Alchemist Chronicles
Chapter 31 - Covered Stains
The next morning, Ed is sleeping next to his wife on the bed. Pinako is sleeping on a side bed on one side of the room and Al and AJ are sleeping next to each other on the other side of the room in a spare bed as well.
Ed starts to feel Winry stur and move in her sleep. He lifts his head, looking at her. She stops moving. He then looks up, noticing Al holding AJ tightly in his arms, smiling in his sleep. 'He's making that stupid grin again' He says to himself, smiling as well.
Winry's face scrunches as she slowly opens her eyes. Ed sits up, looking down at her. Once Winry sees him, she starts getting emotional and whispers. "E-Ed? ..Edward? ...Is that y-" He kisses her deeply. Parting, he looks down at her and whispers. "Hey there, beautiful." She smiles, letting her tears fall, pulling him closer and kisses him again.
Pinako wakes and sits up, smiling at the both of them. She then stands and walks over to Winry after Ed stands up and helps her. Al wakes and sits up as well, causing AJ to wake up. She sits up too and turns to Winry. Paninya, Pitt, and Mr. Garfiel all walk into the room a short time later.
Winry looks at everyone. Ed tells her. "Everyone here cares about you and refused to leave the hospital after me and several others found you and brought you here. You don't have to talk about any of it now if you don't want to. We get it. All of us understand. Take your time. No one and I mean no one here will rush you." Winry pulls Ed into a hug and starts crying out of happiness. Ed wraps his arm around her as everyone else gathers around them and hugs her as well. She thanks, all of them once she settles down.
After lunch, the two brothers, Paninya, Pitt, and Mr. Garfiel all leave the room. Pinako stays, sitting next to her granddaughter. Winry asks AJ. "I'm guessing that since you and Riza are here. The both of you want my account of what happened during my captivity?" "Yes, but take your time, Winry. You can start when you are ready." Riza tells her.
Winry tells them what happened after she woke up. Once she finishes, Winry looks back at Janine and asks. "So what now?" "Therapy. It's what helped me get through everything after when I was taken too. I can get in contact with my old therapist if you want me too. She's very patient and trustworthy, Winry." AJ replies. Winry thanks her for her advice.
Riza and AJ leave the room to give Winry some space and after they close the door, they hear Winry start to cry. They sigh in sadness as they walk away, in separate directions.
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AJ walks into the waiting room and sees Roy sitting with a hand over his face, looking troubled by something. AJ asks. "Is everything alright, General?" Roy sighs before he looks up at AJ. "It takes me back when it was you lying in a bed like that and not moving. I'm glad to hear that she woke up as well."
AJ starts to get teary-eyed. "Because of that coma. I remember hearing the doctors telling both you and Ma that they weren't too sure if I was gonna make it or not. (Roy himself starts getting teary-eyed at this point) But no matter what, you never gave up me."
Roy whispers. "You're family. It pissed me off hearing them say that and feeling weak for not saving you sooner."
AJ - "The blame doesn't fall on anyone but me. I've should have been stronger and made better choices for myself. I-I'm sorry if I've ever disappointed you." She tells him in a pained voice. She runs over and wraps her arms around his neck pulling him into a hug. He hugs her back in return as their emotions get the best of them.
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The next morning, the Fuhrer informs all of the officers of the person responsible for holding Fullmetal's wife hostage and allows for several stakeouts throughout Amestris to catch the criminal.
Olivier offers her support up north immediately but requests Janine to finish up her requested transfer. Grumman allows Olivier's request and orders Janine to immediately head up north.
AJ, who is curled up into a ball on the floor in Winry's room. "I'm- I'm gonna die. She's (referring to Olivier) gonna kill me. But I'm too young to die." She says with a sad expression and voice. Al rubs her back in comfort.
Al - "It's ok. You'll be fine." Ed adds. "Yeah, I mean it's not like she'll lay a hand on a kid. Maybe point a gun at you but from personal experience not physically harm you." AJ sits up and raises her eyebrow, looking at Ed, asking him. "Really? That's it? Only her gun?" Ed looks back her in shock. "What In The Hell Did She Point At You?!" Counting with her fingers. "Her sword, a variety of guns, a barrel cannon, the missile launcher of a tank and last but not least she tossed a grenade at me when I made my first delivery trip to Briggs."
