Chapter Twenty-Five
Lock woke up terrified. She had no idea where she was, her heart was pounding frantically in her chest, and her breathing was very ragged and uneven.
I didn't have a nightmare, she thought, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. Then why am I so scared right now?
She screamed when someone hugged her from behind, closing her eyes and expecting the worst, but the person only held on to her.
"Lock, it's Jackie," he whispered, rocking with her. "You're fine, babe. . .I'm right here. . ."
Bobby was in the room now, his strong arms going around her, and she slowly started to remember. She was in Jack's room, Bobby had given her permission to stay with him, but that still didn't explain why she woke up scared out of her mind.
"Nightmares, baby girl?" Bobby asked gently.
"N-no. . ." she whimpered.
"Then what, sweetie?" he was so caring.
"J-just woke u-up t-terrified," she stuttered.
"Night terrors," Jack mumbled.
"Yeah. . .You have this happen before, Stray?" Bobby brushed her hair behind her ear.
"No," she sucked in a deep breath.
"You're probably just too hot," he said. "We'll have to get you some lighter sleepwear. . .Jack, is there a tank top she can wear?"
"Floor. . .Somewhere," Jack's deep voice vibrated on her back, soothing her. "Lock, are you all right?"
"Sorta. . .I'm slowly getting there, moose," she breathed. "Don't let go of me?"
"Nope, not until you gotta change," he promised.
She let her head fall back on his shoulder, slowly relaxing, and focused on the steady rhythm of him breathing. She jumped when Bobby gently touched her cheek, eyes flashing open, and panic tried to consume her.
"Dammit," she panted. "Sorry. . ."
"S'alright, sweetheart," his eyes were smiling. "Here, put this on. . .We'll step into the hall. . ."
"A-all right," she took the black tank top with shaking hands.
Jack and Bobby stepped out into the hall, she quickly switched shirts, and gave them permission to come back in. She put herself in the corner of Jack's bed, her back against the headboard, and her boyfriend snuggled up to her. Bobby stayed with them until she was back to normal, explaining what night terrors were, and told her that he'd most definitely be checking on her in the night.
"Love you, Stray," he kissed her temple.
"Love you too," she sighed, hugging him tightly.
"Jack's on guard now, so get back to sleep," he smiled as he left.
Hazel eyes stared at her, full of love and worry, and she smirked at him softly. He sat up, gestured her to lay on her stomach, and when she did, he started to work out the tension that had appeared all over her body.
"Hey," he traced something on her right shoulder, sounding amused. "You never said you had a tattoo. . ."
"You never asked," she said softly, wishing he'd continue with the massage.
"Shooting star," he breathed, slowly tracing it. "It's really pretty. . ."
"Thanks," she squirmed. "That tickles!"
"Oh, sorry," he snickered evilly. "How's this then?"
She sucked in a breath as he let his tongue trace her tattoo, toes curling, and felt electricity dart through her veins. He smirked against her shoulder, slowly kissing all over it, then moved slowly between her shoulder blades. She bit her lip hard as Jack traced lines all over the overly sensitive area, forcing herself still, and just let him do whatever he was doing--she was enjoying the moment and figured that he needed a turn to get her like she got him by breathing most days.
"Jaaack. . ." she whined as he nibbled the nape of her neck. "Holy fucking hell. . ."
He snickered lightly, slowly tracing his way to her left shoulder, and she almost died when his gentle mouth found the scar from Kett. He was sure to trace the whole thing carefully, first with soft lips, then with gentle tongue, and then he found the scar on her upper arm from a foster dad.
"Oh, Lock," he sounded so hurt as he let a finger slowly outline it.
"Hey, I wear my scars with pride dammit. . .means I'm still alive," she said firmly.
"Mmm," his breath ghosted over it. "Can I?"
"You fuckin' better. . ." she shivered.
He hummed, gently kissing and nibbling the length of scar, and her blood burned so hot it felt like ice was inside her veins. When she felt his tongue stud graze over her skin, she knew that if things went any farther they were in trouble, she wasn't ready for that path just yet, and managed to make her mouth work.
"J-Jackie. . .e-enough. . ." she gasped out. "No more. . ."
"You all right?" he whispered, ever so slightly panting.
"Yeah. . .Just time to stop. . ." she blushed, hiding her face in the pillow.
