Chapter 69
Preparations for her to leave still took a long time. In the end she did stay one more day waiting for Vince to make the flight and nursing arrangements but everyone made sure to keep her mind busy. Amy and Stephanie came in to visit and talked her ear off. Shane was never mentioned. When it came time for them to leave, they were shuttled out of the back of the hospital and driven quickly to the airport.
As the plane ascended in the air, Jessica let out a sigh of relief. Up until that moment she had still expected Shane to strike again. The further she got from him the better she would feel. She knew this was all far from being over. She still had to make a full statement to the FBI. Agent Miller had convinced his superiors that it would be safer, and in her best interest that she head back to North Carolina as soon as possible. Miller would be down once she got settled to speak with her. She snuggled closer to Jeff, not looking forward to having to do that.
"That feels good." He said to her. They had become inseparable. While in the hospital, he ate and slept by her side, refusing to leave her. It gave Jessica the support she needed and she was thankful for him. The trauma of everything that had happened reinforced how much they loved one another and they felt closer than ever.
She looked across the plane at Amy and Matt. They were deep in conversation but when Amy noticed her she smiled. Jessica quickly smiled back, but when she looked to the other empty seats, she frowned. While she hadn't expected any of the McMahon's to join her on the trip, she knew they had a lot to deal with, she could tell that things had changed. Although Stephanie spent a lot of time with her at the hospital, their conversations didn't feel like they used to and her time with Vince had been plain uncomfortable. He had made himself scarce, and while that could be explained by him making all the arrangement, what little time he did spend with her he was cold.
"What's going on?" Jeff asked her. He had looked down at her face and saw that she was troubled by something.
"Everything changed." She told him still staring at the empty seats.
"How?"
"He didn't even say goodbye. I mean Stephanie at least saw us off at the hospital but Vince never even showed up, not a word. It's gone right?"
"What's gone?"
"They were my family and now I feel like Vince didn't even want to look at me. It's not my fault but somehow I end up losing everything. I've lost my dad, I've lost my mom, and now I've lost the McMahons. My whole childhood is gone."
"Babe, I know it's difficult, but you've got to give people time. It's a lot to absorb and it's a lot to deal with. Vince will come around." He told her trying to comfort her, but he knew where she was going with this and it was what he had been thinking all along. "In the meantime, you have to remember that you have us. I'm not going anywhere, and neither is Matt or Amy or any of us down here."
"It's just going to be different." She said resting her head back on his shoulder.
When the plane landed, the hurried off to the waiting car and it wasn't long before the warm comforting sights of home were upon them.
"Let's leave the bags here." Matt said as they all piled out of the car in front of Jeff's house. Jessica looked at the house and got a slight chill when she saw the newly replaced door. Shane had been here, she thought unable to move any further. Was there ever going to be a time when he wasn't going to be the first thing that crossed her mind? Was she ever going to be truly free? Sensing her trepidation, Jeff grabbed her hand.
"Look at me." He told her. "One step at a time. You're not alone. There are people here who love you, most importantly me. We're gonna make it." She nodded and let him lead her to the front door. When he opened it she got a welcome surprise. She was inundated with hugs from all of her friends.
"Careful Helms." Jeff warned as Shane squeezed her tightly.
"Sorry babe, I'm just excited you're back."
"Yea," Shannon agreed giving her a hug. "I wanted to do the whole surprise yell, but Matt said we couldn't startle you. So now that you see us all…" He gestured to the crowd and they all screamed surprise.
"Let's eat!" Shannon shouted as Matt smacked the back of his head. Some people headed to the table of food, while the rest finished greeting them.
"You scared the shit out of us." Adam told her when he let her go.
"Yea, don't do it again." Jay added. He handed her a drink but Jeff took it out of her hand.
"Oh no you don't. No alcohol, doctor's orders."
"Man, I was finally going to win." Jay joked. "There was no way she could out drink me today."
"You'll have to wait till next time." Jeff told him sending them on their way before leading her over to the table. He filled up a plate of food and sat it down in front of her.
"Jeff that's too much." She exclaimed.
"You've eaten nothing but hospital food for the past three days and you hardly touched that. So now that we have some home cooking, you're going to eat." To make a point he scooped up another serving of mashed potatoes on her plate. "Now eat."
"Fine." She said but when Jeff got up to make his own plate, she unloaded half of her plate onto Matt's.
"I saw that." Jeff whispered into her ear, after he sat back down but let it go.
After there was no food left they all headed into the living room. Jeff sat down on the couch draping his arm around Jessica. She rested her head on his shoulder as they listened to Gil tell stories of pranks and stunts his sons had pulled. Jessica glanced around the room and her smile grew. Everyone sitting around and laughing, this is what it's supposed to be like, she thought. Shane had spent years trying to make her feel isolated and alone and it had almost worked. But in the end, he had brought her closer to a family. This was her family, and although she did have a long road ahead of her, with their love and support she just might make it. She let out a yawn and Jeff looked down at her.
"Tired?" He asked. She shook her head no but then yawned again. "Okay guys, that's enough for tonight. We need some rest. She tried protesting, not wanting the evening to end, but Jeff stayed firm and everyone started to say their goodbyes. When the last person left, she turned to look at Jeff.
"Thank you." She told him.
"Come over here." He said pulling her into a kiss. "Let's go upstairs."
"What about the mess?"
"Don't worry. We're injured. I'll make Matt come over and clean it up tomorrow." He grinned taking her hand. He led her up to the bedroom. Not even bothering to change their clothes, they laid down on the bed next to each other. Jeff wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer as she stared off. "What are you thinking about?"
"Remember that night back in the hotel, when I was wearing that tacky little outfit?"
"Oh, I remember the outfit." He said squeezing her tighter.
"Shut up," She laughed. "I'm trying to be serious."
"Sorry, you have my full attention."
"I felt safe, warm, and I asked you if everyday could be like that. Every time I would start to feel good again, something always went wrong. I guess I'm just wondering if this going to last."
"It will." He told her.
"How do you know?"
"I just do. Look, you can't spend the rest of your life always waiting for the other shoe to drop. That's not a way to live. I'm not saying that every day is going to be perfect, there's going to be problems. You just have to realize that you can get through them. We will get through them."
"How come you always seem to know exactly what I need to hear?" She asked.
"Because we were meant to be together, remember? I make you sane and you make me…"
"Happy." She finished for him. They gazed into each other's eyes, their lips slowly moving closer to one another. "I love you." She whispered before they met. Jeff didn't need to speak for once their lips finally touched, she didn't need anything else. For once it didn't matter what was hiding around the corner, or what they would face next. She knew that whatever did happen, he would be right there next to her giving all the support she needs.
And after what they had already been through, there wasn't anything they wouldn't be able to handle…
Author's Note: I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for their reviews and their patience in my first attempt at fan fiction. When I started writing this I expected for it to be a short story. However many plots and storylines kept coming to me. That being said while this is the last chapter of Twisted:Lies I want to continue with the story of Jeff, Jessica and their friends and family. So I have created a new story, Twisted:Dreams to continue with their saga. While it is still in it's formative stage, the begining is set so I have posted the first chapter. Thank you again to everyone who has read Twisted:Lies and I hope you continue this journey with me.
