Jason let his hand dangle by his side. He gripped the bars on the door with the other. He searched her face, her eyes. They reflected sincerity and something else—sorrow. She was upset that he had almost dropped to that level. He shut his eyes tight. Knowing how close he'd been to crossing the point of no return…it still filled him with a dull ache. Knowing that she'd had to cross it—felt like she'd had to enter the labyrinth, like she'd had no choice made his heart feel ripped in two. That Monica had had to carry the burden of doing wrong in order to do what she thought was right ate at him.
"Thank you," he said softly. The two of them stood there in the cool grayness for several minutes without saying anything. Then, Jason straightened up. "Monica, although coming to…just see you, and to apologize were my chief priority, I also came for another reason. Actually, I ended up delaying my coming to see you for a couple of months because of it."
She didn't say anything, just looked at him. He could see it in her face. She was afraid to hope for good news. He hated that the isolation had done this to her. "Monica, I talked to the judge and some of the officers involved in your case, as well as the wardens here. You've never given them an ounce of trouble, worked with the prosecutors on the case against Andromeda, and are very repentant of your role in what could have happened. Your not knowing the ultimate plan helps. They have agreed to give you the option for parole when you finish out your 8th year at the end of the month.
A slow smile crept over his face as her mouth dropped open. Monica stared at him, speechless. He watched emotions play over her features. He had to admit, he was shocked that the dealings had gone this well. He'd expected them to want to hold her a few more years, maybe until the 10 year mark to give her a parole. But they had pulled up the case files and saw that while her case was high-profile, and the crimes many, she'd really been little more than a manipulative to Andromeda. And the results were favorable. Monica would be released in 3 weeks on highly-restricted parole.