.
Unexpected Twists
GJ Headquarters
Will gasped as another wave of zombies rambled by his hiding place in his mother's office. He closed his eyes tightly until they were gone, then cautiously slipped out from under her desk. No, he wasn't a mama's boy! Okay, maybe a little bit, but that hadn't been why he'd raced into her office. Dr. Director's study was one of the most secure locations in all of GJ. He hadn't had a lot of options. Slinking to the door, he peered out. The hall was clear. He had to get out of this place. Why hadn't he already, for goodness sake? He was GJ's number-one agent! He spoke a plethora of different languages fluently, he was tutored by the brightest minds there were, he was trained by the best of the best in the arts of combat... Dang it, why couldn't he figure this out?!
Carefully he slunk out into the hall and headed toward GJ's emergency escape room. Maybe this time he would have more luck than he'd had the first five times when he'd run straight into a hoard. He peeked around the corner. Please let luck be with him, please let luck be with him. Oh gods, where was his mother? What had happened to her? Was she okay? He hated the thought that she might not be. He whimpered slightly, closing his eyes tightly. What if he was the last one left on Earth? He'd never survive this! Part of him almost wanted to let them infect him so he could just get this over with, but the more stubborn and determined part pushed onward. That was his parents in him. He scoffed at the thought of his father. Not even father. Sire. That was about all the man was. What on this planet had possessed Dr. Director to be with, ugh, Jack Hench? She was no one's fool. Why on earth had she chosen to copulate with the enemy? Unless… Unless it hadn't been willing on her part. The thought sickened him and made his hatred for his sperm donor burn more, but he couldn't jump to conclusions. Then again, Jack was a criminal. A wily one who was basically a mystery and probably not even on the radar, sure, but a criminal nonetheless! The man was in league with some of the worst criminal organizations on the planet for crying out loud!
He waited out of sight until all of the growling sounds faded away, then swung out of hiding and ran toward the room. He'd improved his mission skills since working with Kim Possible so long ago, he was proud to say. A little at least. Hey, no one was perfect, okay?! He was almost at the escape room. He was going to make it! Just then, though, a hoard barrelled out in front of him from an adjacent hallway! He slid to a stop, gasping and paling. "You have got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed in outrage, backing away. "What, am I cursed with bad luck? Is that the one trait I didn't get from you, Hench?!" He didn't have a lot of the personality traits of his mother, he knew. He had some of her looks, her desire to do good, and a fair dose of her stoicism and pragmatism, but almost everything else was his blasted sire's. That said, the bad luck probably came from his uncle. Dad and mom had nothing but good. Uncle Sheldon, or Uncle Gemini depending on the mood Will was in at any given time, had gotten the short end of the stick there, and apparently so had he.
"Stay back! I'm armed and dangerous!" Will bluffed, hoping there was still some remnant of human understanding left in them. Not a chance. Instead, they roared and charged at him. He gasped and fled. This was getting ridiculous. He felt like he was living a scene straight from Shooby Doo! He looked around. There had to be some way out. Wait. Cables? Ropes? Eureka! He grinned and leapt up onto a ladder. Quickly he scrambled up it. Reaching the top, he jumped for a cable, kicking the ladder down in the process and trapping some of the zombies. He swung over the heads of his pursuers and landed right in front of the escape room. "Hah! Suckers!" he called boastfully back. He cried out in alarm when they charged. Quickly he darted inside. "Mom!" he shouted. He spotted an escape pod and dove in, frantically programming it to take him out of there. It took off just as the zombies reached it.
Will sighed in relief. For however long that would last. At this point, though, he was just hoping he didn't end up on some tiny deserted little island in the middle of nowhere. Crap, he had no weapons on him. Or any form of defense other than his hand-to-hand combat! Which, admittedly, was not exactly his strong suit. He supposed he had his stun watch, but half the time the stupid thing malfunctioned! One thing he could say in his father's favor, Jack Hench's inventions never backfired like GJ's. He regretted, now, not accepting the stun watch his dad had wanted to gift him a while back. Instead, he'd told the man off saying he wanted nothing to do with him or his presents, then stormed out. He winced a bit at that memory but then willed away any feelings of guilt. It was for the best, he told himself! Everything would be fine. He could figure this out once he landed. He hoped...
