A/N: Hi! This is a translated version of my Finnish story called Jumissa. I'm translating it on my own so I'm sorry for all of the spelling errors. I'm a big supporter of Joella, but it just didn't work for this story. But if you want to read about Joe ant the lovely Stella, please check out my story Lovesick. You can find it in my profile. In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this story.
By the way, I own just my crazy ideas.
I was walking to work on an ordinary Monday. My life was ordinary in every way. I had an ordinary home, an ordinary degree in literature and an ordinary boyfriend. I was sure my life would go as ordinary as it possibly could. I would get married, have children and be ordinary happy. But somehow I wasn't happy with my ordinary life. My ordinary boyfriend didn't feel like The One and I wasn't sure if I wanted to have his children. Somehow I had gotten stuck in my ordinary life.
It was a beautiful afternoon and I had an evening shift at the local K-Mart where I worked. The distance between my home and the store was under a mile so I always walked. I was just about to enter the store when someone grabbed my arm. I turned around to see who it was.
- Jamie, what are you doing here? I asked my boyfriend who usually didn't come to see me at work. We had been going out for a year.
- Babe, this isn't really working. Let's call it quits, he said and left without another word. I was left to stand in front of the store with tears in my eyes. How did the bastard have the nerve to come to the place I worked to dumb me?
I pulled myself together, wiped the tears to my sleeve and walked in. I changed into my uniform and walked into the store area. I would have to keep the smile up no matter how broken I was inside. I went to clean the shelves and beside me came Mandy Banks. We had become friends through work and nowadays we were best friends. As a matter of fact, she was my only friend.
- Susie, what's wrong? Mandy asked. She always knew that something was up even though I didn't say a word.
- Jamie left me, I said and I couldn't keep the tears from falling.
- The pig! I told you you're way too good for him, Mandy said and I noticed another employee, Nina Lee, pass us. She had had a one night stand with Jamie before I started going out with him and I always felt that she was jealous although she played nice. I decided to ignore her if she came to say something.
- Yeah. Maybe it was better this way. My heart was in pieces but I rather broke up with him now than in ten years when we were married and had children. There was less damage this way.
The day went fast although it was as boring as ever. I agreed to walk home with Mandy after we closed. We only got to the parking lot when Jamie walked to us. He was drunk.
- Babe, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. Please take me back, Jamie slurred.
- You bastard! You promised we would be together now instead of sneaking behind her back! someone suddenly yelled behind us and Nina ran beside us. She had a gun. There was a shot and the next thing I know Jamie was lying in front of us on the ground. Nina took her phone out of her pocket and I crashed down to the ground. I noticed that Mandy was looking for pulse and I heard Nina cry to the phone something about shotting her boyfriend. I had to close my eyes to prevent me from fainting. I didn't open them until I heard the sirens. Two policemen came out of the car and walked to us. Another car curved to the parking lot. The crime scene investigators were in it.
- She did it, Mandy suddenly said.
- What? No, I didn't? Where did Nina go? I asked and turned to look at the woman I had thought as my friend.
- There was no one else, Mandy said and I felt one of the policemen handcuff me. The other was telling me my rights. I decided to be silent until I would get a lawyer. The policemen took me to the car and the other came to sit beside me to the backseat. I noticed that Mandy sat on the front seat.
The drive was long, way too long. It was only about two miles to the police station. I fell asleep in the car and didn't wake up until the car finally stopped and Mandy came to open my door. She helped me out of the car.
- Thanks boys! I can handle the rest myself, she said and slammed the car door shut. It was dark outside so I had no idea where we were.
We walked in through double glass doors that reflected our images. My long strawberry blond hair were a mess and my make-up was all over my face. I had a little blood on my cheek. I looked horrible. Mandy, on the other hand, looked different. She had a new jacket with a badge on the front.
- Are you a cop? I asked her. She looked at me smiling.
- A detective, actually. I've been undercover in K-Mart. I've tried to catch Nina Lee more than twice but she always gets away. This wasn't the first murder on her record, Mandy told me calmly.
- I trusted you. I thought you were my friend, I said furious.
- I am your friend. That's why I brought you here, she said and lead me to a big front hall, tht had been painted with cheerful colours.
- What is this place? I asked confused.
- Welcome to witness protection program Susie, Mandy smiled and unlocked my handcuffs.
- What? I'm not going to jail? I smiled back at her.
- Of course not. You're innocent, Mandy smiled. She took me to a large bathroom where I could wash up. It took me more time to get clean than normally because I tried to scrub all of Jamie's blood off.
I was sad that our relationship had ended and that he was dead but at the same time very angry because he had been cheating me the whole time with Nina. When I was done, I wrapped a towel around me and walked out of the bathroom.
