Jack tore up the plank from his bedroom floor and pulled out the sack of money. Only forty-three hundred speciedalers, but he would have to make it work; they were all that could save them now. He made sure that every last skilling was there before he grabbed an empty trunk, threw whatever clothes he could find into it along with the money, and then dragged it into the twins' bedroom.

"Listen, put everything you can fit in there. Clothes, blankets, everything we need."

Jamie and Mary's heads were still spinning, not even able to process what was happening. Mary innocently asked, "And our pillows?"

"Whatever we need! Just hurry!" Jack's voice was frantic and he cut her off.

"Where are we going?" Jamie asked in an equal panic.

"I don't know!" Jack answered, unable to think of any sort of lie that would comfort them. He ran upstairs to the beast's lair, pulled apart the drawers, ransacked the entire room to try and find something left of his mother's he could sell. Maybe even some of his father's belongings—at this point, he didn't care. He took a few of his coats; they'd be needing them.

Jack stormed back down the stairs, tossing the coats into the twins' room before grabbing the lantern and running outside.

"Where are you going?" Mary demanded, her head so full of questions, her heart thwacking a mile a minute while Jamie feverishly packed, stuffing everything tightly into the trunk.

Savage with fear, Jack ran out to the chicken coop and grabbed a few eggs. In his delirium, all he could think was that he'd have to feed the kids something while they were homeless. He didn't stop to ponder how he'd even be able to cook them. He wrapped the eggs neatly into a blanket and put it into a satchel, along with matches he would need for his lantern.

He wasn't even outside for five minutes when he returned inside and saw that the house had come to a standstill.

The beast. His hand was still bleeding, only wrapped in the torn fabric of his shirt. He stood between Jackson and the children, who were cowering in the bedroom.

Jack felt like a fool; he should've known he would watch to see if he'd try to take the kids. All he could think was thank God he hadn't tried to signal Elsa. All Edvard had needed to see was the trunk full of things.

"So there it is." He grumbled. "You'll try to take these children from me just like your mother did." Jack didn't budge, for it was too late to back down now. "Give me one good reason why you'd even think that they'd be better off with you."

Jack, letting all the hate and rage he'd wanted to show his father out, said, "Because you're not fit to even look at them." All of that pain, that venom, it was seeping through the words he let loose from his tongue. The beast was so taken aback that not even he had an instant retort. Jack held his ground and took a step closer—for once, he was in charge. "You're barking mad. I know what you did to my mother." Jack's eyes were violent with fury and Jamie and Mary nervously looked at each other when he mentioned their mother. "You're a monster that's never known how to feel. You piece of shit!"

The beast raised his hand to slap him and Jack didn't even flinch. A slap was nothing now; he was made of steel. But the beast knew now what his true weakness was. How to get him to obey. It had worked on his mother for years, he would do so again. He turned around and reached for the twins. The twins screamed and fought to keep his large, grisly hands away.

Jack, wild with protective love, tried to break them apart, but the beast bucked his head right into Jack's jaw; he bit down on his lip so hard he could taste blood. Suddenly, he remembered. Jack fled out of the room.

Jamie and Mary were beside themselves now with their brother gone. The twins were backed up to the wall, they swore they heard the noise of something breaking upstairs, but they'd have no time to wonder what. As the beast grabbed Mary's shoulders, Jamie ready to ensure that he chewed his fingers off for ever touching his sister, everything stopped.

Edvard felt something cold against the back of his skull.

"Let them go." Jack said calmly.

...

Jack had the pistol tight in his hand. He struggled to keep his trembling body steady as he held it to his father's head, attempting to keep his charade of authority going.

"Think carefully about what—"

"—I said let them go!" Jack raised his voice and pressed the barrel of the weapon harder against his head. "We both know I know how to use it... You're the one who taught me." He cocked the hammer to remind him. Jack even remembered how fucking heavy the trigger pull was and Edvard yelling at him until he at last fired it after struggling. He'd taught Jack everything, even how to reload. "Stand up slowly and step away from them." He ordered. It'd be a lie to say it didn't feel good to see the beast obey him. Jack made sure the barrel was always touching his head as he moved backward. "Jamie, Mary, get your shoes on and wait for me outside."

