Thank you for the reviews!

She sat up straight and looked at him, a hint of anger in her eyes.

"How did you know about that?" She asked.

"I heard Kenny tell Carly about it. He told her the policemen came and took him away in their police car to ask him some questions and that he never came back." Jack answered.

"How long have you known this Jack?" She asked.

"Since the beginning when you were sick." He said.

"Why would you know something like that for so long and not bring it up? What else do you know about me Jack?" She asked angrily.

"Kate, why are getting so mad?" He asked.

"Because you knew all this time and you never said a word. It's deceitful." She accused and tried to move off of his lap, but he held onto her.

"It wasn't deceitful Kate, it was respectful. That was your business, not mine and I figured when you were ready to talk about it you would." He explained.

"So you've spent all this time thinking I'm some kind of criminal?" She asked.

"What? No, of course not. Kate, this reaction you're having right now is exactly why I never brought it up. This is obviously something that makes you very uncomfortable and apparently ashamed and the last thing I wanted to do was add to the feelings of inadequacy you were already displaying. Why would your ex-husband being in jail reflect badly on you?" He asked.

"Because I was stupid, too stupid to see him for what he really was, or maybe I just didn't want to see." Kate said.

"What did he do?" Jack asked.

"He murdered a 16 year old girl and there were so many others, so many he could've hurt, including me." Kate said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

He wiped the tear off her cheek and kissed her gently before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back into him until she was resting on his chest again, head on his shoulder.

"Kate, you don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, but it sounds like you need to." He said.

"I grew up in Wisconsin and all I ever wanted was to go to college and escape from the small town I lived in. When I was a senior in high school, the universities in the area were offering a few classes that high school seniors without a full day could take to earn college credits so me and some of my girlfriends signed up for a Psychology class three days a week. The university was only about 25 miles from the town and it made us feel a bit more grown up I suppose. I had been taking the class for about two weeks when the professor asked me to stay behind the first time. It was obvious that he was flirting with me, but I didn't care. He was older and cute and so charming and I was flattered." Kate said.

"How much older?" Jack asked.

"He was 30 and I was 17 and I'd never been with a guy before, at least not sexually, but he made me feel safe and secure and special and by mid-semester we were sleeping together. I know it was stupid, but I was in love with him." She explained as her warm tears dripped slowly onto his t-shirt.

"It wasn't stupid. You can't help who you fall in love with Kate." He said.

"When the semester ended he proposed to me. I hadn't even graduated high school yet and was engaged to a college professor, a man who liked to tell me what to do, what to wear, and how to act. A man who also liked to keep our relationship quiet and he never, not once introduced me to his colleagues or friends, and even though I was allowed…..yes allowed, to go to college, I wasn't allowed to attend where he taught. How could I have been so stupid not to see that wasn't normal? We got married that summer, quietly and privately in front of the judge. He said we shouldn't have a wedding because he was teaching summer school and didn't want to wait. Kenny was born the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college and David, that's my ex-husband's name, seemed genuinely happy to be a father. I finished school three years later. David wouldn't let me work outside the home and I had very little to keep me busy except raising Kenny and studying so it was easy. As soon as I got my degree David started hounding me for another baby and we had Simon and that delayed my getting any permanent teaching positions. David spent a lot of evenings in his office on the campus or that's what he said anyway. By the time Tucker came along I barely saw him anymore. I'm not even sure how we managed to get pregnant because we rarely had sex. It was like he couldn't stand to touch me anymore, like I was repulsive to him or something." She explained.

"Well there's proof that the guy is obviously an idiot." Jack said sweetly and kissed her temple, making her smile briefly.

"While we were married he made sure he reminded me constantly of where I came from, that I was little more than white trailer trash that wouldn't have anything had he not scooped me up out of the gutter and I guess after you hear something long enough you start to believe it. I was supposed to be grateful to him and I was. I had a college education and two beautiful sons, but he made me feel dirty Jack. I can't explain it, but by the time he was climbing on top of me and impregnating me for the third time I felt so used and so unloved that I couldn't wait to take a shower afterward. I was happy when he'd go days without coming home. In the beginning I thought I was so in love with this guy, but when I think back on it now, about the things he used to say to me and how he really only ever treated me like a piece of property I wonder how I could've been so damn stupid." She spat angrily.

"Baby you weren't stupid, you were just a kid and it sounds to me like you began to figure him out when you finally became mature enough to deal with such a complex, adult situation." Jack attempted to comfort her.

