Hey guys. No promises about updates this weekend cause i'm taking a trip but I hope you like this chapter

Chapter 24

After their recent conversation, things between Jack and Kim had significantly shifted. There were no more questions about their attraction to each other and now there wasn't much stopping them from showing it. Maybe it was the relief of almost being home, but Jack and Kim were inseparable. Kim was still recovering from her concussion, and Jack was always there to get her water or a snack or a blanket so she could sleep.

The day after everything changed, Clifford told them they would be moving tomorrow morning. It would be easier to get into the city during the day where they could dress as tourists and not raise any red flags. Jack had offered up the bedroom to Kim, taking the couch instead so she could have a good night's rest. Kim tried to fight back, but Jack said it was only fair because he had already slept on the bed for two nights. Kim finally agreed and Jack gave her a good night's kiss. Despite the frequency of Jack's kisses, they still surprised Kim every time. She wasn't sure how long it would take to get used to them.

Jack woke up first, his body getting used to a new sleep schedule. He was out in the kitchen when Clifford came out and gave him the task of waking Kim up.

Jack made sure to have some food out for Kim's breakfast before braving the task.

"Kim," he said softly, lightly touching Kim's shoulder. "Kim. Kim, wake up."

Kim groaned and moved away from Jack's hand.

"Kim, it's time to wake up."

"Mhmm… no…" Kim mumbled, rubbing her face until it was contorted in a strange and unnatural way.

"Kim," Jack said again. "It's time to get up."

"No… It's too early…"

"Kim," Jack said more firmly but holding back a laugh. "Get up. Come on."

When Kim groaned again, Jack grabbed the covers, pulling them off Kim's body. She would never get up if she was comfortable. "There's breakfast on the counter."

Kim sighed, swinging her legs off the bed finally and standing up, shuffling to the door. All with her eyes still closed.

When she ran into a wall for the fourth time, she finally opened her eyes.

Kim ate in silence, still trying to gain consciousness. By the time she was done, she was able to keep her eyes open without having to try too hard. She went to the bathroom to change and brush her teeth and wash her face. When she reemerged, Jack and Clifford were sitting on the couch, ready for her.

"Ready to go?" Clifford asked.

Kim shrugged. It felt odd like they were getting ready to go on vacation or something. Except they were on their way to… where?

"Sure," Kim shrugged.

Clifford led the way and Jack and Kim followed him outside and into the car. They sat in the backseat and Kim almost immediately realized she had total control of the recline of her own chair. Popping that puppy all the way back, Kim closed her eyes and fell back asleep within three minutes of getting in the car.

Kim wasn't sure how long she slept but when she woke up, she saw Jack was still asleep and they were in a much less rural area.

Rather than wake Jack up, as her first impulse said to, Kim just sat quietly, enjoying the scenery. She wasn't sure where they were, not even remotely, but it was beautiful. She saw the buildings in a new and beautiful light. Even the rundown abandoned buildings were amazing and Kim could imagine a whole story for each one.

"This is Breneoux," Clifford said from the front seat, looking back at Kim from the rearview mirror.

Kim startled, not knowing that Clifford had been watching her.

"It's a town just outside Amerita, the capit-"

"The capital city of Melavia," Kim finished, recalling the geography fact her mother seemed to drill into her mind.

"Indeed," Clifford nodded.

Kim looked outside the car again and marveled at the land. This was Malevia. It was beautiful. She felt a deep connection to the land she had always thought so far and foreign.

"What are we… Where are we going?" Kim asked, eagerly waiting to hear what business they had in her (newly discovered) home country.

"The Palace, hopefully," Clifford answered.

Kim blinked. "We are?"

"We are."

"Woah…" Kim exhaled, she wasn't sure what to expect or if she should be thrilled or terrified. Probably both.

Jack woke up about ten minutes later, silently looking out the window along with Kim.

Kim could tell when they were in Amerita. There wasn't a sign or anything, she could just tell. The roads tripled in size and the architecture matched the pictures she had seen online. The history of the country filled her mind. The wars, the interactions between neighboring countries, the long history of the royal family, the people and their stories. It was her history.

When the car pulled off the main road and into a small shop's parking lot, Kim and Jack shared a questioning look.

Clifford looked around before turning off the car and stepping out to open Kim's door.

