This is it, the moment you've all been waiting for. I hope this ending is a satisfying one. I wrote it on paper at about 1 am the other night, and I was pretty happy with it. Then, I decided it needed a little fixing. So, here it is. Enjoy!
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Chapter 5: Showdown
Harris caught up to Jack as he was heading into the Inn. "Have you heard anything yet?"
Jack shook his head. "Nothing. He hasn't called."
"We have a problem. He may not be able to get through to us tonight. There's a huge storm coming. We need to get everyone to the Church basement and the get the windows of the houses boarded up. We don't have a lot of time."
Jack nodded. "I'll get Cliff and Gray. They're upstairs. We'll start at Barley's."
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The storm was growing worse, and by this time, almost everyone had gathered in the basement of the Church. After the big storm of '97, the Mayor had set up a shelter in the basement. Beds had been set up, along with a couple of refrigerators to store water and food.
The girls were trying to keep May and Stu occupied so they wouldn't be scared. Mary looked around for Jack. She didn't see him, or Cliff either. She wished they would hurry. Pretty soon, it would be too dangerous to be outside. She hoped they were okay. A huge flash of lighting hit, and the power went out. May and Stu burst into tears.
"It's okay," Mary said. "I know where Carter keeps some extra flashlights. "I'll go get them, okay?"
"You can sit with me, May," Karen said.
Using the little bit of lightening coming in through the window, she walked over and picked up the little girl. She sat down next to Elli, who was holding Stu, and settled May on her lap.
Mary slowly made her way over to Carter.
"We're going to need some more flashlights and blankets," she told him. "I can get those. But, Jack and Cliff aren't here yet. Should we go look for them?"
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Jack helped Doug finish boarding the up the Inn windows. Gray had twisted his ankle, so Doug and Jack sent him and Cliff to the Church.
"That's the last one," Doug said. "We better get to the Church. This storm is getting worse."
On their way out, the phone rang.
"Go ahead," Jack told Doug. "This might be for me."
"Okay, but hurry."
Jack picked up the phone. "Hello, this is Jack."
Static, then, "Jack? It's Kai." Some more static. "I can't believe how long it's taken me to get through."
"We're having a huge storm, so you'll have to speak up a little."
"I found him, Jack. The psycho who's been sending Mary flowers. He was here yesterday. You won't believe it. It's -ck-..." (A/N - short "c" sound)
The line went dead.
"Kai? Kai? Are you still there?" No answer, no dial tone.
"Damn," Jack muttered, slamming the phone down. Behind him, the Inn doors flew open.
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"Jack is on his way," Doug said. "He got a phone call. Cliff should be here already though."
"Maybe he went back to get Jack," Carter suggested. "I'll stay by the door, and keep an eye out for them."
"I'll go get the flashlights and the blankets," Mary said. She left the basement as fast as she could. The Church had been around ever since she was a kid, so she knew her way around and could walk through it blindfolded. The occasional lighting flashes helped light the way and she reached the supply closet in record time.
On the closet shelf, next to the door, was one of those industrial flashlights. She picked it up and turned it on. Good thing Carter made sure things were always in working order. She scanned the room, noticing the blankets on the far shelf. Her foot hit something on the floor and she looked down. A paint can. A paint can half full of red paint. That was weird. Then she remembered that the paint had been used on the Harvest Sprites' roof. Still, for some reason, it made her uneasy to see the can just sitting there, with the lid partially on. Something didn't feel right. She decided to just grab the flashlights and blankets and get out of there. Suddenly, something struck her across the back of the head. She fell to the floor, unconscious.
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Cliff stood in the doorway of the Inn, soaking wet. "Jack, what are you still doing here! You're gonna have to swim to the Church if you don't hurry!"
It's –ck--.
"It's you?" Jack asked, in disbelief.
"It's me, what?" Cliff asked, confused.
"You're the one whose been sending Mary flowers? You killed my chickens and almost killed Karen?"
"Hold on a second, Jack, you're not making any sense."
"I just got a call from Kai. He said he found the guy who's been stalking Mary. He said it was, well, it sounded like a name with a short "c".
"Okay, I can see how that would seem, but trust me, it wasn't me. We're friends. I wouldn't do that. Besides, I love Ann. I'm planning on proposing to her soon"
Jack sighed. "I'm sorry. Of course it wasn't you. I don't know what I was thinking. This whole thing is so frustrating."
"All is forgiven, my friend," Cliff said. "I'd feel the same way if it was Ann." He thought for a moment. "A short "c", huh? Well, it can't be Kai, cause he just called you."
"And it's not me. Unless I'm doing this behind my own back," Jack said. "And I don't think it's Rick. If he was stalking anyone, it would be Karen."
"It can't be Duke," Cliff said, after a moment. "He can't even be romantic, much less than stalk someone. And I'm pretty sure that Zach has a crush on Lillia. So, who does that leave?"
A moment of silence, then they stared at each other as the same thought occurred to them both.
"We need to hurry," Jack said.
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Mary slowly opened her eyes. Her head hurt like crazy and she wanted to lay down for just a minute, to make it go away. She moved her hand to brush her hair out of her eyes and realized that she tied to a chair. Now fully awake, she looked around. She was in Carter's office. A couple of battery powered lamps were on. He was sitting on his desk, looking at her.
