Disclaimer: I own nothing

Author's Note: Just a shorter chapter to wrap up the story.

Chapter Twenty Five

The next day was Saturday.

Becky hadn't really had any sleep all night, and she must have eventually fallen asleep because she woke up with a start, Izzie having invaded her dreams.

" Hi. "

She looked at Jack, beside her, to see that he was sitting up and he looked completely shattered, though he was wide awake.

" Hi," she whispered, not knowing what to do. She reached out and laid her hand over his, and his skin felt cold and clammy. He looked like he'd not slept at all and she thought he looked completely terrified.

It took him a moment to register her touch and he was so far away.

He looked at her, and his eyes were full of pain and worry.

" Did you get any sleep? " she asked him softly, keeping her hand over his.

He shook his head, " I tried, but it was no good. I just keeping seeing it. Seeing her. It still doesn't feel real. "

Becky nodded, " I know what you mean. I ... how could this happen? "

" S'all my fault," Jack mumbled.

" Don't be stupid," Becky told him, frowning, before her voice softened and she rubbed at his hand, " I won't have you talk about yourself like that. "

" But - "

The rest of his words were lost after a noise of suprise when she leaned up and quickly pressed her lips against his, as she usually found it a very effective way to shut him up. He groaned as she poured as much feeling as possible into the kiss, and when she pulled away from him, she squeezed his hand.

" Becky, I just feel like -"

" No," Becky interrupted, " don't even say it. I won't let you do that to yourself. "

" What happens now? " Jack asked after a moment of silence.

Becky looked at him curiously, and he continued, " I mean, I don't know what it's like when someone dies. What're the arrangements? It's more complicated than when Lorna died ... what do we do next? "

" You're going to get through this - what you saw ... you were there ... it's horrific, but you're going to get through it, and I'm going to help you, Tom and the girls. I'm going to make some breakfast - d'you want anything? "

Jack shook his head, " I can't ... I ... "

Becky nodded, " It's ok," she said, getting out of bed, " I'm going to look after you. "

She knew Jack was truly traumatised, and she didn't quite know how to deal with it, so she knew she just had to be there for Jack, for Tom, for the girls. Izzie was her friend, and she was devastated, but she knew she needed to pull everyone together.

Jack looked like a lost school boy, and she leaned over from where she stood and planted a kiss on his forehead. Jack closed his eyes and with a sigh, Becky left the room.

That day was truly terrible.

The whole weekend merged into one moment and nothing made any sense.

When Tom woke up that saturday, he came into the kitchen and he broke down all over again, while his sister hugged him tightly and then tried to force some breakfast down him.

Jack came downstairs, and Tom didn't even greet him, something which didn't go unnoticed by his sister, who shot him some kind of warning look.

Jack hugged his girlfriend tightly, before accepting the coffee she made him, and sitting at the kitchen table. The atmosphere was tense, and he and Tom didn't exchange a single word.

They'd been in the kitchen for about half an hour before Jack stood up.

He knew Tom wasn't happy with him, and he said, " I'm going to go home. "

" What? " Becky asked, looking up from her cup of tea, " home? Now? " She glanced at the clock - it was 9AM.

He nodded, " I ... I don't think I'm any use here. "

" No," Tom said, " you're probably not. "

" Tom! " Becky hissed - she knew he was grieving, they all were, but there was no need to be like this with him, when Jack was so obviously hurting too.

" No, it's ok," mumbled Jack, " I should get home - I think. Maxine will be coming home, and I'm not really any use here. You should stay, though. "

Becky looked at Tom, and Tom reached out for her, " Please," he said, " Becky, I don't mean to put on you but ... I can't do this. The girls ... "

She sighed, torn between he and Jack, and she looked between them both in despair, before her eyes were settled on Tom, " Of course," she said, " I'll be here for you and the girls. "

Tom nodded gratefully, still looking all lost and hurt.

Becky turned to Jack and said, " I'll ring you soon, honey. Get Maxine to give me a call when she gets in, so I know she's alright. I ... you'll be ok if you go home alone, won't you? "

He nodded, trying to force a smile, though it didn't quite work, " Fine. I could do with the space. "

She didn't like the thought of him being alone but knew she couldn't save everyone, so she nodded, " I guess I'll see you soon, then. "

Jack nodded and as he walked out of the kitchen, he clapped a hand on Tom's back, " I'll have to ... have to give you a call when I've got onto the LEA about authorising compassionate leave. "

Tom nodded but made no reply, and Becky followed Jack out of the kitchen and into the hallway, where he snatched up his coat and started pulling it on.

" Sure you're going to be ok? " Becky asked.

