-1A/N: You guys are lucky that I love giving you chapters. You all should return that love by giving me reviews. I try not to update unless I have at least 10 reviews, which considering how many people read this and how many people have it on their alerts, isn't asking a lot. Just leave a simple line or two. They make my day. Thank you to everyone that has reviewed, I will answer them at the bottom of this chapter.

A/N2- Hopefully you all will read this one. I know Jess is a bit OOC, and will be especially in flash backs. (which will be coming soon) But Jess was different before everything happened. You'll see. Some of why he's the way he is will be explained in flash backs. So no flames about that, please.

Disclaimer- I own Milo. Yup. You hadn't heard? Well, now you know. But I own nothing else.

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Rory and Cassie entered the Diner laughing and Jess looked up from a counter he was wiping down. He was a bit puzzled on why they were there, laughing, together.

"Hey Jess." Rory greeted smiling.

"Hey." He leant in and pecked Rory on the lips. "Coffee?" In return Rory gave him a look like he must be on something. "Right. I'm on it."

"Counter?" Rory asked.

"Yup." Cassie replied.

"So what're you two doing?" Jess asked as he poured two cups of coffee.

"I was just showing Cassie around town."

"I got a shot of Ms. Patty pinching Andrew's butt." Cassie laughed at the memory and Jess cringed at bitter memories of Ms. Patty's pinching fingers.

Rory suddenly burst out laughing and Jess and Cassie looked at her funny. "You haven't seen Ms. Patty around Jess have you?" Rory got out when the laughing subsided.

"No." Then it clicked. "Oh!" She looked to Jess and started to talk in a baby voice. "Did widdle Jessie wessie get violated?"

"I have orders to take." He avoided the subject and walked to the two other tables that were occupied.

"Oh man, I'm so mad I've missed that." Her voice returned to normal.

"It's pretty funny." Rory admitted.

"Are you still talking about my butt?" Jess asked as he walked back to the counter.

"But it's such a nice butt." Cassie mocked, earning a glare from Jess. "Alright well I'm going to go double check if there really are twelve stores devoted entirely to peddling porcelain unicorns."

"I had a hard time believing it myself." Jess informed.

"I'll see you back at the house, Rory."

"Bye."

Cassie flashed a smile and quickly exited the diner.

"What does she mean back at the house?" Jess asked, brows coming together in confusion.

"She's staying with me."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I like her. So does my mom."

"You should all get along. You're all lunatics." Jess rolled his eyes.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"So you really like her?" Jess asked, still not believing it.

"Yes!" Rory laughed slightly. "She's fun."

"Yeah, she's definitely that."

"Hey, I've got some homework that's calling my name. Pick me up at around 7?" Rory asked, referring to their date. Apparently Jess hadn't deleted all the messages as Rory asked and heard her rant about time.

"Yeah, I'll see you then." He leaned over slightly to catch Rory's lips in his quickly.

"Bye!" Rory flashed a smile when she ended the kiss and hopped off the stool she was on. Jess just shook his head and went to take the order of a couple that had just walked in.

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"Thirteen!" A female voice exclaimed as she entered the diner. Jess looked up from his book to find Cassie with her hands raised above her head.

"Thirteen what?"

"Stores! Thirteen stores devoted to peddling porcelain unicorns!"

"They made another one? Wow. Let me get you a coke."

"With some Rum, please." She pleaded, laying her head on the counter. Jess just lightly shook his head chuckling. Oh the ramifications growing up in New York had on you. He wound up just giving her a regular coke, and she didn't question it.

"Hey we never really got to talk." Jess stated quietly, leaning on the counter. There was no one else in the diner, but he still felt like he should be quiet. "What's going on?"

"Nothing."

"After I left…" Jess left the end off of the sentence hoping Cassie would finish it for him.

Instead she asked a question. "Why did you leave? Your mom told the cops you left to live with some relative. Was I really that bad? I didn't mean to chase you away."

"I didn't leave, she sent me here."

"What?" Cassie asked, barely audible.

"I got home from the police station and she had a bag packed for me. Told me I was going to stay with my uncle. I never even got a chance to tell anyone. As soon as I got in the door, she was pushing me back out and to the bus station." There was a hint of anger in his voice. "She said that you had gotten me into enough trouble, and that it was ending."

"You weren't even in trouble!" Cassie was suddenly loud, outraged at Liz. Liz had never liked Cassie, and made her distaste for her very clear.

"I know. She just heard the words Cassie, Jess, Police, and freaked."

"Probably too stoned to make out anything else." Cassie added under her breath, but Jess heard it and knew it was most likely true.

"So after I was sent here, what happened?"

"They arrested him." Cassie nodded with a slight smile.

"That's great!" Jess' smile was much bigger and Cassie looked down to her hair and started fiddling with it.

"Yeah, would've been if it stuck." Her words were bitter.

"What?"

Cassie looked up from her hair. "He got away, Jess. He got away and left the country." She decided to leave off the part about him promising to come back and kill her.

"Son of a bitch!" Jess punched the wall behind him, leaving a small dent.