"I wish I would've figured him out Jack. Maybe if I had that young girl would still be alive. I always suspected he was having affairs, but it never occurred to me that he was taking advantage of naïve high school girls in pretty much the same way he took advantage of me. Why didn't I consider that he was doing that Jack? Why on earth did I believe I was the only one he'd done that to?" She asked, sitting up and looking into his eyes.

"Because he married you and because at the time you didn't see it as him taking advantage of you." Jack said.

"Do you know why he married me? He married me because my mom found out he'd been sleeping with me and threatened to expose him if he didn't make an honest woman of me. She told me that on her death bed a few weeks before Tucker was born. She said she thought she was doing the right thing at the time and begged me to forgive her. How was I supposed to be mad at her? It's not like anyone held gun to my head and forced me to marry him. No, I did that all on my own. I had decided that day that I was going to divorce him as soon as the baby was born. I had a hard time with Tucker. He was big, too big and literally ripped me in half being delivered. I lost so much blood and had so many stitches inside and out that I had to stay in the hospital on ice packs and morphine." She said, watching him wince at the description.

"Why didn't they do a c-section?" He asked.

"Because my OB was an idiot I guess. I was in the hospital for two weeks and barely moving around by the time they released me. David had been so sweet through all of it and the bastard wooed me one last time and made me forget about wanting to divorce him. When Tucker was about 7 weeks old the police came to the door. David stepped outside and they handcuffed him and took him away. It was like a whirlwind of insanity after that. They charged him with the murder of this young girl and he was denied bail. He asked me to bring the boys to see him, but I wouldn't because I knew in my heart that he was guilty and sure enough, the DNA results came back on the fetus the young girl was carrying and David was the father. He killed her because she was going to tell and destroy his fake little existence. He didn't love me Jack, but he loved that everyone knew he had this perfect little family even though he never introduced us to anyone. I guess the pictures he kept of us in his office kept up the illusion that he was this devoted husband and father instead of a pervert that liked teenage girls and when that little girl threatened to destroy it all he took her to the lake, stabbed her repeatedly, wrapped her in plastic and dumped her in the water." She told him, her body shaking lightly against his.

She fell silent for a moment and he wasn't sure if she was done with her story yet so he just held her and slowly rocked the glider back and forth.

"I think I'm going to be sick." She said and moved off his lap quickly and disappeared inside the house.

Jack sat on the glider watching Tucker and Kendall playing together like they'd been buddies all their lives, their purity and innocence helping to settle his own stomach, the reveals about Jennifer and David coming close to being more than his stomach could take too. He heard the door open and turned his head. She walked slowly toward him and sat beside him on the glider. He put his arm around her and she relaxed into him.

"You okay?" He asked.

"No, but I will be, because once this out in the open we don't need to talk about it anymore, well not in detailed depth anyway. Right?" She said.

"We don't have to talk about it anymore today if you don't want to." He said.

"No, I want to finish. During David's trial all these women testified about how he'd seduced them while they were in high school. My god Jack there were so many of them, some older than me, some younger and a few who were just barely out of high school. Apparently, I had become repulsive to him sexually because I'd become too old for him. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and I packed my children up and moved out here. Jack, how do I ever tell my sons the truth about their father when the truth is so disgusting?" Kate asked.

"I don't know Kate, but I agree that they are too young to know any of that so you've definitely done the right thing by lying to them as far as I'm concerned. What did you tell them?" Jack asked.

"Simon really doesn't remember him and Tucker certainly doesn't so they really don't ask about him, but Kenny remembers him and even though it hurt him I told him that his dad moved away and that we can never see him again. I wanted to tell him that he died, but I couldn't go with that big of a lie. David was anything but father of the year, but he was Kenny's dad and he didn't understand why all of the sudden he was gone. Maybe I should've told him he died, maybe that would've made things easier on him the last few years. When he finds out the truth he's going to be so angry that I cut off all communication between them. He's going to hate me Jack." She said sadly.

"He might be angry Kate, but he's never going to hate you. He loves you too much and hopefully by the time he's old enough to learn the truth he'll also be mature enough to understand why you lied to him." Jack offered.

"What about you?" She asked.

"What about me?" He asked.

"Does knowing that I shared my bed with a perverted murderer make you wish you'd never gotten to know trashy me and his evil spawns?" She asked, feeling him stiffen for a moment and then relax again.