"Wha-what's going on?" she asked.
"I'm sorry," Carter said, "I really didn't mean to hit you that hard."
"Oo-kay. So, why did you hit me in the first place? And will you please untie me?"
"Not yet."
Mary stared at him in disbelief. "Wait a second! This whole time it was you! You've been sending me flowers? You killed Jack's chickens and ruined his farm? Oh, Goddess, you threw Karen out of a window! Are you out of your mind?"
"Of course not. I did it all for you. Because I love you."
"You love me? You almost killed someone because you love me!"
"I wasn't trying to kill her. I knew she wasn't going to die. But, she was very rude and unkind to you. I was trying to teach her a lesson. Lucky for her, it worked." His expression darkened. "Too bad it didn't work with Jack."
Mary suddenly felt as if she had stepped into The Twilight Zone. This couldn't be the same Carter who played with May and Stu almost every day. Or who would let her practice on the organ at odd hours of the day.
"I loved you from the moment I saw you. Then, that infernal farmer showed up and took you away from me. I know city boys. He would have turned you into another Karen."
"He didn't take me away from you. I wasn't yours in the first place. And Jack isn't like that."
"All he had to do was take my warnings seriously!" he exclaimed, pacing.
"I told you, Jack isn't like that! He loves me, and I love him. Doesn't what I want mean anything to you?" she demanded.
Carter looked startled. "Of course it does. But, I know that you would learn to love me."
Mary gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry, Carter, but I don't feel that way about you. I like being your friend, but that's it."
Carter stopped pacing and opened a drawer in his desk and pulled something out. In the light of one of the lanterns, Mary saw that it was a gun.
"Where did you get that!" she gasped.
"It belonged to Jack's great-grandfather. A family heirloom, I think. It wasn't loaded, but I found the bullets under the display case." He walked toward her. "If I can't have you, he can't either."
"And just how are you planning to get away with that?"
"He'll shoot you, then himself. Of course, I tried to save you both, getting shot in the process. I'll survive to tell the story, though."
"Sounds like a bad ending to a crappy movie," Mary said, sarcastically.
"Are you sure you won't change your mind?" Carter asked.
Mary never got to answer. The door was flung open as Jack flew across the room and tackled Carter. Cliff was right behind him. He ran and untied Mary from the chair.
"Quick, get help!" he hollered.
Mary ran for the door. Carter, momentarily gaining the upper hand, pointed the gun at her. Cliff pushed her out of the way and caught the bullet in his shoulder. Jack grabbed one the heavy books Carter had on the floor and brought it down on Carter's gun hand. Carter dropped the gun, but managed to punch Jack with his other fist. Carter gave him a kick and he fell back against the bookshelves. Carter started to stand, and Mary grabbed the chair she had been sitting on and smashed it over his head. He fell to the floor and Jack jumped up and snapped on the handcuffs Harris had given him.
Jack sat down on the floor, out of breath. Mary plopped down next to him.
"Thanks for coming to my rescue," she said, smiling "How did you know?"
"Kai called me," Jack said, between breaths. "Thanks for coming to my rescue."
Mary sighed. "What a psycho."
"Ah, listen, this is probably the worst time to ask this, but I have to ask anyway." Jack turned so that he was looking into her eyes. "Mary, will you marry me?" He pulled a Blue Feather out of his pocket, that had miraculously survived the fight.
Mary threw her arms around him.
"Of course I will!" she exclaimed.
They kissed, then heard someone clear their throat from behind them.
"Listen, guys, I had to break up your romantic moment," Cliff said, sounding amused, "but I've been shot, and while I don't think it's bad, it really hurts."
Mary jumped to her feet. "I'll get Tim and Harris."
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On a beautiful Fall day, Mary stood in front of the mirror in the back of the Church. Her mother adjusted her veil one last time. She grabbed her bouquet and joined Karen, Ann and Elli. After talking it over, they had decided on a double wedding. Karen would be Mary's bridesmaid, and Elli would be Ann's.
They heard the music start in the Church, and the four girls prepared to walk down the aisle. First, Karen, escorted by Rick, whom had proposed an excited Karen told the girls that morning (they had been seeing each other ever since Karen had become a new person); then, Elli, escorted by Tim, who was nervously trying to find the right time to propose. They took their places behind the grooms and waited.
The music changed, and Mary and Ann walked towards their soon-to-be husbands on the arms of their fathers. Anna was crying and Doug looked like he was trying not to. As they stood in front of Mayor Thomas, as another priest had not been found yet, Mary smiled at Jack. Things were getting better. The past was behind them now. No more secrets, no more roses. Just happiness for the rest of their lives.
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A/N – I can't believe I'm done! The whole story didn't turn out the way I had planned. It could have been a little longer, with a little more action. I'm not too good at that action stuff, anyways. Should I try another one like this?
As for this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. Like I said in the beginning, I did write it out on paper, but I lost the paper and had to do it from memory, so it wasn't exactly how I wanted it, but almost. Thanks to my reviewers: PacificTwist, CandyApple8, Fairy-Princess139, King of Apple Pie, Chocolatez-z-z, muddPiEE, and Chicken Yuki!