to come back and finish them...I just-have moved on a little too far, I guess (if you want a better explanation of what happened and how I'm feeling, you can check this ask I answered on my tumblr - post/137491822714/what-will-happen-with-your-jonnor-fanfics-and-the ). But this was such a great story that I loved as soon as I finished the outline for it and I really loathed to leave this unfinished. So when G8rguy ( .com) offered to take this and finish it to the outline I had, I honestly was thrilled. I trust them to take care of the story and finish it, and I'm relieved that this isn't going to be left without an ending. I appreciate his help and all your support, and I know this story is in good hands :)
- Benjji
Hi Everyone! Benjji graciously trusted me with taking care of his baby and I hope that I will be able to do him justice. He has shared his vision for this story so I am working to bring it to life in his honor and for all of us who loved this story. Please let me know if you have any thoughts and I hope to do it's creator proud! - G
Jude woke up from a cold sweat and trembling from the fear of his nightmare before he felt the arms that pulled him into Connor's embrace as he suddenly started sobbing. Connor simply held him as Jude sobbed from the built up emotions that he had repressed last night. Adam had come to his apartment to kill him for loving Connor and it was too real.
Jude heard a quiet knocking on the door to his bedroom and he heard Connor call out softly "Yeah?"
"Can I come in?" he heard Justin ask plaintively.
Connor squeezed him again and Jude felt so much better knowing he was safe here. "Yeah…it's open" Connor called out.
Justin slowly opened the door and Jude saw his hand was in front of his eyes. "Are you two decent?" he said carefully.
"No" Connor replied before Jude could say anything but then he chuckled. "But we are dressed" he said kindly.
Justin moved his hand and saw the two of them, fully clothed, laying together on Jude's bed and he came over and sat on the edge of the bed. "I heard…I mean I wanted to see if you were okay Jude" Justin stammered.
"How are you?" Jude asked sitting up when he remembered that Justin saw much more than he did.
"I've never seen a dead person before" Justin whispered. "It was so…" he just stopped talking and Jude grabbed him into a hug that Connor joined in pulling both of the other boys into a giant embrace. They stayed there for a few minutes before Justin pulled back and looked at Connor, concern on his face.
"Dude…are you ok? That was your dad" Justin asked feeling messed up.
"I'm fine Justin, honestly. Adam was my biological father, but he stopped being my dad a long time ago when he decided that alcohol was more important to him than I was" Connor said with a sigh. "I will probably feel something later, but right now…honestly I am just glad that he is dead if I am being honest. The fact that you two are safe and unharmed is more important to me than anything.
"Breakfast?" Justin asked them.
"Let's eat out" Jude suggested instead. "Let someone else take care of it" Jude didn't want to bother but he did want a shower.
After all three of them had showered they headed out to the diner just down the road before they would head to the police office to let Justin and Jude give their statements. They had just got their food when Jude's phone rang and he saw his mom's name flash up.
"Hi mom" Jude answered.
"ARE YOU OKAY?!" Stef said loudly. "Where are you Jude?!" he asked before he could respond. "Why didn't you call me?" Jude could hear the fear in her voice.
"Mom…Mom…MOM!" Jude had gotten louder each time he tried to respond until she finally paused allowing him to reply. "I am okay. Neither Justin nor I were hurt. We are at the American Diner eating breakfast. I take it you found out what happened last night?" he asked carefully.
"I don't like learning that my son's apartment was the scene of a shooting where someone died Jude and that I found out from reading a report was worse!" Stef said in her overly controlled voice.
"I'm sorry mom. It happened so fast and it was so late and then it was over. He never even got in the apartment so we are okay. Connor came back and he is taking us to the station to make our reports" Jude told her looking at Connor worried about him.
The phone was silent for a moment before his mom finally responded. "We will talk about this later" she promised. "I love you baby" she said, the emotion clear in her voice.
They finished their meal and headed to the police station. They had walked in when Jude saw her and winced, but he wasn't surprised. His mom was standing there, in uniform, as they walked in and she came up to him and pulled him into a fierce hug holding on to him like she wouldn't let go. When she did she also hugged Justin while thanking him for being there. She looked over at Connor and smiled gratefully.
"I thought you were on the road" Stef asked pulling him into a hug as well.
"I was" Connor said quietly. "But with everything that happened, I was given two weeks off to take care of things."
Stef frowned for a moment looking confused before she looked back at Jude. But before she could say anything an officer stepped up to them.
"Mr. Adams-Foster? Mr. Lake?" he said looking at all three guys. Jude and Justin both acknowledged their names. "I'm officer Matthews. If you could come with me, I will be getting your statements about what happened." Officer Matthews looked at Connor curiously. "And you are?" he asked.
"I'm Connor…their roommate" he replied after deciding he didn't want to give his last name yet.
Officer Matthews took Jude and Justin back into the station to get their statements while Connor sat down with Stef.
