Good Bye

With a deep breath of the cool winter morning, a young woman finally awoke from an unusually long slumber. While the air was crisp, she found herself quite warm among the many blankets surrounding her. Her first glance was up at the ceiling where she realized she was no longer in her dorm, but the area was still familiar. The scent of the room itself tweaked her nose in such a fashion that her whole body out of muscle memory relaxed. Something was odd, though. She never slept on her back.

"Have a nice nap?" a low voice from the doorway inquired. Jess knew immediately who it was and upon hearing it and sat straight up. Unfortunately this action procured a headache from hell.

"Whoa, how long was I out for?"

"A couple of days. It seemed like you were in good hands though."

"Can you get me some water please?"

"Hey, did you hear what I said?"

"Yea, I was out for a couple of days."

"No, that you were…friggin' hell."

"What's your problem?"

"My problem? You're the one who had some guy half naked in your room!"

"Are you really going to argue with me right after I wake up? It's like you were waiting for it." At that moment Jess noticed the chair pulled next to the bed and the ash tray on the nightstand full of cigarettes. "Oh my goodness. First off, you shouldn't have been worrying about me because Will should have told you I'd be fine. Second, I can't believe you were smoking near me. If I smell like cigarettes I'll kill you."

"Is that his name? Will? I swear, if you and him…"

"We didn't do anything! He's the only friend I have there and that's all we are – friends."

"I don't trust him."

"You don't trust someone? That's new. If anything I should be suspicious of you and your globe trotting thievery life. How do I know if you're with a new girl every night?"

"You know that's a goddamn lie."

"How would I know? You all never so much as called me in the past four months."

"What the hell? You are so damn fickle. First you want to be left alone but then you get all friggin' mad when you're on your own."

By this point the headache had grown to enormous proportions as Jess put her head in her hands and began rocking back and forth. This wasn't what was supposed to happen on her first day back.

"Can you wait till I don't feel like dying to finish this?"

"Whatever…" With a sharp turn, Jigen left the room fuming. He was quite sure he could trust Jess, but it was other people he had a problem with.

Waiting for her antagonist to leave, Jess finally got up. She still had the headache, but lying in bed wouldn't get rid of it. Food was what was needed. Quickly slipping on something decent, she quietly walked the hallway to the stairs. Below her, she could hear familiar voices from the kitchen. But, upon hearing her name mentioned, she stopped.

"Apparently something happened that does not line up with Jess' story," came the first voice which was distinctly Lupin's.

"What do you mean?" asked the other sultry feminine voice – Fujiko.

"She didn't get drunk off her ass as was insinuated, more so she got hypothermia."

"Why the hell would she lie about it?"

"One; Jigen might have been able to put two and two together and figure out what she was doing. Second; she's stubborn as all hell."

"Lupin, call it woman's intuition, but I'm not getting a good feeling from doing this. If we're supposedly training her to be an ally, why do we have to be secretive?"

"Because she is one of those people who won't work with others till she knows she can take care of herself. It's a self preservation thing. One could easily tell from all the escaping she did at the beginning of the year…"

Jess couldn't believe what she was hearing. They were talking about her like something to be used and then thrown away. Had it been true that she had been played this whole time? Was the training just a set up to get her ready to be a part of the Lupin gang? Slowly backing up the stairs, Jess' mind raced. She had to leave. These people weren't her friends. No, she couldn't leave; they would just expect it and think 'typical Jess.'

"Calm down," Jess mumbled to herself. "Think rationally and slowly and all will fall into place." Upon reaching the top step, she spun around and ran back to her room. She had to think through this. Was she willing to be used, or let them think they were using her, or should she fight back? For now, some phone calls had to be made.

Now, it must be known that Lupin had the girl's best intentions in mind. It was true that if she found out, she would do something drastic, it was just how she was. The hard part was to have her feel part of the group and let her be on her own the same time. But, just as training a wild horse is near impossible, so was this endeavor. A lone wolf by nature, Jess wanted so bad to be a part of something, but in the end she would always feel trapped and leave. Hypocritical maybe; but her only goal was to go against her natural tendencies and follow her heart. Sadly, it was her instincts that would kick in when faced with a sudden situation as this.