Ed, Al, and Winry stare at her with astonishment. "I know. Don't even say it. The Fuhrer was not pleased about any of that one bit. Don't even ask how Ma feels about it." "And what about your uncle?" Winry asks. AJ looks at her with an expressionless face. "Winry, It's Roy you're asking about." Ed and Al start laughing. Winry looks at Ed confused. "In other words, he didn't do anything Winry," Ed says while chuckling. Winry looks at him in shock.
AJ then stands up. "Well, I should get going. If I decide to hide again, she'll only find me and drag me by my feet like last time." Winry looks at her with dismay. "Ok. Seriously? What is this lady's deal?" AJ shrugs her shoulders. "It's just who she is, Healer Hands."
A knock on the door startles AJ and she looks over her shoulder, seeing Alex walking in. He excitedly shouts happily when he sees Winry. "OH LADY WINRY! IM SO HAPPY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR RECOVERY! But Fear Not, You Have Support From All Over Amestris And We Will Find The Perpetrator Responsible For Your Kidnapping!" Winry smiles at Alex as he bows respectfully to her. "Thank you, Armstrong." He smiles back at her.
Alex turns to Janine. "Are you ready for our trip, Sargent?" She nods her head. "Yeah. Let's get going." Al walks with them, leaving only Winry and Ed in the room.
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At the train station, while they are waiting for the Northbound Train. AJ places her bag next to Alex as he is distracted by the paper in his hand. Al grabs her hand and wraps his arms around her waist. She wraps her arms around his neck as they start kissing each other.
Alex lifts his head up and notices. Staring in shock at first then smiling at the both of them, Alex turns his attention back to the paper. They break shortly thereafter, smiling and blushing, staring lovingly at each other.
They look up once the bell for the train's arrival rings and they see the train closely and slowly moving into the station. Al and AJ sigh sadly before she hops onto the train with Alex behind her. Al gives her a quick kiss on the cheek before he lets her go.
They wave goodbye to each other as they train pulls away. Al sighs sadly as the train disappears into the distance and heads back the hospital.
Once they make it there, Olivier tells Alex to leave and Janine finishes out the rest of her transfer week. Saluting General Armstrong, Janine heads back to Central immediately.
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As the train starts to slow down, getting ready to pass the breakpoint in between Briggs and North City. AJ and others on the train start to feel a severe shift and a strong vibration coming from underneath them. Then they began to feel the train tilt to the side. Janine grabs onto a pole in between the row of seats.
Crash!
Everything goes dark.
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Roy, who is sitting his office, his phone starts to ring. "Hello. Lieutenant General Roy Mustang speaking... Ok... but what does... (When the woman on the other ends explains to him that Janine was on the derailed train, he...) Slams down the receiver, grabs his jacket and shouts to them. "Grab your stuff. We're leaving right now! MOVE IT!" Everyone scrambles to get themselves together.
Walking out of the Headquarters, all of them immediately head over to the train station. Al, who is holding a bag of groceries, standing next to Gracia and Elysia, see some soldiers running to the car quickly and driving away faster. "I wonder what happened, mommy?" "I don't know, Elysia. But it looks very serious." Al stares in the direction of where they were heading.
Making it to the house, Al places the bag on the counter as Elysia heads back outside to play with her friends. "Al. I can tell that something is bothering you. Do you want to talk?" Al tells her about Janine. Garcia starts giggling. "Alphonse, honey. I already know about her. In fact, Roy was the one that introduced Maes and myself to her. Elysia even considers her an aunt. Always calling her Auntie Ari. It's the cutest thing." She gushes while holding her cheeks together, smiling.
Al smiles at that. "Auntie Ari. That is cute. (He then nervously tells her) But well... you see... where I was getting at... is that we're dating." Gracia places her hands back down to her sides. Smiling, she then pulls him into a hug. "I'm so happy for you, Alphonse. For the both of you." He thanks her.
