This is a really long chapter. The next one will probably really long, too. But, I just didn't want to give you guys too many cliffhangers. Haha, that doesn't mean I'm against it. Anyway, enjoy!

Jem knocked on Kate's front door, gripping daisies in his free hand. He was hoping Kate would answer the door and not Liam. He knocked again after a few minutes and stopped when he heard Kate fumbling around behind the door. "I'm coming, damn it!" she yelled, huffing as she opened the door. He stood completely still, with a slight smirk on his lips, holding the flowers out for her to take. She couldn't help the smile spreading across her face. He was wearing dark jeans, a white thermal and a black leather jacket. Her cheeks flushed a color of red as she took the daisies out of his hand. "Thank you." She swallowed, trying to keep herself from giggling like a fool. He smiled and nodded his head to her. "I can't believe you remembered after all of these years."

"I could never forget anything about ya," he admitted, pulling his jacket off. She could smell his cologne and cigarettes from the movement. It was by far her favorite scent. She leaned in to hug him, he pulled the daisies out of her hand and placed them on the couch before holding her tightly. He closed his eyes as he smelled her hair, one hand stroking her curls while the other rested firmly on her side. She kissed his cheek and held her arms around his neck before burying her face in his shirt.

"I missed you last night," she muttered into his chest. He kissed her cheek and pulled away to look at her.

"Liam come by to help ya at all?" Jem asked curiously, looking around for any sign of the chief.

"No," she answered, adjusting her crutches back under her armpits. "He's been busy."

"He should've fuckin' been here," he snapped, carrying the flowers to the kitchen. She crutched after him. "What a piece of shit."

"Jem," Kate stated firmly, standing in the doorway. "What's wrong with you?" She sat down at the small breakfast table, watching him as he placed the flowers in water. He was trying his hardest not to slam things around.

"He's a fuckin' asshole, Kate. He doesn't take care of ya. He's never fuckin' here. What tha fuck is this shit?" he asked, raising his hands up as he turned towards her. "Is he ever here?" She shook her head. "You're more important than that shit. Especially right now. He's your boyfriend, he should be here. I'm just a random fuck." She sighed as the sweet side of Jem quickly faded.

"He's the chief of police, Jem. He can't just take off and be here." She ignored his last statement, because she knew it was out of anger.

"This is a crisis. This an emergency. Ya need someone here, 'cause one day, I might not be."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, about to rise to her feet again. He was making her uneasy and anxious. He shrugged and sat down beside her, taking her hands in his. His eyes focused on her hands as he stroked them lightly. "Jem? What's the matter with you? Are you okay?" He nodded before looking up at her.

"If somethin' happens ta me, I jus' want ya ta be taken care of. I jus' want ta make sure someone is here for ya."

"You're here," she defended, squeezing his hand. He sighed loudly and stood up.

"But, I'm not gonna live forever an' I'm not invincible." The importance of the robbery tomorrow flooded his mind. He just wanted to know everything was going to be okay. He wanted to know that if he died tomorrow, she wouldn't be alone. He knew that if tomorrow was his day that Kate was going to need all the support she could get.

"What are you trying to say? You aren't going to do something to yourself are you?" she asked cautiously.

"If somethin' happens ta me, I jus' want ya ta find someone who can give ya tha time, love an' attention ya need an' deserve." Her green eyes followed him as he paced the floor of her kitchen. She was sure that had he the chance he would be smoking a cigarette like a freight train. "After this last week, anythin' can happen an' if that certain thing was ta happen ta me…" he breathed and looked around the room, holding his hands on his hips. "I'm jus' tellin' ya what I would want for ya."

"Liam is a great guy."

"Is he now?" he asked, snapping back into defense mode. "Where is he tonight, Kate?" She folded her arms and cocked her head at him. She was starting to get annoyed. She had tried to be patient with him, but it was beginning to wear her down. "He's jus' an ass. That's all I'm sayin'. He doesn't help ya. I jus' want ya ta promise me." She looked into his eyes and over his lips as he crouched down in front of her, holding onto her hands again.

"Yes," she promised. "I'll find someone who will take care of me if something happens to you." He brought one hand up to stroke her cheek lightly.

