Chapter number 43. Be with me?
"Promise this will be quick?" Peter begged as he parked the car outside the police station, Lara left he phone there earlier, and told him she really really needed it, so he'd caved and drove her there on the way home.
"Ok I promise" she answered, promising him with a friendly smile, before getting out as he did also. "Do you think Jemma will still be here?"
"I don't know, she might be" Peter said warmly, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, for her sake he hoped she was still there, he knew what Lara would be like if she didn't get the chance to say good bye.
"Peter" Lara stopped in her tracks.
"Yeah?"
"I want you to be honest with me ok?" she started, looking him right in the eye, she made it clear that she didn't want to be lied to.
"Ok".
"What are her chances of not going to jail?" she asked innocently.
Peter paused for a minute, a more serious look coming upon his face, "not too good I'm afraid".
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Rose carried a bag along the hallway of the bottom floor of the Macklin's mansion, "So this is your room" Rose told Danielle as she opened a door near the end.
"Thanks" she smiled, studying the end of the hallway, the carpet seemed to stop and there was white tiles on the floor which turned left before going down some stairs, "what's down there?" she asked curiously.
"Oh that's the basement" Rose told her, "not that it gets used much, your dad's got tones of his junk in there, it's so full that no one's dared to go in there since the last time Martha attempted to clean it, she only managed to get the few boxes that were hers out".
"Oh ok" Danielle answered, stepping into her new room, taking a look around, it was definitely much better than the hotel, this seemed more like home.
"Well I've got to go and check on Izzy, just give me a yell if you need anything" Rose said, stepping back out before walking back down the hallway.
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Lara stepped into the interview room where Jemma sat, waiting to be taken away, "Hey".
"Hey" Jemma answered, turning around. "I guess you heard then?" she started, she was getting sent to jail for a little while, not as long as she probably deserved, they'd taken some time off for telling them as much as she knew about Jesse.
"Yeah I did" she spoke sadly.
"Lara don't be sad" she smiled, "I'll be back. This is just then end of my old life, and when I come back, I'll be able to start being the person I want to be" she told her.
Lara put on a slight smile and nodded, "yeah I guess so" she agreed, "but I'm still going to miss you".
"Me too, promise you'll come and visit?"
"Try stopping me" Lara said, walking closer and giving her a hug.
"Ok were going to have to make a move" Jackie interrupted, opening the door with another officer, "you ready?" she asked Jemma.
"Yeah, I think so" she answered as the other officer put her in handcuffs.
"Come this way" Jackie instructed, taking her out of the room and through the front room of the station, Lara followed close behind.
"Ok I want you all out there looking for Jesse" Peter's voice could be heard loud and clear in the front room, "anything you find is to be reported straight back to the station, is that clear?" he said as Jackie left with Jemma.
"Yes boss" a chorus of the officers said in unison before leaving on their search.
Peter turned his attention to Lara who was standing in the door of the interview room, he gave her a warm knowing smile and walked towards her, "you can always visit her you know?"
"Yeah I know" she sighed, wrapping her arms around him as he did the same.
"So how about I drop you home so you can get some rest" he suggested.
"Can't you stay with me?"
"I wish I could, but I've got more work to do, I have to make a house visit" he explained.
"Oh" she winged, I though you promise you weren't going to let me out of your sight".
"Well I guess I'll just have to take you with me then" he grinned.
"Sounds good to me. So where ate we going then?"
"Were going to Jack's" he started, "Martha's in danger while Jesse's still out there".
"Yeah, poor girl, she's already been put through enough in the last couple of years".
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Martha sat on the back balcony of the Holden's mansion that overlooked the sea, it was located on top of the hill that went down to the cliff top.
"I thought I might find you here" Jack spoke from behind, smiling lovingly at her.
"You know me too well" she beamed, turning around and leaning against the railing.
"So I had a bit of a think today" he started, moving forward so that he could wrap his arms around her, "and..."
"And what?"
"And" he repeated, removing his left hand from behind her so he could hold up his hand that no longer contained his wedding ring.
"You took off your wedding ring?" Martha asked in surprise.
"Yeah, that's not all though. I scattered Serena's ashes".
"That must have been hard" she spoke, giving him a sympathetic look.
"Not really" he said honestly, "it was kinda good being about to move on, this morning made me think Martha, I needed to move on, I want to be with you... really be with you, not just friends or confused" he whispered.
"Really?"
"Yeah really" he told her, leaning forward so that he could whisper in her ear, "I want you to be my girlfriend".
