Rachel squealed with laughter as thunder crashed, making both her and little Ava jump. She got a kick in the ribs and rubbed her stomach, trying to creep through the living room without Jack noticing. There was just enough light from the fire to keep her from bumping into things, but the dancing shadows on the wall provided good cover for her husband as he stalked her. The wind howled around the house, disguising any tell-tale footsteps. She'd made it to the front door when strong arms wrapped around her.
"Where are you going?" Jack growled in her ear.
Rachel didn't answer because he was too busy groping her to notice a reply; she just gasped and giggled, wiggling back against him as he clenched his teeth with a short groan. He'd been going out more often at night the past week, and always wanted some sort of intimate contact before he left. It helped to make Rachel, whose body had swollen to match her breasts, feel like she was still gorgeous in his eyes. It was certainly hard to claim that he didn't want her when he was dry-humping her like that, too.
"On the couch, woman."
Rachel laughed again and turned halfway in his embrace, one hand raising to his cheek and guiding his lips to hers. Jack was taking her clothes off as quickly as he could despite the distraction her breasts caused, his hands shaking so badly that she needed to help him with the buttons of her blouse. His own shirt hung open over his chest. Rachel fumbled with his belt and pants and pushed them to his knees as he sat back on the couch. Jack had found that if he pressed into her stomach just right while they were having sex, he could get Ava to jump in a sort of counter-rhythm, which he had yet to get tired of. Rachel didn't mind; feeling Ava kick and turn comforted her fears of a miscarriage, which let her enjoy her pregnancy more.
Five minutes later she was drawing blood as she raked her nails down Jack's chest in response to a particularly hard slap to the rear he'd given her, mumbling incoherently as she trembled and rested her forehead against his shoulder. He tightened his arms around her back and rocked her from side to side.
"Charles is gonna be back any minute," he whispered after a while. "You okay?"
"Do you have to go?" Rachel asked.
"I told them I'd come out tonight. I thought you wanted me to be more social, bunny."
"I did," she mumbled. Jack sighed as he ran his fingers through her hair, which had gotten thicker the past month or so. "I just . . . get lonely without you."
"I won't be long, I promise. Midnight at the latest, all right?"
She made a face as he helped her to stand. "I'll be asleep by then."
Jack needed to go. They'd spent the day shopping for things for Ava with Helna and Charles' help, then decorating Ava's room, and he was practically jumping out of his skin with the need to be away from reminders of what he was about to lose. He kissed Rachel firmly as he pulled his pants up, then helped her put her clothes back on.
"Babe, I promise, I won't be that long. Charles will be here with you."
Rachel rubbed her arms and leaned into him. "Why are you going out so much all of a sudden?"
"'Cause I keep getting invited. It's not every night, Rachel." He hugged her as Charles pulled into the driveway, tilting her chin up to kiss her.
She still didn't look happy, but kissed him back. "Eleven?"
Jack chuckled. "Eleven," he promised. "I'll wake you up when I get in."
There was a knock at the door. "You two decent?"
"You just missed the fun," he called back. "Come on in."
Charles pushed the door open with a roll of her eyes, two bags of groceries in her arms. "Where are you off to, bub?"
Rachel had sat back down, fanning herself, and therefore didn't see him narrow his eyes at Charles. "Out. Got an eleven o'clock curfew."
He grabbed his keys and was pushing past her when she grabbed his elbow. "You keep your dick in your pants and that whore off of you," Charles murmured firmly. "Do you understand me?"
Jack snorted with laughter as he walked down the steps. "See ya later."
Veronica had a Bud and two shots in front of her when he walked into the 7440. He placed one hand on her shoulder and grabbed one of the shots with his other hand, squeezing as he downed it.
"Am I getting predictable?"
"Just thought you might show up tonight," she replied as she turned to him with a smile. She'd exchanged her usual form-fitting tops for something looser and v-necked, and Jack made sure she knew he was appreciating the cleavage it framed as he smirked. "Though I was thinking you might not show."
"Yeah, I was having sex." She hated it when he mentioned Rachel, therefore Jack mentioned her on a semi-regular basis. Not too often, though; Veronica was his main source of information for the patrons of the 7440 and he couldn't risk alienating her that much. Then again, he mused as her eyes wandered over him, a pair of particularly tight pants and a flash of chest was generally enough to have her salivating over him once again. "Haven't been telling tales, have you?"
"To who? Anita and Maureen? We don't talk much, and they haven't asked me about you. Why are you so fixated on those two?"
