Author's Note: I am trying to update every weekend. I apologize for the last couple of weeks. I have been going through a lot. I just took my nursing admittance exam to get into my college's nursing program so that has sucked up about 90% of my time. Haha. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. :) I don't plan on making this story too long. For those of you who have "Renneritis" (Baconalia ;) ) I am working on "Unacceptable" too. 3 you guys! Thanks for reviewing and following my story! (P.S. I promise I will have more romance between Jem and Kate soon! :D )
The pub was filled from wall to wall with drunken people from Charlestown. Jem plopped down beside Doug at a table in the corner. Doug took a sip of his drink and looked over to see Jem take a long drink from his beer. They were both still wearing their suits, Jem was disheveled with his tie tucked into a jacket pocket, the top 3 buttons wide open. Doug looked the exact same, the vodka had worked itself into his system and was feeling. He was drunk for the first time in a long while. "You're a fuckin' snake," he muttered to Doug, leaning forward on his elbows. Doug's eyebrow raised as he looked at his brother. "Trickin' me into this job. Fuckin' brilliant."
"The pay's good, why you so upset?" Doug slurred. Jem shook his head with a smirk.
"Really Dougie? You wanna play this game right now? You know why I'm upset."
"Get over it, Jem. She's moved on." His eyes dropped for a second in reaction to Doug's words. He felt his breathing falter for a second as he drank again, staring into his best friend's eyes. Doug stared back with all seriousness as he waited for the storm. Jem finally broke eye contact and shifted to look out into the bar. His eyes tracked a couple laugh as they headed for the door, wrapped up in each other. It took all control for him to sit the bottle back down onto the table without slamming it down. "I mean, you didn't have any problems until you heard she was back. What's the difference?" He scoffed and turned in his chair to face Doug with a snap.
"The difference is that I waited for her. Every fuckin' day in that hell hole."
"You seemed like you were really waitin' up puttin' your cock in everything that moved the day you got outta Walpole." Jem's jaw tightened as he listened the words. He had never been so ready to have a woman in his life after his last day in prison. "She moved on, Jem. It's time to grow up. Quit playin' games like we're in high school. Let's just make our money an' move on." Doug watched a defeated Jem turn back in his chair. Even drunk, Doug knew it was a shit thing to say to his best friend. He knew Jem needed to hear it, as much as he wanted to see them back together, he knew Kate was happy where she was. He put a hand on Jem's shoulder and patted him hard. Doug could see the emotional change in his friend's face, the anger being replaced with something more serene. He didn't dare say a word about it considering the experience he had in trying to get Jem to convey other emotions besides anger.
"I think I'm gonna go, Doug," Jem whispered, pulling himself out of his chair. He wanted to be alone with himself for a while to think about things and he sure as hell couldn't do that with all of the happy souls around him.
"Nah, man, I-I didn't mean that-" Doug started, realizing what he had said. Jem put his hand up and made his way out of the pub and into the streets. He breathed in deeply and let his feet carry him out to the streets. The air filled his lungs as he looked up to the black sky, feeling something he wasn't entirely used to. His hands shoved themselves into his pockets, walking leisurely to a place he hadn't been in years. Jem stopped at the edge of a small flower bed with a bench in the middle. His memory placed him sitting there with Kate, curled up on the bench, kissing and cuddling… He slammed his eyes shut and walked over to the bench, touching the wood with his hand. The grain was cold and smooth, just as he remembered it. Before taking another second to think he sat on the bench hard, hunched over, hands combing through his hair. Taking a deep breath his memory sucked him right back in…
"Don't, Jem," Kate giggled, pushing her hand up on his shoulder as he leaned in to kiss her neck, her hair falling over her shoulder. His teeth barely nipped at her skin.
"What?" he purred with a cheeky grin.
"Not out here…" she insisted, rolling her hand to the outside world. He was completely obvious to it, wrapped around her, breathing in her scent.
"Like people are watchin'," he added, motioning to people bustling down the sidewalk. No one walking past had given the two love-struck teenagers on the bench a second glance. Jem leaned back in to kiss her and she faltered, kissing him back eagerly. He pulled her in closer and kissed her harder, wrapping his arms around her waist. She backed away for a second and smiled at him.
