Well here it is. The final of the fight to destroy D.P.K.T.I once and for all. We'll see how they manage to stop Stephanie, and what becomes of her. Plus, we'll get some development from Blake and where he stands with this. There will be two more chapters after this, which will be recovery chapters. And the final chapter will have one more time skip. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.
Chapter 38: Standing as One Part 3
Jake looked at a door on the other side of the room. It's possible that that was Stephanie's chance of escape. And that was exactly where he was going. He gripped his sword and started towards that door.
But then Blake grabbed him for the shoulder, "Jake... are you sure you should go after her... her plans already fell a part. We won and she lost. Maybe we should let this one go."
Jake looked at his rival with an incredulous look, "And let her cause more pain and suffering?! Blake, just because we tore apart her plan, it doesn't mean we've won just yet. Stephanie could just build her empire all over again. She needs to be caught and pay for her crimes."
"I know... but... go easy on her. She is my sister-"
"I don't CARE if she's your sister. She made us all SUFFER all these years! It's only fair that she suffers. Don't you think that she's gone a little overboard?"
Blake just stared at him. As much as he agreed with Jake... he didn't agree that Stephanie should suffer... at least not too much. This was his little sister... and even after everything she's done... he still cared about her.
As for Jake, he glared, "Well, Blake... don't you think Stephanie needs to be punished... or because since you're her brother... she should be given another chance...?"
"Look, I get what you're saying, but-"
"But what, Blake?! What?! We should all forgive her and just forget all the pain and evil she and all the other bastards have caused? News flash, Blake. It doesn't work that way. Actions come with consequences! By now, I figured you would get that through your thick head. I guess when you're evil for most of your life, it doesn't change the way you see things-"
PUNCH!
Suddenly, Jake found himself on the ground. He rubbed his cheek and looked up at Blake, who was breathing heavily, "Shut up, Jake!" He growled, "I love Stephanie, and I would rather her get help, than spend the rest of her life rotting in jail! Look, I agree that she should have consequences... but I don't want them to be to severe... I just want to help her..."
He was hoping his rival would get what he was saying, but Jake just sighed, "That's up to the judge to decide, Blake, not me... and even if Stephanie gets help, it won't change what she did... you understand...?"
Blake nodded, "Right... but for now, let's just find her... I'll go with you."
"We'll all go..." Tori spoke up.
Jake shook his head, "It'll be too dangerous for all of us to do this... it's best that you all stay here where it's safe." He told everyone, "Blake and I will go, but if we need back up, then we'll call you..."
Tori frowned, "Jake... you do realize that it's you and me she's wants. She's captured everyone, but us two... we're her main targets. That must be why she ran off... to lure us into some sort of trap. But... I'm not afraid this time. I want to face her head on."
"But Tori... you're ol- not as young as you used to be... you could die easily..."
"Hey, if I do die... then it'll be worth it if she's taken care of..."
One of the things Jake loved about Tori, was her determination. She would never stop until she accomplished something. And boy, has she accomplished a lot in her life. And now she was willing to die just to stop Stephanie...
After a few moments, Jake smiled, "Alright... you all can come..."
"But... Kiara..." Skylar looked down at her sleeping daughter. "We can't leave her alone."
"I'll stay with her." Brandon offered, taking the child in his arms, "It's best that someone stays behind to look after the bad guys." He quickly added when looking over at Lizzy.
Well, that was taken care of...
"Alright then..." Jake said, "Yo ho, let's go!"
With that, they had set off through the door. It was a dark hallway, and there was no telling where or how long Stephanie has been gone, but where ever she is... she's waiting for all of them.
As they walked, Blake looked down at his gun at his belt. He realized that all this time, he hadn't used it, not like he had wanted. He honestly forgot that he had it. But... he hoped that he wouldn't have to use it when confronting his sister.
The last thing he wanted was to make the same mistake he made years ago...
He felt Ally's hand taking hold of his own. He looked at his wife, who smiled, as if she had an idea on what he was thinking about. All Blake could do was smile back and kiss her on the forehead. He swore to protect her... and so far he was doing a good job.