"Electricity again?" he snickered, collapsing next to her.
"Shut up," she mumbled. "Don't embarrass me anymore. . ."
"You sure you're ok?" he sounded concerned.
"Yeah. . .Just. . .well, if I were you. . .ya know. . ." she murmured.
"Turned on a little?" he sounded extremely amused.
"Fuck off if you're gonna be a prick about it," she growled darkly.
"Hey," he got defensive," you told me to."
"I know. . .But. . .You don't have to make me feel any weirder about it," she sighed, turning her head from the pillow, but still not facing him yet.
"Sorry, Lock," he sounded sincere. "But you know, it's not that often that I'm not on the receiving end of the switch flip."
You flip that damn switch more often than you know, buddy boy, she thought shyly.
He slipped an arm over her, pulling himself close to her, and nuzzled gently. She was gradually getting back to normal, when she felt all right once more, she rolled over and snuggled into his bare chest.
"Mmmm," he gently kissed her temple. "Better now? Back to normal?"
"Mmm hmm," she yawned.
"Good. . .I love you, beautiful," he yawned now. "No more night terrors."
"Love you too, Jackie boy. . . And no more terrors. . ." she was on the edge of sleep again.
She woke up when thunder cracked outside, oh how she loved March weather, and lay perfectly still. She listened to the early spring storm, head on Jack's warm chest, and felt good. When his warm, slightly rough hand gently brushed down her cheek, she closed her eyes and pretended she was still sleeping--no need for him to think otherwise.
"God, I don't deserve you, Lock," he breathed, still caressing her face, moving down to her neck.
What is he talking about? her heart cried out to her.
"You're too damn good for me. . .I'm not good enough for you. . ." he whispered.
"Funny. ..I seem to recall me thinking that I wasn't good enough for you, Jackie boy," she murmured, turning to look at him.
"Shit, you're up?" he blushed.
"Yeah. . .Why in the world do you feel like you don't deserve me?" she asked gently.
"I just do. . .sometimes. . ." he mumbled. "I don't know why. . ."
"Well, I think you're wrong,' she said softly, burying her face in him. "Way wrong. . ."
"Lock. . .I'm gonna end up. . .corrupting you," he said shyly.
"What?!" she couldn't help but laugh. "Corrupt me?"
He fell silent, she slowly looked up to his face, and could see how much this was bothering him. He was looking to the wall, biting his lip and really fighting tears. She slowly crawled up to him, nuzzling his neck, and let a hand play in his thick hair.
"This is still about last night, isn't it?" she whispered.
"Yeah," he choked out.
"Hey," she made him look at her, "you will not corrupt me, Jack. . .You're not that kind of man."
"But, Lock," he started to protest.
"No," she scolded playfully. "No trying to argue with me on this. . .You'll just lose horribly."
"Aren't. . .you sorta worried about it?" he murmured.
"Not that. . .But, well," she sucked in a breath to steady her nerves. "My curiosity is what I worry about. . ."
"Curiosity about what?" he asked gently.
"I can't believe I'm talking about this," she hid her face in his shoulder.
"I won't make this any more difficult for you than it already is, gorgeous," he promised. "What kind of curiosity?"
"About everything," she whined, embarrassed to the core.
"That's pretty broad," he muttered.
"That's how it is. . ." she mumbled.
"I guess it's only natural to be curious about that stuff," he soothed, gently caressing her neck. "Don't worry about it. . ."
"Only if you'll quit worrying about 'corrupting me'. . ." she whispered.
"Deal, beautiful," he sighed. "Should we seal it?"
She giggled at him, but let him seal the deal with one of his mind-blowing kisses. She snuggled up to him, enjoying the storm and his warm body, and she heard Bobby answer a knock at the door downstairs.
"Stray!" Bobby called. "You up, baby girl?"
"Yeah," she called back. "Why?"
"Can you come down here, sweetheart?"
He sounds sort of pissed off. . .instinct whimpered.
"Come on, I'll go with you," Jack offered, slowly pulling the blankets from them.
He went downstairs with her, hand on her waist, and she saw Smiths and his idiot Rook in the kitchen. Bobby gestured her to sit down next to him, he immediately held her hand when she sat, and Jack sat on the other side of her, his warm hand on her knee.
"Whatever it is, I had nothing to do with it," she said quickly.
"Guilty conscience?" the Rookie sneered.