"Come on," he coaxed. He led them inside the small building, it was some kind of yarn shop or old craft store. It was completely empty.

"What are we doing here?" Kim couldn't stop herself from asking as her face scrunched up.

"Follow me," Clifford just said with a small smirk.

Jack offered Kim a shrug and waited for her to lead the way.

Clifford led them through the shop and out the back door where a sleek black car with all tinted windows waited for them. When he opened the door Kim could see the sweet inside and laughed in pure shock and amusement.

Jack followed her in, similarly surprised. The car was black on the inside and very clean. It was stocked with water and napkins and the armrests had awesome screens attached and there was a movable partition between the front and back seats.

Clifford sat in the passenger seat and began talking with the other woman in the driver's seat.

"This is sick," Kim whispered to Jack.

"Totally," Jack whispered back, already fiddling with the screen in his seat.

"You kids buckled?" Clifford asked, turning around.

Jack and Kim buckled quickly before resuming their exploration. It was a little unreal, the change just a few days could make in their lifestyle.

Kim was in awe of it all, even more so when the car approached a gate and slowly passed through under the scrutiny of 4 armed guards. They couldn't see into the car, Kim knew, but it was still a little frightening.

"Welcome to Bamford Palace."

Kim gaped up at the building they were driving by. They didn't go through the front entrance, so it looked different than the pictures Kim had seen before, but it was even more impressive than she could have thought. She had never been to Europe and had never seen a palace in real life before. They were huge and… beautiful.

"Woah," Jack breathed, voicing Kim's thoughts.

When the car came to a stop in a large garage, Clifford spoke into his phone quietly before stepping out and opening the back door for Kim.

She took the hand he offered, needing anything to help her balance. Now that they were inside the home of the Malevian royalty, Kim was finding it harder to stand.

When Jack stepped out after her, he took his place at her side and offered her his hand, after which he squeezed her hand gently and accompanied it with a gentle kiss on the temple.

"Don't be nervous," he whispered. "You have nothing to prove to anyone."

Kim nodded. Jack was right. Kim was just kidnapped for a reason she didn't learn until just a few days ago. If anyone should be nervous, it was the people waiting for them inside.

"Right this way," Clifford said, leading the pair inside and down a hallway. It was clearly a side hallway, not meant to be seen by many people, but even it was decorated lavishly. There were paintings that seemed hundreds of years old–they probably were.

"Are these people real?" Jack asked quietly, looking at the strange faces in some of the portraits.

"Yeah," Kim said. "They have to be."

"Think they're your ancestors?"

Kim hesitated. They probably were. Thankfully years of inbreeding hadn't seemed to affect her too much. Luckily the practice of marrying within the same small European Royalty pool ended centuries ago in Malevia. Still, if you were to go back enough generations, Kim was sure these interesting-looking individuals were her family.

"Let's change the subject," Kim whispered back.

Jack nodded, shutting his mouth as they continued to follow Clifford.

He stopped when they reached a small sitting room. Jack and Kim sat on the stiff couches, looking around the entire time.

"You've both been given rooms, someone will be by shortly to escort you to them and help you get settled in," Clifford explained.

Kim and Jack nodded along, not really caring.

"But before that, I think there are some people who are rather eager to meet you," Clifford smiled, glancing at the door.

Clifford stepped away while the pair looked curiously at the door. It creaked open and two figures stepped into the room. Two figures Kim recognized from the countless pictures she had seen. The King and Queen of Malevia. Her parents.

Kim jumped to her feet but was unsure what to do.

Her parents approached slowly, carefully, equally unsure of how Kim might react. They didn't want to startle her.

"Kim?" the Queen finally said, looking at Kim with a deep gaze full of… love?

Kim suddenly felt her eyes well up. She wasn't sure why, but she was overcome with emotion.

She had wondered what this moment might look like for days. What would it be like? What would she say? Would she yell, scream, fight?

Now that the moment was here, all Kim could think about was how right it seemed. She loved her family, and she loved her parents in California, but standing here now, she knew these were her parents. She could see their love for her. She could even see the visual resemblance. These were her parents.

Kim began to cry louder, her shoulders shaking.

Her mom rushed forward then, forgetting all about giving Kim space, and wrapped her daughter in her arms for the first time in nearly two decades.

"Oh, Kim, my baby," she whispered into Kim's hair. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. It's okay, baby," she said softly.