Jack nodded, opening the front door, " It's not my fiance who's just been murdered, is it? " he whispered.

" Yeah, but .. " she sighed and tried to reach out and take hold of his hand, " you're clearly not fine, so I don't know why you're pretending that you are. You can't lie to me. "

He shook his head as he took hold of her hand tightly, almost crushing her fingers, " I - "

" You've witnessed something horrible," said Becky softly, " I want you to be alright, and I don't know if you can be on your own. I think ... maybe ... I don't know ... maybe you need someone to help you? To .. to be there for you? "

Jack smiled, " I really do appreciate it, love, but I think I'd be best off on my own. I don't how to cope, but ... well, your brother needs you, and it's pretty obvious that you're needed here. "

Becky sighed and she said, " I'm going to ring you soon. I'll ring to check on you. "

Jack nodded and he planted a kiss on her cheek before leaving.

When he'd gone, Becky walked back into the kitchen, and she sat down opposite Tom, fixing him with a glare. " What did you have to do that for? " she demanded.

" Do what? " Tom asked, looking suprised.

Becky sighed, " Be like that, with Jack! He feels terrible enough as it is, Tom - you didn't see his face this morning. You didn't hear him. The last thing he needs is you treating him like that! "

" Like what? " Tom asked innocently.

Becky groaned, " You know exactly what! " she raged, " not even acknowledging him, throwing those hostile looks in his direction, more or less telling him to go away - he's going to think you blame him, if you're not careful. "

" Maybe I do blame him," Tom countered.

Becky was stunned and she shook her head, " You don't mean that. "

Tom sighed, looking close to tears, " Maybe I do. "

Becky shook her head, " Don't you dare," she said, standing up and turning her back on him as she want to flick the switch on the kettle, " just don't. "

After a pause, Tom said, " I ... I can't fall out with you, Becks. I don't want to fall out. "

Becky softened a little and she turned to smile at him, " We're not going to fall out. We're family - we're going to stick together. "

Becky spent most of the weekend at Tom's place. She hugged the girls every time they cried, listen to them talk, and helped phone Izzie's family and make arrangements. She held Tom's hand every time a relative of Izzie's called, or one of their own relatives, or a colleuge or friend dropped by.

She knew Tom and the girls couldn't function properly, and she cleaned the house, did all the cooking, went to the shops for them and kept the house running so that they had nothing to worry about.

On Sunday, Donte called around for half an hour or so to see Chlo, and when he left, he gave his godmother a big hug before going home. It was about 6 o clock by that point, and Becky told Tom she was going to go home.

When she got home, she found Maxine in the living room, curled up on the sofa, resting a notebook on her legs as she scribbled away.

She leant in the doorway with a smile, " That had better not be your history homework, madam," she said.

Maxine looked up, realising Becky was there for the first time, and smiled, " Nah," she said, " it's French. "

Becky smiled, " Well, make sure you do a good job because Jack and I don't want complaints from Miss Haydock, when you've handed in substandard homework. "

Maxine nodded, " I'll do it well, I promise. "

Becky nodded, " Good. I'm going to get some dinner cooking, shouldn't be long, sweetie. How's Jack? "

Becky felt guilty for leaving Jack and Maxine all weekend. She'd practically spent the entire weekend at Tom's and hadn't seen much of her boyfriend and foster daughter. She was worried about Jack, but had been torn between he, and Tom and the girls, and Jack had insisted that he'd be fine on his own and told her the teenage girls needed her right now.

Maxine pulled a face, " Kept himself to himself," she said, " doesn't look too good though. I tried to help, but I didn't really know what to do. "

Becky nodded, " It's ok," she said, " you don't have to do anything - you shouldn't have to cope with this, though I'm sure he'll appreciate you trying to help but just let me look after Jack. "

" Is he going to be alright? " she asked.

Becky nodded again, " He's been through something terrible - he saw it all and he was powerless to help. It's going to take some time but he's going to be ok. "

She sighed and left the room, and she went into the kitchen, where it only took her a couple of minutes to put some food in the oven. Afterwards, she went upstairs.

She saw the spare bedroom/office door open slighty and the light on.

She walked down the hallway, and once she got to the door, pushed it open slightly, moving into the room. She stopped in the doorway so she could look at Jack, and she saw him sitting in the desk chair, facing the desk, his elbows on the desk and his head in his hands. He was wearing a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt, and he looked terrible.

She suddenly felt very guilty.

She knew Jack was struggling but she realised he must be struggling even more than she thought, and she started to wonder if she should have spent more time with him this weekend.

" Hi," Becky said, her voice almost a whisper.

