Author's Notes: I uploaded two chapters very close together, so be sure to see the previous chapter if you haven't read it. I wanted to thank everyone for their kind reviews. Reviews encourage me to update faster and are appreciated.

Part 25

Age: 24 Years

Samantha forced a smile at her wedding reception and pretended that she was a happy and excited bride. In truth she felt the most miserable she had since Jack died. Tom had been kissing on her and grinned as he whispered in her ear about their wedding night. Even though she wasn't a blushing virgin as Tom supposed, Samantha wasn't looking forward to him touching her. Part of her felt like this was a mistake but she couldn't do much more for Jack's memory than she already had. She'd graduated from Quantico and was now training as a Profiler. Her heart belonged to her first husband, but her second husband would expect to touch her and how else would she have children?

Ever since her memory of Jack returned, Samantha felt a strange ache to have a child. Although she knew a baby wouldn't fill the void inside of her, she felt like it was part of the key to fixing the part of her that was still missing. But what it be like letting Tom touch her? His kisses had never excited her, but surely Tom's skill level at 26 was greater than Jack's had been at the age of 12. Maybe when Tom touched her she would feel something and something other than the fondness and friendship she felt for him would develop.

After Tom and Samantha left the wedding reception and went to their suite in the hotel, Tom offered to help Sam off with her gown. Woodenly, she stood as he undressed her and urged her to the bed. Once his own clothes were stripped off, Tom climbed into bed with Sam and he kissed her. Although Samantha tried to force herself to respond, she still felt nothing as Tom's hands moved over her body. For the better part of an hour Tom tried vainly to arouse her, but still Sam felt nothing. At last Tom used saliva on his manhood to penetrate her and he quickly climaxed. Tom worried little because he imagined Sam was nervous.

Lying next to Tom, Samantha faced away and stared into the darkness. Her second wedding night had been less eventful than her first but she knew that this would be how it would always feel with Tom. When he'd been inside her it hadn't hurt, but there had been none of the closeness or erotic fluttering she'd felt when she had been with Jack. As empty as Samantha felt most of the time, she decided it was little surprise that even sex was a disappointment. Jack had been everything to her and no matter how hard she tried to push him aside from her thoughts, he was the precedent and nothing would change that.

As Sam lay discontentedly next to Tom, Jack stood in his Father's office and smiled an unholy smile. For the last two years he'd been studying law, medicine, theater, and computers with no ambition but to further his knowledge and enable his plans for revenge. On Sofia's suggestion he had paid private investigators to track Samantha down and he was aware she was remarrying tonight. While it was painful to imagine her in another's arms, taking the first step towards revenge was sweetly consoling.

"Hello Father" Jack said.

"What the devil are you doing here" the Senator demanded.

"What am I doing here? Tonight is your trial. I will be prosecutor, judge, and jury. You will answer some questions and if you lie or I don't like your answers, you will pay the penalty."

"And if I refuse" he asked his Son.

"Then I will place a call to the Washington Post where the editor will open an envelope that contains a story I've written along with proof of most of your illegal dealings over the last two decades. We aren't merely talking things that would ruin you socially Senator, we're talking about things that would mean spending the rest of your life in prison."

"Al- er Jack, surely you wouldn't. You wouldn't do that. You couldn't hurt your old man like that."

Looking amused, Jack sat down as he replied"But I would. You see Father, while I was in Russia I did a great deal of thinking. Not being able to move for three years and having your Father deny you any relief from pain really can put things into prospective for a person."

"S-Son it was for your own good, I"

Interrupting, Jack put his hand up"Stop. I'm neither one of your society friends, nor am I insane like Mother. You have but one question to answer. Did you do something to make Samantha leave me"

"Samantha? I don't know who you mean" he lied.

"Oh, I believe you know exactly who I mean. My wife. Did you do something to make her leave? And do not lie to me" Jack growled.

"Now Son, you have to understand it was for" the Senator trailed off fearfully as Jack smirked and brought a gun out of his pocket.

"For my own good" Jack supplied. Then moved around and stood behind his Father's chair as he snarled"In my life, there have been few days that have not been a living hell. And those few precious days were all spent with her."

The Senator, pulled at his tie and collar and muttered"My Father had no right to change his will and leave his money to you. Especially after I lost so much on the market. For God's sake you can't handle that kind of money. You were a fucking invalid and you married the first piece of pussy that gave it up."