Kim felt another pair of arms wrap around her shoulders and lifted her arms to wrap them around the couple. She felt safe.

They stayed like that for a while, until Kim stopped shaking. Tears still fell down her face every time she remembered where she was and who she was with, but she no longer trembled. Taking a step back, Kim let out a light chuckle of disbelief.

"It's you," she whispered. "Mom. and Dad-"

Kim broke into another happy sob, wiping furiously at her cheeks.

"It's us," her mom said, letting out her own weepy laugh.

"I…"

"It's okay," her dad said. "It's okay…"

Kim just nodded into her mom's chest, believing her dad's words. It was okay. She was okay. She and Jack were-

"Jack!" Kim gasped, pulling back and wiping her eyes.

She turned around and saw Jack standing there awkwardly, trying not to invade the family's private moment.

"Um… Mom, dad," Kim said, still finding the terms a little awkward. "This is Jack. He… he was with me when… Well, you know. And he's my friend from home. Actually-" Kim stopped, looking up at Jack. "Actually, he's more than just a friend," she corrected.

Kim looked back up at her parents, gauging their reactions. They had gained a daughter and a daughter's boyfriend all in just a few minutes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jack," her mom said, holding out an arm for Jack.

Jack stepped into the hug politely, offering a nod.

"The circumstances are the best," her dad conceded. "But we owe you more than we could ever repay you for what you've done for our Kim," he said, holding out a hand to shake Jack's.

"She doesn't make it hard," Jack defended. "She's an amazing girl," he said, smiling at Kim.

"And I regret that you probably know her better than we do," her dad sighed remorsefully. "But I hope we can fix that?"

Kim nodded with a small smile. "I'd like that," she agreed.

Kim's mom hugged her again, squeezing her close. "I'm so sorry, Kim," she whispered tearfully.

"It's okay," Kim assured her, patting her arm. "It's okay, I understand."

Her mom shook her head sadly, brushing a hand over Kim's hair. "No, you don't," she argued. "We owe you an explanation, at the very least."

Kim nodded, hoping for an explanation.

"Why don't we sit down?" her dad suggested, nodding to the couches.

Kim wiped her tears again before grabbing Jack's hand and taking a seat next to him.

"When your mother and I found out about you," her father began, "we were thrilled. We were young rulers with a lot on our shoulders, but we felt so blessed to have you. The pregnancy was difficult and we decided it was best to keep you a secret until we could be sure you were born. Then, a few months before you were born, there began to be some uprisings from the people who were upset with my rule. I'm not the same as many other leaders have been, and it was hard to adjust to the changes I was making. There were some old habits our people had a hard time letting go and when you were born, this country was the most divided it's ever been. We knew bringing a new heir into the mix would only make things worse and we didn't want you to grow up under constant scrutiny and politics. We… we tried to keep you here. Raise you within the palace. It was hard, no one could know about you. We soon realized it wasn't going to work. With the foot traffic in the palace, someone was bound to ask questions about the maid's baby that the King and Queen took a special interest in."

"We thought about taking you to the countryside," her mom interjected, looking at Kim with deep care. "I thought it would be okay if we just moved until the time was right."

"But the country is too obvious. People would know something was up and sooner or later, you would have been discovered," her father added. "The only thing we could think of was to send you away."

"It was our only option, Kim," her mom assured her. "I argued so hard to let you stay, to raise you myself, but your father was right, sending you away was the best we could do for you."

Kim bit her lip, trying to process it all. She had no memories of her life in the palace. She was far too young to remember it, but it still happened. There was a time in her life when she lived here. When this life was the only life she had.

"So… you sent me to America?" Kim asked, struggling to find sympathy for her parents.

Her mom looked between her and her dad. "I knew the Crawfords," she said. "I went to class with Anna back in University. I met Chuck while we were there. Anna's brother is in the American government."

"Uncle Isaac?" Kim guessed, remembering that her uncle worked in DC in a senator's office or for the secretary of state or something like that.

"Yes," her mom nodded. "When the time came to find somewhere, someone, to send you to, I remembered the Crawfords. I reached out to Isaac in private, who reached out to Anna and Chuck. It was all very secretive and the decision had to be made quickly. The Crawfords agreed to take you as their own and within a week you were gone."