Just those words made Martha's heart skip a beat, she could feel him up against her, just like this morning, it felt nice, well if she had to be honest, it felt a lot more than nice, he was breathing on her neck, kissing her as he made his way up her neck and along her check to her mouth where he stopped in wait for her response.
She couldn't help herself, she leaned forward, giving him the exact response he had been hoping for, she captured his lips in hers, wrapping her arms around hi neck and let him sweep her off her feet to carry her inside where he sat her down next to him on the couch. "So is that a yes?" he said hopefully.
"You bet it is" she grinned, snuggling into his shoulder, "as if I could say no to you".
"I can't believe how lucky I am, this time two days ago I was still sitting in jail, and now things couldn't be more perfect" he smiled, gazing into her eyes before they were interrupted by the sound of the door bell.
"Let's just ignore that" Martha suggested, cupping Jack's face and kissing him again, but then it rang again, "alright already were coming" she yelled, who ever it was was going to have to have a damn good reason for coming now of all times.
Jack got up with Martha following him down the stairs and through the living room to the door, "Hey" he greeted a not so happy Peter and Lara, "is everything ok?"
"I'm afraid not" Peter frowned, "I need to talk to you, to both of you actually" he added, looking at Martha who was standing close behind Jack.
"Ok come in" Jack told them, letting them through, some how he didn't think he was going t like this, there was trouble written allover Peter's face.
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"Get in there" the prison guard ordered, pushing Jemma into her cell before locking the door and walking off. Jemma turned around to face the small grey room like cell, there was a bed in the corner and a small shelf on the back wall. Next to her near the bars was a wooden chair, carelessly she slumped into it sighing as she looked out the metal poles in front of her.
"Jemma" a familiar voice quivered in the almost dead silence of the building, "Jemma", it repeated a bit louder. She could of recognized that voice from a mile off, she knew it all too well; it was Matt.
Slowly she turned her head to the left, the side wall was only half concrete, the half closet to the front was bars, she could see straight through to the nest cell, and there at the edge stood Matt, smiling sweetly at her, she knew she couldn't give in, it would be too dangerous, probably deadly, so she turned her face straight back to look at the corridor in front of her.
"Jemma please" Matt begged he missed her so badly, he wanted more than anything to take back the things he'd done to hurt her, he wanted things to be the way they used to be all that time ago when there was nothing more to care about than them being together, but he couldn't take it back, it was done.
"I know I let you down, I should have been more of a husband to you" he started, still Jemma didn't budge, "you have every right to leave the way you did, I know why you did it, I probably would of too if I was in your situation... Please Jemma say something" he pleaded, but still got no answer. He was hurting inside, she was in pain and he could see it, a tear ran helplessly down her cheek, and he couldn't wipe it away like he used to.
"Loosing you was the worst thing that ever happened to me Jem, it really was, and it made me wake up to myself too, I made a fresh start, the only thing that was missing was you" he continued, "I love you so much" he whispered, feeling tears run down his face, still waiting for her to speak.
"I used to love you" Jemma said coldly, still not even turning to look at him, "But then the man I fell in love with went away and got replaced by someone who couldn't care less about me".
Matt felt his heart breaking, she was right, he become someone he wasn't.
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"What so it was Jesse?" Martha exclaimed, "but, but, how?"
"We've already told you everything we know, he thinks that by doing all this you'll some how thank him and fall in love with him" Lara explained.
"That guy's got issues" Jack jumped in, still feeling disgusted.
"You got that right" Martha agreed, "do you really think he would hurt me?"
"I don't know" Peter said honestly, "that guy's capable of anything, I just hope we can catch him".
"So is that all we need to know?" Jack asked.
"Yeah it is" Peter told him, standing up,. "just make sure you're careful ok?" he said to Martha.
"Ok" she said nervously.
"Could I have a word outside please" Jack asked Peter.
"Yeah sure" he replied, stepping outside with Jack and left Lara with Martha, "what is it".
"I want to come back to work" Jack shot out.
"Yeah and you'll be back in two weeks".
"No I mean I want to come back to work now" he explained, "I want to catch this guy, I can't let him hurt her".
"Jack if you don't want him to hurt her the best thing you can do is to stay here" he told him, "look just imagine if you were out there and Martha was home alone, he could do anything to her, just remember that".
"Ok" Jack agreed.
"Come on Lara were going" Peter called out.
Author note: I'll be away from the 13th of November until the 17th so there won't be any updates until after I get back. Please review.