Mandy was waiting for me at the door. At the same time I walked out of the door, a young man was lead to the hall. Black and little curly hair framed a handsome face. Our eyes met and I noticed that I could drown in his brown eyes. I, however, turned my eyes to look at the dozen of girls who were running after him. He wasn't so wonderful that I would have followed him like a headless chicken.
- Who was that? I asked Mandy when she guided me somewhere.
- Our newest celebrity, Mandy just huffed. I remembered clearly that Mandy didn't really like celebrities. I didn't recognise him and it bothered me a little but I decided to drop it.
Mandy took me a to a hairdresser and to styling. My hair was turned into deep chocolate brown and my freckles were hidden with a spray tan. I used to wear a lot of make up but now it was very light. And they changed the way I dressed to kind of hippie. I looked pretty nice although I did like my old hair better.
- From now on your name is Natalie Smith, Mandy smiled and took me into a some kind of office. There was already sitting a young man who had short hair coloured like a carrot and he was holding a baby. Mandy went to sit on the other side of the table and I sat beside the man and the baby. I looked at the man's eyes and realize it was the same man I had seen on the hall earlier.
- Hi, I'm Joe. I mean, Matthew. And this is Henry, the man said and handed me the baby. The baby couldn't be older than six months. He had reddish hair and freckles but the same brown eyes than Joe, I mean Matthew. I would go insane with these names. The baby looked like he was mine and Joe's, I mean Matthew's.
- I'm Natalie, I smiled and rocked the baby back and forth in a calming way.
- The thing is that you've all been brought here for a reason. From now on you'll pretend to be a family. You are Matthew and Natalie Smith and you've been married for two years. You had Henry five months ago and decided it was time to move to a more family-friend place. Matthew works from home and Natalie is a stay-at-home-mom. Everything else you can figure out together. You'll get everything you need on the flight to your destination, Mandy told us in a calm voice.
- I get it that we can go just like that. But what about Henry? Doesn't he have parents, who miss him, somewhere? I asked looking at the most adorable baby I had ever seen.
- Unfortunately not. Henry was brought here when his parents were murdered. Of course he can't be a witness but he has to be safe, Mandy told us.
- Oh, you poor thing, I sighed and felt Joe, I mean Matthew, take my hand in his. It was warm and his skin was soft. I looked at him and he was watching the baby. I felt I was already attaching to the baby. And attaching to Matthew wouldn't be that hard either. He was pretty easy on the eye. I decided that I wouldn't think about Joe as Joe as long as we would be gone. As long as I would be Natalie, he would be Matthew.
- Come with me. We'll take a few family photos and a wedding picture of you two and then we'll go to the airport, Mandy said and guided us through the door. Matthew's hand let go of my own and moved to my back. I held Henry gently in my arms and noticed he had fallen asleep.
I'm sure we took photos in at least fifty different scenarios. First we took photos of me and Matthew before we had had Henry, then some when I was pregnant (I had to wear a plastic belly) and the pictures with Henry.
But the last pictures we took were in a staged wedding. I was wearing a long white dress with wide and long seathrough sleeves and my long hair had been curled to waves. On my head was a wreath of white flowers. I walked with bare feet to the white sand that had been piled in front on the "altar". Matthew was already standing there barefeet wearing white linen pants and a white shortsleeved shirt with it's three upper buttons left open. He looked handsome although it was hard to get used to his hair when I had seen him with his original hair. Matthew took both of my hands in his own and I heard the camera click.
- You look beautiful, he whispered to my ear and I felt myself blush. He pressed a kiss to my cheek and straightened his back. I hadn't noticed before that there was a woman dressed as a minister in front of us who was smiling. We were told just to smile and hold hands. After that we took some pictures without the minister. We were asked to kiss in one picture and Matthew pressed his soft lips on mine gently. The kiss didn't go any further because he pulled away.
- Okay, go change back into your original clothes. All of the clothes worn in the photos will be sent to you with the moving boxes, Mandy said when she came into the room smiling. Henry was sleeping in his bassinet so I went to change back into my multi-coloured tunic and hot pink leggings. On my head I changed a hot pink hairband that went across my forehead.
When I was ready, I went to see Henry. Matthew had lifted the bassinet to his arms and Henry was still sleeping. When Matthew noticed me, he reached his other hand to me. I took his hand because we were suppose to be a couple in love so the hand holding would be small compared to what people thought we would be doing.
- Are you ready, Mrs Smith? Matthew asked me.
- I guess I can't get more ready, I sighed and felt Matthew squeeze my hand.
A/N: Please leave me some love :)