"Kate, I get that you've been through a difficult time and that you spent a lot of years with a man who did a real number on your self-esteem so I'm going to give you that one, but it's the last one. No more disparaging comments about yourself around me because I don't like it. I think you're incredible. You're beautiful, sexy, strong, independent and exactly someone I'd be proud to have my daughters emulate." He said.

She felt the tears spilling over and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly and kissing the side of his neck.

"Remind me to send Stacy Barrett a very large basket of goodies for sending you to my classroom on the first day of school." She spoke softly into his ear and kissed him.

"Ah Stacy, I should've known she was the nosey woman trying to hook us up." He chuckled.

"How is it we've both been friends of hers for so long and we never met?" Kate asked.

"Probably because we've both got three kids and a full-time job. Are you sure I can't convince you stay for at least dinner?" He asked.

"I'd love to Jack, but I need to take Simon and Tucker to buy new shoes and I need to cut Kenny's hair so we should be going." She said.

"Can I come over later, after I get the girls tucked in, or is that too late?" He asked.

"It's not too late, but I better make sure I get my boys in bed and asleep or they're going to want to stay up and play with you." Kate said.

Kate was putting away the last of the dinner dishes and ready to tuck her boys in and soak in a hot bubble bath. She grabbed the three backpacks sitting beside the dining room table and began to go through them to make sure she hadn't missed an important note or homework assignment. She was just about to close up the last backpack when Kenny approached her from behind.

"Mom, can I call Jack?" Kenny asked.

"What for honey?" Kate asked.

"I just need to ask him something." Kenny said.

"You can't ask me?" Kate asked.

"It's guy stuff mom. Please." Kenny pleaded with her.

"Okay, but make it quick. I want you and your brothers in bed in five." She said and watched him disappear into her bedroom to make his secret phone call.

She considered eaves dropping, but decided that if it was anything crucial Jack would tell her.

She moved into the boys bedroom to begin tucking them in, Simon in the top bunk, Tucker in the bottom bunk and Kenny in the trundle bed against the other wall. Kenny was still in her bedroom making his phone call so she began with the two younger boys.

"Mommy, can we stay at Jack's house again next weekend?" Simon asked.

"I don't know sweetie, we'll have to see. He's a busy man and he might be too busy at the hospital to have company." Kate said and kissed him on the cheek.

"I go Jack's house too!" Tucker demanded.

"He's nice mommy and so is Carly." Simon told her.

"What about Jordan and Kendall?" Kate asked.

"Jordan is okay, but she gets upset easy and Kendall is too bossy." Simon explained making Kate chuckle.

"Mommy! I go Jack's house too!" Tucker shouted, not liking that Simon was getting all of her attention.

Kate leaned down onto the bottom bunk, pulled the blankets over her youngest son and kissed him on the forehead.

"Yes, yes Tucker, I promise we won't go to Jack's house without you. Now, time for sleep, both of you." Kate said and moved over to Kenny's bed, which was now occupied by the seemingly satisfied boy.

"Everything okay?" Kate asked.

"Jack's kind of awesome mom. I'm glad he's our friend and that you're not mad at him anymore." Kenny said.

"I'm glad he's our friend too." Kate said and smothered him with kisses until he begged for mercy.

He knocked lightly on the storm door, loud enough for her to hear, but not loud enough to disturb sleeping children. She invited him into the house and closed the door, the bathrobe she was wearing making him wonder if she had on anything underneath it. They sat on the couch together and she snuggled up next to him.

It wasn't long before whatever was on the television was being completely ignored and they were all over one another, the robe that was, as he suspected, covering nothing but warm, soft, freshly bathed flesh now open and his hands all over her. He laid her back onto the cushions, covered their bodies with the blanket that had been folded up on the end of the couch and closed his mouth over one of her nipples. She arched her back and grabbed the back of his head with one hand, holding him to her bosom.

"Jack, I want you inside me." She panted.

He reached between them and unfastened and unzipped his jeans while his mouth attacked her other breast. She impatiently pushed at his pants as he was not getting himself out of them and into her quick enough, whatever reserve she'd been showing prior to them sleeping together completely abandoned and replaced with a hot, sexy little tigress he was hoping he'd never find a way to tame. She was breathing hard and reaching for him, wrapping her fingers around the top of his now throbbing member and tugging, urging him to move up her body and penetrate her before she went crazy.