"Jem, what do you plan on doing with your life?" she asked curiously scrunching her nose up at him. He smiled, his eyes scanning the road to the right of them, trying to focus on anything else to be serious with her.
"Uh… I honestly don't know, Kate. Maybe gravel and shit like Doug."
"Gravel and shit?" He smiled looking over her face as her eyebrows pulled together in an awkward way while she said the word shit.
"Ya know, doing stuff, like Doug, breaking down rocks, the occasional robbery."
"You're going to keep being a criminal?" she asked shockingly.
"It's my life, Kate. Passed down from my father and his father… I can't just throw that out."
"Yes, you can." He hung his head for a minute, he knew this conversation was coming and yet he couldn't find a way to stop it. "It's not like my parents don't have a lot of money or anything."
"You know I don't like handouts."
"It isn't a handout," she corrected, pulling herself out of his arms.
"Yes, it is." He watched as she folded her arms and leaned back into the bench.
"Okay, princess, and what do you plan on doing? Living off daddy forever?" She shook her head and squinted at him.
"I plan on becoming a politician, thank you."
"Politician?" he recited, the word coming out in a fumble.
"Yes," she quipped.
"Why not a doctor or some shit like that?"
"You know how I am with blood," Kate answered, turning to look at him again. "But, thanks for mentioning that whole 'princess' bit right there. I appreciate it." Her face had turned sour. He brought his arm onto the back on the bench and turned to face her.
"I'm sorry, Kate." He didn't say much more, considering she knew how he was. Brash, honest, and quick to anger. She loved his honesty, but his brash side drove her crazy at times.
"You really wanna rob the rest of your life?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I ain't good at anything else," he answered with another smile, presenting the scenery to her.
"Would you be willing to tone it down a bit?"
"If that's what you want." She nodded and her eyes lit up a bit more. "Done." She smiled and wrapped her arms back around him, pulling him in again.
Present day Jem rubbed the back of his neck vigorously and felt a surge of tears try to make their way into his eyes. It wasn't much longer after that day that he was arrested for murder. "So much for toning it down," he muttered. He swallowed hard and pushed the tears back down, looking at the stems of the flowers around him. She was always too good for him and he knew it. His time was over with her and it was time he realized it. He was never going to change. There was never going to be a moment for him to redeem himself in her eyes. She would always be the light in his life that he just couldn't have. He brought his right hand to his lips, kissed three of his fingers and tapped the bench before getting up to walk away.
Weeks passed by without incident. Jem had come to respect his place in Kate's service, not speaking unless spoken to and keeping his comments to himself. It wasn't perfect, Jem had slipped a couple of times, but not in a major way.
Jem and Doug stood like statues in front of a table where Kate was seated, passing out paper bags of food at a food pantry. They each scanned the line of 30 people or so multiple times, constantly checking out what people were holding or searching for. Kate smiled and handed another bag up to a small, elderly woman when Jem turned ever so slightly to watch her. She had on a white turtleneck with black pinstriped pants, her hair halfway pulled back to show off her face. He watched the corners of her mouth turn up when her eyes met his. He turned around quickly, staring back out into the line. Kate adjusted herself in her seat and called for the next recipient to step forward. She had worked hard for the last few weeks to raise funding for the food pantries in the Charlestown area. She was hoping it was going to pay off and that they would finally begin to respect her.
"Hi," she greeted with a wide smile, holding her hand out to the man. The man fumbled a bit, his clothes smelled of body odor and alcohol. He put his dirty hand in hers and shook it slightly. "How many are you in your home?" she asked sweetly, pulling a few paper bags over to her.
"Two," he mumbled, staring at the ground. She reached down and pulled the bags up to set them on the table when the man grabbed her wrist, wrenching her arm to pull her over the table. She shrieked and looked at the man, fear overloading her senses. Jem sprung from his position and put his hands on the man's shoulders and free hand. Doug kept his eyes on the crowd. A few people in line began to mutter and stir looking up to see the commotion. The man dug his nails into Kate's skin, applying as much pressure as humanly possible. "Would have been four if you wouldn't have passed that fuckin' law," he muttered, tears rimming his eyes. Jem's jaw locked into place, a vein bulging in his forehead. He tightened his grip on the man and leaned in.
