A/N: Thanks for those reviews, folks. Wow, this fic is really stirring up some emotions, huh? Good thing I had the 'I forgive you' part at the end of the previous chapter - I almost left it all cliffhangery, but in the end, I just couldn't be that mean ;)

(for disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 10

This was the end. Well, maybe not quite, but it was damn close. As the guys all sat around the counter while Chris ran the numbers one more time, on the off-chance the first three calculations were wrong, they all knew what was coming. Jess was well aware that, despite their very best efforts, Truncheon was going under. They had failed to save it and there was nothing more they could do.

Waiting on the final tally for the week, he let his eyes wander around the bookshelves, the displays on the tables, the posters on the walls. It wasn't much, but it was home, the first real home he ever really had. It had been a while since he and the guys had actually lived in the draughty upstairs of the place, managing to make enough for Matthew and Chris to get a shoebox of their own to share, and Jess to at least feel like he was contributing a meagre amount to Francie's rent, but Truncheon was the place Jess had been happiest.

The sound of Chris exhaling loudly let him know the happy was about to go right out of the window.

"I'm sorry, guys," his friend said sadly. "We're done."

Matthew muttered curses under his breath and Jess was sure he would have done the same if he could form words at all, but he couldn't. To think that it could just fall apart like this, it seemed so stupid. They had weathered storms enough before, barely scraping by on borrowed cash, and even the last few nickels from enthusiastic sofa diving. Nothing like that would save them now. It was all too late.

"We're done," he eventually echoed Chris' words, hopping down from his stool and walking further into the store, his hands in his pockets.

"You okay, man?" asked Matthew, presumably braced for some kind of explosion.

It wouldn't be the first time. Jess knew he had a little bit of a reputation for being a hothead at times, or he had, when he first showed up at Truncheon's door. He would like to say he had grown and matured in the past few years. He supposed he must have done, or the shelves would be empty and the floor littered with the debris of fallen books by now. Adult Jess knew that was pointless, but somewhere deep inside him, teenage Jess encouraged him to go crazy, just once, because why the hell not? Thankfully, he was smart enough to push the urge back down deep where it belonged.

"Jess?"

"I'm good," he told Matthew, forcing a smile as he turned to look. "Well, good is an over-statement, but this stuff happens. C'mon, we all knew it was coming. We fought, we tried, at least we can say that, but in the end..."

"We knew it was coming." Chris nodded. "Still sucks."

"Really does," Jess agreed without pause. "You got something else lined up?"

"Maybe," his friend said, looking almost guilty about it. "A friend of mine runs a small press out of Philly. He said if I was ever interested to give him a call."

Philadelphia. That meant Chris was moving out of New York. Jess didn't want to be pathetic about a friend moving a few miles west, but it hurt, maybe even more than losing Truncheon. The guys were a big part of what he loved about the place. They had become his brothers, in the weirdest way, not that they ever said anything about stuff like that.

"I, uh... I kind of had an offer myself," said Matthew, squirming like a worm on a hook.

Jess was about to ask what his problem was, when suddenly a light dawned in his mind.

"Uh-huh," he said, shaking his head. "They offered you a job at Huntzbergers."

It wasn't a question, it didn't need to be.

"Like you said, Jess, we all knew this was coming." Matthew sighed. "I know it's awful, I'll feel awful working there, but New York's not cheap and I have rent and-"

"Hey, you don't have to make excuses to me." Jess shook his head head once more. "I get it. You gotta have a job."

"What about you, man?" Chris asked then. "You have plans?"

There was more than one way for Jess to answer that question, though a lot of his plans had nothing to do with what his friend was asking him. Chris meant job prospects, and in that particular area, Jess was drawing a blank. He really could not bring himself to follow Matthew to Huntzberger Books and he doubted there were too many other similar opportunities in the area. The whole point was that the big stores always crushed the competition, leaving nothing behind but dust. Not that Jess wasn't capable of other work, as he quickly assured his friends, letting them know he had never starved before and didn't intend to start now.

"I guess it doesn't hurt that you live almost rent free." Matthew smirked a little.

Jess opened his mouth to say something, but just as quickly changed his mind. He could explain the plans he actually did have, the ones that involved his living arrangements and his so-called girlfriend, but honestly, he didn't have the strength, not today.

When they finally parted ways for the night, deciding that they would keep the store open to the end of the month, or at least as long as it took to sell of the stock and entire contents, Jess took the longest possible route home. He was in no hurry. It was unlikely that Francie would be there waiting on him - she really wasn't the Donna Reed type. Not that he wanted her to be. The truth was, Jess wasn't sure what he wanted anymore, or maybe he did know and just understood how impossible it would be to get there.

