She awoke in the middle of the night; both Adia and Ben were still fast asleep in the king size bed while Jackie now laid sluggishly awake.
Jackie hummed, carefully getting off the bed as to not disturb her youngest two as they slept; Adia was too scared to sleep alone and Ben didn't want to leave Adia alone.
So the three slept together.
Jackie sighed as she watched her children sleep before leaving the bedroom and walked up the hallway to the living room.
She yawned, as she made her way into the kitchen only stop when she turned to the couch to see Julian fast asleep with a tea cup resting on his chest.
Jackie smiled as she moved towards her oldest, the tea cup only half full of green tea as she removed it from his chest and placed it on the coffee table before covering her son in a blanket.
She returned to her task of going into the kitchen, she noticed that there was a small pot of green tea still on the stove, Jackie turned it on and let it warm up.
The night was cold and rainy, it almost soothed Jackie back to sleep before she turned back to the stove and turned it off, then pouring herself a cup of tea.
Jackie doctored her tea just the way she liked it before walking down the hallway towards Crane's office where she sat at his desk.
She drank her tea in the dark for a moment before turning the desk lamp on to examine the desk along with all the content that Crane left behind.
The desk was rather tidy and clean, which was unlike Crane, as she began to snoop through the drawers of the desk.
Jackie opened the bottom drawer of Crane's desk to find herself frustrated as she stared down at her pack of cigarettes.
"You son of a bitch." Jackie muttered as she put her cup of tea down and grabbed the box out of the drawer.
Jackie sighed as she opened the box to find four cigarettes left in the box, taking one out and attempting to find a lighter, that was casually hiding out in the desks' upper drawer.
She lit her cigarette and let smoke escape her lips as she relaxed farther in the chair, leaning back and letting her head tilt as she looked out the window into her backyard.
There was a light coming from the backyard, but it wasn't the porch light as Jackie sat back in the chair and turned around to see something on fire.
Jackie gasped, rushing out into the backyard, grabbing the hose, and rushing to put out the fire; that is until she noticed that it was.
She glared at the lap sack that was on fire, glaring at her with flames spreading to the grass; with the cigarette still in her mouth she sprayed the water from the hose over the fire, putting it out quickly.
Jackie took her cigarette, letting more smoke escape her lips as she looked down at the lap sack for another moment before looking up and around the backyard.
She could feel a pair of eyes on her as she continued to look around the back yard once again before turning back to the porch to turn off the hose.
Jackie went back to pick up the burnt lap sack from off the grass when she heard a bush move; she stood still with the cigarette in her mouth and lap sack in hand as Crane exposed himself from behind a bush.
She removed the cigarette from her mouth and huffed "What are you doing here?" she hissed.
Crane shook his head with his hands in his pockets "I told you, that I wasn't done with us." He said.
"And I said that if you ever came near us again I'd kill you." Jackie threatened.
Crane walked up to Jackie and stared her dead in the eyes "Then do it." He bluffed.
Jackie huffed as she took another puff of her cigarette and blew the smoke in his face before flicking the cigarette in Crane's face.
Crane yelled out loud in pain a moment before regaining himself "You stupid-damn it, Jackie!" he yelled.
"Do you know how many times I stood up for you!? For all fifteen years?" she yelled, pushing her husband away.
"And what did I get in return? 'Sorry, Jackie.' That's all I got!" she screamed.
Crane stared at Jackie, he just stated; there were no words that could be said on his part because he knew she was right.
"I'm tired of putting myself on the line for you, and I'm ashamed that I let this go on for fifteen years." Jackie went on to say.
Crane and Jackie glared at each other, Jackie threatening tear as she crossed her arms "You should go back to your tart." She muttered.
He huffed "The hundredth time: she means nothing! Becky is just a dumb girl who wants a thrill!"
"And you're gonna give it to her?!" Jackie remarked.