Elsewhere
Jack, Gemini, and Dr. Director sat silently in the WEE jet Gemini was piloting. Jack and Betty were on opposite sides of the aircraft, each looking out their respective windows, and Gemini was feeling more and more awkward by the second. "I tried to mend the rift between you two. I didn't mean for it to end like it did when I invited you for dinner that night," Dr. Director finally said.
Jack tensed up a bit, then closed his eyes tightly. "I don't blame you for what happened. I should have known better than to be optimistic," he said. Gemini perked up a bit at this, curious.
"He does love you, Jack," Betty quietly said.
"I'd appreciate it if you told him that," Jack dryly replied.
"What happened?" Gemini asked, rolling his eyes hopelessly.
"About two months ago I invited Jack for dinner. I wanted to try and get him and Will to talk things out. Jack wasn't sure it was a good idea. I told him it would be alright. That I'd talk Will into it. Prepare him for the visit. I thought that maybe things might go smoothly if I did, and he agreed to behave, it's just..." Dr. Director said before trailing off.
"It slipped your mind that as much as he's his mother's son, he's his father's as well?" Gemini sarcastically finished. "Dare I ask?"
Betty was quiet. "Everything seemed to be going fine. Will wasn't acting out, but he wasn't talking or even looking at Jack either. Jack tried to mend the rift and told him he'd brought something for him. A gift. A new stun watch. Far better quality than GJ's, much sleeker, more functionality, and less likely to malfunction. It... didn't go over too well. Will lost it."
"In so many words he told me he wanted nothing to do with me or my presents, informed me he hated me, then stormed out in a tiff," Jack somewhat bitterly said.
"It... wasn't pretty," Dr. Director said, wincing a bit.
Gemini was quiet. "If he's alone and afraid, he might be calling for you as we speak," he lamely offered.
"If he's calling for anyone, it's his mother. He's probably hoping and praying I'm dead, but thanks for trying," Jack wryly replied, smirking bitterly.
Gemini sighed then winced a bit and groaned, holding his arm. Dr. Director straightened up a little, looking worried. "Gemini?" she asked.
"I'm fine. I just... I need to rest for a bit," Gemini said.
Dr. Director shifted uncomfortably. "I don't think you should," she quietly replied. "If you let yourself fall asleep..." She trailed off.
"I might not wake up as me?" Gemini asked wryly, smiling a little. She was quiet. He sighed, put the jet on autopilot, then stood up and walked back to where they were. Gently he placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. She stared up at him quietly and swallowed over a tightening in her throat. "Do what you must, should I wake up something else," he said.
"Don't go to sleep," she pled softly.
He smirked and shook his head. "I have to," he said. "But believe me, I don't want to."
Dr. Director felt tears stinging her eyes and swallowed over another lump in her throat, bowing her head. Rising, she crossed over to Jack's side of the plane and sat next to him. Gemini pulled out the seat and folded it into a bed, then lay down. Pepe whimpered and hopped up next to him. In not long, Gemini was fast asleep...
KP
Dr. Director and Jack Hench lay quietly next to one another on their now-folded-down seat. His arm was beneath her, and she was curled up at his side, head resting on his chest and fingers to her mouth in worry. She listened in silence to his steadily beating heart, soothing in its rhythm. The sound comforted her in ways she hadn't felt comforted for a long time... "I've missed this," she murmured softly to him, removing her fingers from in front of her mouth.
His grip around her tightened almost longingly. "So have I," he replied.
For a moment, there was silence. "I never meant to hurt you, Jack," she said.
"Thinking of that time again, hon? Trip down memory lane in the face of almost certain death? We moved passed that long ago," he said. "However badly you hurt me back then, it's nothing compared to how badly our son hurts me now."