Her mom stopped to wipe a few tears that had fallen and her father put a loving hand on his wife's back.

"None of it was easy, Kim," he assured her. "And we have missed you every single day since we said goodbye. The Crawfords sent pictures and videos every once and a while, but it was never enough. We planned on talking to you when you turned 17 and introducing you to the world when you turned 18. But when your 16th birthday passed, someone hacked into our system and word leaked out. We've been dealing with threats revolving around you for over a year now and it just never seemed safe."

Kim took a breath, looking down to process everything.

Her parents had pictures and videos of her while she grew up. They didn't raise her, but they still got to watch. They still knew about her and what was going on while she had no idea she had other parents out there.

And if things had gone according to plan, she would have already been told about her life, on her last birthday. She wouldn't have gone through all the things she did. But then what would her last years of school look like? Would she have been able to stay in Seaford? Would she be able to stay now?

"You mean there have been threats on Kim for over a year?" Jack interrupted, catching onto some of the things the King was saying.

He nodded gravely. "I'm afraid so. There has always been a looming threat, the moment a royal is born their life comes with a set risk. But the past year has been even more so. We had hoped to get a hold of the situation but it only got worse."

"The CIA assured us they were handling things," her mom added. "But I just knew something was going to happen. I was just about to tell them to bring you in when we got word that you had been- taken."

Kim's head spun with what-ifs. So many things could have happened. What if her mom had made that decision to bring her to Malevia one day sooner? One hour sooner? Where would Kim be? Where would Jack be?

Kim jumped to her feet, not liking the knot in her stomach that seemed to unravel and try to snake its way out her throat.

"I need a minute," she announced.

Her parents seemed hesitant to let her go but made no argument as she walked out the door.

Kim bit her lip hard, thinking about everything. She turned right down the hall, not exactly sure where she was going but hardly caring. She just needed a walk.

What had her life become? What did people expect of her now? And who knew who she was?

Kim winced when she tasted blood, realizing she had hurt herself. She touched a hand to her lips and when she pulled them back saw a little blood.

"Ugh," she huffed, trying to get the bleeding to stop.

"Kim!"

Kim turned around and saw Jack walking toward her.

"Hey," he breathed, stopping next to her. "You okay?"

Kim shrugged. "Is there a good answer to that question?"

"I guess not," Jack agreed. "What are you thinking about?"

Kim shrugged, not wanting to unload her thoughts on Jack. There were a million and one things running through her mind.

"Well, I'm thinking about my family. I don't know what they know. I don't know where they are. I'm thinking about our friends. I'm thinking about you. How your life has been turned upside down. How those people in there, the King and Queen, are your parents. How the Crawfords have always been kind and loving to me whenever I'm around. I'm thinking about how relieved I am to be here, safe. I'm thinking about how I'm probably not going to sleep through the night for weeks. I'm thinking about how glad I am that I moved to Seaford a few years ago. Our lives could have turned out so differently. We could have become completely different people. But we didn't. And I don't think that's just by chance. And I'm thinking," Jack finished, "that I love you."

The corner of Kim's mouth turned up as her heart swelled with warmth and pushed the knots away. She wrapped her arms around Jack, pressing an ear to his chest to listen to his rapidly beating heart.

Jack leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her head as he rubbed her arms.

"So what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I'm scared," Kim whispered into Jack's chest. "I'm thinking I don't know what's going to happen or what I'm supposed to do. I'm thinking there are too many things to think about and I'm thinking I can't do any of it," she admitted, taking a shaky breath.

Jack nodded understandingly, rubbing her back.

"Wanna know something else I'm thinking?" Jack asked quietly.

"Hmm?"

"I'm thinking that's okay. Just take it one at a time, whatever is most immediate, and the rest will follow. You tired?" he asked, pivoting hard with his last questions.

Kim nodded, she was exhausted.

"Then that's the most immediate thing. Let's go find somewhere to take a nap. Sound okay?"

"Sounds good," Kim mumbled, realizing a nap was exactly what she needed. They had to wake up early this morning and she was still healing from a concussion and malnutrition. Not to mention the emotional toll the day had taken on her.

"Want to know what I'm also thinking?" Kim said, looking up.

"What?" Jack asked curiously.

"I love you, too."

Aww. they made it to the palace, kim met her biological parents, some kick fluff. time for me to go to bed.