Troy stood in between his mother and sister, as if to protect them both. Tori, Skylar, and Cat walked behind them, accompanied by Trina, Andre, Beck, and Jade. Peter and Skully flew above them, with Cubby walked behind Jake...
And then there was Jake leading the way, gripping his sword tightly, with a determined look on his face. He was still irritated by what Blake had said, but at the same time, he understood that the man was frightful for the well being of his sister. And as much as Jake hated to admit it... he felt as if he would be the same way...
But now... he was determined to end this once and for all...
Suddenly, they all heard faint laughter as they stopped in their tracks. It started to get louder... before Stephanie's voice came through hidden speakers.
"So... you all decide to go up against me? How sad... how pathetic..."
"Give it up, Stephanie!" Jake exclaimed, "It's over! We've taken down your entire army! You're done! That's it! So surrender and suffer for your crimes!"
Blake winced when he said 'suffer', but said nothing as Stephanie chuckled.
"You think that just because you've reign victory over my employees, that I'm going to give up that easily. You don't know me, Jake. I don't give up that easily. Not until what needs to be done... is done. And from what I can see... the only thing that needs to be done... is destroy you... and Tori..."
"But why?!" Tori asked, "What did we ever do to you?!"
"It's what you did to my brother! He had it all... until you two came along and ruined everything for that underachiever!"
At being called an underachiever, Blake growled, "Hey, you better watch who you call 'underachiever, Stephanie Marie Clark!"
There was silence...
And then Stephanie yelled out, "DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME BY MY FULL NAME! YOU'RE NOT THE FUCKING BOSS OF ME!"
"Uh, in case you forgot, I was in charge of you when..." Blake stopped and sighed, before continuing, "Mother... passed..."
"And that's another thing. Mom dying... you thought that Miss Hail was to blame for her death, when you have no idea. You KILLED Miss Hail, when for all you know, she could have been innocent! Not only that... but you blamed me for it as well! You never saw what happened in the kitchen, and neither did I! But once you saw me standing next to Mommy's dead body, you assumed that I was to blame for what happened when I. DID! NOTHING!
The tension was high for the siblings, as Ally frowned. Blake had told her about his mother and what happened... but he never mentioned anything about killing the one he suspected of murdering his mother, "Blake... is that true... did you really kill someone?"
As for Blake himself, he tried so hard to fight back tears, as he spoke, "Yes... it's true, Ally... you know about how I used to live in an orphanage right? Well, the headmistress there was a real bitch, and my mother was an employee, and she often mistreated her. She didn't like me or Stephanie... and one day when I was eight..."
"Yes... tell her, Blake. Tell her ALL about you MURDERED an innocent lady!" Stephanie sneered.
"Shut up!" Blake shot back, before turning back to his wife, "... I found... my mother... with a knife in her chest- You already knew about that. But... I suspected that Miss Hail did it because she hated us so much... so... a few months later... I took a knife and rope... and stabbed her... and... strangled her to death with the jump rope... I never told you... because... I didn't want to lose you..."
Ally didn't know what to say about this. But then again, she didn't have time, as someone jumped down in front of them. It was Stephanie, looking more crazed than ever, "That's right, Allyson... your husband is a murderer. But there's something that I know about Mommy that he doesn't..."
Blake glared at his sister, "What? What don't I know...?"
"I was helping Mommy in the kitchen... do you remember when you found her... a stool was knocked over...?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, Mommy was standing on it reaching for something... and even though I didn't see it... I suspected that she fell over... because a knife on the stove lodged itself into her chest... meaning the whole thing... was an accident... it took me a while to realize it, but I didn't tell you... because you were so stubborn that you wouldn't believe me..."
Blake had to let all of that sink in. The more he thought about it... the more he realized... it all made sense... he knew that his mother was cooking in the kitchen the day it happened... and he heard something about her cutting vegetables..
What if she did fall?
What if the knife did drop and plunged into her chest...?
What if... he did kill Miss Hail... for no reason?
Blake felt tears falling... and he didn't care, "Oh god... oh god... what have I done? All this time... I thought I was getting revenge on someone... but... I ended up killing an innocent person! I am SO FUCKED UP!"