"Maybe that was my fault too," she quietly said, draping her arm over his body and curling closer.
"No. One way or another it would have come to this I think," he replied. Silence. "I'm still trying to figure out what went wrong," he confessed softly, voice suddenly much quieter. "One day he was daddy's little boy and the next... I don't know."
"I'm sorry, Jack," she softly said.
He shook his head. "It's not you who needs to be," he replied. "Not so sure it's Will either. When all was said and done, maybe I was the problem..." She was quiet. She hated that he blamed himself for it... "I can still remember so clearly the last day I had with him. The last time things were right between us."
"What happened that day?" she asked. Jack was quiet, thinking back.
Six Years Ago
The twelve-year-old Will turned to his father beaming, excitement in his eyes. "Papa, you didn't!" he exclaimed.
Jack grinned down at his son and ruffled his hair. "You bet I did, Kiddo," he said.
"I've always wanted to come here!" Will exclaimed.
"Well, now you have free range, kiddo. All expenses paid," Jack said.
"Really?" Will excitedly asked.
"Really," Jack replied, smiling. The boy laughed excitedly and threw himself into his father's arms, hugging him tightly. Jack grinned and held him gently back. "Hey, go enjoy yourself Sport. Have a good time," he said.
"You're coming, aren't you?" Will asked, frowning up at him curiously and still holding him. This weekend was supposed to be just for him and his dad. Obviously he wanted to spend it with, well, his dad.
"Didn't think you'd want the old man following you around, but I'm free to come along if you really want me to," Jack replied, smiling and brushing his fingers through his son's hair.
"Well it's not like I couldn't go by myself. I'm old enough," Will stated with a frown, eyes daring his father to challenge that claim.
Jack smirked. "Yes or no, Will?" he asked.
Will blinked then blushed. "Yes," he muttered, looking down.
"Well all right then. Let's go," Jack replied. Will grinned up at him, let him go, and hurried down the hill. Jack smiled softly, but the smile soon fell and he looked around warily.
"Daddy!" Will called, racing back up to him and grabbing his hand insistently. "Come on." Jack turned his attention back to his child and smiled, allowing the boy to pull him down the hill. There was nothing to worry about, he told himself. Today belonged to Will, no one else.
KP
By the time evening fell, the little boy had gone on every single ride he possibly could. Jack had hardly been able to keep up. Halfway through he was exhausted, and his son was only just beginning. "Look papa, look!" Will exclaimed, tugging his father's hand and pointing at the haunted house. Jack frowned a little. "Let's go in!" Will insisted.
"I'm not so sure, kiddo. It might be a little too scary for a boy your age," Jack replied. This wasn't one of those sissy kiddie haunted houses, after all. It was a little more mature.
"I can take it!" Will insisted.
"Will…" Jack began uncertainly.
"Please, please, pleeeeease. I'm twelve, see?!" Will begged, pointing at the age limit.
Jack grimaced, then sighed. "Fine, fine, but don't say I didn't warn you," he replied. He took his son's hand firmly in his. He didn't trust dark places where you could barely see. Who knew what kind of creeps lingered around this park just waiting for some kid to come by, blissfully unaware? Okay, so he knew, but that was exactly why he intended to keep a tight hold of his son's hand. He'd heard things you couldn't dream up in your worst nightmares. Listened to real pieces of work boast about snatching children right out from under their parents' noses in dark places where there was no light. That wasn't going to happen to Will. Not on his life.
The deeper they went into the house, the more fearful Will became. He held his father's hand in a vicelike grip, increasingly uneasy. He was starting to regret that he hadn't listened to papa's warning. "Dad?" he whimpered, sensing something about to pounce. Mommy had trained him to always trust his senses. He drew closer to the man. Jack smiled softly and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer. Will gasped as suddenly maniacal laughter rang out through the house. He buried his face in his father's side, shivering. Something suddenly pounced, making Jack jump and causing Will to scream.