Jack looked over at her, and she almost winced when she saw his face properly. When she'd left the house that morning, he'd still been in bed, though awake, and they'd shared a kiss before she left.

Now she saw how tired he looked and she didn't know what to do.

" I'm so glad you're home," Jack groaned, " how's Tom and the girls? "

" No better," Becky said, shaking her head, " to be expected, I suppose. How're you? "

" You don't want to know," Jack sighed, " I just keep seeing it ... it's ... I don't think I've ever felt this bad, Rebecca. I ... I don't know what to do. "

Becky bit her lip - he looked so tortured and terrified, and she knew that whatever was going on, he was haunted by it.

She walked into the room and she came to sit on the edge of the desk. Jack sighed and leaned forwards and rested both of his hands on her hips, resting his head in her lap, still sitting on his desk chair.

She was taken aback by his vulnerability and as he closed his eyes and tried to forget everything, she sighed and allowed her fingers to run lightly through his hair.

" I guess I've been neglecting you, honey," she sighed, " I'm sorry. "

Jack looked up at her, " Sorry? " he asked, " are you joking? What have you got to be sorry about? "

She sighed, " I feel like I should have spent more time here with you. You clearly need me, and I was so wrapped up with the girls ... I mean, look at the state of you - there's no way you can cope. "

Jack sighed, " I don't know what to do. "

" Let me look after you," Becky said softly, bringing a hand to cup his cheek gently, " I'm here for you. "

" It shouldn't be that way," Jack said, shaking his head, " you shouldn't have to look after me - who's going to look after you? Izzie was your best friend - you must be grieving too, and instead you've got to deal with a middle aged emotional wreck like me. It's not fair on you. "

" I'm marrying you," Becky told him, " that means we stick together and we look after each other. And as for middle aged - what're you talking about? " she chuckled, " you're 37, honey, not 47. Give yourself more credit. "

Jack sighed, " I'm so glad I've got you. I don't think I deserve you, sometimes, but I'm so glad I've got you. I think I'm going to need you. Because every time I close my eyes, I can see Izzie, dying. I can see myself, getting into that stupid fight with Jed Seddon - foolishly trying to take on an armed drug dealer. Causing Izzie's death. Not being able to save her. I don't know what to do, and on top of that, I've got a school to run. "

Becky shook her head, tears beginning to form in her eyes, " You're in no fit state to run a school," she told him sternly.

" I know," he mumbled.

She nodded, " And as for it being your fault, it's absolutely not, and you know it deep down. I'm not even going to talk about it - it's rubbish. And you'll be taking some time off work because there's only two weeks left of term and we can manage without you. "

" Andrew," Jack mumbled, " he should have been leaving for Rwanda tomorrow. "

Becky shook her head, " He rung me earlier. Said he was going to ring you, but wasn't sure what kind of state you were in after ... you know ... seeing it all. He's managed to negotiate with them in Rwanda, and he'll be staying at the school one more week, which means we only have to manage without him for the last week of term, and we will manage. Kim and I will manage because for once in your life, I want you to worry about yourself, not the school. "

Jack sighed, looking up at her. " You know something? " he asked with a smile.

" What? " she asked softly.

" You're going to make the best wife in the world," he told her sincerely.

She chuckled, and she stood up and slid off the desk, " You're a liar, Mr Rimmer," she told him, " now, I'm going to get dinner made. "

The next morning, Monday, Becky woke up at 6am.

The first thing on her mind was Izzie and as she lay in bed, she allowed her thoughts to wander back to some of the times she'd spent with Izzie over the years, messing around, having fun, and generally being best friends. She wished more than anything that her friend was back with them, but she knew she had to be strong and try and carry on, even though she felt like falling apart.

After what seemed like an age of thinking about Izzie, and almost bringing herself to tears, she felt Jack stir beside her. He rolled over in his sleep, but with groan.

She sighed as she watched him, and he rolled over again, before twitching and rolling back. He was clearly having some kind of nightmare and she didn't know what to do.

As it turned out, she didn't have to do anything, because Jack woke up with a start, sitting up quickly, and breathing deeply.

" Jack, Jack, it's ok," Becky said softly, reachig out to touch his arm.

He turned to look at her, and his eyes were full of panic. He reached out and he suddenly gathered her up in his arms, hugging her tightly.

" It's ok, s'ok," she told him, " just go back to sleep, it's ok. "

" It was you," he panted, " you ... he stabbed you ... and I had to watch and .. "

" Shhh," Becky said, shaking her head, " don't, Jack. I'm here - look at me, it was just a dream. " She sighed when he relased her from the death grip he held her in, and she reached out to smooth some of his hair down, as if he were a lost school boy, " I want you to go back to sleep, Jack. I have to go to work, but you have to sleep. "

" Can't," he mumbled.