Elysia comes running back inside the house, yelling. "Mommy! Mommy! The radio!" Gracia heads over to the kitchen and turns on the radio. Turning the knob a bit, they all hear. "Shortly after daybreak this morning, a train heading from Briggs back to North City derailed at the breakpoint in between the stops. No word yet on how many casualties but we have received word that there were many Amestrian soldiers on broad. We will update this breaking story as we receive more about it within the next hour-"
Al turns off the radio and looks at Gracia. She points to the door. "Go! Help out as many as you can, Alphonse. I know that that's what you wanna do right now." He thanks her again, giving both her and Elysia each a hug before he runs off.
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When she comes to, she is lying face up in a cold room. Her jacket, gun, and knife are gone. She looks up and notices someone in the room as well as feeling a sharp pain in between her elbow and her shoulder. She rolls over and tries to stand. Holding her arm as she stands up, she starts healing her broken arm. Biting her lip, trying to hold back her scream as she feels her bones connecting back together. Panting and back on her knees, she tries to catch her breath. Standing back up again, she turns her head and notices the other presence is no longer there.
Taking a deep breath, she walks over, then slowly melts the knob and pushes open the door. Looking around the door carefully. Making it through the hallway, she stops before she turns the corner and grabs a piece of a broken pipe, turning it into a knife.
She runs to an exit on the side and slowly closes the door behind herself. 'I don't like this one bit, it's too easy' she tells herself. Running past a flight of stairs, she finds a car. Hotwiring it, it starts and she immediately takes off. She slows the car down just enough for her to get out of it as she makes it to Elxomir by the afternoon. She then suddenly feels a gun to her head as she walks by an abandoned building.
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Making it to the scene, an officer flags Roy down. Looking down at the tire tracks and alchemical marks near the crash. "This was definitely planned. The question is by who?" "General!" Al shouts. All of them turn around and look at Al as he running towards them.
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Dixon - "Well, well. Look who I found, far from home." "What do you w-?" Putting his finger up, waving it side to side. He tells her. "Oh no, no. You don't get ask anything in the position that you're in right now, little girl." Tapping her lightly on the head with the barrel of the gun. "Go on. Enter the building." She follows his instructions and walks into the building, with Dixon walking behind her, still pointing the gun at her.
She makes it to a room upstairs and Marcello comes walking out of a connected room. "We'll be taking that stone. So hand it over and don't make it hard on yourself, girly." "How did I end up in Haoj?" "Don't ask questions, hand over the stone or else," Marcello tells her. "Are y-you gonna kill me afterwards?" She nervously asks them.
Dixon yells. "Stop asking questions!" She flinches at the tone of his voice. "Easy, Drake," Marcello warns him. Turning his head back to her, he says. "Take the stone out from under your shirt and slowly remove it from around your neck."
(Blue Cloud tells AJ. "Everything will be fine, Ari. Do what he says.")
AJ sighs and follows his instructions, holding the chained stone in her fist tightly. "Place the stone slowly on the floor." She does just that. "Back away from it." Again she follows his instructions and backs away. Marcello then tries to pick it up but it shocks him. Drake himself tries to pick it up. It shocks him as well. Drake then points the gun at her. "Knock It OFF!" She flinches, staring petrified at both Drake and the gun.
Marcello - "Put the gun away, Drake." He puts his weapon away. Marcello then makes a whistling sound. Out of the blue, a pair of hands grabs Janine from behind and slams her to the floor. She tries to scream but has the wind knocked out of her.
Her hair is then pulled and she is tossed against the wall. The hands then began choking her. She slowly opens her eyes and grabs at the hands. She stares timorously at the golem dark yellow eyes, staring coldly at her. The golem screeches loudly, causing her to flinch. She closes her eyes as its hands squeezes tighter around her neck. The Metatronic Stone has started to glow brightly by this time.
