Empathy
Chapter Three
Les L'histoires (Histories)
The next morning at around 11:00 Jennifer's doorbell rang. She looked at the front door from her place on the sofa, perplexed as to who would be coming over. With a shrug of indifference she set her book aside and went to answer it, not totally prepared to see Joel standing there, with a grim, unsure smile on his face. "Hi."
His greeting seemed to frighten her all the more, as she found his voice breathtakingly beautiful. "H-hi. Um, d-did you need something?"
He seemed to study her, smiled softly to himself. He shook his head, looked up for really the first time this morning and met her gaze. "Not necessarily, but we do need to talk." He looked around her. "Is Mort there?"
She bit her lip and shook her head. "No, he'll be in L.A. for a couple of days. Does this . . . Have to do with . . ."
"Our lives as we know them." Joel joked, gestured to the entrance. "May I?"
"Of course." She stepped aside and allowed him to come in, then closed the door and followed him into the living room. "Uh, please, sit." He nodded his thanks and chose the couch, she nervously sat next to him. She tried to hide her overactive nerves by smiling. "Um, can I get you anything? Some coffee maybe?"
"That's ok. I don't know if I could keep it down." He smirked.
She laughed and nodded. "I hear you."
"Well um, why don't you go first? What's been your life?"
She sighed and shrugged, began slowly. "I was born in Haddonfield when my mom was 18, but there had already been a deal between my dad and Terrance Wynn, the mad doctor that raised me. He sold me to him for $15,000. A year later he sold my younger sister, Jamie for the same amount, and Wynn raised us at Smith's Grove Warren County Sanitarium, 140 miles from Haddonfield, well, at least until we were about four and three. Mom kidnaped us back then, took us to California for a little while, then back to Haddonfield." She paused to sniffled and wipe her nose and under her eyes.
" We lived with her until I was eight, when she faked her death. We lived with my aunt for a while, my dad's sister until Michael came for us. It took him two Halloween's to finally succeed, Loomis tried so hard to protect us. We lived in that Sanitarium until they planned to impregnate Jamie with Michael's baby, we escaped with the help of a nurse. We've lived in a lot of separate places since then, if one of us gets caught, the other won't be found and the whole Druid sacrifice of Jamie and Michael's baby would be pointless and possibly impossible. Depending on who they caught, that person wouldn't rat the other out no matter what." She sighed softly, wiped some escaped tears from her face. "I um, if anything had happened with Jamie, if she hadn't been able to have children or if she was kidnaped, killed sooner than needed, I was um, I was supposed to take her place, that's why they wanted both of us."
Joel shook his head sadly. "God, Jen."
She sniffled and shrugged passively. "It never bothered me, but I didn't want to die. I was born with the knowledge of my destiny and the ability to perform my task, I had more intelligence than most kids my age, other than others like me promised to other children of Thorn. But I knew if I tried, I could have so much more than that. I just, I just want to live a normal life."
"You will, Loomis knew that." She looked into his deep hazel eyes, her red, puffy ones tightened in a perplexed expression. "Wha-what?"
"I was born and raised in Waldorf Maryland, my mother took care of my siblings and I when my dad walked out on Christmas Eve when Benj and I were fifteen. She'd been working with Loomis for years at that point, probably 20, and she didn't give up then. She moved us to Haddonfield so we could more closely monitor you and Jamie at the Sanitarium, she took a job there as Wynn's head nurse . . ."
"Oh my God, she's the one that . . ."
"Got you out. Yeah, she knew when Jamie was to be impregnated was the perfect time. Loomis saw you guys to Haddonfield, secretly, of course. He'd made a deal with Wynn after that, you're spared as long as a loophole in the curse is completed." He watched her expression to make sure she understood, then continued. "If Michael lives, for five years, with a woman of his bloodline and of the mark of Thorn as his Druid wife, the curse will end with all of his living relatives spared. She must bear him at least two children and be totally faithful, the catch is," he swallowed nervously. "She . . . she has to fall in love with him at some point before the fourth year is up."
Afraid, but unsure, she pulled her sweater over her shoulders and asked. "Wh-why are you telling me this?"