Becky threw back the covers and started to get out of bed, " Please," she said, " get some sleep. I have to go to work. "

Ordinarily, Becky would have been given time off work - she'd suffered the loss of her best friend and Jack didn't think she was in the best state to go to work, but the LEA had decided that only so many members of staff could have the time off.

There simply wasn't enough spacing on the timetable for Becky to have any compassionate leave, although the LEA had apologised to her.

Tom had been told he could have the remaining two weeks off work, as had Jack, when the LEA decided he'd clearly been through a lot in witnessing the murder and taking on a drug dealer. The LEA were heralding him as a hero, and were happy to give him the two weeks off.

Andrew would be stepping up as acting head while Jack had the time off for the first week, and when Andrew left for Rwanda at the weekend, an associate head would be sent in for the remaining week of term.

Becky got dressed for school, and once she was ready, walked back into the bedroom.

Jack was lying in bed with his arms above his head, looking very much like he didn't know what to do with himself. He looked up when she came into the room - she was wearing a knee length skirt, a top and a cardigan.

" You look good," he told her, clearing his throat.

Becky smiled and walked over to the bed, " I'm so proud of you, you know. You've just got to take it one day at a time, and you're going to get through this. You're ... you're such a hero, Jack. "

" Hero," he scoffed, shaking his head.

She smiled a little and as she got to the bed, she leaned down and kissed his lips briefly. She was about to pull away, when he reached out and laid his hand on her cheek, preventing her from moving away.

His hand was gentle against her skin, and he leaned in and his breath tickled at her ear.

" I wish you could stay here with me. "

" I know," she breathed, " but I'm going to go to work, and you're going to get out of bed and go for a walk - clear your head. Maybe you could call in on Tom and the girls too. You need to find a way to come to terms with it. "

He sighed and she pressed her lips against his again, " I'll call you later, gorgeous, I promise. "

Jack nodded silently, and reluctantly, Becky left the room.

She walked into the school with her head held high, and she tried to ignore the looks she got from other members of staff and pupils who knew she was Izzie's best friend.

She headed straight to the office and when she got there, she found that Kim and Andrew were already at the school. They were sitting in Jack's office, and they both stood up when Becky entered the room.

" Becky," Andrew said, shaking his head, " I'm so sorry. "

Becky cleared her throat, " Thanks," she mumbled, " um ... I just want to keep the school running as best we can. Jacks says the official LEA position on this is that he's having two weeks compassionate leave, and you're acting head, so the three of us will have to muddle through for the week. "

" How is Jack? " Andrew asked, " I've tried ringing him, but as you know, I could only get through to you. "

" It's awful," Becky said, before taking a breath and sighing, " sorry, I can't talk about it. Can we just ... I don't know ... get down to school business? Do we have some cover organised for Tommy? "

With that, Andrew and Kim exchanged a glance, and allowed the meeting to move forwards.

The whole day went along with Becky trying to forget about Izzie and trying to pretend nothing had happened - she kept telling herself she could forget all about it if she didn't think about it.

At the end of the day, she and Maxine went home, and Becky did her marking before calling in on Tom and the girls, cooking tea for them, and going home to cook for Maxine and Jack before going to bed early.

The next two days were more or less the same, and by Thursday, when Becky came into school, heading for her classroom as she couldn't bear the staffroom, where everyone would look at her, she felt completely run down.

She turned a corner and found herself practically walking into Andrew.

She sighed and shook her head as he reached out and laid a hand on her arm, steadying her.

" Sorry," she mumbled.

Andrew frowned, " Rebecca," he said seriously, " come on, sweetheart, why don't we go grab a drink or something - you look like you could do with a drink. "

She shook her head, " I'm fine. "

" You're not fine," he replied, his eyes softening as he shook his head, " come on. "

She sighed, and he laid his hand in the small of her back as they started towards his office. Once they got there, he had Jack's secretary get them both a drink, and they sat down in the office. Becky sat on the edge of Jack's desk, and Andrew stood in the middle of the room, looking at her.

" You look absolutely shattered," he told her, " have you taken any time since Izzie's death, to think about it? To try and come to terms with it? "

" What time? " Becky scoffed, " haven't had any time. "

" I think you need to take some time," Andrew sighed.

" There isn't any time! " Becky told him, shaking her head, " I've been so busy, and the school can't afford to have me off, when they're already covering Tom, and Jack's not here either. Especially when you're leaving after tomorrow. "

" But - " Andrew said softly.