AJ's entire body starts to glow very brightly as well. The golem starts to scream in pain as the light hits it. As the soil creature starts to die and melts back into its original substance. Drake, with one hand covering his eyes, the other pulls out the gun and shoots her in the stomach.
She and the stone stopped glowing as she falls to her knees, covering the wound her hands. She then stares at her trembling blood-soaked hands as her conscience starts to fade in and out. She then passes out, face first onto the floor.
Marcello - "DAMN IT DIXON! You didn't have to kill her!" "Wait. (He points the stone as it starts glowing sporadically) Look." The both of them start to look at it after when it rises from the floor and begins floating right towards AJ. Drake rushes over and grabs a small container that was near him, then runs towards and traps the stone in it. Both Drake and Marcello then quickly leave the room, leaving her there behind.
Several minutes later, Jake comes walking out from a different room. He flips her over. Her conscience starts to go in and out again as she's wheezing. "So how does it feel to die, Marisol?" He asks her. She looks at him, breathly whispering. "Towodi." (Hawk, Cherokee, Native American) She then passes out again.
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Wright breaks the news to them. "WHAT!" The both of them yell out in anger. "We have a witness that told us the troubling news. Would you like-" "Take me to them, right now." Roy demands. Al places a hand in front of Roy, as Roy looks back at him, surprised. "I understand why you are angry. But don't take it out on anyone else but the people who are behind with what happened here." Al tells him.
Roy, whose hands are trembling. "You know damn well why I'm worried about her." "Of course I do. You are not the only one who is concerned about her. She's my girlfriend in case if you forgot. But she's a survivor and whoever did this is about to get their butt whooped by a ton of people including her. So quit doubting her!"
Roy uneasily looks away from Al. Alphonse turns back to look at Wright. "Colonel, (Armarosa looks at Al) Can you?" "Of course."
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Blue Cloud tells Jake. "Do you want her to die? What do you think will happen when she dies, Jake?. ... You will die as well."
Jake stands, looking over Janine while she's struggling to breathe as she's slowly dying. "But I don't want to die just yet," Jake tells Blue Cloud. "Then help me save her." Blue Cloud replies. Jake sighs and nods his head.
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Roy, who is sitting across from the witness, asks. "Can you tell me what you saw, heard or anything that could help us with finding the missing?"
Witness - "There was a truck. Where I was at after the train had crashed, I saw a truck. There was a man carrying a girl. She was definitely in military uniform." As Roy and the witness are exchanging questions and answers, Al, Wright and a few others are trying to put together any and all clues and hints collected at the scene.
After a few moments later, the witness is escorted out of the room by security and Roy walks out shortly thereafter. All of his subordinates salute him. Al joins them. "You know you're not with the military, Alphonse." Rubbing the back of his head, smiling. "I know. I've just always wanted to do it." Roy and everyone else smiles at him.
Roy then looks at Riza. "Since I'm up here, I need to make a call to them." Riza nods her head, understandably.
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Even though she was able to stop the bleeding and close AJ's wound. Blue Cloud informs Jake that because the stone is getting further and further away, her power is growing weak rapidly. Jake then starts to drag AJ to the next room.
Russell - "You know, I wonder what they would say if they saw what you just did?" Jake flinches at Russell's voice and looks up. Jake lets her go and tells him. "If she dies, the stone will no longer work or be any sort of use to us. Not to mention, that I'll die along with her." "Great conclusion there, Armored boy." Russell then looks at Jake perplexity. "So what were you about to do, hm?" Before Jake could reply, Russell says. "Never mind. I have a better plan. Put her in your Armor." Jake reluctantly obeys and opens up his chest plate. Russell helps him with moving Janine into the armor. Russell then claps his hands and teleports both her and Jake to somewhere else.
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Back in Central in the Presidential quarters of the headquarters. Colonel Wright enters and updates the Fuhrer and two other soldiers that are in the room as well.
Wright - "We've just received word about an unmanned moving vehicle found in Elxomir. There are some other reports about the same man that the witness described in the same area."
Grumman - "This concerns me because of her history. Is there anything else, Colonel?"