"I jus' love ya," he whispered, looking into her eyes, trying to memorize every small detail of her face. The fear he felt in his gut was overwhelming in that moment. He feared he would never see her face again. It scared him more than anything… even more than Walpole.

"I love you, too," she whispered through her smile before he kissed her hard.

That morning, he felt like death warmed over. It was Sunday. Doom's day. And it was 9 o'clock in the morning. His body felt old. His muscles were stiff and sore, his mind equally the same. Kate stirred a bit next to him in her bed as he sat up, staring at the small digital clock across the room. The red LED's burned into his retinas like lasers. He felt like he was staring at a death clock. He rubbed a hand down Kate's back and yawned so hard he thought his jaw would break off. All he wanted to do was lay in that bed with her. With great effort he got up and walked over to her computer, flipping through the images she had saved. There were pictures of him and Doug from years ago, each with cigarettes in hand, scowls on their faces as they glared into the camera…pictures of him and Kate walking holding each other as they walked along the street. He found one of them kissing and he had to stop looking. It had only been an hour. He pulled on a sweatshirt he had left behind a few weeks ago and threw on his jacket before heading outside. The sun had just started to rise. It was bright outside from the snow piles on the ground, they were reflecting the light beautifully, creating a brilliant orange glow.

He walked a few blocks down to stare at Charlestown from across the river. He was praying he'd wake up to see it the next morning. His feet carried him aimlessly around the city, stopping to pause and reflect on each street. Something began to hurt inside of him when he realized that he had a greater amount of bad memories instead of good ones. A lot of fighting, arguing, shooting, drug runs… the list kept growing. He walked through the garden that he and Kate would sit in and plopped down on the bench. The wood felt cold and hard beneath him. With a heavy heart he rubbed the cross between his hands, trying to lose himself in his thoughts.

On the walk back into Kate's house, he found Kate sitting on the couch, fuming. She was across the couch, leg propped up, her pen rapidly shaking in her hand, phone to her ear. He walked in quietly and sat down on the coffee table across from her, she smiled at him and gave him a small cute wave of her fingers. "Work," she mouthed, pointing at the phone with an eye roll. He gently rubbed her leg and looked at the clock. It was almost noon. His insides fell to the floor. Silently, he crawled up beside her on the couch and laid his head in her lap. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. She loved his tame, vulnerable side, but she also knew he was only tame when there was something seriously wrong. "Babe, are you feeling okay?" she asked, pulling the phone away from her ear.

"Yeah," he breathed, peering up at her. She put her hand on his forehead and shook her head.

"Jem, you're burning up."

"I've been walkin' around for a couple of hours."

"Don't make me get nasty," she teased, rubbing his shoulder. "You need to lay down for a bit."

"I gotta meet Dougie here soon. He needs my help with some shit today."

"Well, feel free to stay here for a bit, but I have to go meet the Mayor. He needs me to discuss some bills with him. I have to start getting ready." He stood up and picked her up off of her feet, carrying her up the stairs like she was a prize. He put her down in the bathroom and kissed her passionately. She moaned and gripped his arms. "I have to get ready," she breathed, breaking away from him abruptly.

"I'm gonna get outta here," he stated, holding her face between both of his hands.

"At least take some medicine."

"I will." He combed a hand through her hair and looked over her bright eyes, full of warmth and love looking back at him. He felt a tug on his heart as he closed his eyes and kissed her again. She leaned into him and kissed him back, holding onto his face. He knew he was going to make it out of the robbery, he was going to see her again. He had to. He pushed the negative thoughts away and kissed her forehead, smiling at her as he pulled away. "I'll be back later, alright? Shouldn't be too long."

"Good. Tell Dougie I said hi and please don't forget to take your medicine. I'm gonna make dinner tonight around 7. So at least be home by then." He smiled when she said the word home.

"I love you, Kate," Jem spoke, walking out of the bathroom.

"I love you, too, Jem."

Jem drove the small beat-up getaway car they had used for years to Doug's townhouse. Doug was standing just inside the door, completely scrubbed down, his skin red and raw from the brush he had used to get the dead skin cells and hair off of his body. He only had a white towel wrapped around his waist. "How are ya?" Doug asked, picking the garment bag with his uniform up off of the couch.

"I'm alright, ya know? As good as good can be when you're about ta face tha unknown." Doug cocked an eyebrow at his best friend and shook his head.

