Here it is sorry for the delay, just been working a lot, enough of that enjoy!

Chapter 21: Shrink part 1

The lights and people of Miami were flowing come nightfall and among the residents and tourists was a New Yorker who wanted to escape his past and never go back.

Jack had ran away and was hoping he could just disappear into the wind but clearly that wasn't going to be easy.

He passed a nearby shop window and the news was on.

"Police are still searching for the whereabouts of sixteen year old Jack Walter Redgrave, a New York resident who went missing days ago, he was last seen at a bus terminal outside of the city, his mother had this message for him." the reporter said.

"Jack…if you're listening, please come home! We can sort our problems out just come home please!" Caitlin said pleading and hoping her son is watching this.

He watched that broadcast and could not believe they contacted news network's to find him but he made sure they couldn't find him, it wasn't his first disappearing act as he walked on and was looking for someplace to spend the night.

Most places were either too noisy or too crowded and saw a motel, this place was filthy, rotten and full of criminals…perfect.

Paying the attendant for the room he got his key and made his way to his new home for the next few days and the place was as he expected, a dump, there was dirt marks on the floor, wallpaper was rotting due to mildew and all there was a mattress on the floor with a sheet and pillow.

He entered the place and locked the door behind him but little did he know he was being watched from a rooftop by some masked person in question.

"Found you."

0-0-0-0-0

Back in New York the search for Jack was turning up next to nothing as his mom was getting frantic each day that passed and people began to fear the worst but not everyone knew the full story of his disappearance.

"Any news on Jack?" May asked.

"Nothing yet May, I just don't get why he's acting like this, it's not who he is." Caitlin said.

You have no idea how right you are.

"I know he's ok…he's a strong person." May said trying to give her strength with her words of encouragement.

"I wish that was true but ever since his alcoholism he became vulnerable, I know he kicked it but sometimes I'm afraid he'll fall off the wagon again and seeing him do that and acting out the way he has been just brought it all back…if James was here he'd…" Caitlin again referring if her husband was still with them he'd convince Jack

"Mrs. Carter…I know it's been hard for you both losing him but I do know him and he's ok and I bet right now he needs time to think and-"

The house phone rang and Caitlin went to get it as she then answered it.

"Hello?" she answered.

"…"

"Hello?" she asked again.

"…"

"Who is this? Is this some pra-Jack? Jack…is that you? Please talk to me!" Caitlin said as she pleaded for the caller to reveal themselves.

"….." as then the line went dead.

"Jack? Jack? JACK?" she yelled as then she slowly put the handset down and began to weep for her missing son as May went to comfort her.

"It's going to be okay Mrs. Carter." May said.

"Thank you May and please call me Caitlin." Caitlin said.

"No problem Caitlin." May said accepting her request.

0-0-0-0-0

It was morning and the sunlight shone within the rotting cesspool of the apartment and it shone on Jack's face waking him up.

What time is it?

He looked to the cracked clock on the wall and noticed the time.

8.27...maybe I should go and look for work or odd jobs to do, get some money in.

He threw the dirty sheet off himself and got dressed and washed as he left the place and locked up as he began his search for employment as he firstly saw a sign in a window shop as it was a job advertisement for a temporary waiter in a Chinese restaurant as he entered there to apply.

However later on he was still looking as he was trying to find someplace that wouldn't ask for a reference or think he's some junkie looking to score.

Man this is hard! Guess this is why you should stay in school, I can't give them my real name or they would find me.

Jack with the money he still had left over bought himself a tuna sandwich and was leaning against a wall and ate it as he watched the world go by as then some thing caught his eye on the rooftops…

So I wasn't seeing things, someone's following me…better try to lose em.

He finished his lunch and darted into the alleyway as he quickly ran through the dank alleyway as fast as he could and looked behind him and saw there was someone following him from above also leaping the rooftops as he began turning each corner and sliding into any narrow path he could see in front of him.