Jamie struggled to get to his feet. How did it all come to this? His eyes wouldn't leave the sight of his brother holding their own father hostage. But it was to protect them. Mary's emotions were all over the place, but even she still knew how to follow simple instructions and shook Jamie back into reality to get him out of the house.

Jack didn't take his eyes off of his father, stiff knowing a firearm was aimed right at his head, but more annoyed than anything. They heard the front door open but not close. The twins only walked far enough so they could still hear Jack if something happened. It would be easy now; all Jack had to do was take the trunk and walk out of there. He could leave the beast knowing he'd finally lost. It still wasn't as satisfying as Jack had imagined it would be... Something lingered in his mind and Jack couldn't leave right away.

His arm was getting heavier by the second, but Jack pressed the gun against the beast's head again and whispered, voice strained with hurt, "I want you to tell me what happened."

Jack didn't need to explain what he meant. Edvard sighed, bizarrely, not angry. "I didn't mean to kill her." So, there laid the truth, finally spilling out of the monster's maw. Edvard, slowly as to not make Jack do anything stupid, turned and faced him. Even now it disturbed Jack to see no fear in his eyes. No guilt. Nothing. Stalemate. "When you went back to your room, she marched upstairs and grabbed a suitcase." His eyes grazed the trunk on the floor, "That one right there. She said she was going to take you away, the three of you. On and on with the fighting, the yelling. I tried to talk her out of it, but she was hysterical. When I tried to hold her, she started shoving at me, scratching. I pushed her down onto the bed and held her down to get her to stop... I didn't realize she was face-down on the pillow." Jack swallowed, blinking back tears. "So when she stopped moving, I thought it was because she was calm... Then I realized what I'd done."

"You threw her body in the fjord." Jack finished. The beast, for the first time in his life, went pale. "She'd said that the water looked so peaceful... That when she died, she didn't want to be buried. She wanted to be burned and have her ashes scattered in the water." Jack nodded, certain that this was the truth. "That's what you did. You made me stand there and count while you got rid of her. You threw her in there like trash."

"It was my last act of kindness."

Jack's stomach turned and, with a beastly snarl, reminded him who was holding the gun. Kindness? He should fire a warning shot just for mocking her. He didn't want to fire the gun at all—Jamie and Mary had seen enough violence and terror for tonight. He felt his pulse beating in his throat as he said, "You're a lousy father. I'm not even sure how I can call you that." He picked up the handle of the trunk which was so heavy, he almost couldn't lift it. He gave Edvard Overland one last look, "You're never gonna see us again." Jack took a step to the doorway, but whispered, "First, turn around... Don't move... And count to two-hundred."

He waited for him to listen, but all Edvard saw was a stupid little boy who was overly eager to take his siblings away. He did no such thing. "You won't last a week out there. You'll come crawling back... I told the wench that years ago. I should've let her go so she could sell her cunt like the whore she was."

Rage filled Jack and he let it have its way for the first time.

Jack shot him in the chest. It startled the beast more than anything, and all he could manage was a stunned stare. Underneath his lowered eyelids... He looked almost proud. Jack fired again, bullets finding their way to its lifeless heart and cardboard bones. He went down the second time, pressing his hand against the gaping wounds in his body. Blood covered the floors his siblings once played on. Jack was fighting for air as he lowered the weapon and looked at the mess he'd made. Horror filled Jack's eyes, but the beast glanced up at him, somehow looking more alive than ever.

"What do you know? You are a man."

Jack stumbled backward until he was out of the room and Edvard was dead before he reached the front door. He almost forgot he was carrying the pistol in his hands when he made it to the porch.

"Jack?" Mary's small voice brought him back to earth and he saw them shivering close to the fence. Before he joined them, he hurried to the ledge and launched the pistol as far as his remaining strength would allow it. It went flying, then falling, and then it made a soft splash as it found its new home in the fjord.

His hands were ice-cold.