Chapter 3
Jack sat on a chair in the office and placed is head into his hands. It had been ten minutes since he'd been asked to do the undercover challenge and, although it was something he had always wanted to do, he knew he couldn't go into something like that without talking to... His eyes filled with tears just thinking of her name. His beautiful girlfriend. He loved her so much. They'd spoken before of Jack's job and she'd always told him to follow his dreams, knowing full well that going Undercover was something he wanted to achieve.
Meanwhile, Martha was in her bedroom, nervously changing into various outfits. She'd spent the last few hours preparing a romantic meal for Jack. She wanted tonight to be perfect. Finally deciding on an outfit she looked at her reflection in the full length mirror. The black strapless dress she had chosen fitted neatly against her upper body and floated softly at the bottom. Jack had always told her she looked 'amazing, like an angel' in it. She smiled to herself and straightened her hair through with her fingers.
Jack was stood against the wall in his office and leant his head against the wall. He thought of how, when he was child, he would dream of going undercover and coming out as the Hero. Now that dream was a reality, but he had so much more to consider. His Family. His Dad and Lucas. They'd given him so much and he didn't know if he could go through with something so dangerous. Then, of course, there was Martha. His beautiful girlfriend. Barely back together for a day, he couldn't bear to do something that would risk their future. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He watched as Laurence entered. "Jack, we need to go. Can I count on you to come with us?" he asked. Jack bit his lip, and then nervously smiled at Laurence, grabbing his hat, and heading out of the door. He knew he should discuss it with Martha first, but he didn't want to miss the opportunity.
Martha sat at the table, her hands resting neatly under her chin. She checked her watch for the millionth time and sighed. She needed him home. She needed him with her. She needed to tell him the truth, she knew it would hurt him but he had to know. She quickly snapped out of the daydream as his voice called to her. "Martha it's Jack" she got up from the chair and followed his voice, which lead her to the answering machine. She felt her heart sink. "I know we arranged to have dinner tonight, but I'm afraid I can't make it. The truth is..Well, I shouldn't be telling you this, but I've agreed to work undercover for the station. I'll explain more when I get home. I'm sorry" he said. Martha felt a tear trickle down her gentle cheek as she realised she couldn't tell him the truth just yet. His voice again spoke. "And Martha..." he sighed. "I love you..." The line went dead. She closed her eyes. She didn't know what she felt. She was angry with Jack for agreeing to something that could be so dangerous. She was sad that he wasn't coming home to her. But most of all she was frightened because she knew that for every minute she didn't tell Jack the truth, would make it ten times harder when she did. Emptying the plates and placing them into the dishwasher, she blew out the candles she had earlier lit and headed towards the stairs. She looked at the answering machine as Jack's words spun into her head. She softly whispered 'I love you too Jack' and headed upstairs, her secret still with her...