He fell on his knees, pounding the floor beneath him. Everyone around him just stared, not sure what to make of this new information, Jake especially. Ever since he heard this story... he knew where Blake's evil roots came from... but now... it seems like he became evil... because of a misunderstanding.
But as for Stephanie, she smirked, "So there you have it folks! My brother became evil after murdering an innocent old lady. All because he thought she killed our mother!" She announced, "And to think this could have all been avoided. You all wouldn't have had to deal with him... and I wouldn't have had to endure the pain, abuse, and SUFFERING he put me through all these years! That's another reason I did this, Blake! To get back at you..."
All Ally could do was hug her husband while he was having his fit, "Blake... honey... please calm down..." She said.
"I KILLED SOMEONE! I FUCKING KILLED SOMEONE WHO HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH MY MOTHER'S DEATH!" He screamed, wailing loudly, "I THOUGHT I WAS DOING GOOD BY AVENGING HER DEATH! BUT NO! SHE WOULD BE ASHAMED OF ME! I I'VE FAILED YOU, MOTHER! I'VE LET YOU DOWN! I DON'T DESERVE TO BE YOUR SON!
Never has anyone ever seen Blake so distraught... not even Jake. Rage was all Blake ever had... but now... he was experiencing something that was rare for him... heartbreak, remorse, and shame.
"So... what do you have to say for yourself now, Blake?" Stephanie asked smugly.
Jake was half expected him to agree with his sister... but what happened next was something he didn't expect.
Blake stood up... faced Stephanie... and slapped her across the face, shocking everyone, even Stephanie herself.
"Oh, I have a lot of things to say for myself..." He said, scowling. "I know I fucked up... I know I messed up... I know I made a lot of mistakes in my life... and I know I could have never have been a problem for anyone if only I had realized what really happened that day. All my young life, I've been ridiculed, bullied, and abused. I've always been bossed around, and all I ever wanted... was to be the boss for once. Now... anything I did wasn't worth it. But you know what? I'm NOT perfect!"
He then gestured to every one in the hallway, "None of us are! We all have flaws that define who we are. Some flaws make us unique in a way. Some flaws might bring out the worse in us, but hell, that's life. And our flaws don't always excuse our actions... I've realized that too. But... all these years I've been doing evil... when I could've have been doing so much more..."
Blake then wrapped an arm around Ally, "I'm a much better person than I used to be, Stephanie. I'm not that evil little boy anymore... I'm a grown man. I have a wife and daughter... with another baby on the way. I've given up evil... well, sort of, but you get my point. And quite frankly... I think you should give up as well, Steph. Surrender and face your consequences..."
Everyone watched and waited for Stephanie to respond. She seemed to just stand there, with an angry glare right back at her brother... but after a few moments... she started to laugh... and laugh... and laugh...
"You actually think that your little speech will work on me?!" She asked with a crazed grin, "Did you not hear me when I said... I... don't... give... up... until... what... needs... to... be... done... is... DONE!"
Suddenly, she whipped out a gun, and aimed it in a certain direction... that direction being Skylar.
"PREPARE TO DIE, BITCHES!" Stephanie screamed as she pulled the trigger.
"NO!"
Skylar expected to be hit, knowing that she couldn't dodge that bullet. She closed her eyes and waited... but it never came. In fact, she heard her mother scream. She opened her eyes to see her someone on the floor in front of her.
It was... Ally...
"Oh... my god..." Was all she could say, "Ally... did you...?"
Ally was breathing heavily as she clutched her stomach. Blake quickly ran to his wife's side and held her, "Oh, shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Ally... no..." He whispered, looking at the bleeding gun shot pierced through her pregnant belly.
"I don't understand... why...?" Skylar asked.
All Ally could do was manage a smile, "Jake took a bullet for Mom all those years ago... Mom took a bullet for him to save you... you took a bullet for me in Las Cruses... I guess I had to return the favor this time..."
"Babe... this is my fault..." Blake whimpered, hugging her tightly, "I should've sent you home. This wouldn't have happened."