"Fuck you," she growled. "Maybe I hit you too damn hard the last time we met, you seem to have amnesia."
"Enough," Smiths barked. "Lock, we're not here for that."
"If I'm not in trouble or being questioned for somethin, then why are you here?" she muttered, hand tightening on Bobby's.
She suddenly had a very sick feeling in her stomach, her chest felt like weights had been put on it, and breathing was becoming harder and harder. Jack scooted closer, lacing his other hand in hers, and even that didn't comfort her.
"Kett and Zane have been released," Smiths said.
"From the hospital?" she heard herself ask.
"Well. . .They were discharged last week," the old cop mumbled. "I never told you because we took them into custody and I thought I wouldn't have to bother you with it. . ."
Her mind was spinning. Custody? Why wasn't she told? Surely there had been a court hearing, she would have been expected to be there, but she'd heard nothing about that.
"I pulled some strings," Smiths could see her confusion. "Got it so that only they were in a hearing, I figured it'd be a sealed deal. . ."
"You said 'released', Smiths. . ." she panicked.
"The judge thought that the beating you gave them was punishment enough," Smiths said gently. "They were released this morning. . .There's more than enough evidence for a restraining order--."
"No," she said darkly, cutting him off.
"Stray!" Bobby's jaw fell. "What the fuck are you thinking?!"
"If they're stupid enough to try and get near me, let them. . ." she growled. "I'll finish what I started."
"Baby girl!" Bobby barked as she abruptly got up.
She ignored him, going to her room, slamming the door and locking it, then sank back against it and to the floor.
This is a dream! I'm dreaming! WAKE UP! her mind screamed at her.
Kett had managed to recover quickly from her first attack, she was distracted by Zane and never saw him coming.
Lock let her head fall to her drawn up knees and sobbed. The monsters were free, in the real world and in her mind once more, and she was scared to death.
Xxxxxxxxx
Bobby tried to go after Stray, but Smiths and Jackie told him to that she'd need some alone time. He sat back down, clenching his fists, and fought his emotions down. The monsters that had come so close to breaking his precious baby sister were out, they were free to roam the streets, and he wasn't about to let them have a second chance at her.
"I figured that she'd refuse the restraining order, Bobby," Smiths said gently. "I'd love to tell you that I believe she taught them a lesson-."
"But scum like them don't learn the first time," he growled. "If they--and she defends herself, even kills one, what'll happed to her?"
"I honestly can't say," the old hound mumbled. "So much depends on the surrounding circumstances and whatnot. . .Just do what you can for her, keep a close eye on her. . ."
"She goes no-fucking-where alone anymore, Jack," he said firmly.
"Yeah. . ." Jack sounded rather distant.
"They have probation officers to check in with twice a week, plus random house visits. . .You'll be the first ones to know if something comes up. . ."
"All right. . ."
"I have a hearing to be at in twenty," Smiths said, checking his watch. "I'll be sure to check in later. . ."
"Right, thanks. . ." he grumbled as the cop left.
"B-Bobby," Jack whispered, "I have a b-bad feeling about this whole thing. . ."
"Me too, Apple Jacks," he mumbled, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Me too. . ."
Lock stayed in her room most of the day, only coming up to eat or use the bathroom, and had stopped talking again. The girl had a very distant look in her phantom eyes, when she looked at him, and was very offish to either of them. Jack was barely holding up, the fact that his girlfriend wouldn't so much as make eye contact was getting to him, and he was abnormally moody.
Bobby sent Jackie to bed around one in the morning, his little brother bitched him out over it, actually taking a swing on him, then broke down into apologetic tears. He cried on Bobby's shoulder until he fell asleep, Bobby gently tucked him in to bed, and took a huge risk by going to check on Stray.
"Baby girl?" he said, knocking on her door.
Of course she didn't answer, he hadn't expected an answer from her, but the door was open when he tried the handle. She was sitting up against her headboard, headphones stuffed into her ears, eyes closed, but he knew she wasn't sleeping. He felt his heart splinter as he looked at her shutting the whole world out and carefully sat next to her. Silver eyes flashed open and glared at him when he took the headphones from her ears, he ignored the look, and set them aside.
"Sweetheart," he sighed. "I know you're pissed off and scared. . .But I promise you that I won't let anything happen to you."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Bobby," she growled. "Don't you dare."
