A Nightmare Remembered

Chapter XI: Two steps back, one step forward…

Jack's mouth and heart fell in perfect unison. It was her, after all the time, the waiting, and there she was and there was another's ring gripping her finger. Jack felt a lump form in his throat and suddenly was feeling crowded and a bit warm. Eve thanked the barista for her tea and turned to walk over to her group of friends, in which Jack was standing in the dead center of. He began to look around frantically for a place to run to, to regain some composure. Benjamin seemed to talk notice in Jack's sudden change in mood.

"Are you alright Jack?" he asked studying him curiously. Jack couldn't find words to speak with, he nodded slightly and noticed a backroom in which a man had just come out from.

"Ah-hhh if you will erm, excuse me, I have to um…" Jack motioned toward the room, which happened to be a bathroom. Benjamin nodded. Jack bolted for the door, making it before anyone could beat him there. He burst in and locked the door behind him. Luckily for him it was a private bathroom, unlucky though was that it was a bathroom at all and he was not fond of them in the slightest. He rushed to the sink and twisted the handle on the faucet. Water gushed and Jack rinsed it over his feverish face. He aggressively shut it off and stared at himself in the mirror.

He was handsome, a true vintage gentleman and what good did it do him now? Eve had obviously moved on and he couldn't blame her. Benjamin was kind and caring, a modern gentleman and Jack sank. Being who he was, he knew, quite depressingly, that he would never be able to take Eve away from Benjamin, nor Benjamin from her. Jack stood there and thought frantically, and eventually his thoughts turned from defeated to speculating. Maybe that wasn't Benjamin's ring. Maybe it was just a random piece of jewelry, was it even on the right finger?

Jack tapped his foot frantically. He had to go back out there eventually. He ran his hands through his hair. He hadn't the foggiest idea of what to do and as he reached for the door, he hoped desperately that something would come to him. He breathed in deep and walked back towards the group. Benjamin was the first to notice Jack walking back.

"Is everything alright?" Benjamin asked. Just as Jack was about to answer, he felt something vibrate in his pocket. He reached and pulled out a cell phone. On the front it read a call coming from Wallace. Jack hesitantly tapped the button that read, "Answer". He heard a small voice come from the device.

"Hello? Hello? Jack?" Wallace's voice echoed out of the phone. Jack curiously placed the phone to his ear.

"Wallace?" he asked into the cell.

"Ah Jack, I'm glad you answered! I was afraid you wouldn't grasp the concept of a cellular phone. I snuck it into your coat pocket when you weren't looking, just in case of emergencies. It was my son's old phone, so I figured, eh, why not? Anyway I just wanted to let you know that I feel kinda bad for forcing you to go with Benjamin when clearly you weren't very ready. So I drove over to the Starbucks you're at, not hard, since that's the only one in town. Anyway I'm outside in my car, just in case, you know, you find it all a bit too much, I'll-" Jack had stopped listening. He turned quickly to Benjamin.

"I have to leave…I'm quite sorry, it's an emergency. Please give my condolences to everyone." He said hastily. Benjamin looked surprised.

"Well alright, I hope everything is okay." He called out after Jack, as he ran for the door. Wallace was still talking into his phone when Jack jumped into his car. He looked confused at his phone and then at Jack who was now fighting with his seat belt.

"What happened in there?!" Wallace asked. Jack buried his head in his hands.

"Please just go." He said shortly. Wallace looked at Jack in disbelief but quickly pulled out of the parking lot. It wasn't long, however, until Wallace once again pried Jack for answer.

"Alright, tell me. What happened in there Jack?" Wallace inquired. Jack continued to look out the window, as he had been doing for the last fifteen minutes.

"Come now, it couldn't have been that ba-"

"She's with him."

"Wha-?"

"Eve is engaged to Benjamin." Jack said bluntly. Wallace's face fell and he concentrated on the road for several minutes before deciding to speak again.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Hmmmmm…I wondered if that might be a possibility…" Wallace admitted as they pulled into the enormous drive way of the mansion. Jack turned to Wallace, looking shocked.

"You-"

"Well think about it my boy, there are only so many people in this small town! And very few beautiful, cultured, genuine young ladies at that! I wouldn't be shocked if there were several men asking her to marry them!" Wallace explained. Jack gripped the handle of his door tightly and suddenly found himself slamming the door back into the car.

"But she chose him!" he shouted. He breathed fiercely. Suddenly his flash of anger had passed and he looked at Wallace, alarmed. "I-I apologize….I've never behaved that way before…" he said trembling a bit. He placed a hand on the car to sturdy himself. Wallace looked concerned. Jack looked back at him apologetically.

"I'm so so sorry….honestly, I do not know where that came from." Jack breathed. Wallace nodded, understandingly. He walked over to Jack and patted him on the shoulder.

"Let's go have a cup of tea. It will calm your nerves a bit, I'm sure."

oOo

Wallace placed a set of tea on the coffee table in front of Jack, who was staring into nothingness, tormented by his thoughts. Wallace took a seat across from him and sighed sadly.

"I'm truly sorry Jack…but there must be something we can do." He said softly. Jack looked up and gave Wallace a blank look.

"We?" he asked dubiously.

"Yes, we." He retorted. "I'm not just going to sit here and watch you wallow in depression…and to be quite honest….I feel I owe you, not just you, but your family, for everything you did for mine." Jack gave him a confused look, but Wallace only sighed.

"…..I realized a few things while you were gone…I had a good think let's just say." He said hesitantly. Jack's look became pleading at this moment. "Oh alright…look I know I asked you this morning to tell of what you've been through and everything, but I believe there are some things about you and your family that I know more than you about, if that makes sense." Jack looked down at his hands.

"You know…I've been human for about a day now and it's quickly becoming the hardest things I've ever done…well at least, that I can remember. But I also feel this empty place inside me, something I've just come to notice after becoming human and if you could help me in any way, I would be grateful." Jack said quietly. Wallace nodded, took another sip of tea, and sat back into his chair.

"It might sound weird at times, but it's all true." Wallace informed him. Jack nodded and Wallace began. "My grandfather used to work for you parents, a long time ago and I'm about to drop a bomb on you, so to speak…but….my grandfather's name was Quintin Hallows." Wallace said, the pitch in his voice lowering. Jack's eyes grew wide.

"Hallows…as in-"

"Yes, as in Eve Hallows. You know I actually laughed when I figured it all out after you left. That's sort of why I rushed over…I was anxious to tell you. Anyway, yes my grandfather was Quintin Hallows, the youngest brother of Eve Hallows….erm, which would make me her great-nephew and, erm…I believe uncle as well, since she's been 're-incarnated', to which I assume to grandfather's older brother Christian Hallows side of the family, another one of Eve's younger brothers, she had two and-" Jack put a hand up to stop Wallace.

"I'm sorry but, this is quite a lot to take in, especially considering your last name is Ailey." Jack breathed.

"My grandfather had one child; a daughter, my mother and when she married my father, she took his name, thus I'm an Ailey, not Hallows, but I am related to Eve, very related." He explained. Jack brushed a hand through his thick hair, obviously overwhelmed.

"Should I stop?" Wallace asked.

"N-no, keep going, I'm fine, it's just the surprises keep coming."

"True, but I know what I'm about to tell you will help you win Eve back. Now get comfortable Jack, this is going to take a while."