For the first time he lowered his gaze and replied. "Because, Jen, Jamie is a stubborn, inward person, she won't change her ways or opinions, she's set in those. But you, you're so open and so . . . You try things before you make opinions and you're so strong, you hang on no matter what. We think that there's a reason for that, we think you were chosen."
"Wait, you want me to marry my uncle that's tried to kill me for 25 years. I mean, ME? And who's WE?"
"Mom, Benj, Loomis and I."
She paused, tilted her head to the right. "Loomis. . . Is alive?"
He nodded. "Old, really weak but alive and well and looking out for you. And Jamie, she's here, staying with him. Jen, Michael's going to be here soon, and he's going to go after who he wants."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"You remember your mom's alive right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, she's in charge of this school in California . . ."
One week later
A/N: This chapter is assuming Halloween H20 didn't happen in 98, rather Michael will be coming to Hillcrest in 2005.
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"Now do you feel the need to tell me why we're here or am I going to be left in the dark this entire trip?"
"I didn't say you had to stay, I'm here to help my mom straighten my brother out."
"Don't think I will stick around long, kinda boring here." Mort complained, brushing a twig away from his face as he helped carry her bags to the entrance.
"I won't be here long, only until Halloween."
"Ah," He grinned at her. "Mum's worried."
"Yeah, well, can't blame her. Oh, here, are you coming in or is this where you ditch me?"
"I'll stay actually, Halloween's in three days, I can deal." He grinned, sliding his arms around her waist. "Besides, you'll keep my occupied."
"Sure, if you don't stay in bed all the time."
"Oo, grr, that hurt." She rolled her eyes and stepped into the main office. He grinned when she jumped as his hand made sharp contact with her behind. "Move that ass, slow poke, how'd you ever get away from Michael Myers?"
She nearly froze, it was true, as fit as she was she'd always been slow as all hell. Michael had always let her go . . . She smiled at the friendly old secretary who grinned, hung the phone up and looked to her. "Hello! How can I help you?!"
"Hi, um, my name is Jennifer Lloyd, I'm Miss Tate's . . ."
"Daughter! Oh, well, yes she told me you were coming, welcome to Hillcrest, uh, just let me check to see if she's in with anyone." She pushed the intercom buzzer. "Miss Tate?"
There was a brief pause, then Laurie Strode's gasp came on. "Yes?"
"Jennifer Lloyd to see you."
"Oh! God, yeah, send her right in."
Norma, the kind woman nodded with a smile, and so Jennifer trusted her with her bags and took Mort's hand, stepped into the office where Laurie, under the name Keri Tate, stood nervously from the desk. "Je-jenni?"
"Mom." Jennifer hurried over to her and wrapped her in a brutal, full of emotion hug. "Oh my God! I've missed you!"
"It's ok, oh, it's ok. How's Jamie?" She said, pulling her daughter back.
"Oh, she's fine, fine. Oh, I'm sorry, mom, this is Mort Rainey, we've been seeing each other, he's gonna stay with me."
"Hi, Laurie, Keri around here." She shook his hand.
"Pleasure to meet the wonderful woman that created this wonderful angel."
"Shut up."
"Um, Mort was it? I haven't seen Jen in 17 years do you . . . Would you mind if we talked alone? John's coming down, he'll show you to your room."
"Sure. No problem, see you soon." He kissed her temple and went out, closed the door. Laurie turned to her daughter. "So, Michael's coming here for you?"
"Don't know for sure, but he might." She took an offered glass of vodka and downed it in one gulp. "Sorry I was so quick on the phone, Mort, he's a killer mom, I kind of stumbled into all of this and um," she looked at her lap. "There's a part of me that wants Michael to come take me away from him, 'cause I'm scared."
"You're in a relationship with a man you have no feelings for?"
"No, I do, I really like HIM but I'm scared of that part of him that made him kill. I'm madly attracted to him but, um, I saw what he did to them, his wife and her lover, I saw pictures he took and he doesn't know so I . . . I can't, I can't do this." She buried her head in her arms and began sobbing. "I am SO tired of running, I've been running for so long, I'm just so tired . . . I don't wanna run anymore."