Jack cocked the gun and laughed bitterly"A life I didn't ask for, a disease I didn't ask for, and money I couldn't care less about, so you deprive me of the one thing I ever wanted."

"Jack, please I can't breath. I think I need my pills" the Senator murmured clutching his chest.

Watching as the Senator began to convulse, Jack felt furious. How dare he die instead of letting him kill him! For nearly an hour Jack watched his Father convulse and struggle until at last he stopped breathing. Striding from the room, Jack left the house and got in his car. He was heading for Ohio, he planned to start visiting some old friends and between the investigators he hired and his computer, he'd found everyone on his list.

Driving from his parent's mansion in Maryland, Jack arrived in Cincinnati in the middle of the afternoon. Opening up his file he looked up the first address and drove to Janice Fletcher's. Pulling on gloves and picking up the small leather toolbag, he stepped out of his car and determined she wasn't home, nor any of the rest of her family. For nearly an hour Jack roamed through her house and waited. At last, Janice arrived with a car load of groceries. Jack concealed himself in the shadows until the last bag was in the house. As she started putting the items away, he withdrew a sturdy orange electrical cord from his bag.

"Hello Janice" Jack greeted her pleasantly as the cord slipped around her throat. As she struggled, he inquired conversationally"Remember me"

Once Janice was dead, Jack stripped her wedding rings off and left. Getting into his car, Jack paused to cross the first name off the list, then drove off.

Age 25

Jack stood dressed in a light blue scrubs and a disguise on his face which made him appear far older, on his hand were a pair of latex gloves. Some forged documents and two days perseverance had paid off and the Oklahoma temp agency sent him to take care of Bill Watkins. When Jack learned that Samantha had put good old Billy in a wheelchair, he knew she hadn't left him willingly. One particular conversation when they first fell in love stuck in Jack's mind:

Samantha pushed a honey colored lock away from Jack's face and kissed him tenderly"I love you, Jack. Do you really think we'll get married when we're older? People don't usually find the love of their life at our age."

Smiling, Jack responded"Samantha, we aren't people. You are a Goddess and I promise you right now, that I will love you beyond death itself. If you ever forget about me, I'll come back to you and remind you until you love me again."

Maybe Samantha had forgotten him, but he hadn't and wouldn't forget her. Samantha needed to be reminded about him. Whatever it took, he would make her love him again. Every person he killed wasn't merely for his own vengeance, is was for her as well, eventually Samantha would see. She would see the gift of love he was creating for her. Every death was a labor of love and eventually it would bring them together.

When Jack relieved the day shift nurse's aid, Bill scowled up at him"Oh great another one. Well hopefully you won't be as bad as you look."

Jack broke the break off on the wheelchair and laughed at the outraged invalid as he walked around and sat opposite the wheelchair. Pulling out a cigarette, Jack lit up and exhaled smoke at his charge.

"I'll have you fired for this" Bill fumed.

Reaching under his scrub top, Jack withdrew a large knife from the false stomach pouch and held it up. Smiling, Jack laughed"Time hasn't improved you much, has it Billy? I mean you would think that the orphanage would improve your disposition at least a little."

"Who the hell are you"

Peeling off the disguise and pulling off the fake stomach which had been to stymie the healthcare worker Jack replaced, he taunted"Good old Billy. Don't you recognize me? No? Maybe it would help if I refreshed your memory."

Standing up Jack traced the cool metal blade against Billy's face without cutting him, but reveling in his flinching.

"Please, I don't have any money" Billy begged.

"Allow me to introduce myself. You used to call me Prince Albert" Jack informed him. Stabbing the knife into Billy's useless leg he continued"But you can call me Jack."

Although Samantha's rampage had rendered Billy's limbs useless for walking or effectively using his hands, the nerves were all alive and created a symphony of pain. Jack reveled in the sound of Billy's screams as he slowly plunged the knife into him again and again. Using an orange electrical cord, Jack tied it as a tourniquet to staunch the bleeding in Billy's limbs. This couldn't go quickly. Finally Jack slit open Billy's stomach and watched as his viscera slid to the floor. Billy was howling in agony as Jack finally slit his throat. Once Billy was dead, Jack took the large knife and severed Billy's head. Taking the head, Jack stuffed it where Billy's intestines had been. In death as in life, Billy's head was up his ass...