The Forever Escape

"Well, that's just friggin' wonderful," the gunman muttered to himself. Instead of being able to answer the questions posed to him concerning "them", Jigen stood their awkwardly as he watched the young woman's face turn slowly to concern as she listened to her phone message. "She finally picks up on it all and that damn phone rings."

"Jigen…" Jess said slowly turning her head towards him, "something bad is going on at home." She was actually showing distress rather than hiding it. Suffice to say, this had our present man concerned. "I'm sorry," the brunette continued, "I need to call home now."

"Uh, yea that's fine I guess. But, are we going to finish…"

"Oh, hey Kim!"

Now slightly perturbed at having been ignored, Jigen sat down on the opposite of the bed Jess was on. The volume on her phone was turned up loud so that he could over hear what this "Kim" had to say that was so important.

"Hey Jess, did you get my message?"

"Yea, I did. What's going on?"

"The police came to my house a few hours ago asking about you. They said you were part of some huge heist that went down in Washington. I'm talking huge, not like our little fake ones where only quarters are involved."

"What!"

"Listen, I'm not one to make judgments about someone's life, but I never knew you did something like this! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Holy shit, I didn't have anything to do with that!"

"I thought you did since you were involved with those guys you met."

"Not that involved, dear GOD! What else did they say?"

"Well, I tried to deny that you would ever get involved with something like that but they said that their key witness said that your name was mentioned right before he was kidnapped and used as bait."

"Who is there key witness?"

"I shouldn't say, you'll just get really angry and…"

"WHO IS IT!"

"Joe…"

The room became deathly silent after the mention of that man's name. Jess never spoke to Joe; ever. She remembered telling Jigen about the things he did, but she was sure nothing would come of it. Certainly the man lounging next to her wouldn't make such a mistake, would he? Jess turned to look at him and noticed he was staring right back at her. Her eyes widened as she got up and walked to the balcony to finish her conversation in private.

"So, give it to me straight," the brunette continued once clear of prying ears, "what am I facing in terms of conviction?"

"Jail…I don't know how long."

"Kim, I don't think I can ever come back."

"I know," the voice on the other end began to crack, "I know."

"God damn it," she exclaimed holding back tears, "you know what happens when you start crying. We don't need this to turn into the MMC banquet again. No one needs to see me cry," Jess turned to look indoors at the man still on the bed peering at her through the glass doors, "no one."

"I'm sorry. But I never told them about your cell phone, so please don't cut me off all together. You just can't write anymore…"

"Or come home anymore." Jess slumped down to the ground as the weight of her situation began to hit.

"What will you do?" Kim asked slowly after a long silence.

"I don't know…I don't know.

"Jess, as gay as this sounds, I don't want to lose you!"

"I'm not dying. Don't act like I'm dying. Jessica Abraham will need to go away into oblivion, but I'll still be here." By now Jess had rested her back against the wall since she couldn't find the strength to keep herself up. She always liked escaping, but not forever. "Listen, call me in a couple of days…by then I'll have the answers I need."

"OK, you promise you'll still be there?"

"I'll be somewhere…just call later. Oh, I want you to know that I'm sorry for not hugging you when I left. I'm so sorry." The girl with the heart of stone was cracking. "I'll miss you and please don't forget me."

"Don't say that, I'll see you, I just know it. OK, in a couple of days I'll call and you promise to be there."

"Yes, good bye."

"Good bye…"

The now still girl put the phone aside as she stared out into the city lights. Thoughts ran rampid through her mind as she tried to figure out her next move. Should she ask Lupin for help? Should she leave on her own accord? What was to become of her life? After about 10 minutes of deliberation she glanced back inside. No longer sitting on the bed, Jigen had taken to the standing closer to the balcony door. He was still watching her.

"Jigen, I know you've been listening. Just come out here."

"The walls are thin in this hotel," he remarked coming outside, "you should know that from the weird sounds coming from Lupin's room."

"I don't care…" Jess still sat on the floor with her back against the wall. She hugged her knees in some form of comfort but still had an expression of concern mixed with anger. "Do you have something to tell me?"

"Not anymore."

"That's unfortunate because you certainly did something that warrants an explanation." Through the strength of her anger, Jess found the stuff she needed to stand up and face him. Though obviously enraged, she kept cool and rational. This was even worse as the gunman knew how cut-throat this Jess could be. "Please just tell me."

"The day of the Washington job I went to Joe's house and at one point mentioned your name. We thought of it as a way to have live bait and to take revenge for the things he did to you. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Why did you say my name?" she asked softly.

"Because I wanted him to know he shouldn't have treated you like that. In Hein site it was a damn friggin' mistake on my part, but you have to know…"

"Nothing you have to say will take it away." Jess was becoming paler by the moment as she continued to stand. She leaned against the bars of the balcony, but they weren't doing much in the help department. "I really want to just punch you in the face."

"As long as it isn't a trash can lid."

"Can you please leave?"

"What? Why?" He was expecting to take more verbal lashings from the now frail looking girl in front of him, but there she stood, asking him to leave.

"There isn't anything I can do. I can't even rationalize my next move or how I should react, so I'm going to go with my instincts and," she didn't want to tell him that she just wanted to cry so she resolved to just say, "sleep…or something."

"Fine." It wasn't fine and just looking at her eyes, he could tell what she was about to do. The beginning of the evening had his hopes so high and now here he was being told to leave when she obviously needed help. Jess had to be independent, even if it wasn't for the best.