"Who says I won't keep it?" he shot back.
"Life does."
"Life?"
"You can't guarantee me that those two f-fuck heads w-w--," her emotions spilled over. "B-Bobby. . ."
"Come here, baby girl," he pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm right here, I got ya. . ."
She crawled into his lap, sobbing on his chest, and his heart felt like it was dying in his chest. He let his emotions go, silently crying with the girl in his arms, and held her close. Her sobs slowly died out, she went slack in his arms, and when he snuck a look, her eyes were closed and she was about asleep.
"Bobby!" she panicked when he moved, clutching him.
"Shh shh shh," he soothed, gently picking her up. "I'm still right here. . .Just taking you up to sleep in the fairy's room. . .Think you'll be all right staying in there for a while?"
"Y-yeah," she calmed down, arms going around his neck.
"All right," he said, carrying her upstairs. "He'll be real happy to see you, sweetheart."
"He worried?" she mumbled.
"Like you wouldn't believe," he smirked.
Jack had kicked the blanket to the floor, he was curled up in the middle of the bed and at first glance, Bobby thought he was sucking his thumb--but it was just a play of the light. He carefully put Lock down, letting her get into the bed on her own, and tucked them in. He told her that his door would be open all night and he was just down the hall.
"Just call for me if you need somethin', baby girl," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "Don't hesitate to wake my ass up, no matter what it is, K?"
"K, Bobby," she mumbled sleepily. "Love you. . ."
"Love you too, sweetheart. . .Get some rest. . ."
Bobby made it to his own door before he broke down and lost it, he sank to his knees and cried uncontrollably--somehow no one else heard him. Ma got home from work and was at his side in a flash.
"Bobby? Honey, what is it?" she stroked his dark brown hair.
He shakily explained to his mother that Kett and Zane were out, that Lock refused the restraining order, and that he felt at a loss.
"She's right!" he growled through his fading tears. "I can't promise her that I won't let anything bad happen to her. . .She can't possibly feel safe here anymore. . ."
"Robert Kielan Mercer!" Ma hissed, slapping his shoulder. "Don't you dare say that! You and I both know better. . .Come here!"
Ma grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet, and drug him down the hall to Jack's door. Bobby scrubbed the stray tears from his blue eyes, then looked in at the two sleeping teens. Stray was buried in his baby brother; Jack had her legs tucked snugly between his own, their arms were tangled over each others' middles, and her face was nuzzled into Jack's chest.
"Now, you tell me again that she doesn't feel safe here, Robert," Ma said firmly. "She may be terrified, but she most definitely feels some amount of safety here."
"All right, all right," he snickered a little bit. "Point proven, Ma."
"You can and you will protect her, Robert," she whispered. "Now, you go and get some rest. . .Check on her in the night if you need to, but get your ass to bed."
"All right, Ma," he kissed her goodnight. "Love you and thanks for that reality check."
"I love you too," she smiled. "Reality checks are my habit. . ."
Xxxxxxxxxx
'Grab her damn legs!' Kett barked as he grabbed her arms.
Lock howled in agony as her left shoulder got squeezed mercilessly, her vision going fuzzy on her, and she felt her legs get pinned. Kett growled in her ear, applying more pressure to her screaming shoulder, and she almost blacked out.
'Zane, baby, you ok?' Kett asked his counterpart.
'Yeah,' he mumbled, holding her ankles tightly.
'Good. . .Sit on her legs. . .' he purred, holding her with just one arm.
'Get the hell off me! You cocksuckers!' she yelled.
'Mmmm. . .cocksuckers,' Kett laughed, pulling Zane's face close to theirs. 'Sounds fun, doesn't it?'
'Oh god, yes!' Zane moaned, hand slipping down to his boxer covered crotch.
'How about you, Lock?' he panted in her ear. 'Sound like fun?'
'Go to hell!' she snapped.
He laughed, squeezing her with his one arm, her ribs seared, but her shoulder's shriek drown them out. Kett snickered darkly, his hand slowly venturing to Zane's--which had moved into his boxers--and she shut her eyes, wishing for a quick death.
'No, you fucking watch us, Lock,' Kett growled. 'Or I swear to God, I'll make you suck us both off. . .'
'Kett!' Zane whined. 'I want her to s-suck me off!'