"Blake... I'll be fine..."
"But you... and the baby..."
Tori had tears in her eyes, but she acted quickly to call an ambulance. As for Stephanie, she snorted, "Well, what do you know... a sister's love gets her killed... how tragic..."
At hearing her mocking words, Blake stood up with rage, "You BITCH! You hurt my wife! You're gonna pay-" He whipped around to face his sister... but she was nowhere to be found, "Where the hell did she go?"
Everyone else looked around, to see that Stephanie was gone. It was like she vanished out of thin air. Where on Earth did she go? Jake held up his sword and spoke, "Stop hiding, Stephanie! You're time is up!"
"Try and find me, Jake! Just try and you'll regret it!"
The former pirate growled as he started again down the hallway. Tori followed after him. Blake also wanted to go... but he couldn't leave his critically injured wife behind. Skylar seemed to read his mind as she said, "Go with him... I'll stay with her and wait for paramedics..."
"Oh... okay..." Blake said, standing up and following after Jake and Tori.
"Please, be safe..." Skylar whispered.
Now... this had to be the moment of truth...
Jake, Tori, and Blake started up a flight of stairs, as they continued to hear Stephanie's taunting laughter throughout the hallways. Suddenly, there was a light white through a nearby window, following by a boom of thunder.
It must be storming outside.
"Rain won't stop me! Just give up!"
"Not until you give up!" Jake shot back.
Suddenly, they were stopped by an incoming knife. "Dodge!" Jake said as they hit the floor. More knives were thrown above their heads, and they tried their best to avoid them, as Stephanie continued to laugh like a crazed person.
"Okay, that laugh is seriously getting annoying..." Tori groaned.
They then heard Stephanie... singing?
"Yo ho, mateys away..."
Jake growled... it was his crew's old song...
There be treasure and adventure today...
Heave ho... here we go...
Together as a team...
"She's mocking my crew..." Jake hissed, holding out his sword.
Jake and the Never Land Pirates...
And then there was silence...
She didn't say anything else...
Jake, Tori, and Blake listened carefully... waiting carefully... there was no telling when she would make her next move... if there's one thing Blake new about his sister, is that she could be just as sneaky as he could be... or used to be.
Tori looked around frantically, holding a weapon in her hand.
Jake... continued to grip his sword... ready for Stephanie.
"... AND MEEEEEE!"
From out of nowhere, Stephanie jumped down and, with two knives in her hands, stabbed Jake and Tori in the shoulders. Both victims gasped in pain as they fell to the floor. Blake jumped back in surprise.
"Steph! What the-"
But... she was gone again. How the hell was she disappearing so quickly?
Jake coughed, "B-Blake... you have to go after her..."
"You're her sister..." Tori added softly, "Knock some sense into her..."
Blake stared at him, "But you guys are hurt..."
"Just go! You're the only one who can stop her now..."
Blake frowned. He wasn't so sure if he could do anything to stop his sister this time. She was too clever... too smart... and too sneaky. Something he hadn't been in years, "I'm just not so sure..."
"Blake... you might have given up evil..." Jake said, coughing up blood, "But... even I have to admit that you are most clever in these situations... you can do this... do whatever you can to stop Stephanie..."
"We believe in you... son..." Tori added with smile.
The former villain was taken aback. That was the first time Tori had ever called him 'son', since he became her son in law. This is what gave him the motivation he needed, "Alright! I'll do it! And hopefully I can do it without kicking her ass."
With that, he continued down the hall.
And as for Jake and Tori...
"Jake... think you can take this knife out..." Tori asked.
The former pirate shook his head, "I doubt it... not without spilling a lot of blood... I'd hate for this to be the end of us... Stephanie was serious about executing us, wasn't she?"
"No kidding... but... if this is the end... then I've glad that we're together if we die..."
"Let's just pray for the best..."
As Jake winced from the pain in his shoulder, his red bandanna fell onto his eyes loosely... and that seemed to give him an idea, "Tori, I think I know how to get these knives out, stop the bleeding... and maybe get a little payback in the process.."
Tori then looked at him, "I'm listening..."