The days turned into weeks, though, and there was no reaction from the brunette. In fact, she kept her peace and acted as if she had never heard the conversation. These men had taken her in, so it seemed only logical she should give something back by being a real member. She had to do her duty.

"Is it pretty bad out there Abraham?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. I'm not sure if I can make it to town today."

The young woman stood in front of a large window in the living room watching the snow fall from the sky. Everything was covered in a veil of white aside from the sky, which maintained its murky grey appearance. Her breath would leave little bits of fog on the glass, but her focus was the blanketed road. Behind her sat Lupin, reading the paper in a very intellectual fashion but watching the girl as she crossed her arms and leaned closer to the window.

"You're not going to attempt going out there are you?"

"I think I might." Jess turned around and grinned. "Sounds like a challenge."

"She's gone insane," Fujiko remarked from the corner of the room.

"Oh no, I already was insane. Now it's just a matter of tempting my fate." With her proclamation made, she walked slowly away from the window to find her coat. Being inside all the time was making her stir crazy, so it seemed quite necessary to make a run into town. They were already low on food and because the people of town were already used to seeing Jess during the summer, she was the safest bet to go without being spotted. Now, where was that coat? Upstairs was the first to be searched.

"Are you looking for something?" Jess spun around to see the usually silent samurai right behind her.

"Yes, my coat."

"Surely you aren't going out."

"I need to get of the house, I'm getting cabin fever…and don't call me Shirley." She turned around to continue her search but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait."

"What?" Jess turned back around and looked straight up to see Goemon staring straight into her eyes. Was he trying to piece her soul with that glare? Those light brown eyes of hers – they were defiant; they were angry. "Stop that."

Releasing the grasp he had on her shoulder, Jess walked away weary of what just happened. He had been acting odd around her all this past week. Constantly following her with his eyes; never saying so much as a word. It was this behavior that caught Jess off guard when he asked what she was looking for. But, like all things, she shook it off and continued on her search.

Of course all things are in the last place you looked, and in this case, the last place she looked was the kitchen. On a chair laid the item that she had been seeking, but it was sitting who was sitting on the chair beside it that caught her attention. Back facing her and a cloud of smoke above his head, Jigen hadn't noticed she was there yet. They still hadn't finished their "discussion" about Will so the two of them hadn't spoken much since then. She wasn't going to tell a lie and say it wasn't killing her to have him so angry with her, but this was a two way street.

It was time to make amends, so the brunette walked up with confidence and put her arms around the marksman. Leaning her head against his shoulder, he knew exactly who it was.

"Have you taken to startling me?"

"No, I know scaring people, namely me, is your job."

"It's not my fault you leave the safety on each time."

"Hmmm, true enough. Obviously I fail…at life."

"I don't know," Jigen remarked turning around with a smirk on his face, "you can do that one thing with your hips when I…"

"OK! That's a secret between you, me, and the bed."

The two shared a mutual smile with Jess' being a little more embarrassed. She had seen him give the cold shoulder to Fujiko plenty of times, but he'd always given her a chance to make things right. This was usually due to the fact that Jess was being sincere and Fujiko mostly just wanted something. But for now, the two were silent until the inevitable question came up.

"Did you come to finish what we started?"

"Yea, listen: I can't tell you anything but the truth. While it looked weird and I would have probably gone off on you too if it had been the reverse, we didn't and haven't done anything. In fact the closest we have come to anything is talking about how neither of us were getting any action."

Jigen didn't say a word and merely continued to smirk at the brunette. It wasn't often she apologized, although he was quite sure she'd never say she was wrong; stubborn to the end.

"You're not saying anything just watch me squirm, aren't you?"

"You got it darlin'."

"You're an ass. I'm going now."

"Hey!" he exclaimed grabbing the young woman by the waist and sitting her in his lap, "come here."

"Listen you, I need to get going." Jess brought her voice down and then whispered with an eyebrow raised, "We can do that later."

"Haha, no…but OK. Actually, I want you to promise me that I won't find any more friggin' situations like that, alright?"

"I'll do my best," she responded with a grin.

"Jess…"

"Fine; I'll do my best and I love you."

"Hey, that's not what I…what did you just say!"