"I'm glad that you were able to come back to help out" Stef said sincerely. "I admit I am surprised that the team gave you so much time off to help your roommates though."
Connor knew he wouldn't be able to hide this, especially from Stef, but she obviously didn't know all the details yet. "They didn't…not exactly" he said carefully.
"Did you tell them about you and Jude?" Stef asked surprised.
"No" Connor said shaking his head. He looked up at her and Stef could see the pain and sorrow on his face that didn't make sense to her. "Did you find out who the guy with the gun was?" Connor asked.
"No" Stef said clearly. "Just that there was a drunk male, 40s, who tried to break in to your apartment, and was heard screaming profanities and making threats. Officers arrived and he pulled a weapon and fired at the responding officers who returned fire killing him" Stef summarized. "We don't get full details out till later. Does it matter who it was? Do you think you or Jude might know him?" she asks.
"We do. I know him and Jude unfortunately met him about three days ago when he threatened Jude after my last home game" Connor told her.
Stef's face became pinched and she took a deep breath. "And did either of you report it?" Stef asks, frustration clear in her voice.
Connor shakes his head. "No. I confronted him about it. Told him to stay the hell away from us and that I wanted him out of my life, but, well you saw how that worked" Connor mumbled.
Stef was struggling not to yell at the young man in front of her for being so stupid. "Connor…you need to tell Officer Matthews. And if you have fans like that do things like that, you need to tell people" Stef told him.
Connor looked up finally making eye contact with Stef and she was shocked at the tears that had filled his eyes and the stricken look on his face. Automatically pulling him into a hug she felt him trembling. "He wasn't a fan" Connor whimpered. "He was my father."
Stef froze at his words. She looked down at the young man in her arms in stunned amazement. His father had tried to kill Jude? She felt her heart racing when she went cold when she remembered that the man was now lying in the morgue. Dead. The man who tried to break in to hurt Jude was his boyfriend's father and was now dead. "Oh Connor" Stef finally muttered.
Connor remained in the hug for a bit before he pulled back and wiped his hand across his eyes. "Don't know why I'm crying" Connor tells Stef. "I am glad he is gone. He crawled into a bottle and was a horrible person for so long" Connor told her.
"Connor" Stef said slowly "even if he was a horrible person, he was still your father. It's okay to be upset that he is dead even if you feel he doesn't deserve it. The point is not that he is dead, but that you lost your father. A man who, at one time, was someone you loved and cared about."
Connor just nodded and they sat in silence for a bit before another officer came out. "Mr. Stevens?" she asked. "Officer Matthews would like to ask you to make a statement." Connor nodded and followed the officer.
He walked into a room and after a few minutes Officer Matthews came in to get Connor's statement. He asked him about his father and Connor was honest about everything. It only took a few minutes and Connor surprised himself with how calm he was. Officer Matthews was nice and when Connor asked how much was going to be released to the press, he was told that most of their statements were not really necessary. The case was pretty open and shut and then they were all able to leave.
Stef insisted that the boys all come over to the house where Lena was waiting for them with more hugs and food. Over the course of the day the rest of Jude's family had all stopped by to check on the boys but Stef and Lena had agreed to keep the man's identity as Connor's dad a secret even though Jude flinched whenever one of his siblings made a comment about being 'glad he was dead' or something similar. Connor seemed okay with it all though and they made it through dinner before heading back to the apartment.
It was another two days before Connor went to his father's apartment to deal with that. He had picked up his effects from the police and had arranged for a cremation and internment in the same cemetery that Adam's parents were buried in without a service. Jude had offered to go with him but Connor had refused.
Adam's apartment was tough for Jude as it made him remember those bad foster homes before he was adopted. Lots of empty alcohol bottles and trash seemed to be the theme of Adam's decorating. Connor donated most of the items to charity thrift shops including clothing, kitchen items, and the furniture. Jude found several scrapbooks and boxes of photos that he put in the car to take back to the apartment and Connor boxed up some other items that Jude didn't see what exactly they were. The whole process took them almost three days and then it was all done.
Jude asked if Connor wanted to go to the cemetery but Connor declined and they spent the rest of Connor's break just being together. Connor started working out and going to the batting cages during the second week but that was just a few hours each day and Jude used that time to catch up on his own work. His boss had been very understanding of what happened. She had told him to take some time to deal with the break-in and shooting but he found the time when Connor was out was a good time to clear up work before they retreated to their room again.
At the end of the two weeks Connor had three games at home before he had to leave again on another short road trip. He had tried to suggest that Jude and Justin stay with Jude's moms but Jude shot that idea down before he could finish the suggestion.
So things slowly returned to normal for them and Connor was having one of his best seasons with his new team and he was finally feeling free to just be himself without having to deal with the expectations and pressure from his father and he could just focus on the two things that were most important to him: Jude and Baseball.