He downed the second shot and cracked his neck. "Find out where they're staying?"
Veronica heaved a disgusted sigh and Jack rested his hand on her upper thigh, rubbing his thumb in a slow circle on her skin. She sighed with pleasure. "Somewhere near Folsom."
"That's an hour away."
She shrugged and watched his lips. "That's what they were saying the other night. Bit far to get some pussy, huh?"
"The only pussy I want is back at home," he replied somewhat distractedly. The subjects of their conversation had just walked in. They'd changed their hair colour, but he'd recognise them anywhere, knew that self-satisfied grin on Maury's face. Jack stepped closer to Veronica, resting his hands on either thigh as he pulled her against him. Veronica's blue eyes unfocused a bit and her lips parted, her tongue sliding over them.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to whisper in his ear, "What about a blow-job?" Her tongue flicked against his ear and Jack shivered as his dick sat up and took notice.
He cupped her face in his hands and hovered his mouth above hers, his smirk never fading. "What about one?" The two were wandering around the bar slowly, watching every one carefully. They weren't looking for any one in particular, but no one escaped their notice.
"Don't fuck around with me, Jack," Veronica growled. She curled her hands around his wrists and her legs around his. "I'll take you any way I can get you."
That had him in a fit of quiet laughter for a moment. Then Jack cleared his throat and arched his eyebrows at her. "Are you always such a desperate whore?"
She dug her nails into the delicate skin on the insides of his wrists and Jack hissed with pleasure. Her eyes flashed with anger and maybe a little self-loathing; he enjoyed the sight of them. "You stupid son of a ---"
The two were getting closer and Jack cut her off with a kiss, ignoring every bit of advice he'd given Janet as he forced his tongue into Veronica's mouth. It didn't matter; Veronica groaned into the kiss and returned it, her legs tightening around his as she clutched at him, her hands in his hair and along his back. He felt the air of their passage, smelled that awful perfume Maury favoured, then pulled back to nibble at Veronica's ear as incoherent rage boiled up behind his eyes.
"I think I'll take you up on that offer," he whispered huskily. He couldn't force their hand tonight; if Rachel went into labour at this point, he didn't like the odds of Ava surviving. His baby girl needed more time. He could bide his own time and be patient, he just needed a little . . . distraction.
His distraction had stood up and taken his hand, pulling him toward a set of stairs at the back of the bar with a triumphant grin on her face. "Jimmy has a room upstairs he lets me stay in overnight if I need to," she explained.
"Don't give a fuck," he muttered. "All I want is a blow-job, then I'm going home." Folsom. Near Folsom. Raoul's friends had contacts there; he'd get them on it as soon as he got back. Veronica pulled him into a room and locked the door, shrieking softly when Jack bent down and bit her neck.
"Ow! You asshole! Are you this abusive with Rachel?!"
"Of course not; I actually like Rachel," he growled as he pulled her skirt up around her hips, slipping his fingers under her panties. She was already plenty wet and his mouth started watering, but Jack clenched his jaw before he kissed her again, not trying to be gentle as he bit at her lips. He liked the way Veronica whined in both pain and pleasure as she thrust her hips against his hand, gasping his name in a way he could only remember two women ever saying it. He moved his mouth down her neck to give her a few hickeys just for the hell of it, his mind on the two people downstairs as he continued fingering her. He was going to kill them himself. No other course of action would ensure that his family would stay safe.
"Oh, Christ, Jack!" Veronica squealed as she came, throwing her head back and cracking it against the door. He laughed against her breast, but she didn't notice. She was too busy whimpering, and even though the pitch of her voice irritated him, old habits died hard and Jack didn't let her go until she stopped reacting to his touch. "Oh, fuck. Fuck."
Jack let her push him back toward the bed, undoing his pants as they went. "Got condoms?"
He got another disgusted sigh and even got an eye roll. "In the dresser. I swear, I'm clean."
"Yeah, I don't trust you," he grunted as his pants hit the floor. He pointed to the dresser and slapped Veronica's ass when she turned to it in a huff. That earned him another soft shriek and he dodged the slap she sent toward him, flopping onto his back as he laughed and started stroking himself. Then Veronica's hand covered his and he let her take over, propping himself up slightly on his elbows so he could watch. Rachel was more favourable towards hand-jobs than blow-jobs, and while he preferred her over Veronica, he had to admit that she knew what she was doing. Jack watched her pointedly as he let out an appreciative grunt, reaching out to trail his fingers down her cheek while she put the condom on him. Then she lowered her mouth to him and after a moment his eyes rolled back in his head as he panted. "Shit . . ."