"Easy Sport. We're almost out," Jack promised. Will whimpered, refusing to move a step further, and Jack sighed. "Up you go," he said, picking his son up. "You're almost a teenager now, kiddo," he teased.
"It's terrifying!" Will defended.
Jack smirked, rolling his eyes, and carried his son the rest of the way out. As soon as they exited, he put the boy down. "Wow. You're getting so big now, Will. Soon I won't be able to carry you anymore," Jack said, stretching out. "Your dad's getting too old for this."
"Too old?" Will asked curiously. He hadn't really paid much attention to his father's age before.
Jack smirked at him and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry about it, son. Hey, let's finish up the rest of these rides then grab something to eat," he suggested. Will beamed and nodded eagerly.
KP
It was eleven at night by the time they left the park. They sat on the grassy hill overlooking it to eat the ice cream they'd gotten. Amongst other goodies. Betty only wanted such things to be given to Will on special occasions with very few exceptions. Jack figured what was life without some spontaneity? Fireworks lit up the sky. Will finished his ice cream off, then yawned. Jack smiled down at him and finished his own ice cream a few seconds after. Will was rubbing his eyes. "Pooped out?" Jack asked tenderly.
Will sleepily nodded, smiling up at the man. Huh, he'd never noticed the grey that was starting to tinge his father's hair before. It made him a little nervous. He knew life wasn't permanent, he'd been taught that a long time ago, but still. He'd always thought his father could do anything. That he would never die or get old or get sick... He didn't like the thought that he would. Will shivered a bit in the night air. Jack grinned softly and removed his jacket, wrapping it around his child. Will snuggled up close to him, on the verge of falling asleep. He didn't have to be scared to sleep here, because daddy would protect him and make sure he was safe and that he didn't get too cold. "I love you da," he murmured quietly.
Jack chuckled softly and bent, kissing his child's head tenderly. "I love you too, Will," he replied. Soon enough the boy was asleep. Jack turned his attention back to the fireworks.
KP
Will didn't know what woke him up, but he knew that something was wrong. He frowned a little. He didn't feel papa nearby. Softly gasping, his eyes opened and he looked up and around nervously. "Dad?" he asked fearfully.
"No. We're not doing this now," he heard his father's voice say from somewhere a little ways away but not far. He looked in that direction and spotted his father facing off with a man in a dark hat and striped suit. Four other men surrounded him on either side.
"I'm getting impatient, Jack," the man in the hat said in some sort of southern accent.
"You need to leave," Jack replied evenly. "Tomorrow we can talk. Not tonight."
"Who are you trying to protect?" the man asked.
"Go," Jack repeated, not answering.
The man suddenly seized Jack by his jacket, pulling him close. "I'm not going anywhere until you get me what's mine."
Jack glared at the stranger, then calmly plucked his hands off his person and smoothed out the wrinkled jacket. "Tomorrow," he repeated. "I told you days ago this weekend was out of the question."
"And I told you it was this weekend or never," the man replied, drawing a weapon and aiming it at Jack's head. Will gasped, sitting bolt upright with eyes wide. "Dad!" he screamed.
Jack stiffened and spun around quickly, skin blanching. Every man's eye turned in the direction of the boy. "Will," Jack breathed, eyes wide in alarm.
The man aiming the gun stared at the child a long moment before lowering the gun. Wordlessly he brushed passed Jack, making his way toward Will. "No!" Jack shouted, going at the stranger. He was immediately seized by the other four and wrestled down to his knees.
"Da!" Will cried, scrambling up and trying to run to the man. The one approaching him picked up the pace and caught him around the waist, scooping him up. Will squealed.
"Leave him alone!" Jack freaked, losing it and starting to thrash, trying to break free.
The man ignored Jack and placed Will down again, but kept a painful grasp on his arm. Will gazed up at the stranger in mortification. The man summed him up silently. "What's your name, little scamp?" he asked.
"M-mama says not to talk to strangers," Will replied, eyes darting fearfully to his father who was being held on the ground.