" No! " Becky sighed, tears welling up in her eyes, " and I've got a teenage girl to look after, and a boyfriend who's an emotional wreck and keeps me up all night tossing and turning and talking in his sleep and having nightmares, and refuses to go to see a shrink, or the doctor, despite the fact that I'm convinced it'll do him good. And then there's my brother, who can't do anything, and needs me to be there for him, and Mika and Chlo who need a mum right now, but they can't have one, and I need to be there for them, and on top of it all, I don't have my best friend to help me deal with it all, because this is all happening because some scum stabbed her. "

She took a deep breath, and she couldn't help it as a tear fell down her cheek, and she tried to wipe it away.

" See? " Andrew said, moving forwards and reaching out to her. She accepted his hug and rested her head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, " you just need to let it out. You're looking after Jack, Maxine, Tom, Mika and Chlo. Who's supposed to look after you? "

" I can cope," Becky told him as he kept on hugging her, " I just need to get through these first few days, then it'll get better. "

" And you haven't been sleeping? " he asked, " well listen, I've got a free hour first, why don't you let me cover your class and you can have an hour to go to the staffroom, or stay in here, and chill out. I think you could use it - you've been trying to run through since the beginning of the week, and it's all beginning to catch up with you. "

Becky sighed, " You're not a history teacher. "

" Give me your lesson plans and I'll cope," he replied as he let go of her and watched her wipe her face on her sleeve.

She sniffed and said, " I can't believe you're leaving, you know. "

He smiled, " I'm sure you'll all manage. "

After work, Andrew and Kim insisted that they take a grieving Becky to the pub, and she had to admit that after two drinks, she was feeling much better.

The next day, was to be Andrew's last day at the school.

At lunch time, Becky spoke to Kim and asked her how she was feeling, and Kim admitted that she'd never felt worse - she felt like she loved Andrew, and she desperately didn't want him to leave.

Becky urged her to do something about it, but Kim insisted that she couldn't stand in the way of something he wanted to do.

That evening, a few hours after the end of the school day, Becky and Jack were sitting in the living room. The tv was on in the background, but neither of them were watching it, and as Becky sat on the sofa, Jack lay on his back with his head in her lap, looking up at her as she ran her hand through his hair softly. Maxine was at the kitchen table, doing her homework.

Jack closed his eyes and smiled contentedly as he felt his girlfriend's fingers lightly running through his hair.

That evening, they were suprised by a visit from Kim and Andrew.

The pair of them looked immediately like they had something to tell them, and Jack and Becky were left stunned when Kim revealed she was going to Rwanda with Andrew. They were leaving tomorrow.

Jack hadn't been best pleased, especially given current circumstances, but he'd always been fond of Kim and agreed that it was a amazing opportunity, and would be good for the pair of them to get out there and finally get together.

Becky was equally stunned and didn't want to lose two friends but knew it would be fantastic for them both.

She hugged her two friends before they left, and the pair of them promised to keep in touch. Becky told Kim she'd been a great friend and she was going to do great in Rwanda, and she'd hugged Andrew and thanked him for being there for her, especially over the last week.

When they'd gone, Becky flopped down onto the sofa beside Jack, " Weird, isn't it? " she asked him.

" Weird? " Jack scoffed, shaking his head as he reached out and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, " doesn't even cover it. "

A week later, while Tom and the girls had started to come to term with it, but were still struggling, Jack was still in pieces. He seemed fine sometimes when Becky was talking to him, but other times he seemed to be falling apart and she was scared.

When she came home from work, exactly two weeks after Izzie's death, she found Jack standing in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, by the oven.

" Hi love," he said, smiling at her as he looked over his shoulder.

" Hi," she grinned, before awarding a smile to Maxine, who was already sitting at the table with her homework in front of her, having walked home, while Becky stayed back to tidy her classroom for the end of the year. " What're you up to? "

" Cooking," Jack said with an irresistable smile, " I thought you deserved something nice, because you've had to put up with me for the last few weeks, and all my crap. So for tonight, I'm cooking, and we're going to watch a dvd and cuddle on the sofa. "

" Sounds lovely," Becky said, moving closer to him.

He reached out to her and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly.

" I'm so glad the school year's out," she said as she leaned up and kissed his cheek, " now I can be here with you, which funnily enough, is exactly where I want to be. "

Jack smiled and he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a long kiss, causing Maxine to groan from the kitchen table, " Do you have to do that in front of me? " she demanded, though she was smiling a little.

Jack chuckled as he broke away from his fiance and he smiled, looking between his two girls.

Becky caught his eye as she sat down opposite Maxine and she gave him a grin, which he returned with a little wink.

Author's Note: This is definitley the end of this story now, but the sequel should be up soon