'I know, baby, I know,' he soothed, stroking his boyfriend faster and rougher. 'But I somehow think that she'd end up biting it off. . .'
'Ah-ah-ah. . .like that. . .' he moaned, moving with his hand. 'Fuck. . .'
'Soon,' Kett promised. 'Real soon, baby. . .'
"Lock, wake up," Jack was brushing her hair from her face. "They're not here. . .Come on, I wanna see those eyes. . ."
She refused to open her eyes, but clung to Jackie, and he held her closer. He played with her hair, nuzzling her gently, and she let out a pent up breath.
"How bad was I?" she mumbled.
"Just flinching and talking in your sleep," he said softly. "You didn't hit me, don't worry. . ."
"I'm-I'm. . .remembering shit about them, Jackie. . ." she whimpered.
"Oh, babe," he rubbed her back. "I'm so sorry. . ."
"The first time I got a hold of them, after my shoulder. . .that wasn't it, like I thought. . .I don't remember much yet, but. . ." she shivered. "I think it was close, Jackie boy. . .too close. . ."
"Lock," he breathed, "all you have to worry about now is our war and planning your next strike. . .all right?"
He's so sweet. . .trying to get my mind off this shit. . .she thought, smirking. He's too adorable. . .
"Mmm," she nodded. "Will you--keep watch for a little bit?"
"Guard kitty at your service," he gave her a two fingered salute.
She giggled at her boyfriend, his simple dorky ways making her feel so much better, and scratched behind his ears, while nuzzling into his neck. His loud purring noise slowly turned into a very light moan, and she snickered, slowly letting up to get a kiss from him. He smiled at her, noses together, and brushed her hair back.
"Try not to have any more bad dreams?" he whispered.
"I'll try," she played with his stomach gently.
"Stray, you all right?" Bobby mumbled groggily.
"Memories," she whispered, turning to look at him. "But I'm doin' ok. . ."
"Slide your asses over," he commanded.
"Bobby?" Jack asked, smirking.
"I'm stayin' in here," he said. "Problem with that?"
"Weird," Jack whined, sliding over.
"Deal with it for tonight," Bobby smiled, finding an extra blanket. "Baby girl, I've been thinking. . ."
"Again?" she teased, giving him more room. "Oh god, run for the hills."
"Funny, sweetheart," he growled playfully, getting settled in the bed. "Anyway, I've been thinking that maybe you should stay in here a few nights this week. . .So your nightmares don't get too overwhelming. . ."
"Oh. . ." she gave him a look. "You'd be all right with that?"
"I'd check on you religiously, but yeah, I'd be all right with it," he yawned. "You two got 'nuff room?"
"Yeah," Jack said. "I'm gonna stand guard for a bit. . ."
"All right," Bobby's eyes were already closed. Night, you two. . .oh, and Jack. . .behave."
Lock burst into quiet laughter, covering her mouth with both hands, and Bobby opened an eye to look at her, smirking. Jack grumbled something inaudible, she got herself settled down, and snuggled into the bed, feeling safer than she'd ever felt in her whole life. Jack slipped an arm around her middle, snuggling up to her back, and she was back to sleep in no time.
She woke up when the sun hit her face, Jack was still molded to her back, and she was using Bobby's shoulder as a pillow. When she glanced up to Bobby's face, blue, sparkling eyes met hers, and she jumped--she hadn't expected anyone to be up.
"Morning, baby girl," he smirked. "Didn't mean to scare ya."
"It's all right," she grinned shyly. "I just didn't think you'd be up. . ."
"Bobby rises with the damn sun," Jack mumbled, hiding his face from said mentioned sun.
"How long have you been up?" she whispered.
"Who knows?" he shrugged. "You sleep all right?"
"Actually, yeah," she sighed, really not wanting to move yet.
It was a little weird at first, being snuggled in between both men, but soon she only felt safe. Her eyes felt heavy, she wanted to drift off again, but she put up a fight.
"Go back to sleep, sweetie," Bobby murmured. "I ain't goin' nowhere. . ."
"Can't sleep all day," she argued, slowly losing the battle with her eyes.
"You won't," he chuckled as she moved and used his chest as a pillow. "But if you're tired still, get some more sleep. . .I'll stay right here and wake you up in a few hours. . ."
She nodded, listening to the steady drum of his heart, and felt his arm curl around her shoulders. Jack growled loudly and protectively, his own arm tightening on her middle and they laughed a little.