He moved his mouth over her breasts once more and then kissed his way back up to her lips as he moved up and positioned himself between her legs, testing the waters briefly to see if he should just dive in or ease his way in slowly and choosing the former over the latter. He filled her quickly and fully and she gasped, nearly toppling over the edge with the initial contact. She grabbed his shoulders roughly, pulling him down and devouring his face with a hot, hungry kiss as she lifted her hips and ground against him, so turned on he was beginning to wonder if he was going to make it out alive. He lowered more of his weight onto her, and whispered in her ear.

"Shh...baby, shh…just relax and let me take you there." He spoke softly and seductively as he slowly thrust in and out of her, feeling her walls clamp around him almost immediately and covering her mouth with his while she squealed, panted and he wasn't sure, but perhaps even spoke in a foreign tongue.

He was certain she was leaving marks all over his back with her fingernails, but he didn't care, if anything it was making him harder. She slowly began to come back down to earth and continued to hold his position, watching her face and gently kissing one eyelid and then the other, smiling at her when she opened her eyes to look at him.

"Don't stop, not yet." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer, almost all of his weight pressing into her.

He carefully rolled them onto their sides and adjusted her leg over his hip until he was in as deep as he could go, their chests and stomachs pressed together. He held onto her leg to keep it in place and continued to drive in and out of her, his cock so hard and his need to come so desperate that he had a brief vision of what it must be like to be a jackhammer as he lifted her hips until he found the angle he needed to thrust at a frantic pace.

"Oh my god Jack, yes, right there, right there." She panted and held on to him with everything she had.

"Come for me again." He said in a gruff, tired voice as he slowed his pace and thrust up into her hard and held it for moment before pulling back out.

He continued with slow, deliberate thrusts for another few minutes until he felt her walls clamping down around her again and then sped up, meeting her at the top of the mountain and tumbling over the side of it with her, filling her with his hot seed. The moment was so intense and personal and she felt another orgasm building as he slowly moved against her while he softened inside of her. She wrapped her entire body around him as tight as she could and let the warmth rush over her and out of her, the feeling of her coming again and her perfect, warm, tight hole flooding with more slippery moisture making him moan loudly.

She finally loosened her grip on him and relaxed, their faces just a few inches apart as they gazed at one another through sated eyes. He slipped out of her, brushed the hair back behind her ear and kissed her gently.

"We've unleashed a beast Jack." She said softly and kissed him passionately.

"Something like that." He mumbled as he fought the overpowering need to sleep, and sleep now.

"How am I supposed to go a whole week without this?" She asked making him chuckle.

"You know if I said something like that I'd be in trouble." He said.

"Not with me you wouldn't be. Women who aren't flattered because the man in their life wants them have issues as far as I'm concerned." She said.

"Then I guess you should be prepared to be flattered a lot, because I can't imagine a day will go by when I don't want you." He said and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Do you have a busy week this week?" She asked.

"Not too bad. I'm supposed to be on call next weekend, but I'm trying to switch with someone else because it's Halloween and I don't want trick-or-treat to be interrupted by my pager. Do you think you might want to take the kids trick-or-treating together?" He asked.

"I'm sure the boys would love that. They pretty much think you're the coolest thing since the invention of the Power Rangers." Kate said.

"It'll be fun. Six kids hyped on sugar. Is there anything better?" He teased.

"Hmmm…..maybe we should rethink this." She said.

"No way, good or bad, it'll be a night to remember. Speaking of Halloween, one of my colleagues is having a Halloween party at his house on Friday night. I'd like you to come with me. Candice said she'd watch all the kids for us." He said.

"Do I have to dress up?" She asked.

"Yeah, but we can come up with something simple that doesn't require a lot of mess." He said.

"Is Candice sure she wants to be saddled with six kids?" She asked.

"She volunteered." Jack said and she laughed lightly.

"What's funny?" He asked.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about how you referred to our clan as a modern day Brady Bunch and I guess Candice is the modern day Alice ." Kate giggled, making him let go of a breathy laugh.

"Just so you know, you're way hotter than Carol Brady ever thought about being." He said, his hands on her lower back and pulling her closer so he could kiss her again.

"Mmm…thanks. You're obviously way hotter and cooler than Mike Brady and my guess is that you're going to get lucky way more than he ever did." Kate breathed into his mouth before swallowing him up in another passionate kiss and rolling him onto his back, her naked body stretched over his and eager to have him at least once more before he left for the night.