"Leave him alone!" Jack repeated furiously. Desperation was in his voice too, though, and that terrified Will because he'd never heard his father sound like that ever.
"I'm no stranger. I'm a friend of your daddy's, you see," the man said, kneeling down.
"Then why are you trying to hurt him?" Will fearfully asked, shrinking down with voice breaking.
The man tilted his head at the boy, considering the words. "You don't want your daddy hurt now, do you?" he said, sounding almost sympathetic. At the same time, though, it sounded fake, and Will didn't know what to make of it. Numbly he shook his head. "You wanna help daddy, don't you?" he asked. Will nervously nodded.
"Will, don't talk to him! Don't tell him anything! Will!" Jack ordered. Will looked fearfully back at the man.
"Will... That your name, son? Short for William I'd guess," the man said. The boy's mouth quivered, but he refused to give a response. "Humph... I see your father in you alright. Your mom too if she's who I suspect."
"You know us?" Will quietly asked.
"Hmm... How old are you, son?" the man asked. Will's eyes darted to a terrified-looking Jack, then turned back to the man. He shook his head vehemently, refusing to answer. "Twelve I'd guess if he knocked up your mama the year he met her."
"Please!" Jack blurted desperately. "Uncle, please. Please! Please!" Will caught his breath, eyes widening. Uncle?
"You ever see one of these before, kiddo?" the man asked, ignoring Jack and pulling out his large gun. Will hesitated, then carefully nodded. "This big?" the man asked. Will shook his head. "Is that so? You wanna see how it feels?" he asked. Will was quiet. "Go on. Take it," the man said, offering it to him. Will refused to do so, tucking his hands behind his back. "Hmm..." the man said. He raised his hand, snapped his fingers, and suddenly one of his men delivered a driving punch to Jack's stomach. Jack cried out in pain, doubling over!
"Daddy!" Will screamed, trying to break free of the man. The man held him fast, though, and put the gun in front of his face.
"Take it," the stranger ordered again.
"Let my dad go!" Will insisted.
"Take. The gun," the man said. "Take the gun, and maybe I let your daddy go. Maybe."
Will looked quickly back at him, eyes wide. "Stop it. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you!" Jack insisted, coughing in pain.
"I want what's mine, nephew," the man darkly said.
"I'll give it to you!" Jack insisted frantically.
"Suddenly I'm much more interested in something else," the Uncle replied. "Take the gun, William."
Will's eyes darted nervously to his father. "No," Jack breathed, shaking his head.
The Uncle raised a hand again and a man went to punch Jack once more. Will's eyes widened and quickly he snatched the gun from the man offering it. The Uncle lowered his hand. "You ever fire one of these before, kiddo?" he asked. Will's mouth quivered and he shook his head frantically. "It's real easy. You hold it like this," he forced Will's hands into position and the boy whimpered. "And you aim it like this," the man said, forcing the boy to aim at his father. Will cried out in dismay, tears burning his eyes. Jack could only gape in horror. "You know how to fire?" the man asked.
"No, no, no!" Will screamed, thrashing and trying to get away.
"Uncle!" Jack cried desperately.
"Stand still!" the Uncle ordered, shaking Will harshly. Will gasped in fear and pain. "You pull back the safety like this!" the man snapped, forcing Will to do so.
"No!" Will shrieked before breaking down into tears.
"Will! Will, sweetie, it's okay. It's okay honey. You're okay. It'll be okay," Jack said, shifting focus immediately from his Uncle to his son. Will was shaking like a leaf now, tears streaming from his eyes.
"You love your daddy so much, doncha?" the Uncle asked. Will didn't answer, just kept sobbing.
"Will, it'll be okay! Please. Please, sweetheart, it'll be okay," Jack said. "It's okay. He's just playing a game, that's all. A mean, mean game. It's just a game. It's just a game."
Will couldn't stop sobbing. "As pathetic as his father was," the man said.
"Damn you!" Jack freaked surging against the men holding him and very nearly breaking free. "Damn you," he hissed again.