Looking back quickly he thought he'd lost his stalker but again he could see the ark figure jumping from rooftop to rooftop and kept on running as he knew this was futile to outrun some stalker so he confronted them.

"ALRIGHT! WHOEVER YOU ARE STOP HIDING UP THERE AND SHOW YOURSELF!" Jack shouted to the stalker.

He awaited the stalker's response but nothing came of his challenge and assumed he'd scared them off as he continued to walk…

BAM! He got clocked from behind and just went black.

0-0-0-0-0

"Uhhh…"

"Hey! Hey! Hey man wake up!"

Jack 's eyes began to open as then he regained consciousness and saw where he was.

"Yo get up you idiot!" some guy was yelling at him as Jack sat up and noticed something on his hands.

Tape? Where the hell am I?

He looked around and saw bright lights, a massive crowd of people shouting and screaming and even saw a huge cage at the centre of the room and had a very good idea where he woke up.

Oh god…not again!

"Hey c'mon man you're up!" he said getting Jack up to his feet and leading him towards the cage.

He got thrown in and having no clue what was about to happen he was surrounded by steel, a charismatic crowd and…

"Lilly?" Jack said in disbelief to who was in front of him.

The girl standing in front of him had blonde hair which was tied back into a ponytail, her piercing baby blue eyes were directly locked onto him as she adjusted her attire which was an all white catsuit and now his stalker was revealed to be the girl standing in front of him.

"What the hell is going on?" Jack asked really confused to what was happening.

"ROUND ONE…FIGHT!" a loud voce over a speaker phone shouted as it was a no hold barred fight and they were forced to fight one another.

Jack knew these types of fights and the girl who was standing in front of him and ready to fight threw a huge right as he barely dodged it.

"Lilly what're you doing?" he asked as she tried to clock him with another fist but he sidestepped it.

"Isn't it obvious Jackson?" Lilly said in her British accent as she threw a backhand which caught him and staggered him as it cut his lip.

After that blow rocked him he was just confused to why Lilly would even stalk him, knock him out and sign him up for a cage fight and is now trying to beat the hell out of him.

"Lilly…stop this! I don't want to hurt you!" Jack said trying to get her to stop.

She smirked and continued to throw fists as Jack dodged each blow and as she threw a left he grabbed it and quickly restrained her by brining the arm behind her.

"Okay I'm tolerating not hitting you right now but I just have to know…why are you here?" he asked her.

She struggled to get free but decided to answer. "I'll tell you but you'll have to beat me first." Lilly said as she broke free and reversed the move on him as she threw him off.

They both got into a stance and were readying for an attack at one another as both charged at each other and both went fist for fist as the strikes came at them both hard as one delivered a blow to the other and was beginning to get the crowd going.

He threw a left but she ducked it and backhanded him across the right side of his cheek, but he quickly grabbed her exposed limb and used his palm to strike her in the forehead as that did rock her as he used a quick kick to the lower of her back as she turned around and saw he was fighting like he should be but knew she needed to push him.

"Is that all you've got Jackson?" Lilly said as she flashed the taunting smile at him.

He just took that challenge and came at her with hand thrusts trying to disable her but again her speed was the only thing keeping her a step ahead of him as she dodged each blow thrown at her.

"Come on Jackson…I know you're not trying to hit me!" Lilly mocked him.

Again he lunged at her feeling just frustrated she had done this to him as he was just trying to land a blow of some kind on her but again her speed was keeping him from doing so, but noticing her patterns of movement he had to time his strikes just right.

She came for him and went for a kick to the head but he ducked it and grabbed her leg and threw her to the ground and still holding her leg he had her pinned to the ground and quickly brought his knee across and near her throat and was readying to finish her with a fist.

But she then tapped he hand on the floor to surrender showing she knew she was defeated.

The crowd was cheering but at the same time some were upset by the outcome as Jack got off her and hand his hand to her.

"You gonna tell me now?" Jack asked.

She smiled and grabbed his hand as it helped her up to her feet as they left the cage together and the place as they were now outside a warehouse district as he turned to her and she knew what he was going to ask.