The next few days, after everyone in the gang had been informed of the present situation, were pretty quiet as there was no sign of life coming from Jess' room. She never came out and at one point they thought she had tried to escape again, but that was laid to rest when they heard an annoying cell phone ring go off and someone pick it up. Everyone had tried their luck at getting her out, but it was of no avail.

"Well, I can't even say she's looking for pity at this point. I mean, she hasn't even eaten," a baffled Fujiko remarked.

"She's not looking for pity, she's just being her damn stubborn self," Jigen added.

"I don't see why you're mad at her; you're the one who screwed her over."

"You need to friggin' shut the hell up."

"It would be wiser to spend our time assessing a way to get her out rather than argue about what has happened in the past," Goemon finally cut in. He had been staying out of the tension as much as he could, but it was all starting to boil over as no appearance of the discussed girl continued day after day.

"You know, I have had the answer to our problem for a day now. I'm surprised no one has asked me," the man in the red jacket exclaimed.

"Well, why didn't you friggin' say anything!"

"Patience, my sarcastic friend, patience." The master thief pulled a pamphlet out of this coat pocket and threw it on the coffee table. "Here. She may think her future is ruined, but wait till you see where she's going."

"Should we tell her now then?" Fujiko asked after looking at the proposed plan, "I can't take this tension anymore."

"Yea," Lupin responded, "Jigen you go get her."

"Whoa, hey, she hates me."

"Ah, no she doesn't. Well, maybe, but you have the greatest chance of getting her out."

"Fine." Jigen got up and walked to her door. He could feel the eyes of everyone else in the room watching as he knocked on the door. No answer. "Hey Jess, stop this crap and come out…" He was stopped mid sentence as he had a shoe thrown at him by Fujiko.

"Be nice you idiot!" she whispered at him.

"What is up with women and throwing shoes?" he mumbled to himself but then directed his speech towards the inanimate object of Jess' door. "What I mean is we have a way where you can still go and do the things you want like nothing happened or whatever, just come out." There was silence for awhile as they all waited for some kind of answer. Jigen turned and shrugged his shoulders and threw his hands in the air, but was stopped by any further giving up when a small paper appeared under the door.

"What does it say?" Lupin asked, "Is she coming out?"

"It says she wants to talk to Goemon."

"Me!" a now baffled samurai exclaimed.

"Well," Fujiko cut in with a look of triumph on her face, "apparently Jigen isn't her favorite." All that warranted was a dirty look from the man in black.

"What am I suppose to say?" Goemon asked as he got up.

"Show her this," Lupin said giving him the pamphlet, "and give her this," he added handing the samurai a sleeve of Fig Newtons. "She hasn't eaten in three days; use it as a peace offering."

The effect of not eating was quite apparent when the cautious man entered the room. The door was always unlocked so he had found her curled up on her bed in a nest of blankets. Upon hearing him enter she sat up and exhibited features of dark circles under the eyes and very pale skin.

"You said you found a way for me to go back to normal?" Her eyes were pleading and not full of the usual fire. It was like looking into an empty version of Jess.

"Well, no, but Lupin found a way for you to do what you planned. Here." He handed her the pamphlet and waited while she read.

"Oxford? Oxford!"

"Yes, while it isn't what you had planned, it's what we have to offer in its place. Oh, and here are some fig newtons."

"What about home?" she asked after stuffing 4 Newtons in her mouth.

"I'm sorry, but if you never want to go to jail, you can not go home. Sometimes the path of one's fate is not revealed till a very pivotal moment. While you are not taking the path you thought you would, you will end up at the same destination. It is impossible to say if you will ever see your 'home' again, but as you can see, anything can happen."

"You know, that is the reason I asked for you to come in," the brunette remarked as she shoved 3 more Newtons in her mouth.

"Why is that?"

"I don't know; you just seem to say rational things that make it all better…make it all better." Her thoughts were trailing off as she became engrossed in the literature about her new college. "At least I don't have to worry about the long drives home for vacations." The comment almost made the stoic man laugh. Even in her down moments she always managed to make one of her signature statements. "Is everyone out there?"

"Yes."

"They can hear everything we're saying, can't they?"

"Most likely."

"Well, I'm going to unawkward this situation. Please forgive me for what I'm about to scream."

"Uh, OK?"

"TAMPONS!" Jess listened for the sought after 'ewww' to see if they were listening and she got it after a few seconds. "Sorry, I realized a few days ago it's a word that gets me a little alone time."

"Are you going to be OK with never going home?" the samurai continued.

"I have no other choice, now do I?"

"I find your acceptance commendable."

"Nah, the ability to do a back flip is something to be considered commendable, not the ability to accept. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Can I please touch your sword?"

"The day you call it by its proper name is the day you may touch it."

"Ah, crap. Hey, I have one more question." Her tone changed as she looked up from her empty sleeve of Newtons. "For vacations, may I come visit you all so it at least seems like I have a family?"

"Actually, it's expected you come to us during that time. In regards to 'family' you should have the option of proclaiming you have a home to come to honestly since you are certainly a part of our family. We rely and depend on each other, save Fujiko who is as constant as the wind, but you proved that when you did your duty in a time of need."

"You mean when I totally smashed Jigen in the face and then bandaged him up?"

"Yes, though the way I put it sounded much less barbaric."

"True, so today I got a new life and a new family. I think I like this path more so than my old one."