That made Veronica laugh as he fisted his hands in her hair to set the rhythm that he wanted. If he lay back and kept his eyes closed, he could almost pretend it was Rachel's mouth on him, Rachel's hands on his body. Jack groaned as he pulled at Veronica's hair right before he climaxed, trying to erase everything from his mind. It was a moment before he caught his breath, a moment that Veronica took to stretch out next to him with a satisfied smile. She'd just started trailing her hand along his chest when he opened his eyes and sat up.
"Hey . . . where are you going?" Jack didn't look back at her as he took the condom off and pulled his pants up, heading to the bathroom to throw it away and wash as much of her scent off of him as he could without a shower. Veronica appeared in the doorway behind him, smoothing her hair down. "What are you doing?"
"Going home," he muttered as he scrubbed at his hands and face with hot, soapy water.
She snorted and wrapped her arms around his waist, but Jack shoved her back. "What the hell?"
"I told you," he snarled at her, "I wanted a blow-job, then I was going home. I got what I wanted, and now I'm leaving."
She was staring at him in disbelief. "So that's it, huh?"
"Yeah, that's it." He opened the door and looked back at her. "You give good head. See ya around."
Ten minutes later he was pulling up to the house, intent on a hot shower and some quiet time with Rachel. Tom's police car was there, however, and a cold pit formed in Jack's stomach as he parked and leapt out of the car, running up the steps and throwing the front door open.
"Rachel?" he called.
"Oh, thank God you're back! You forgot your phone, I was so worried . . ." Rachel came out of the dining room and threw her arms around him. There were tears running down her face and Jack held her tightly, weak in the knees with relief. He'd thought for one terrifying moment that she'd disappeared, that he'd let her get kidnapped . . .
Then he saw Janet and Susie sitting on the couch, Tom standing behind them. The man was in uniform and both girls were in tears, and Jack closed his eyes against the sight.
"Mary?" he whispered softly.
Rachel's shoulders shook. "She never made it home today." Then she sniffed at his shirt. "You smell like ---"
"Yeah, someone got a bit too friendly." He stepped away from her, still holding her hand as he walked over to the girls and knelt down. Susie threw her arms around him, bursting into fresh tears. "Hey, baby . . ."
"Mommy's missing!" the girl wailed. Jack hugged her tightly and looked up at Tom.
"Mary left work to pick the girls up after school, but never made it," he said quietly. Rachel sat next to Janet and put her arm around the girl's shoulder. "No one's heard from her since." And Maury had looked so pleased with himself. Jack cursed under his breath and then pressed a kiss to Susie's cheek.
"Hey, we'll find your mom, Susie, don't worry. She probably got lost. Wanna stay here tonight?" She was still sobbing, nodding her head, and Jack got up to walk her around the living room. His head felt like it was going to explode with pain. He needed to wait. The tumour couldn't kill him just yet. "Okay, you wanna stay in Ava's room? It's right across from me and Rachel." She nodded, barely coherent, and Jack held her close until she'd fallen asleep. Tom had been talking with Rachel and Janet in the meantime, and he took the opportunity to steal upstairs. He pulled out some sleeping pads and lay them in Ava's newly-decorated room, put Susie on them and then got her some blankets before changing his outfit and heading back downstairs. "Where's Charles? What happened?"
"She's at the station; I just came over to drop the girls off. And Mary just . . . disappeared," Tom said with a sigh. "She's not at any of the bars in town, she's not at home . . ."
Jack sat between Rachel and Janet and put his arms around both of them, staring up at Tom. "All right. We'll be fine here."
"Are you sure?" Tom asked. He was clearly anxious to get back to Helna and Mitzi.
"I'll kill anyone who tries to touch these women," Jack stated. "Trust me, Tom."
His friend nodded. "I'll send Charles back."
"Sure." He got up long enough to lock the door once Tom left, then grabbed his phone from the mantle and flipped it open. A few rings later Hideki's sleepy voice answered.
"Hmm?"
"It's Jack. Give me Raoul."
"Huh? It's almost eleven, Jack."
"And Mary Mills is missing. Put Raoul on."
There was rustling, then Raoul's equally sleepy baritone came on the line. "What happened? Are you all right?"
"We're fine," Jack said shortly. "Mary Mills is missing, though. I need your contacts in Folsom." He motioned for an anxious Rachel to stay with Janet as he went back upstairs to talk in private and described Maury and Anita's new looks to Raoul. "Get them on this now Raoul, because I can't last much longer."