"I said I need to be going! I'll see you later tonight."

Jess scampered off with her coat to the car in the garage. Behind her she left a baffled Jigen who had yet to move. Neither of them had said the three little words that usually define a serious relationship. All the time it was implied through actions and looks, but never said, they just weren't like that. But, he did make a mental note to return the sentiment when she returned.

"Jigen," a voice from behind the dazed man exclaimed.

"Huh? Oh, hey Goemon, what's up?"

"Do you see it?"

"See what?"

"The darkness that enshrouds Jess. There's anger that drives her. Reason and anger are a dangerous combination."

"I think crazy enshrouds you, man."

"Hmmmm."

The rest of the afternoon went by quietly as the snow continued to fall in soft chunks. The gray of the sky slowly turned to black as night took over and the chill of the wind began to pick up. Christmas was in a few days and the few decorations Jess forced the gang to put up around the house actually made the dreary day a bit cheerful. The entire group had made their way to the living room where a fire place roared and allowed the playful light to move across their faces. The silence was nice and the only thing that broke it was the ringing of a phone in the kitchen.

"Who calls at this time of night?" Lupin remarked as got up to answer the phone.

"It's probably Jess, I bet she got stuck in a snow bank somewhere," Fujiko chimed in.

"That or she began talking someone's ear off and got snowed in," Jigen responded.

The three members left in the room took turns hypothesizing the whereabouts of the elusive girl. Unworried about the possibility of another escape, they all had a good laugh about it. Her escapades were usually more elaborate than just leaving in a car. The entertainment stopped, though, when a pale Lupin walked back into the room.

"Jigen, can I see your gun?"

"Uh, yea man, what's up?" Jigen responded handing over his magnum and then sitting back down.

"Jess is dead."

The phone call that Lupin had received was from the local hospital. About an hour prior, an emergency had come in of a girl who had been side swiped on the slippery road and crashed into the guard rail. The damage had been severe and because the driver who hit her never stopped, she laid in the snow long enough to lose much of her heat. The people at the hospital knew to call Lupin for the lone reason that Jess had been such a regular in town and was know as "la femme qui a habite dans le grand maison" (the girl who lived in the big house.)

As for the reactions of the people in the room, the variation was extreme. For all her seeming distaste of the girl, Fujiko began to sob. Goemon stood up quickly and stormed out of the room muttering something to the effect of "I must transcend this." Lupin tried to stay calm and acted as council for the fuming Jigen who declared he wanted his gun back to shoot the bastard who hit her. After being unsuccessful in this endeavor, though, he continued his tirade to his room where he remained.

"Lupin, please go get him."

Time had seemed to stand still since the subtraction of the brunette. Christmas had even come and gone and no one seemed to care. Three days in fact had passed and it was time to leave for the funeral. The entire gang waited downstairs clad in mourning attire which seemed appropriate for the dreary weather outside. The only one missing was the man who wore the black suit everyday.

"I'll get him, just wait here."

As Lupin left to go upstairs, Fujiko shook her head. For one in her life she was actually worried about her tormentor. Not even he deserved this.

"Goemon," Fujiko remarked turning towards the stone faced samurai, "what if he doesn't come out? I walk by his room and every time I hear sobbing."

"No, you don't."

"No, I'm quite sure I do…"

"You don't understand. Men like him don't cry. You may hear it, but to your knowledge, he never did it, understand?"

"Oh, yes." While the conversation would have naturally ended, the two waiting by the door became quiet at the site of the marksman who walked slowly down the stairs with his best friend by his side.

"You got it man, just follow me," Lupin whispered.

"Hmmm."

A bit tipsy from the alcohol he had consumed, Jigen kept his focus as he descended the stairs. For three days he replayed every conversation and moment he had with Jess and with every thought came another shot of whiskey. That smile, those eyes: he would never see them again and it seemed a bit too much to bear. She was the only woman to gain his trust and his heart at the same time all while whipping off sarcastic comments till one of them would laugh. She had told him she loved him and he never said it back. Now he would never have a chance.

Kim, please don't hurt me too much. That's the end of Story the Second. Don't fret, though, life goes on and you'll see how in the sequel to this.