"Damn, baby girl," Bobby snickered. "He's quite the guard cat. . ."
She smiled, feeling Bobby carefully remove his arm that earned him a growl from his little brother, and let his right arm sit on his chest, hand resting on her shoulder. Jack relaxed a little, still sleeping, and she was quick to join him.
"Jack, cut it out," she mumbled, hours later, moving away from the hand touching her face.
"Not Jack, sweetheart. . .it's Bobby," he chuckled. "Fairy's in the shower. . .Time to get up."
She growled at him, but started to slowly get herself woken up. Bobby didn't look like he'd moved since earlier that morning, she was still snuggled into his chest, and he was smirking at her when she turned to face him. She covered a yawn, stretching a little, and he laughed.
"Morning, sunshine," he grinned.
"Mornin', Bobby," she murmured. "What time is it?"
"Bout ten thirty, I think. . ."
"Mmm. . ." she rubbed sleep from her eyes.
"Jack forgot I was in here," he chuckled.
"Oh god," she smirked. "What'd he do?"
"Bout tore my head off when he saw you using me as a pillow," he smiled. "I don't know who he thought I was, but he wasn't a happy camper. . ."
"Jesus, will you leave it alone?" Jack came in and snapped Bobby with his towel. "You try waking up with your girlfriend all snuggled up to someone else. . ."
"You done in the shower so I can go grab one?" he laughed.
"All yours," Jack said, drying his hair.
Bobby slipped off to his shower, Jack waited until he was out of sight and then crawled over to Lock.
"Now I can finally get my morning started," he grinned down at her. "Mornin', beautiful."
"Mornin', Jackie boy," she smirked.
His mouth was immediately on hers, stifling the surprised squeak that came from her, and he took advantage of her slightly parted lips, slowly venturing in. He let one warm hand slip under the edge of her shirt, tickling her side gently, and she quickly buried one hand in his wet hair, letting her other hand mirror his on his own muscled side.
"I think," he said, pulling back for a breath, "that maybe. . .I've got to teach you some new stuff. . .You've mastered everything I've shown you so far. . ."
"Don't say 'teach'. . .please. . ." she murmured. "Bad word choice. . ."
"Sorry. . .how's 'show'?" he whispered.
"Just fine," she smiled forgivingly, stealing another kiss.
He eventually broke the kiss and collapsed next to her, rolling to his back. Hazel eyes twinkled at her, he stretched and laced his hands behind his head.
"Hey, ya know, I was an excellent guard kitty last night," he said, glancing to his tummy. "Reward?"
"Dork," she smirked, rubbing his tummy.
He hummed, stretching out of reflex, and his pajama pants slid down a little on his hips. She ignored it, looking at his toned stomach, but eventually her curiosity got the best of her and she snuck a peek. The pants hadn't moved that far down his slender hips, she didn't see anything bad, but she did see two things on his hips and smiled.
"Bats," she said aloud.
"What about them?" he purred.
"Just admiring yours," she snickered. "Thought you said I'd never get to see them. . ."
"Shit!" he blushed, quickly fixing his pants. "Dammit, I need new pajama pants. . .Sorry about that, Lock."
"Only saw the tatts," she assured him. "Don't freak out."
"So. . ." he said shyly. "What do you think of 'em?"
"Must have hurt like hell," she snickered. "But they're pretty cool. . ."
"Oh, they hurt," he smiled. "But they're proving their worth. . ."
"Keep your bats in your pants, Jack," she said seriously.
"Planned on it, beautiful. . .Believe me," he was just as serious. "I'm just glad that they're liked. . ."
"New subject. . ." she pleaded.
"Want breakfast?"
"Yeah. . ." she looked at him with that cute curious look he loved.
"How do. . .chocolate chip pancakes sound to you?" he grinned.
"To fucking die for," she laughed, kissing him gently.
"Well, let's get down there and make some," he laughed, guiding her out of bed and downstairs.
Yep, that's right. . .I've brought the evil villains back! Get ready for more of their bullshit! Told you a twist was coming up! And as for Lock and Jackie's relationship. . .I'm working on it slowly but surely, you must remember what she's been through and understand that she's a lot nervous about some stuff. . .but she's certainly getting more relaxed with most of the stuff. . .love reviews! Thanks to all my faithful reviewers!