Meanwhile...
Blake continued up the flight of stairs, annoyed by his sister's taunts and mocks, "Steph, if you can shut up for one moment so I can think, that would be absolutely great." He groaned.
"Oh, you'll get your chance to think once you're dead."
He growled, but then sighed in relief as he finally reached a door. This had to be the door to the roof of the building. He slowly opened the door, and was immediately met with wind and rain. But he nevertheless walked into the storm, removing his gun from his belt. He only did so just in case Stephanie had any bodyguards to fight him.
He was NOT going to make the same mistake he made years ago...
"Steph... I'm not going to shoot you..." He called, "So just come out and surrender..."
He heard a giggle.. and then a voice.
"Okay... here I am!"
Before Blake could even react, he felt a harsh blow to his jaw. This caused him to fall to the ground, "What the hell...?" He said to himself as he stood up and rubbed his jaw.
"Nope, I'm right here!"
Another blow. This time it was a uppercut to his chin. Blake yelled out in pain.
"Actually, I'm here!"
A punch to the face, drawing blood from his nose.
"Or am I here?!"
A kick to the stomach, as he doubled over in pain.
"Over here, Blake!"
A punch to the chest.
"Right here!"
Finally, there was a kick to his back, causing him to fall face first into a puddle. Blake spluttered and coughed as he looked up. Standing in front of him was his sister, looking psychotic as ever.
"Surprise motherfucker..." Was all she said.
Blake slowly got up, but it was hard due to all the pain taking over his body at the moment.
Stephanie laughed like a mad woman as thunder boomed and lightening flashed. Blake stared right back at her, gripping his gun as the rain poured down on them.
"You're much more pathetic than I thought!" She cackled, "To think I even forgave you all those years ago..."
"Steph... you still have a chance to surrender and turn yourself in..." Blake told her, with a hint of pleading in his tone, "You don't have to repeat the same mistakes I made!"
The woman only smirked devilishly at her brother, "What are you waiting for, brother? Shoot me!"
"No! I can't! You're my sister!"
"That didn't stop you from doing it before!"
"That was an accident."
But Stephanie only laughed some more as she stood near the very edge of the building. One more step and she could fall off, "Go ahead! Shoot me! Pull the trigger, kill me! Isn't that what you want? To make me suffer for everything I've done..."
Blake stared at his gun, and slowly raised it, although against his will. Stephanie laughed again, "Yes! That's it! End it! End it all!"
"I... can't..."
"DO IT! SHOOT ME! FUCKING SHOOT ME!"
With a single tear sliding down his cheek, Blake pulled the trigger.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Blake watched as the bullet headed straight for his sister. He expected it to pierce her straight through the head, killing her instantly. And he couldn't bear to see it as he closed his eyes.
But what happened next caught him off guard.
He suddenly felt a stinging pain in his left leg, right below his hip. He opened his eyes and looked up. Stephanie was holding a gun and aiming it right at him... she had dodged his bullet and shot him.
"Did you really think that I would actually let you try and kill me?" She asked in a serious and dark tone, "I was only testing you to see if you actually make the same mistake you did when we were kids... and you did..."
She then began to walk towards him, still aiming the gun at him as he kneeled down to grasp his injured leg, "Stephanie... please don't... you still have a chance to redeem yourself..." Blake pleaded.
"It's too late..." She sneered, "Now you know how I felt when you shot me... only... you won't have a happy ending..."
She raised the gun up to his head, her hand on the trigger...
"Goodbye, brother..."
Blake closed his eyes shut. There was no way he could even dodge this bullet. He was screwed. Well... He thought, If me dying means that Ally and the baby get to live... then so be it...
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
A high pitched scream snapped him out of his thoughts. Blake looked up to see his sister clutching her shoulder. There was a knife lodged into it. But how...?
"How does it feel to know the pain your mother went through, Stephanie?"
Jake...?
Blake looked behind him to see Jake and Tori standing at the door, both slightly slouching, but still managing to hold their own. Blake noticed that Jake's bandanna was gone, before he realized that it was torn in half and wrapped around both his and Tori's injured shoulders.