"I beat you…again so tell me what brings you here?" Jack asked.

"Simple Jackson I came here for you." Lilly bluntly said.

"Lilly…I don't want to do this right now, so do yourself a favour and go home, this is my problem to deal with." Jack said as he just wasn't in the mood for this as he began to walk off.

Seeing this from him she just grabbed his shoulder and turned him around to face her.

"Jack…I came all this way out here because I heard what happened to you and I called your mother and she was hysterical, she wants you home, but no one could find you so I tracked you down and here we are." Lilly explained.

"So why did you knock me out and put us both in a cage fight?" Jack asked.

She smiled. "I wanted a rematch from last time." Lilly said as he guessed she wasn't satisfied from their last encounter.

"Ah makes sense, but I'm here to say right now…I'm not going home…I don't deserve it." Jack said as she wanted to know why.

"It can't be that bad I mean the last time you did this you almost drank yourself into an early grave." Lilly said reminding him of his alcoholism.

Something that Jack would never forget that time of his life, it did nearly kill him.

"Lilly, I messed up real bad, I did things I thought I would never do, I hurt people, I wrecked my friendships and…I yelled at my mom." Jack said as he hung his head down in shame over his actions.

Her face turned to sadness hearing about what had happened to him as she brought his head up to look at her.

"I hate seeing you like this, I know you, this isn't you…let me help you Jack." Lilly said offering her help to the broken hero.

He looked deep into her eyes and knew why she came and like before she was his guardian angel, sent to save himself from himself.

"Lilly…help me." Jack said as she took him by the hand and led him out of the area.

0-0-0-0-0

Back in New York Spider-Girl was on patrol as she web slinged through the city in search of any crimes in progress but her mind was only on one thing.

God Caitlin is really broken up about Jack, I mean the first time was bad but now it's a second time and I'm not sure if she's this strong to get through it again?

She swung past a building and stuck to the wall and landed down on top of a statued gargoyle overlooking the city.

I only hope that either Normie or Aunt Felicia can track Jack down and bring him home.

Jumping off the statue she shot a web line and swung down to another rooftop with a picture perfect landing.

Well at least April's ok but she still shocked about what happened to her and happy, she finally what she's wanted to be…normal.

"BANG!" hearing the gunshot she sprang into action.

0-0-0-0-0

It was now night and Jack awoke to not his ran down motel room but a very high maintenanced apartment with leather furniture, paintings all over the walls, a piano in the corner and also the incredible view he had of the entire city.

Jack could not believe that she came all this way out here to find him and help him like she did before.

He threw the sheets off and decided to have a snack as he hadn't eaten since this afternoon, he threw on his pants and a plain white shirt as he made his way to the kitchen.

The custom and possibly Swedish made kitchen was a white marble unit with fine wooden cupboards and a steel refrigerator with an ice dispenser as he went to open the fridge and saw a few foods that he had no idea what they could be but the spotted something familiar.

Pizza!

Grabbing the plate of three slices he took it and placed it into the microwave and nuked it as he would grab himself a glass of juice as the bell went off he removed the now hot pizza and chowed down.

He then heard a door open and of course in came the lady of the house, as she had just been out for a ride on her bike.

"Ah you're awake, I was beginning to wonder if you would ever wake up." Lilly said as she took off her red leather bike jacket.

"I see you've been painting the town red as always." Jack said noticing she'd just been out for a ride.

"Can't a girl have a bit of fun?" Lilly said as they had a chuckle.

As she then went to change into more comfortable attire and he finished his food she came back out wearing some track pansy and a plain vest as she motioned for him to come and sit with her as he did that.

"Jack we need to talk about your problems." Lilly said as he knew it was coming.

"Alright you're the shrink here ask the first question." Jack said as he gave her permission to ask away.

"Ok what has happened since our last talk?" she asked.

