Michael gently took Jade's hand and she couldn't stop the smile. She'd told him she loved this at a time she still feared he might kill her and now as her husband, he did it every time he led her somewhere and even when they were just sitting together. He led her up the stairs and in to their room. They removed their clothes and slipped in to bed, Michael immediately gently drawing her to him. Jade looked at her watch. It was 2AM. She was now very glad she'd also booked that day off, but the next day she was back to work.
"Michael," she just managed to whisper his name as tears of adoration hit her cheeks. Next second, it was her who was kissing him like never before, taking control for the very first time. Just months ago, even attempting this would've got her killed. Jade moved on top of her husband, their lips moving in the sensual dance she knew so well with him. As Jade led her husband through the dance of love and began to make love to him for the first time since they'd met, Michael's only response was to dim the lights and hold her tightly to him, kissing her back. That night, control was hers.
Afterwards, she remained on top of him not wanting to move and he made no attempt to push her back. She reached to her bedside table for her sleeping pills and water glass, but as she lifted them, she felt Michael's gentle hand on hers.
Hey, I'm here. Do you fear flashbacks tonight?
Without realising it she was touching the scar across her face. "Yeah, I don't know why, but I can't stop thinking about it. I don't want to wake you if…"
Michael gently pulled her hand away from the scar, then kissed her.
Don't use pills to hide from me, or try to hide your scar. If you scream, so be it. That's what I'm here for. All that scar shows are that Alice is correct. You are a fighter and brave.
Jade couldn't believe it. Was this really Michael Myers? "Thank you," she just managed to whisper over the lump in her throat. "But I will take them tonight purely because I have work to get back to tomorrow and…"
Michael stopped her with a single nod and a tender kiss.
Jade swallowed 2 of the pills and within minutes, she was fast asleep in her husband's arms.
…
Steve stood in the dark kitchen; his eyes fixed on the knife in his hand. What the hell had happened to him? While quick to anger if anyone hurt his family in any way, he wasn't a violent man. Given his close brush with death 6 years previously at the hands of a killer, he'd vowed he would never be violent himself. So what the hell had happened to him? Ok, so Scott had been harassing Jade for his own motives and Steve had been furious with him. He'd given the man multiple warnings to stop and he hadn't. But still… Steve was sure he normally would've called Scott to a pub or somewhere neutral, just the two of them and would've warned him quite clearly to stop, or he would go to the police. Violence would not have even crossed his mind at the first time of asking. He'd have to be seriously pushed for it. If the police weren't acting, or Scott continued after being formally warned by the law.
So what the fuck had happened to him when he'd told Scott to meet him and almost stabbed his shoulder with the knife he was now holding. Twice, in fact. That wasn't him. Not at all. Yet, it'd happened. When he'd knelt beside Scott, his mind had been blank with anger. Had he intended to kill him? The irony that it'd been Michael Myers who'd stopped him from whatever he'd been about to do didn't escape Steve. The man who'd almost killed him 6 years ago had stopped him from committing cold-blooded murder, Myers's middle name.
Steve let out a long breath, leaning against the counter. "Shit," he whispered, desperately trying to get a grip. He knew he wouldn't sleep for a while. Whether he liked it or not he'd almost killed a man. Granted a man he hated, but still a human life. Even without taking this in to account, he'd actually tried to stab the man to the shoulder, not once but twice. The fact he'd missed both times was nothing more than pure luck, just as it had been when he'd almost died himself.
He glanced at his watch. It was 5AM. He'd lain next to Alice, unable to sleep, as his feelings of self-hatred, guilt and yet anger rushed through his mind. In the end, he'd had to rise, for fear of waking her and her seeing his face. She could read him like a book. She'd always been able to do this since they'd first met 22 years ago. They'd married at 18 and Steve was now 40. He'd been 34 when Myers had almost killed him, Nick and Jenna had been 13 and 16 respectively.
Had Myers's killing force possessed Steve, if only briefly? If Myers hadn't pushed him back, would he have killed Scott? He didn't want to think about the answer to that, but had to. It deeply disturbed him. He wasn't a killer. And yet…
Steve found himself blinking back tears. What the hell had he almost done? He needed to talk to someone, someone he could trust, who wasn't in his family. He didn't have to think too long about who it would be. Not his therapist.
Pulling out his phone, he hit the contact he'd taken from someone else's with permission from the number's owner. It started to ring and Steve's heart picked up speed. Would they talk to him? Listen? Who better than this person? He'd pay them for it. It seemed like a lifetime before his call was answered.