As for Stephanie, she growled, "How the hell are you still alive?! WHY are you still alive?!" She demanded.
"There's nothing that can keep the duo of Jake and Tori down!" Tori replied, before throwing another knife at Stephanie's other shoulder.
The villainous woman screamed again, dropping her gun and backing away. Blake noticed that she was backing towards the end of the roof where she was standing before. If she backed up any further...
"You talk about how your mother would feel about Blake's evil... but have you ever thought about what she would have thought about what you've been doing?" Tori asked, "I'd say she'd be pretty disappointed and ashamed."
"Y-Y-You don't know my mother!" Stephanie sputtered, coughing up blood, "You never even met her!"
"Based on what Blake's told us about her, it seems that she's raised you both better than this..." Jake said, smirking.
"But unlike you, Blake actually learned from his mistakes..." Tori added, "You just continued his mistakes without remorse... all because you wanted revenge for things that happened in the past."
"B-B-But... he had to pay... you ALL have to PAY FOR YOUR SINS!" Stephanie was getting more and more angry.
Jake shook his head, "We all want payback for things other people did... but kidnapping, murdering, and hurting families and people is NOT the way to do that. There's one thing I've learned growing up, and that's two wrongs don't make a right..."
"If one person did you wrong..." Tori again added, "Doing something to get back at them makes you just as bad. And... we're all guilty of this. But we learn from our mistakes... and that's part of life. We make mistakes and we learn from them."
"But you, Stephanie... you continue to make mistakes because you think you're doing something that would only benefit yourself, and you dragged all of these people in because they had the same views as you."
Jake then started to walk towards Stephanie, "Now... Stephanie Clark... you're under arrest. You have one last chance to surrender now."
But Stephanie growled at him, "NO! I WON'T surrender! Not until what needs to be done IS DONE! NOT UNTIL YOU AND THAT BITCH IS DEAD! I WILL DESTROY YOU ALL! YOU HEAR ME?! I WILL-"
But before she could finish her rant, Stephanie felt herself loosing her balance. She was about to fall off the roof. The others gasped in shock as Blake out, "NOOOOO!"
But it was too late...
Stephanie had fallen, leaving behind her screams of terror.
Ignoring the pain in his leg, Blake ran the best way he could to the edge of the roof, looking down at the darkness below, "STEPHANIE!" He called, looking for any signs of his sister, "STEPHANIE! ARE YOU THERE?! STEPHANIE! PLEASE, BE OKAY!"
But there was silence aside from the rain and thunder.
"STEPHANIE!" Blake called again, tears falling.
Again, no answer.
Realizing that his sister was potentially gone... Blake broke down in uncontrollable tears. Jake and Tori joined him by his side, as Tori pulled him in a hug, "Oh Blake... I'm so sorry... at least she's with your mother... if she's not going to Hell that is..."
"I'm a terrible fuck of a brother..." He sobbed, "I should have never abused her all those years ago... then maybe she wouldn't have done all of this... I'm a shitty person..."
Jake sighed, "Maybe... I didn't want it to end this way either, Blake... but... it looks like we've won for real this time..."
He was right, as he could hear sirens in the distance. The police and ambulance were on there way. Stephanie was defeated. Her cronies were defeated and take care of.
And... Dark Pirates Killers Tortures Incorporated... was taken down... once and for all...
And there for have it! The big final fight. Everyone put up a good fight, but Stephanie falls to her death in the end... or does she? (Wink wink) We'll find out her fate in the next chapter. Now, for the longest time, I had no idea how I wanted the final fight to end. But I remembered how it's Jake and Tori that Stephanie wanted to elimate, so I figured that it was fair that they should BOTH have a victory once again. After all, this is called 'Jake & Tori Stories' for a reason.
With that said, I hope you enjoyed this little trilogy of the battle against D.P.K.T.I. I know not everyone got a chance to shine, but there are a lot of real and OC characters, and I can only work with so many. There are two more chapters coming up soon, so stay tuned for the rest of the week... or just tomorrow. Until then, I'll see you guys later, and don't forget to review, please. Thank you!