"Humph," the Uncle said, watching the quivering little boy closely. After too long, he finally ruffled the child's hair and took the gun back. "S'okay, Sport. It's just a game. Harmless fun. Daddy's okay." As if on cue, the men holding his father let Jack go and immediately he scrambled towards his son. The Uncle let Will go and instantly the boy darted off like a shot and threw himself into his father's arms crying. Jack wrapped him in a tight embrace, practically engulfing him. Gently he swayed the boy, cooing softly to him and shushing him as he ran his fingers through the little one's hair. "Tomorrow, nephew. Tomorrow," the Uncle said. Jack's embrace tightened even more and he let out a shaking breath.
"Daddy," Will whimpered.
"Shh, shh. It's okay. It's okay," Jack whispered. Jack felt the barrel of the gun pressed against the back of his head quietly and clenched his teeth, squeezing his eyes tightly shut and ensuring the boy didn't see.
"Tomorrow," the Uncle repeated. Jack nodded frantically. He heard the gun cock and Will let out a little squeal, trying to push away from him to see. He held the boy tighter so he couldn't, pressing the little head against his chest.
"Daddy!" Will cried.
"It's just a game, honey. A cruel, cruel game," Jack promised. Will trembled in his arms. The gun came away from the back of his head. He didn't move until he heard the footsteps of his Uncle and the man's goons fade away. The moment they did, he picked his son up and carried him back to the top of the hill. He bent to retrieve his coat and draped it over the child's shoulders. They needed to go home. Wordlessly he carried his boy back to the car dreading how the night would play out from here on.
KP
Will lay sleeping in his little bed at his father's house, but a horrible dream was creeping up on him. In it he was playing with his father on the hill and they were having so much fun, but soon papa had to stop. He said he was just tired. He told him to go play and that he would watch over him. He said he would still be there when he came back, he just needed a rest. Will obeyed because daddy would always be there. He always was. He went off to play, but when he came back, papa wasn't there... He called for him, but there was no answer. He began searching, demandingly calling for his father.
Then he looked down the hill and he saw his father there with the four men and the Uncle...
His eyes didn't even have time to widen before suddenly the Uncle pulled the large gun, aimed it at papa's head, and fired. Will screamed in horror and fear and grief.
Suddenly he was at a graveyard. He didn't know how he got here or why he was here. Why was he dressed in black? Why was mommy standing in front of a grave crying? "Mom?" he called, nervously approaching. Mama didn't turn though. "Mama!" he called a little more insistently, but it was like she couldn't even hear him. Her sobbing sounded so distant and ghostly... Suddenly the wind picked up, blowing leaves around her. Will's eyes widened and he ran towards her. "Mom!" he cried. When the wind stopped and the leaves dropped, though, she was no longer there, and terror gripped his heart. "Mom? Mama! Mommy!" he screamed, racing to where she'd been and desperately searching for her. Terror seized his heart and he looked down at the grave with a gasp. He paled and screamed. It was his father's grave! Papa was dead, he was dead! "Dad! Daddy!" Will desperately shrieked, falling next to it and bursting into helpless tears. Where was mama? Why wasn't she comforting him?! "Mama, papa, mama, papa!" he screamed over and over to nothing.
"He took her with him," the Uncle's voice said from behind. Will gasped, turning quickly around with eyes wide in fear. "Daddy took mommy away with him, kid. You're all alone now."
"Why? Why did dad take mom?!" Will demanded.
"Because he missed her and she missed him," the Uncle answered.
"She wouldn't leave me, she wouldn't!" Will argued.
"Daddy is dead, boy. Now so is mommy," the man replied.
"No! Liar! Liar!" Will screamed, weeping helplessly now.
"Will, Will, Will," he heard his father's voice whisper in his mind.
"Dad! Dad!" Will screamed.
"Will, wake up! Will!" his father's voice was shouting, sounding closer and clearer now. The world began to shake. No wait. It was him that was shaking! The Uncle!