…
Morning came before I knew it. I stirred and the first thing I felt were Michael's arms holding me tightly. I gave him a sleepy smile as we kissed and I forced my eyes open. Emma, Nick and Nathan would be here at 2 that afternoon, giving us all a chance to get some sleep and those who were leaving to pack.
"Morning darling," I smiled at him. He kissed me again in response.
We headed downstairs, where upon dad told us that he was staying with Jenna and Craig for a few hours longer, Alice was getting a lift back with Tara and Stuart, and he'd drive home when he was done. Said he had to help Craig with something for his mechanics exam. But I did notice as he said this, he didn't meet our eyes. Was he lying? If so, why? But none of us pushed him further. It was his business.
Nathan, Nick and Emma arrived bang on two and as we'd all suspected, Nathan ran straight to his Uncle Michael and we could tell he was begging for another hug. Silently, Michael obliged, as the rest of us watched, smiling. Emma insisted on helping mum, Tara and Jenna with lunch. I tried, but mum glared at me and told me to stay sitting where I was. Craig, Dominic, Stuart, Lance and dad sat in the living room, talking football over a beer. Dad looked pale and I was sure the others had noticed but again, we didn't push him. If I did, I was sure he'd just say he was tired or something. He hadn't been himself for a while and I was worried about him, but dad wasn't the type of man to admit when he was suffering, which irritated all of us. Him and his male pride.
After a few seconds, the killer carried Nathan to the home office and we could hear him talking fast and excitedly to his uncle. Emma smiled again, knowing of course Michael wouldn't answer, but it didn't seem to be deterring Nathan from talking 19 to the dozen.
"I still can't get my head around this," Nick said quietly, heading to the living room door. Our son is currently in the arms of a killer, talking to him and yet, I trust him. I'm going to take a wild guess here and say I think Michael loves him."
"Like I said last night," Jenna nodded. "God help anyone who ever tries to hurt him."
When Emma stuck her head around the office door, she came back with tears in her eyes. "They're communicating with pictures," she said quietly. "It's so sweet…"
"No way!" Jenna stood and we all followed. None of us could help ourselves. Watching from the doorway, we saw Nathan raise a piece of paper towards his uncle. It appeared to be a person. We looked closer and I had to cover my mouth to stop the tears, as did Emma, Tara and Jenna.
Because Nathan had tried to draw his mother.
"She's the best mummy ever," Nathan said seriously and now Emma did have to stifle a sob. "As is my daddy. He helps sick people."
We watched as Michael took the paper and pencil and saw Nathan's little face break in a smile as he looked at the result. Now, we all did shed tears, as we heard Nathan's next words.
"Uncle Michael!" He giggled. "You've drawn me! But I've got bigger muscles than that!" A few seconds later, we heard him giggle again. "That's better, big strong Nathan, that's me!"
We then heard Nathan start to tell Michael how excited he was to be starting "big school" in a couple of years and all the friends he wanted to make, and already had at pre-school. He talked about his best friend Daniel, who'd also just turned three. Nathan had gone to his birthday party.
Before long, lunch was ready. Mum had made the roast dinner she was famous for. Even before they'd adopted me, I'd loved to come around for Mrs. Henderson's roast chicken. It was the highlight of my weeks when my birth mother Julie allowed me to go, which wasn't often.
"Thanks Alice," Stuart smiled, sitting back in his chair. "That was gorgeous."
We all nodded fervently. I was sure even Michael did.
After a desert of also homemade rice pudding, Lance glanced at his brothers. The twins nodded and Lance turned to the killer.
"Michael," he looked a little embarrassed but continued. Dom, Stuart, Tara and I talked yesterday and we wanted to do this to thank you for helping us all out at one time or another since we've met you. I think you know what we're talking about."
I knew about Stuart, but Dom and Lance? I didn't ask though, not in front of Nathan. As if on cue, our nephew reached under his chair, pulling out a small box, handing it to Lance.
"Thanks kiddo," Lance smiled at his nephew. "So, Michael, we all joined together and got one of these for you. Give it a go."
He opened the box, producing a brand new pocket electronic notepad. I knew they were damn expensive, as they were new on the market. Jenna, mum and Tara looked at it blankly, but Nick said quietly, "wo."
"It's called an Electro pad," Stuart said. "They're not long out. Basically," he took it from Lance, removing the tag to activate the batteries, before pressing the power button. A green light came on. Stuart turned it so the killer could see it.
"So right now Michael, blank screen. There's your keyboard at the bottom, so…" Lance reached forward and typed on the on screen keyboard. The message "hi" appeared on the screen.
"So that stays there," Dom said, "until you either clear it, that green button with the cross on it, or save it. The blue button with the notebook. If you use a message a lot, you can save it so you don't have to write it again. There's a 16GB SD card in there, that's like having unlimited paper. You'll never fill that up given how small text is. Power button is the red one. This button here, the purple one with the speech bubble?" Dom pressed it and a male human sounding voice spoke from the device. "Hi."
