Post – "Bait"
Disclaimer – Hank et al own the characters and Jack's crappy marriage
This is a WIP. I've started a second chapter but can't decide if it's going anywhere.
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"I don't want to be married to you anymore." Jack knew those words would come someday. He had expected Maria to say them last year, during the separation. There were even days that he wanted her to say them. He had certainly considered saying them himself a few times. But he thought things had changed, improved. Of course they were not in love the way they had once been. Who was, after so many years?
Or was that the problem? Had this lack of love become such a normal part of the Malone marriage that he no longer could see the damage it was doing to them both?
He could not look at her. "What are you going to tell the girls?"
"I don't know." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maria wipe new tears from her eyes. "If you had refused to come with us, it would have been so easy to make you into the bad guy. They would have thought Dad didn't want to be with them. But now..." She trailed off.
"Now you get to be the bad guy," Jack spat out the words and turned to catch Maria's eye.
She winced, then looked away. "Let's talk about this more in the morning. I'm going to bed." She stood up, but did not move towards the bedroom.
Half of him wanted to shake her and yell that she always did this, running away when conversations became difficult. The other half knew she was right this time. They were both too wound up to have a reasonable conversation. Shouting would wake up the girls, and they deserved a night of good sleep before dealing with the nightmares tomorrow's news would bring. "Fine. 'Night."
Maria hesitated another moment. "I'll bring you a pillow-"
"No, I'm going back to the office." He did not want one of the girls waking up and finding him asleep on the couch.
"Okay. Jack? I really am sorry."
After Maria had closed the door to the bedroom, Jack continued to sit on the couch for a few minutes. The anger and hurt were quickly being replaced with numbness. He looked at the mantel, where a small photo from their wedding had always sat. Maria, with longer hair and a serene smile. Jack, grinning and appearing slightly terrified. Even during the separation, Maria had not removed it from the shelf. He remembered packing it with the others just this morning. What would happen to it now? Did people argue for custody of important photographs? Jack shook his head to clear those thoughts. He needed to get out of the apartment.
He decided to check on the girls before leaving, to be sure they had not wakened and overheard any of the conversation. He slowly pushed their door opened. Neither girl stirred. He kissed them each on the cheek, first Kate, then Hanna. The older one smiled in her sleep. "I love you, sweetheart," he whispered.
Disclaimer – Hank et al own the characters and Jack's crappy marriage
This is a WIP. I've started a second chapter but can't decide if it's going anywhere.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
"I don't want to be married to you anymore." Jack knew those words would come someday. He had expected Maria to say them last year, during the separation. There were even days that he wanted her to say them. He had certainly considered saying them himself a few times. But he thought things had changed, improved. Of course they were not in love the way they had once been. Who was, after so many years?
Or was that the problem? Had this lack of love become such a normal part of the Malone marriage that he no longer could see the damage it was doing to them both?
He could not look at her. "What are you going to tell the girls?"
"I don't know." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maria wipe new tears from her eyes. "If you had refused to come with us, it would have been so easy to make you into the bad guy. They would have thought Dad didn't want to be with them. But now..." She trailed off.
"Now you get to be the bad guy," Jack spat out the words and turned to catch Maria's eye.
She winced, then looked away. "Let's talk about this more in the morning. I'm going to bed." She stood up, but did not move towards the bedroom.
Half of him wanted to shake her and yell that she always did this, running away when conversations became difficult. The other half knew she was right this time. They were both too wound up to have a reasonable conversation. Shouting would wake up the girls, and they deserved a night of good sleep before dealing with the nightmares tomorrow's news would bring. "Fine. 'Night."
Maria hesitated another moment. "I'll bring you a pillow-"
"No, I'm going back to the office." He did not want one of the girls waking up and finding him asleep on the couch.
"Okay. Jack? I really am sorry."
After Maria had closed the door to the bedroom, Jack continued to sit on the couch for a few minutes. The anger and hurt were quickly being replaced with numbness. He looked at the mantel, where a small photo from their wedding had always sat. Maria, with longer hair and a serene smile. Jack, grinning and appearing slightly terrified. Even during the separation, Maria had not removed it from the shelf. He remembered packing it with the others just this morning. What would happen to it now? Did people argue for custody of important photographs? Jack shook his head to clear those thoughts. He needed to get out of the apartment.
He decided to check on the girls before leaving, to be sure they had not wakened and overheard any of the conversation. He slowly pushed their door opened. Neither girl stirred. He kissed them each on the cheek, first Kate, then Hanna. The older one smiled in her sleep. "I love you, sweetheart," he whispered.