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. I'm fine." Cassie lied, then got up from her stool to stand in front of a fuming Jess, holding him by the shoulders trying to catch his eye. He wouldn't give it to her, though. "It's not your fault." She told him for the trillionth time. He used to blame himself when they were in New York. He'd always blamed himself.

"I went through all of that trouble. Risked you never speaking to me again to get that bastard behind bars, and it didn't even work! He's still out there, Cassie!"

"You think I don't know that?! Do you think I don't lay in bed awake every night jumping at the slightest noise? Do you think that when I actually do sleep it's not filled with terrible nightmares and memories? That I don't worry about you, and imagine all of the horrible things he'll do to you, if he finds you? I was kind of relieved you left because that meant he couldn't find you as easily!" By the time Cassie's finished, there were tears beginning to stream down her face. The sight automatically sobered Jess and he pulled her into a hug, letting her cry on him. "I have trouble even blinking sometimes from the images that appear behind my eyelids." She sniffled. "Sometimes it just goes on repeat over and over and over until I'm screaming, or vomiting." She clenched his shirt in her small fists.

Jess hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head whispering, "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." He had noticed how bloodshot her eyes were, and the dark bags under them. He had just figured she had missed the last few nights of sleep, preparing to see him. He really should've known better.

Cassie pulled away, wiping her eyes and sniffling. "Sorry. I came to see you, not cry all over you." She tried to laugh to lighten the mood a bit, but failed at both. "I should go." She walked to the stool she had been sitting by and grabbed her purse, heading towards the door. Before she got there, Jess' voice stopped her.

"Hey. You know I'm always here for you to cry on. I'm actually pretty good at it." He smirked.

Cassie looked to him and smiled, thinking of all the times he'd let her cry on him. She'd probably cried gallons of tears on him. Slightly nodding, she turned back to the door but stopped again. "You know that if Rory asks, you can tell her."

"It's not my story to tell."

"Yeah, but I'm giving you permission to tell it. She's nice, and you guys are pretty serious. She deserves to know a little about your past. I don't mind. All of New York knows already. I don't see the point in keeping it a secret." It was true all of New York knew. After He'd escaped, it had been all over the news. Cassie had to say it was embarrassing and made her feel even more like crap and alone. She hadn't gone back to school for over two weeks after that.

Reluctantly, he nodded and Cassie left.

Jess sighed, grabbing a book and leaving too, locking up behind him. Luke had gone to pick up a shipment somewhere in Hartford, and Caesar was taking the day off.

Before he knew it, Jess was on the bridge sitting with his feet dangling above the water. He couldn't believe He'd gotten out of jail. Especially when Jess had worked so hard to get him there.

Not thinking, Jess picked up the nearest thing to him, a big rock, and threw it as hard as he could, which went surprisingly far considering how large it was, before landing it the water with a loud plunk and splash. Still, it didn't seem satisfying. This was why he used to fight.

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Just A Girl Of The Hollow x3- Is it okay if I just call you Just A Girl? Cause your name is pretty long to type out every time I reply. I used to be like you having a million stories on alert, but then I read too many and lost track of what was going on and which was which and my head exploded. Now I only read a select few. I like making people happy too. I'm glad you like this. I hope it continues.

Watergurl123- Yay! I'm glad you like it. Thanks for the review.

Dragon Dreamer3- I hope it was a good surprise that updated. I'm sorry if you were disappointed, but this story isn't going to be very long and I didn't want any unnecessary drama. Really, this story is mostly about Jess' past and that's it. I have too many other stories going on. I can't get start one without an end again. I hope you still like it.

Hollowgirl22- Thanks! Still soon enough?

XoXoLiteratiLoveroXoX- Jeeeez that was a long name. Haha. May I call you Xo from now on? I'm glad you like where this is going, and I really hope that continues. So far I am planning for it to be a lit. The other one I wrote that didn't, was a sequel to the one that did for all of the people that actually wanted Jess and Ellie to get together. (Which was a surprising amount) You, a Lit fan can pretend it ended at the first story and they lived happily ever after. Hehe. But I don't think you'll have to do that with this one. This isn't going to be a long story. Maybe like 7 chapters. So we're pretty much half done. The next few chapter will be longer.

Exitlight- I know it was short. I'm trying to make the chapters longer, but any longer and they won't flow well. I am trying, though. Was this one any better? I think the next one's longer. Hm.. You'll have to read and see.

The Warner Sister Dot- Thanks! Hope this chapter was as lovely as the last. Well maybe not, 'cause it was a tad bit sad, but lovely like you're satisfied.

Aiden-Tonic- Yay! Thanks. You are one of the big reasons I update. I love seeing what you think. You feed my ego like a cake feeds a fat kid.

Amy- Thanks. This is a pretty quick update, too. I'm glad it makes you happy. Please keep reviewing.

Allycat1186- I am continuing. I know I have a really bad habit of starting stories and not finishing them. I will try to finish all of them eventually. But this one I know for sure will get finished. I hope that can put you at ease a little.

CharliLee- Well interesting is better than IT SUCKS. So I'll take it.