Jack went on to explain the details of after he left London and his new life in New York but found himself fighting the forced of evil there and meeting other heroes including Spider-Girl.

He then told her about how he and Black Tarantula met again and the memory of how he blamed himself for a boy's death which of course caused him to turn to the bottle.

But when he got to the part about the Symbiote she couldn't believe something like that existed and that began to make Jack a little emotional just describing his actions and seeing what he'd become.

"Good god…an alien costume?" Lilly asked not even believing it.

"Yeah it was alive and it…made me a monster." Jack said as he held his head with his hands.

She put her hand on his back in support.

"If you don't want to talk anymore we'll stop, just say the word." Lilly said not trying to damage him.

"No…it's just I…did things…things that nearly turned me into the thing I hated, I beat my bullies up, I scarred a girl mentally, I shouted at my mom, I hurt May's sister April and the worst part was…I almost murdered someone." Jack said detailing what he'd done in his symbiotic state.

Lilly was shocked that he'd done all this but knew the costume was to blame and she also knew he couldn't stop blaming himself.

"Jack…all this was due to the costume manipulating and controlling you, but you did stop it in the end." Lilly said.

Jack remembering how he fought it inside his own mind and won but the damage had been done.

"I don't deserve to be a hero, let alone call myself one I've caused nothing but pain and suffering to those around me." Jack said as he blamed himself for everything.

Lilly could not believe what he was saying after what he said to her the first time they met.

"You…You…You HYPOCRITE!" Lilly shouted in frustration.

Jack looking surprised at her statement as he looked directly at the angered face of the Brit.

"After everything you've said about being a hero and never giving up…you of all people are? I can't believe you I mean you were a true hero but now after all this you just ran away like a coward." Lilly said as he felt insulted but knew she was right also.

"If that's what doing the right thing is then I guess I am one." Jack said as he went to lower his head in shame she grabbed a hold of him and looked directly at him.

"If you walk away from this, everything you've fought for including your father, would all be for nothing." Lilly said as the mention of his dad was why he did all this. "When you created Eclipse, you created a symbol of hope for the people, when we met for the first time I thought you were a joke but when you took on a whole gang and saved those people I saw how you would risk your own life for some complete strangers, I became a hero because of my mother's death we both had a common bond, a friendship and the reason…I fell for you." she said as he could see she was near to tears.

Jack looked up and saw she wasn't lying as he then just brought her in for an embrace and both teens were having a moment to cry as they stopped and wiped their tears away.

"I didn't know I meant that much to you." Jack said as she smiled.

"You always will, you're my little Jackson Terrier." Lilly said as she reminded him of her pet name for him.

"Always have been to you Lilly Flower." Jack said as he reminded her of the pet name he gave her.

"So Jack what now?" Lilly asked.

He looked out to a distance and sighed.

"Don't know but…I need time and I have to make a whole freakin good apology to everyone, including May." Jack said.

"Jack who is May?" Lilly asked.

"May's my friend back in New York, we've been friends since we were five." Jack explained.

"I take it you're really good friends?" Lilly asked.

Jack had "that" look on him which said everything.

"Do you love her?" Lilly asked.

Again he gave her "that" look.

"That's why you feel so guilty over this, you felt like you not only disappointed your parents but also you think you pushed the girl you loved away." Lilly explained why he left.

"Like always I screw up…royally." Jack said.

"You can't keep blaming yourself for every bad thing that happens, I don't think she hates you." Lilly said.

"Tell that to her when I nearly killed her sister…she probably never wants to see me again, I'm tired can we talk about this tomorrow?" Jack asked.

"Of course, go get some sleep we'll see what else we can resolve, goodnight Jackson." Lilly said as he got up to leave.

"Goodnight Lillianna , thank you for being there for me." Jack said as he left for bed.

Lilly waiting until he was gone she grabbed the telephone.

"Operator can you connect me to New York city, Parker, May."

Our hero has his own hero, why is she calling the wall crawler? What will happen when she finds out who the call is from?

What you think? Reviews please!