I was impressed. How much had this cost them?
"That can be your voice if you wish it or if someone can't read your screen," Lance said. "That's mostly what the batteries are for, as writing hardly takes any power, plus this," he turned on a small light. "If you need to write and it's dark. When power's running low, that light which is now green will turn red. 2AA batteries, easy to get hold of, but you shouldn't need new ones for ages. Depends how much you use the voice or light features."
"Here," Dom reached in to the box, pulling out a pocket sized leather case which also had a belt clip on the back, a plug to use it on mains power and the instruction manual.
Lance slipped the device in to its case, clipped it shut with the magnetic closure, then leant forward, handing it to the killer. I was sure Michael looked surprised as he looked at the Lawsons and was that a slight smile on his lips? As if he'd been doing it for years, he hit the clear button, then typed on the screen, before raising it.
You didn't have to, but I thank you very much.
"No more need for pens," Tara smiled. Michael smiled back at her; I was sure of it. "Well, unless you're drawing," she grinned at Nathan, who grinned back. "In which case…" She handed Michael a box of paper and 2 expensive looking pens. "There. Covered from all angles."
Stuart handed Michael the box with the accessories in it. Michael raised his digital pad a second time.
You do know it's not my birthday yet, right?
All of us laughed. "Hey man," Stuart grinned at the killer. "That's 10 years of presents right there!"
Before I knew it, mum, Tara, Stuart, Dom and Lance were getting ready to leave, as were Emma and Nick to their own house.
"Uncle Michael," Nathan looked pleadingly at Michael. "Will you carry me out again please?"
Normally, Emma or Nick would've told Nathan he could walk himself now, but this time they just smiled. Michael stood and gently lifted Nathan in to his arms. Nathan looked back. "Auntie Jade, please will you come to?" Surprised but touched, I stood too and followed them. When we got there, Nathan asked me to strap him in. I stepped forward and immediately began to do so.
"Auntie J," Nathan whispered in my ear as I leant over his car seat, doing up his various belts and buckles. "Why doesn't Uncle Michael ever speak?"
Whew. I wasn't sure how I'd answer that one to an adult, let alone a child. Nathan was very intelligent for his age, but he was only three. I racked my brains. What to say. Pointlessly, I found myself looking at my husband, as if he might give me an answer, I could give Nathan, even though he hadn't even heard the question.
"Uncle Michael just prefers silence," I whispered to Nathan. "He prefers to write as opposed to speak. He's a very quiet man." Also deadly, I didn't add.
"But you speak, I speak, everyone else speaks…"
"True," I agreed. Damn Nathan was too clever by far. "But sometimes, people prefer to live their lives in silence. Uncle Michael just prefers not to speak. Some people are like that." Especially if they've come from a mental hospital and are a masked killer, I thought.
Nathan looked at Michael, who stepped towards him. Nathan whispered to me handing me a piece of paper and a pencil, asking me to write words which almost broke my heart. Everyone else stepped out just as Nathan held them up so Michael could see them. As a result, we all did.
Love you Uncle Michael.
I was sure even dad had a tear in his eye. "I told you," Nick said quietly and even his voice was choked.
A little while later, everyone left and Craig, Jenna, dad, Michael and I re-entered the house. "When are your house views Jade?" Jenna asked as we sat drinking tea.
"Um I think the estate agent said the first was 4, second 04:30, I just hope I don't have to negotiate my price too much."
"Why would you?" Craig asked. "If they try to haggle too much, just say no."
"Yeah," dad agreed. "It's your house don't forget."
"Michael," my husband turned to me. He was gently holding my hand, even as we just sat here. "What are you going to do with yours? Are you wanting us to go back there?"
Not at this time, if Craig and Jenna are willing to continue allowing us to stay here.
Craig and Jenna both nodded and smiled. "Of course, as long as you like," they said together.
"Thanks. Fair enough, I nodded. "Just leave it for now?"
Yes.
"You'll have to do something with it eventually though," Steve said. "But leaving it is a good idea for now Michael. The price will rise and give it a few years and you could get a lot of money for it."
For the house of a killer? The house where he killed his 17 year old sister at the age of six? I met dad's eyes as I thought this and could tell he knew what I was thinking. He looked back at Michael.
"Even given its…" Dad hesitated. "History, someone will want to buy it, wait and get as much as you can I would."
About an hour later, the doorbell rang. Dad got up quickly from his chair. "I'll get it," he said. Craig looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He followed dad towards the door.