Wright - "Yes. A soldier reported seeing the Sargent being forced into a building just at the edge of Elxomir. (Alex and Riza stare with worried expressions at the Fuhrer) There were a few other residents claiming to witness several colored lights shining throughout the same building. Two men were also seen rushing out of the building shortly thereafter."
Grumman turns to Alex and Riza. "Colonel Armstrong and Colonel Hawkeye. I want the both of you to head over there immediately. Report back to me everything. Leave now!" He orders, loudly. The two Colonel's salute and take off immediately.
Making it to the building, Alex is already prepared with his equipment on and Riza loads and has her gun ready. Walking in, they find her jacket and her weapons in a back room on the first floor. Slowing ascending up the stairs to the final floor, they enter the first room and see a blood puddle on the floor as well as dragged blood going into the next room.
They look at each other with great worry before Alex steps forward first, slowly walking towards the next room. Riza grabs his arm quickly. He looks back at her while she's staring at the stain on the floor. She tells him in an emotional voice. "Don't tell me if it's her. I-I will not have the heart to tell him if it is her in the next room, Armstrong."
Alex nods and takes a deep breath before turning and walking into the other room. He takes a sigh of relief as he makes it to the door. "There's no one in here, Hawkeye." She rushes over and looks in, breathing a sigh of relief afterward as well. They leave once backup makes it there.
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Once Jake makes it to the house that is on outskirts of the town, he starts the water and lets the tub fill up with a certain amount.
Turning off the water, he opens himself up and slowly slides her out, laying her on the floor. Still covered in her blood and unconscious, he then picks her up and slowly slips her into the bath water, leaving the room right afterward.
Several hours later, she wakes up and feels physically drained. 'I'm so tired. Why am I so tired? Oh. Right. I got shot' She says to herself. Making a pained expression as she slowly moves her hand over to her stomach. Feeling a scar in the same spot she got shot at, she smiles. "I know that it was you. Thank you, Blue Cloud." She whispers, falling back asleep shortly thereafter.
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Russell in the meantime teleports to Central after hearing from one of his sources that his brother seen over there. Turning the corner, he runs into...
Ed stops walking and doesn't take his eyes off of Russell, asking. "So, where is she?"
Russell - "Didn't you already save your wife?"
Ed - "I'm not talking about my wife, I'm talking about Janine."
Russell - "Oh. So you know about the stone, then? (Ed only just stares at him, not making any kind of reaction) Bummer. I was kinda hoping for your usual blow-up." "Just answer the damn question, Tringham," Ed replies in an annoyed tone. Russell rubs the back of his neck briefly. "Look. All I can tell you is that the last time I saw her, she didn't look too well after that guy shot her. That armored boy then dragged her bloody body into his armor. Don't know where he went or where he's at now."
Ed stares at Russell in disbelief. "You're Lying!" Ed shouts, pointing to him. Russell shrugs his shoulders. "Look. Whether or not you believe me. I highly doubt she's still alive with the amount of blood that she's lost. But I guess trading some of her life force isn't worth it to her to stay amongst the living. Guess we should thank the lucky stars that we've never held that kind of responsibility and that the stone didn't choose us then, huh Elric." Ed stares at Russell with sadness and disbelief.
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As she slowly opens her eyes again, she sees Jake walking into the bathroom. Startled at first when he sees her opened eyes, he walks over to after he sees her blink but notices her eyes are pitch black instead of brown or blue. "I'm guessing that you're the one that put me in here." She whispers to him. He nods his head. "She tried to heal you as best as she could. Haven't heard from her in a while though." He tells her.
AJ - "Our connection is severed because of the distance. It had nothing to do with you." She tells him. "How do you feel right now?" "Like crap. ...Wouldn't be the first time I sustained a serious injury, though." "What do you mean?" He asks her.
AJ sighs. "You know you're not the only one that Adam damaged. If I'd say so, you had it the easy way." He yells back at her. "Like Hell, I've Had It Easy!" "You're right, my bad. But still. He kidnapped me two times when I was thirteen. The first time I didn't have the stone with me but he left me with punctured wounds all across my arms and legs. Injecting me with god knows what kind of drugs and forced them into my system. I was found with a rope around my neck, practically skin, and bones."