KP
With a terrified scream, the boy jolted awake and sat bolt upright, sobbing. "Will!" he heard his father say in alarm, trying to hold him.
"Get away!" Will screamed, shoving him away roughly.
"Will!" Jack insisted, trying again.
"No!" Will screamed, trying to attack him and drive him back. Jack seized his wrists firmly though, holding them still.
"Will, what's wrong? What's happening?" Jack demanded.
"You took mama!" Will screamed. "And-and you left me all alone because you died and mama wanted to be with you and you took her away and you broke your promise! You broke it! You said you'd always be there, you lied! You weren't there! He killed you! He killed... He killed..."
"Will, stop it!" Jack sharply ordered. "It was only a nightmare, baby. it was only a nightmare. I'm still here. Daddy's still here and so is mommy, okay? We're both here. We're both alright." He damned his Uncle a thousand times. Will burst into tears, giving up trying to fight his father, and collapsed into his arms instead. "Shh, shh, I'm still here. Daddy has you, daddy has you," Jack desperately soothed, rocking the little one gently. "I'm right here. I'm right here..."
Present
Jack closed his eyes tightly, swallowing over a lump in his throat. "You never told me this," Betty quietly said.
"I thought he let it go! He never talked about it again, he never told you... I thought he'd let go," Jack said.
"You're good at deception, Jack. So good you even deceive yourself," she murmured.
"I never expected it to get as bad as it did! I understood his keeping me at arm's length. I understood why he wouldn't meet my eyes, why he stopped listening to me, why he started telling me to leave him alone. I'd been in that place too! I just... I never thought it would get like this."
"Didn't you?" she solemnly asked. "Because more than one trauma caused this rift between you two." He was quiet, staring up at the roof of the jet. "First time in his recent memory he'd ever witnessed you engage in questionable business," she pressed.
"You never should have come back... You never should have told me he existed," he said, voice breaking. He closed his eyes and sniffed, rubbing the inner corners of his eyes. "Nothing hurt me more than your treachery, Betty. Until our son denounced me as his father and gave up my name to take another." She swallowed over a lump in her throat. "I tried to take my life that night," he hollowly said. She closed her eyes, arm tightening around him as she pulled herself closer to him. "In that moment, nothing mattered anymore. I'd lost everything. The company didn't matter, money didn't matter. I'd already lost you and then I lost our son... I lost my only child! Can you even begin to imagine what that was like?" She pursed her lips tightly and sniffed. No... she couldn't. "If not for your meddling brother coming in just in time to call the paramedics, that would have been it," he said.
"Jack," she said, voice breaking. "Please."
"It was two years ago. There hasn't been an attempt since. Promise. Don't worry about me," he reassured.
"Were there thoughts?" she asked, voice strained.
He was quiet. "Yes," he replied.
"Were there thoughts after... after the dinner two months back?" she asked.
He gently stroked her shoulder with a finger. "Yes," he confessed. "But thoughts aren't always linked to action."
"You will never lose me," she vowed. "I've always been here, Jack. Always."
He moved into a position where he could look into her eyes. Gently he cupped her cheek. "Have you ever wondered why we couldn't work things out? Why we couldn't take each other back?"
She leaned into his touch, covering his hand with her own. "Fear and shame…" she whispered.
"Stubbornness and pride," he murmured softly.
"We did it to protect our son," she said.
"Some protectors," Jack bitterly replied. "Sometimes I wonder if it was really him we were thinking about or just ourselves."
"Our worlds were too different and too dangerous. It's why I never took your last name. It's why we chose to live separately," she said.
"Or was that just the excuse we told ourselves?" he asked.
"Guilt has torn me to pieces every waking moment since that night," she whispered.
"And anger coupled with mistrust has prevented me from even trying to cross the bridge between us," he stated.
She pressed her lips against his own, unapologetic. "I still love you," she murmured as she withdrew.
"I love you too," he replied. He kissed her once more and the two settled again, letting themselves fall into a fitful sleep with hands entwined...