"I'll call them right now. Do I need to send . . .?"
"Not yet. I don't need him skulking around right now. Charles will do for the time being, but have him send someone for Rachel."
"If you're sure."
"I'm sure," Jack whispered as he turned to face his wife. She was watching him with wide eyes and he wanted to scream. "Call me tomorrow." Then he hung up and just looked at her.
"You knew," she whispered. "All this time, you knew who was killing those women."
"You're going to Gotham," Jack replied. "Bruce will send someone for you, and until they get here you're not going anywhe ---" Her palm connected with his face and his head snapped to the side. Jack sighed and rubbed his cheek. "Rachel ---"
"You knew!" she almost screamed. She was furious. "And you didn't say a damned thing! You let everyone think . . . you let those women . . . what the hell is wrong with you, Jack?!"
"And what would have happened if I'd said something when I guessed it was them, huh?" he demanded, catching her hand when she tried to slap him again. "Do not hit me again, Rachel. What would have happened? I could have given a description, sure, and they would have split completely, or laid low for a while. Oh, sort of what happened the last few months?"
"Let me go, Jack," Rachel snapped, trying to pull out of his grasp as she cried.
He wasn't letting go. "Listen to me, Rachel," he urged. "Just listen. I had Hideki and Raoul track them down in Gotham. They've been planning this for a long time, baby. A long time. We think it's a mob contract ---"
"And when the hell were you going to tell me about all of this?!" Rachel yelled, her green eyes burning with anger. "When you were going to let your wife know?!"
"Hopefully never!" he yelled back. "And that's why you're going to Gotham, so you can be safe!"
"And where will you be?" she demanded. "Planning on playing vigilante for a while? You can't do that Jack, you know you can't! You know exactly why you can't do that!" Then she doubled over with a groan and Jack's heart stopped. "Oh, God . . ."
"Rachel?! What's wrong, Rachel?" Jack helped her to the bed and knelt next to her, placing his hands over hers on her stomach and feeling their baby kicking frantically. There were tears running down her face as she sobbed. "Rachel, baby, is Ava . . .?" No. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Not yet.
"Water," Rachel gasped through her tears. Jack was up in a flash, pushing past Susie and Janet as they huddled in the doorway, getting her a drink from the bathroom.
"Here you go," Jack said softly, sitting next to Rachel and holding her against him as he tipped the cup to her lips. "Talk to me, Rachel. What's wrong? Should we go to the hospital?" He stared between her and her stomach, pressing his palms to it in the vague hope of keeping Ava inside where the baby belonged.
Rachel waved his questions away and started taking deep breaths. She was breathing easier after a couple of minutes. "I'm . . . I'm all right," she croaked out, resting her head on Jack's shoulder and closing her eyes. "We're fine."
"I'm sorry," Jack whispered as he kissed her forehead and hugged her, rubbing her stomach with one hand. "I'm so sorry, Rachel. Are you sure you two are okay?"
"I'm sure," Rachel whispered back. "She doesn't like us yelling at each other."
"Something we have in common," Jack replied as he started shaking.
"I just need to sleep. Please, Jack . . . don't make me leave you. I can't lose you . . ."
He settled her in the bed and tucked her in, making her as comfortable as possible. Then Jack kissed her cheek. "We'll talk about it later. You're sure . . .?"
Rachel held his hand tightly. "I love you, Jack."
"That doesn't do me any good if you and Ava get hurt," he choked out, wiping at his face. He turned to Janet and Susie, both looking terrified, and jerked his head toward Rachel. "In bed, you two." They didn't need any more prodding, scrambling under the covers as carefully as they could, trembling. "Now look," Jack went on as Rachel's grip on his hand relaxed. She was still breathing, so she'd just fallen asleep. His heart started beating again. "You're staying here until we find Mary. I'll fix you up a real bed in Ava's room tomorrow, but for tonight, you'll stay in here. Charles should be back soon, and she's a crack shot. That means she'll shoot all the bad guys," he said when Susie looked confused. All three got a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be right downstairs if you need me."
"Is Mommy gonna be okay?" Susie whispered.
"Don't worry," Jack said as he gave her another kiss. "We'll find her. Just go to sleep, Susie." He didn't meet Janet's gaze as he stood up and walked out of the room.
*****
A/N: This story will be getting darker and darker; I'm not all happy-fluffy-bunnies, you know. Just . . . so you know. And sorry about the long time between updates. ^.^ My review monkeys love me, right? . . . Right?