"Oh, baby, I'm sorry." She stood her daughter and wrapped her arms around her, let her cry against her breast. "It's gonna get better. If um, if Michael does come, and I know this sounds crazy, but I want you to do your best to make it livable, like you said on the phone, if he comes it'll work."
Halloween
"Anything?"
"Nah. What's up?" Jen said, turning from the window and facing her brother. "So how's it?"
"It sucks, no camping, no friends . . ."
"What are you talking about? You have Molly here with you."
"Yeah, but it's never the same without Charlie and Sara."
"Oooo," she laughed and ruffled his hair. "You'll live."
"So what's up with the black? You turned gothic or somethin'?"
She laughed at him. "Sweetie, I was born gothic. No, this is so I'll be ready tomorrow."
He sighed. "Yeah it'd take a while to get there, huh?"
"Well yeah, but that's not why. Tomorrow's Samhain, all Druid weddings are then."
"Must be a busy day, lotsa weddings."
She laughed. "No, not really. Only certain, special couples can and only one a year. Minor couples have to wait until there's time, some wait their whole lifetimes."
"Mm, I'm gonna go play ping pong with Mort." He moved to the door and paused. "Oh and sis? If I don't see you again, I love you. Good luck."
She smiled softly. "Thanks, Johnny-boy." As soon as he left she turned her attention back to the window, and saw a familiar masked face gazing back at her, with a deep breath, she opened the first floor window and climbed out, across the way, Laurie, in the window of her office, watched with a sigh. "Good luck, kiddo."
Outside, where he was having a smoke, Mort looked up and out of the bit of bushes, and nearly choked on the cigarette when he saw Jennifer calmly approaching her psychotic uncle. He watched briefly, Michael was armed with his ususal kitchen knife, but made no attempt to lift it when she stepped close, she stopped about three or four inches away from him and just watched him, then began walking past him, and Michael followed. Mort slowly crept from behind the bush, tossed the half out butt, and moved far enough out to see they were heading to the driveway that led to the gate. He slipped into the bushes along that path and followed them down to the end, and when she moved toward Michael's stolen car, he ran out. "Jen! What's wrong with you!? Don't go with him!"
Where she stood, right by the door of the SUV, Jen froze, her shoulders straightened and she turned around. "Go back to the school, Mort."
"Jen,"
"Dammit listen to me!" Her tone betrayed her fear. "Now if you don't go back, I won't stop him from killing you, this could be very easy, or very hard, I would prefer it to be easy. Don't fuck that up."
"Fuck WHAT up? He's your fucking uncle!"
"And I'm the only one that can stop him."
She opened the car door and slid in, took a deep breath and shut the door, once Michael was in her heartbeat doubled, trebled and she was gasping for breath, it had been so many years since she'd felt Thorn's power near her, and now that it had the purpose for her in mind, she was terrified. It had always intrigued her, but now that she was involved, meant to save her family, she was filled with doubt and she felt so alone.
She fell asleep a half hour into the ride, and didn't wake until she was in her own bed back in Smith's Grove.
"What the fuck, Laurie! You aren't going after her!?"
"Mort, you have to understand, if she doesn't do this, John dies, I die, Jamie dies and anyone we love dies." She demonstrated with her hands, the one about staying higher. "Stay with Michael and save everyone, including you, hide and let him kill everyone until he gets his way anyway." She looked questioningly at him.
"But she'll . . . She'll be back? Soon?"
Laurie frowned and sighed, dropped her hands and placed them on her hips. "Mort she isn't, at least not for you, Jenn's gonna fall in love with him and raise a family."
"What!"
"It's part of the prophecy, and everything's gone according to it so far . . ."
"You don't really believe that shit do you?"
"Yes I do! You have no idea what me and those girls have been through, so if you're smart, you'll back the fuck off of her!" She covered her face with a hand. "Mort, if I'd have known having children would mean giving my daughters to a curse I never would have. There is nothing I regret more than the suffering those girls have done."
He frowned more deeply and left the room, then the school, got a room at a hotel and made plans to take a flight back to New York, he had to come up with some plan to get Jennifer back, no matter what her mother said, maybe that Joel kid would help.