Crane sighed heavily "Jackie, I married you! I gave myself to you!" he proclaimed.
Jackie huffed, Crane stopped as he looked at his wife; her eye letting one tear escape as she looked at him "…You gave yourself to me? That's funny, because it doesn't seem that way; you give yourself to Scarecrow more than you give yourself to me."
Crane tried to steady his breathing as he looked at his wife in pain; he didn't want to see her this way, he didn't want to see her cry, or watch her heart break.
"I gave you everything. I gave up my youth for you. I gave you three children. I risk my reputation, my inheritance, my job…for you. Yet, I get nothing in return from you except a mess to clean-up." Jackie told him.
Crane swallowed hard as Jackie thought for a moment "I don't think you understand how exhausted I am. I'm so tired, Jon." She whispered.
"Then we'll rest." He told her.
Jackie smiled, knowing that he did not understand what she meant "No. There's no resting when it comes to you." She said.
Crane sighed "Jacqueline." He simply said.
Jackie shook her head "I don't care how many times you tell me that you can drop Scarecrow; you never will." She said.
"I will stick with it! I'll choose you over Scarecrow every time, just give me a chance!" Crane begged.
Jackie huffed "Yeah, for a month or two, hell maybe six. But he'll be back…and he'll come with a vengeance!" she said.
Crane shook his head "I don't understand how after fifteen years you just decide to stop overlooking my flaws." He said.
"YOUR FLAWS!?" Jackie screamed.
"YOUR FLAWS!? Jonathan, it's not a flaw! You're a fucking career villain; on your resume, it would say 'Batman Villain'!" Jackie went on to say before turning away from her husband.
Crane huffed, about to say something when behind Jackie, watching from the back door, were the kids staring at the both of them.
Adia wiped away another tear as Julian held her chest while Ben just stared; unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
Jackie noticed Crane was froze to his spot as she turned to see the kids as well; she covered her mouth in shock as they kids glared.
She covered her mouth as she looked at her kids, the family exposed to everything and that made both Jackie and Crane feel vulnerable.
Adia began to sob as Jackie pouted "Oh, honey." She said, walking towards Adia, who moved closed to Julian, who picked her up and held her close.
Jackie sighed as she looked at her oldest; who kissed Adia's cheek before whispering something in her ear and putting her back down.
Ben followed Adia as Julian walked outside and closed the door, he first walked up to his father and punched him square in the jaw, causing Crane to fall onto the ground.
"Only because mom's not going to do it!" he proclaimed before turning to his mother.
"Get over yourself! How can you look the other way or take it all as it is for fifteen years, and then all of a sudden grow a conscious?" Julian remarked.
Jackie looked at her oldest son, she wanted to smack the tar out of him but she knew he was right as they continued to glare at each other.
Julian shook his head as he treaded his way back into the house, shutting the door behind him as both Jackie and Crane stared at each other; knowing that he was right.
Crane picked himself up off the grass, he looked at his wife who he could tell was trying to fight the words that their son had just told her.
"How'd he get so smart?" Crane asked.
Jackie sighed "He gets it from you." She muttered.
Crane nodded "Then…if he got my looks and my smarts, what did he get from you?"
"His temper…" Jackie said.
Crane smiled "He got your boldness too." He remarked.
Jackie sniffled, trying to fight the forming tears as she looked at her husband "Stop it."
Crane shrugged his shoulders "The Great Oz has spoken! Do you still want to fight me?"
Jackie huffed "No. But I don't want you in this house. Go back to your 'Mistress of Darkness'." She said before she turned away and began to make her way back into the house.
"You're my Mistress of Darkness!" Crane proclaimed.
"Whatever."
"And stop smoking!" Crane pleaded, watching Jackie walk back inside the house, he watched her lock the door before going out of his view.
Crane nodded to himself as he left the backyard, he was confident that even though he didn't win his wife back, it was the beginning of a long journey to prove to her his worthwhile.