"Let her go," he rasped, his hands gripping even harder. Kate breathed in short, fast breaths as she looked between the man and Jem. "I've got a fuckin' gun. Unless you wanna leave with a chest full of bullets, I suggest you let her the fuck go." The man slowly released Kate's wrist and stared over at Jem before walking away.
"The fuck was that about?" Doug asked Jem. Jem shrugged and kept his eyes on the man as he walked across the parking lot. Kate rubbed her hand over the wrist, staring up at the line and Jem. Jem returned to his stance as Kate called the next person forward with less enthusiasm as she had before. "You gonna be alright?" Doug asked Kate as a young woman and her daughter stepped up to the table.
"I'll be fine," she answered with a wave of her hand. "Just might be a little bruised."
The line finally ended and the bags were gone. Kate hunched over in the chair and held her face in her hands. Jem and Doug stood closely behind her, unsure of what to say or do. "You okay?" Doug asked. She nodded and sniffed, running her fingers under her eyes to catch any runny mascara. All she wanted to do was help people and make them better. Not one person thanked her graciously or smiled at her, aside from a couple of older ladies. She was beginning to feel worn down and she hadn't even been in office a full year yet.
"I'll be fine." Jem and Doug stopped just short of her and smiled down at her.
"Don't give me that shit, Kate." She pushed a piece of hair out of her face, staring into Doug's face. He was always so easy to talk to.
"I'm horrible at this, Doug," she explained, trying not to whine. Jem crossed his arms and stared at her. He was attempting to be as open as possible. He laughed slightly and looked at Jem.
"Jem, do you know of any person that's been easy to get along with Charlestown?" Jem shook his head and looked over at his best friend. Doug had a big silly smile on his face. "Kate, you're doin' jus' fine. Ya can't expect this people to accept ya right away. We're proud motha' fuckas in here. Ain't that right, Jem?" Jem nodded.
"The proudest," he replied, looking into her glassy eyes. She looked so frail and vulnerable. As much as he wanted to hate her in that moment, he was defenseless to her. "I think we both know something that'll help you out," Jem said looking to Doug. Doug smiled and helped Kate up out of the chair.
They walked together through the darkening streets of Charlestown, stopping just short of a small pub facing out towards the interstate. It was the same pub Jem and Doug frequented often. Kate had went there on occasion with Jem when they had been dating. She smiled at them as they led her inside. It was only seven at night, but the pub was already filling up fast. They grabbed a few stools at the bar and sat beside each other, Kate in the middle. "Get whateva' ya want," Doug muttered. "That goes ta both of ya." Kate ordered a vodka and cranberry while Doug and Jem both ordered a beer. "Tha fuck?" Doug asked picking up her glass. "Hard liquor?"
"Is there a problem with that?" she asked taking it out of his hand.
"Nah, I just remember the girl that could barely suck down a wine cooler without stumbling." Jem laughed at Doug's comment and held his beer in front of his face. She turned on her stool to look at him. He coughed when he noticed her glare.
"What's so funny, Jem?" she asked putting her glass down on the counter.
"Doug, he just…" he started laughing again and sat his beer down beside her glass.
"I can handle my liquor fairly well, thank you," she stated looking between the two of them. Doug smiled at her and nodded.
"I'm sure you can."
"I can and I'll show you." She slapped one of her hands down on the counter, motioning for the bartender. "Get us three shots of Patron," she ordered. Doug and Jem's eyes met behind her. They were both equally shocked. The bartender laid out three shot glasses and filled them up. "Pick 'em up, ladies," she purred, taking hers into her hand. "To old friends," she toasted, holding her glass out for them to hit. Their glasses touched and each of them threw the alcohol into their mouths. Kate winced slightly, but resisted the urge to grab for her drink to chase it down. Doug made a noise and they all put their glasses down. "More!" she ordered, making the bartender fill their glasses up again.