"Since when did ya get all sentimental about robberies?" He shrugged and picked his garment bag out from under Doug's and walked up the stairs to the shower. "We're gonna make it outta this, Jem," Doug stated as he walked behind him up the stairs. Doug tried to console himself in that sentence, not just Jem.

"Sure," he added, stopping at the top of the stairs to look at his best friend. "I know we will. It's jus' kind of weird thinkin' that this might actually be tha last time." Doug nodded and smirked.

"Beers tonight, for everyone. We'll start drinkin' tha minute we get our asses outta this fuckin' uniform." He motioned to the garment bag and walked into his room.

"Fuckin' right," Jem agreed with a nod as he went into the bathroom. He walked out completely scrubbed down in uniform about half an hour later. Doug was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, adjusting the radio on his shoulder.

"You ready for this shit?" Doug asked, looking on as Jem pulled the cap over his head.

"Let's get this shit rollin'."

They walked together at the same speed towards a bright green ballpark entrance labeled "EMPLOYEES ONLY" in black lettering. Jem banged loudly on the door, trying not to fiddle with his uniform as he eyeballed the street around them. It opened with a brilliant squeak to reveal an overweight man, holding a ring of keys. There was no time for common courtesies or talking. They quickly rushed down sets of stairs, walking through tunnels and open areas of employees not even acknowledging them as they hurried by. They walked together silently in a small group, completely undetected. The man stopped before them at a door, handed the ring of keys to Jem, and pointed towards it before disappearing into another random door next to it. "Ready?" Jem asked with a heaviness in his voice as he looked at Doug. Doug didn't have the breath or energy to waste on speaking, so he gave him a nod. Jem exhaled loudly as he opened the door, the both of them descending down the stairs to a group of three security guards.

"Who called 911?" Doug ordered as they approached the men. The men all jumped at the sight of them walking down the hall and confusedly looked at each other.

"Was it you who called?" Jem yelled, pointing to a random man standing behind the security guards.

"I didn't," the man stuttered, looking at Jem with fear in his eyes. The man had his fair share of problems with cops and something about Jem made him fearful he was about to have another one.

"We got a robbery call from this number," he explained as he and Doug stopped just before the guards. He sized up each one of them, trying to find the weakest link the three of them. He could smell the fear from the other man a mile away.

"We got a distress call that someone is being held up right now," Doug barked, looking between the three of them. They each made a move to grab their guns, sending Jem into a rage.

"Someone better give me some fuckin' identification," he screamed, as the guards crouched down, ready to fight back against the both of them. Each one of them was as confused as the other as to who made a distress call. As Jem scanned the men, a guard leaped out, aiming his gun at Jem causing a fury of emotion. "Get your asses the fuck down," Jem yelled again as he withdrew his gun and aimed it at the four of them. "Get your fuckin' ass over here," he ordered, shoving the gun in the direction of the man behind the guards. His heart was thumping in his chest. Doug pulled his gun from his holster and aimed it at them with Jem, as the man joined the line of security guards.

"Give me your fuckin' guns," Doug ordered, pushing the barrel to guard's temple closest to him. They all hesitated looking at each other as Doug spoke, trying to see if it was the right thing to do in the moment. "I said give me your fuckin' guns," he ordered again, in a harsher tone, shoving the gun into the man's temple even harder. The man grunted and threw his gun to the floor. Realizing the seriousness of the situation the other two did the same. With a quick swipe of his foot Jem kicked the guns away, sending them sliding down the slick floor of the hallway.

"Watch 'em, I'll get tha shit," Jem grumbled, hiking the empty duffel bags up onto his shoulder. Doug nodded and watched him as he walked to the vault door. Flipping through the keys, he cussed and struggled with a few different one until he found the one to open it. He shoved the door open to find two workers counting the money. Jem pulled his pistol up and aimed it between the both of them. "Nobody better fuckin' move or I'll send ya both straight ta fuckin' Jesus." The men raised their hands and swallowed, breathing heavily as they nodded. He approached the both of them, zip-tying their hands together before dropping the bags onto the counter. The cash on the counter was stacked and wrapped, all ready for them to grab. With a few quick swipes Jem hurriedly shoved the stacks of cash into the duffel bags. It took him a little over five minutes to get it into the bags just right. With a loud grunt he pulled the full bags off of the counter and walked out into the hallway to find Doug holding the same four men at gunpoint. "Let's roll," he stated, holding a bag out for Doug to take. He took it quickly, the both of them walking down the hallway as fast as they could towards the door.