Jake gasps and stares at her in shock, she continues. "The second time, I did have the stone with me and I realize now that he was withdrawing my blood out of me to extend the lives of others. You standing here, being the prime example of that. He left me with a dislocated shoulder and a broken ankle after I escaped on my own that time."
Jake looks to the ground in sadness. "I- I didn't know about any of t-that. I'm so s-sorry!" Jake cries as falls to his knees in front of her. She takes her hand out of the water and places it on his head.
AJ - "But Jake." He lifts his head up to look at her. "Do you want to know what is the most fucked up part regarding the rope that was around my neck?" "No." He replies. "Adam wasn't the one who put it there... It was Me." Jake gasps in shock.
Jake - "WHAT! Why would you do that!" She glares at him. "Do I really need to explain myself? Excuse me for having guilt about what happened to you, Jake. Not to mention the stress of handling a stone that people will obviously try to kill me for. The self-doubts, self-negativity, and self-cuts that I used to inflict on my arms and legs all those years ago. (She starts getting teary-eyed and emotional) The shame that I've held onto because I can't bring myself to admit to them, any of them what I did. My own cowardliness for trying to take the easy way out because I didn't want to deal with everything anymore. But I won't say sorry to anyone but me. I have to forgive myself first before others do it for me."
Jake stays silent. "It doesn't mean that now I'm this strong, untouchable person because I'm not. I'm still heavily damaged and still can't handle extreme situations. But I'm not giving up so easily this time around. I will fight for myself, my friends, my family, the people that I care about most." ... "Although, words make everything sound so much easier than it will ever be. " She slowly starts to drift back to sleep. Jake brushes her bangs away from her face after she falls asleep.
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As Russell and Ed are exchanging words, Al, Roy and his team of officers and subordinates are getting into position. Once everyone is good to go, Roy then walks forward, right behind Russell. "That's enough, Edward." Ed looks at Roy, blankly. Russell turns around and faces Roy. "Well, well. It's the Flame Alchemist that I've heard so much about."
Roy smirks. "Well, I'm flattered." He says as he stops just a few feet away from Russell. "Now. I know you know where he's taken her, so tell us." "And if I don't?" Swoow! An arrow cuts Russell on his cheek, sticking in between a crack in the concrete ground.
Ed stands there in shock, looking at the arrow. So does Russell as he wipes his cheek with his hand, seeing his blood on his hand. He then looks at Roy again. Roy tells him. "Like I said before. I know you know where she's at, so tell me right now because I can guarantee you that the next one will strike without miss and the wound will be deeper."
Russell grins and starts laughing. Calming himself down, he tells Roy. "Why even bother? It's not like she should mean so much to you since she's just another soldier to all of you Generals and Colonels. Actually, I couldn't help but notice the military's replacement of Ed over there. Hell, she's probably the same height if not shorter than he ever was."
Ed looks at Russell with astonishment. "The hell she is! She's not mine or anyone else's replacement for that matter. She's her own damn person! it's so obvious to you because you're still obviously trying to be something that you're not! Hell, you and your own brother pretended to me and Al just to go work for some lowlife and look at where that gotten you!" Ed yells to Russell who looks at him.
Russell glares at Ed before he rushes him. Al claps his hands, slamming them on the ground, creating something that grabs Russell's legs causing him to fall on his knees before he makes it to Ed. "What the?" Panicking, Russell then activates his transportation transmutation circle. Al then jumps out from his hiding spot and grabs onto Russell's arm before he disappears completely, transporting with him as well.
Ed and everyone else there, screams "AL!" But by then, the two have already vanished.
End of Chapter 31
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(A.N.)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a pretty messed up Chapter if I do say so myself. I wanted to make this chapter more dramatic than comedic although there are some of those elements in here. I also wanted to give a moment between Jake and Marisol. The original rough draft was a bit over the top, so I changed most of it. I'm happy with the final cut, though. Thanks for reading!