Sunday

Chapter 3

Sunday evening Tony gets back to his apartment. He opens the door and walks in. After closing the door and locking it, he walks toward the kitchen where Jamie hands him a soda.

"A package was left at the door a couple hours ago." Jamie stated. "It's on the table in the TV room."

Tony slowly walks toward the TV room. His heart begins pounding as he sees the package on the table. Tony walks to the couch, sits down and just stares at the familiar packaging. Jamie walks into the TV room in order to talk to Tony.

"Tony, we really need to talk." Jamie said.

"What's there to talk about?" Tony asked.

"The fact that there's obviously something wrong with you… Not that there's anything wrong with you… What I meant was… There's obviously something that's been bothering you the passed three weeks. And I'm not the only one to notice this behavior."

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"You tell me everything. Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?"

"It's not something I care to talk to you about."

"Well I love you Tony and I hate seeing you like this. You're distracted at work and you've become emotionally cut off. Please talk to me."

There's a moment of silence.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you! Will you stop staring at that stupid package?!"

Jamie walks over and tries to grab the package.

"What's in this stupid thing anyway?" Jamie asked.

"No!" Tony grabs her hands.

Jamie tries pulling away as Tony is slightly hurting her.

"Tony! You're hurting me! Let go!"

Tony lets her hands go as he didn't realize he's holding her too tightly. Jamie backs up a bit, away from Tony.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Jamie exclaimed.

"I didn't realize I was hurting you." Tony said.

"It's not so much the hurting me… But that's the first time you've touched me in three weeks. What's happening to you? Why won't you talk to me?"

Tony tilts his head to the left in order to look at Jamie.

"Maybe it would better if you just went home." Tony said.

"I'm not leaving." Jamie stated.

"I just wanna be alone. I need time to think things over."

"I know you don't wanna be alone, so let me be here for you."

Tony turns his head to look back at the package.

"Maybe I don't want you here anymore." Tony stated.

"You don't mean that." Jamie said.

"What makes you think I don't?"

"Cuz you love me."

There's a moment of silence. As Tony keeps staring at the package, Jamie looks at his facial expression in order to see his reaction to what she just said.

"You do still love me… Right?" Jamie asked.

Tony turns his head to look at Jamie.

"Just leave." Tony said.

Jamie's eyes begin gathering some tears and she tries so hard to not start crying. Tony tries hard to not show emotion as he looks at her.

"If I walk out that door, I'm not coming back." Jamie stated. "So the question is; do you love me?"

"Go home Jamie." Tony said.

"Do you love me? Yes or no?!"

"No…" Tony shakes his head.

"You don't mean that." Jamie begins to cry.

"What part of me not loving you anymore and wanting you to leave, do you not understand?!"

Jamie takes the engagement ring off her finger. She walks closer and places it on the table next to the package. She walks away, grabs a couple things and leaves the apartment. Tony does nothing to stop her.

After the door slams leaving Tony all alone, he looks to the package. He begins to unwrap and open it. After opening the package, he lifts the note off the top ice pack. The note, which is written in blood, reads; The Game Continues… It's all in the Eyes… Welcome to My Sickness. He lifts the top ice pack to reveal the pair of eyes. Tony grabs the engagement ring and tries hard not to cry.

After 35 minutes, Jamie returns home, to her father's house. Gibbs is in the basement working on the boat. Jamie walks to the basement and stands in the doorway where she sees her father near the boat. Gibbs stops what he's doing, turns his head and looks up at Jamie as she's walking down the stairs. He notices she's crying.

"Daddy…" Jamie tries to address him in order to tell him what happened, but she's too choked up to say anything more.

Jamie sits at the bottom of the stairs, places her face in her hands and begins crying hysterically. Gibbs quickly walks over to her. He sits next to her. Gibbs wraps his arms around Jamie in order to comfort her as she keeps crying.