"Where tha fuck are we supposed ta meet these other fucks?" Doug asked, looking up the stairwell as they climbed.

"I don't remember," Jem breathed, grunting as he climbed the steps by two's, gripping the bag as it dug into his shoulder. He could feel it cut into him even under the bulletproof vest and thick material of the uniform. Doug tied to calm his breathing, the last thing he wanted to do was have a panic attack while trying to get his way out of a dangerous situation.

"Here." Doug stopped and pointed at a door labeled "BAY". "Bay 6, right?" he asked, his mind clouded from adrenaline and fear. He knew at any minute one of the security guards was going to be making the call and they only had a small window of time to get out.

"Jus'-" Jem began before stopping. He blinked as a bead of sweat fell down in front of his eyes. He was trying to make sense of the situation. All he could think about was Kate. She was making his brain a mess of information. "Jus' fuckin' go." He pushed the door open with his hand. They entered a large garage area. Jem's eyes darted along the numbers. He stopped when he found 6 and dropped his eyes down to the ground. The sight caused all air to leave his lungs. All four of the men they were supposed to be working with were laying pools of their own blood, all of their white uniforms completely soaked in bright red blood. "Dougie, we are so fuckin' dead," Jem whispered as his heart began to increase in speed again.

"Nah, don't say that shit. We got this," Doug stated, raising his hand up to try and subdue Jems' panic. His panic always led to rage and he knew exactly what would happen if Jem flew off the handle. "Let's find an exit." They both looked at each other and down the hallway as they heard the flood of sirens approach them.

"What tha fuck were ya jus' sayin'? Pretty sure ya jus' said we got this. I don't fuckin' think so," Jem quipped, pulling an assault rifle from out of his extra duffel bag. Doug grunted and pointed a finger at Jem, inches away from his nose.

"Put that shit away, ya dumbass. You're gonna get us tha fuck killed. We can fuckin' do this shit. Keep your goddamn head clear! Quit bein' such a fuckin' paranoid asshole," he ordered, shaking his finger as he pushed the assault rifle to the ground with his other hand. "We're gonna drop tha bags in a vehicle an' blend tha fuck in with tha crowd."

"Tha fuck I am." With a heave, Jem hiked the bag up onto his shoulder again, Kate's face flashing through his mind. He was going to complete the mission. Fergie was going to get his money and Kate was going to get her freedom. Doug cussed under his breath and followed after him.

"You do this shit, Jem, I'm not fuckin' goin' with ya." Jem bit his lower lip and turned to face Doug. The noise of the sirens made him crazy with fear and anger.

"What was that, Dougie? Mr. I'll-do-anything-for-my-fuckin'-brother. You agreed ta help me with this shit, remember? This is ta make sure Kate never gets hurt again. This is ta keep that bald headed fuck tha hell out of our lives forever an' ya jus' wanna fuckin' let all'ah that go now, huh?" he yelled over the noise, his throat burning. Jem walked up to Doug and stopped inches from his nose, looking directly into his eyes. "Give me that fuckin' bag, Doug."

"Jem, you're goin' get your ass killed," he stated, holding the bag out for him to take. Jem scoffed and grabbed the bag out of his hand.

"This shit isn't about me. I'm gonna do whatever tah fuck I can ta get this shit ta Fergie. If I die tryin', so fuckin' be it. But, you better promise me somethin' ya piece of shit. If you're fuckin' good for anythin' you'll do this for me." He held the gun up to Doug and looked at him, fire in his eyes. "If I die, you better take Fergie tha fuck out." Doug nodded solemnly. He saw the seriousness in his brother's face. It caused the soft spot he would always have for Jem to shine through, regardless of the gun and attitude he was getting.

"Jus' don't do this. Jus' come on. Put tha fuckin' bags down. We can still make it out. Let's jus' go drop him together. No one will ever fuckin' know. He's got his finger in so much shit. No one will be able to pinpoint us, Jem."

"I'm already in tha middle of tha shit," Jem spoke, dropping the gun, gripping the bags as he turned away.