A/N: Thanks to LocalTalent53, A Mosaic Masterpiece, Michelle Maria Salvatore and CrumbledCandyWrapper for your reviews! Urgh, I swear, this is the hardest chapter so far. So many ideas changed into different ideas and it was a complicated mess of what should I do. I finally managed to get my preferred one down.
Also, I see some of you are falling into my trap of starting to feel for the characters. You need to remember – People will die. I'm looking forward to seeing reactions. Read on for the –finally- Jennifer and Jason segment of Revelations.
"Fairday offices, how can I help you? Yes. Of course, can I take your name? Mr. King will be available for a meeting at 2 PM tomorrow afternoon. I'll arrange that for you then. Good bye."
Placing the phone back down, Jennifer Storic wrote something into a notepad next to her. Her writing was smooth and neat, with equal spacing and equal sizes.
Liam Grey – Possible business partner. The head of Grey Inc.
Finished writing, Jennifer went back to typing on the keyboard as she stared at the computer monitor intently. Behind her was a white wall, while surrounding her was a smooth wooden desk. Various supplies; Pencils, stapler, hole puncher and more; were set out neatly and easy to access.
A printer whirred behind her as she finished her final document, before checking her watch to see the time. Nodding to herself, Jennifer got up out of her seat, pulled on her coat and hooked her purse under her arm. She switched both the printer and the computer off, and grabbed the recently printed, still warm documents.
Walking across the plush carpets of Fairday's top floor, Jennifer didn't even cast a glance at her surroundings. Working for a long time at Fairday had made everything seem the same. However, the top floor was definitely something which would attract the eyes of many. Each office on the top floor had separate compartments, with their own computers and spaces to work. The floor was a light blue plush, the walls white and smooth, and the lighting turned to an exact tone where it didn't hurt the eyes, nor was it too dark. Overall and massively calming work environment, designed specifically to ease the stress of work-life.
Fairday itself was a mass-provider for products that varied from clothes to furniture to even beauty products. It was growing in value and popularity by the day. Fairday was owned by Peter King, a man who really had a fairytale story, at least in the business perspective. He initially sold computer parts for a profit at age fifteen, and worked his way from nothing to become one of the biggest and richest men in New York. His motto was simple: Work hard and dreams will come true.
It was Mr. King's office that Jennifer was now outside, just a room away from her own area. She was the private secretary to Mr. King, and had been for over two years now. Knocking on the door, Jennifer heard Mr. King's light, airy tone of "come in."
Opening the door, Jennifer placed the papers on the desk and looked at her boss. "You have four new meetings tomorrow, Mr. King."
"I keep telling you Jennifer, call me Peter. Nothing like a positive attitude. Anyway, I read your request and I have decided to grant it. That man needs help, and I believe taking two weeks off to help him with his problem will be just what he needs. I've signed the papers and I've recruited a substitute secretary."
"Thank you, sir." Jennifer nodded lightly, before turning around and exiting the room. Before she shut the door, Mr. King called out one last thing.
"And Jennifer. Don't let Jason hurt you. My father was an alcoholic, and he assaulted both my mother and me. I know how bad they can get."
Jennifer closed her eyes, and then the door, ignoring Mr. King. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and walked across to the elevator.
XXX
A quick drive back to her house proved uneventful and wet. Jennifer pulled her Mercedes into the driveway and then into the garage. Turning off the engine and climbing out, Jennifer locked the car and walked into her house via to side door.
The door led straight into the kitchen, where Jennifer placed her purse on the table and her coat on the rack. She suddenly stopped, hearing breathing coming from the living room. It was ragged and uneven. Instead of panicking or even getting slightly freaked out, Jennifer sighed and walked into the living room, switching on the light.
"Jason. It's late. What are you doing here?"
The question was directed at a man sitting on the sofa, hands on his chin and looking blankly at the wall. The man, Jason Stark, was looking ragged. He seemed to be covered in sweat, and he hadn't shaved. Stubble curled around his chin and mouth. Jason's clothes seemed to smell of a combination of alcohol and body odour. He looked up at Jennifer, his eyes glistening.
Jennifer sighed again. "Oh, Jason..."
"I... It was bad... this time..." Jason muttered, looking back to his hands. "I... don't remember d-drinking at all... but when I woke up it was late in the afternoon and my place was ruined. I'm... I'm getting more violent, Jenny... I'm... scared... scared for myself, or what I might do... I felt constricted so I-I came here... I needed interaction with someone..."
"Oh, Jason." Jennifer repeated. Shaking her head, she sat next to Jason on the sofa and put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. For a good few minutes the two were silent, before Jason let out a small moan. Jennifer looked at his face and saw tears glistening on his cheeks. "It'll get better Jason. In only two days we're heading for the program. Hopefully that will help you."
"Hopefully..." Jason repeated. He sniffed, wiping away the tears with his sleeve. "God, I'm a mess. Look at me, since when is a man supposed to be crying?"
"It's good to cry. Let's out pent up emotion."
"I guess." Jason cringed as he caught the odour he was emitting. "Oh... can I use your shower?"
"Of course." Jennifer nodded. "You can find a spare pair of your clothes in the airing cupboard. The razor's in the usual place."
"Ha... guess I'm here slightly too much. A woman living on her own has all the things a man needs." Rolling his eyes, Jason stood up. "Well, I'll be down once I've washed my misery away."
XXXX
A few minutes later, and Jason was under a cold shower, trying both to wash his body and his attitude. Finally, as he started to turn blue, he turned on the hot water and leant backwards. Looking up at the ceiling, Jason had to smile to himself.
He and Jennifer had been friends since childhood, and had grown up together. When everything had turned bad, Jennifer was the one who helped him. Moments just like this, problems just like his, Jennifer was always there for him.
Jason's smile faded slightly as he continued to think. He knew he was frustrating Jennifer, little bit by little bit. She wanted to help, and quite frankly, he was being uncooperative. Jason squeezed his fist in rare anger. It wasn't like he didn't want to be helped, he did, he wanted to be cured, but the fact of the matter was it was so hard.
His thoughts were suddenly cut off as he as coughed violently, actually bending over and clutching the wall for support with one hand, the other hand in front of his mouth. After the coughing was finished, Jason pulled his hand away to see small flecks of red. They were quickly washed away, but nevertheless Jason bit his lip and closed his fist. Taking a deep breath, Jason turned the water off and climbed out of the shower. Drying, shaving, and generally cleaning up, Jason looked in the mirror and put a hand against his forehead.
He looked away to grab his new shirt, and looked back to see a bloody skull looking out at him from behind his shoulder.
Jason let out a strangled cry, turning around quickly. His still wet foot slipped on the tile and he stumbled forward, tripping up and into the shower curtain. Jason grabbed it wildly, but it tore down and tightened around his neck. As he struggled, the curtain grew tighter and tighter, cutting off his air. It felt as if his lungs were about to burst when-
Jason gasped, staring into the mirror and his newly sweating face. He touched his neck, but it was still slightly wet from the shower. He panted hard, confused and scared. He took a few minutes to calm down, before getting out of the room as quickly as possible, putting the incident down to an over-active imagination.