1

Jack stood in the courtroom staring down the woman who had ruined his life, his reputation and marriage. But he felt… strangely calm.

Behind him stood the reason he was so calm, the hand on the small of his back was like a battery charging him up and replenishing him even as she tried to drain his very soul with her glare from the witness stand.

Jack took a deep breath and raised his head, remembering what he had been told by his personal comforter. Chin up. Do not look defeated or ashamed. Look angry. Look shocked and above all… look like yourself. Handsome.

Jack felt the itch of the new shirt, the collar so stiff with the tie he had not been able to tie himself, his hands shaking too much. Again, those soft touches of encouragement, the comfort in knowing someone had his back… literally… spurred him on. Jack squared his shoulders and felt the hand press softly, the voice from the witness box washing over him like a bad reception on the radio.

He was going to be OK.

That soft pressure on his lower back told him so.

.

.

Gwen was in his office again, sniffling as she told him that her husband was angry with her and she was scared to go home. Rhys had discovered some texts on her phone and she seemed angrier about the fact he had snooped than the fact he had snooped and found some 'sexting' with someone else. God, Jack wondered how many times the poor man would forgive her before calling it quits. Usually he would calm down, they would do couples counseling and he would forgive her. This time though… Jack had a feeling she had gone too far.

Rhys was openly accusing her of an affair.

God, Gwen can really stuff up when she puts her mind to it. Or rather… does not use her brain at all.

"Well, you can't stay here, you know the Boss found out last time you slept on the sofa in the staff lounge. He was pissed. You need to sort things out" Jack sighed, his old friend was always in a crisis. Ever since uni actually, Gwen has moved in and out of his life, always in a crisis. How he met Owen, a Londoner who seemed to move in the small pocket of UK people at the university. He and his now Wife Toshiko good friends to Gwen, who was Welsh. Most of the students had been imports, only a few 'natives' so Jack had found himself in their pocket many times. Jack himself was American, as were many others. Lucia changed that. After her, they seemed to drift apart, but now thanks to Owen, they all worked at this company that sold Helicopters and other forms of air transport.

"Just for a little while" she sighed, her eye large, "Come on Jack… you can sort something right?"

Jack knew he would regret it, that voice in the back of his head telling him not to get involved but he knew Gwen and Rhys needed a moment or two to calm the fuck down. Finally he relented, "Come on. We can book you into a hotel room for the night?"

Her face lit up and soon Jack found himself handing over his credit card to pay for the room. God. He was so over this and the messages on his phone from Lucia demanding to know why he was not home said she was pissed off with this too.

.

.

"She is a grown arsed woman Jack!" Lucia snarled, the little one on her shoulder blowing a bubble as she seemed to agree with her mother, Melissa's little eyes wide from the anger radiating from Lucia.

"I can't just let her twist in the wind love, you know I can't help but want to help" Jack groaned, the dried mess that was once his tea before the hours in the oven destroyed it had been slammed down in front of him.

"You know Jack, one of these days that Hero Complex of yours will get you into trouble you can't just grin your way out of!" she said angrily as she left the room to put the baby to bed and Jack was left in the kitchen with that feeling he had a lot lately.

Alone.

.

.

"You know she is not going to change as long as you enable her" Owen warned as he watched his friend slam files about in the office "Toshiko tells me she is in the motel room still. What's that? Three nights?"

Jack grimaced, "On my card. I know. God."

"And Luce?"

"Murderous."

"Still closed for repairs?"

Jack snorted, the comment a reference to the fact any closeness between Jack and Lucia ended when she discovered she was pregnant, over a year ago now. Also eighteen months actually. Jack is still amazed they managed to get pregnant with sex being only once every month or so before that. In the five years of marriage, their flame seemed to have burned out quicker that both of them wanted and he had no idea how to rekindle it. If not for Melissa… there would be nothing to stay for.

"Jack, I am worried that this is not going to end well. You know Gwen is in the dog house because of her personal trainer and Rhys is on the edge of divorcing her." Owen scolded. "The whole office knows."

"I know but… like Luce said. My Hero Complex overrules common sense sometimes" Jack shrugged.

"I am just saying" Owen concluded the nag "This will not end well."

Oh... and how right he was.