He was pretty clear now on what he didn't want. The closing of Truncheon was not his idea, but he was going to have to live with it. Work-wise he had big decisions to make still, but where his romantic life was concerned, there he could take some control and he was absolutely going to.

Getting off the subway, Jess was kicking stones along the pavement, watching the lights go out in stores that kept regular hours and the neons go on in the bars and clubs just then opening up. He thought about getting a drink somewhere, but soon changed his mind. Probably best he saved as much money as he could, because he was going to need it. He hadn't done bad when it came to his savings account, so he could manage okay for a little while, so long as he had some kind of job before too long. It didn't have to be anything fancy, Jess wasn't proud. He could tend bar, do the messenger thing, whatever he needed just to keep things ticking over, until he found something that suited for him, whatever the hell that was going to be.

Finally reaching the apartment building, he got on the elevator and went right up to the fifth floor. He figured he may as well enjoy the ride. Before too long, he was going to be a stairs guy again, he supposed. Letting himself into the place he had called home for too long, it was no surprise to realise it was exactly as he left it. Francie said she would be back today or tomorrow, depending how her meetings went. At least, he thought that was what she said. Honestly, he didn't always listen.

Sitting down on the couch, he immediately pulled out his laptop and called up his email. No matter how good or bad his days were, the highlight tended to be hearing from CoffeeGirl84. Sure, he had been mad at her for a while after she stood him up on what should have been their first meeting, but in the end he had to forgive her. What alternative did he have? Losing her from his life altogether? That would be so much worse.

A smile came automatically to his lips as he opened up her latest email.

How are things going with your business? You haven't mentioned it in a while and I sat in my office today just wondering if you were sitting in yours and what you might be doing. It's strange because I realise now that maybe you don't even have an office, but I guess that's my default when I think about work because it's how it is for me.

Anyway, whatever your business is, I hope it's doing okay, that you managed to fight the man or whatever it was you needed to do. I only ever wish good things for you. I hope you know that.

Sorry, that got super sappy. I don't know what's wrong with me lately! Let's change the subject already. Did you read the latest Dan Brown yet? I know you said you were hoping to get to it, but I have to say, I don't think you're missing much if you didn't make it yet. I was bored halfway through and even though I made myself finish (I hate to leave books half-read, even if they're not the best, it just seems wrong!) I'm not sure I could bear to get into another one if he writes more. Of course, I don't...

Jess slammed the lid of the computer shut the moment he heard a key in the front door. It was stupid, how guilty he felt for having an online friend, when he knew damn well his so-called girlfriend wasn't entirely faithful to him anyway. They weren't a couple. They kind of were, once upon a time, but not for a long while now. It was what he intended to say to her, as soon as he got the chance.

"Now," he muttered to himself. "Just have a spine already and get it over with."

"Hey." Francie smiled as she walked in, dumping her bag on the carpet with a thud. "Ugh, I had the worst flight back. Seriously, wait until I tell you-"

"Actually, I need to talk to you," he cut in fast before she hit full-flow, watching her pause halfway to taking off her jacket and stare at him in that way that made him feel he should have two smoking holes in his chest. "We need to talk," he said purposefully, putting down the laptop and moving over on the couch to make room for her.

"Oh, we need to talk," she echoed, nodding knowingly as she finished taking off her jacket, flung it on top of her bag and joined him on the couch. "So..."

"So... I'm leaving. I know that probably seems really blunt or whatever, but I just think it's time, you know? I know we've been together a while, but it's not... I mean, you don't love me or anything, right?"

Francie looked momentarily awkward and then she sighed. "No, I don't," she admitted. "Sorry."

"Seriously, don't be," Jess told her, unable to keep from smiling somehow. "No offence, but it cuts both ways. You're great, you are, and we had some fun, but..."

"But you don't love me either and it's kind of run its course." Francie nodded. "Don't worry, Mariano, I'm not going to cry or take the scissors to your clothes or anything," she said, smiling as much as he was by then. "Like you said, it was fun, but now it's not. You want to move on and I... I have to admit, I've kind of moved on myself. You're smart, you probably knew that already."

"I had a pretty good idea," he assured her, nodding once more. "Honestly, I'm moving on too, I just didn't... I'm not good at this," he tried to explain, waving his hand around in some random gesture between them. "The breaking up, tearful goodbye stuff, it's not me. I usually just split and that'd be the end, but you and me... Like I said, it's been a while, and I was pretty sure you'd take it okay."

"You know me well." Francie smirked. "That's one thing I'll miss. Also, you're no slouch in the sack."

That actually made Jess laugh, mostly so he didn't blush. He usually wasn't the type, but he had his moments, and was suddenly reminded that Francie had hers too.

"Yeah, I have no complaints there either," he told her easily, "but I'm not sure that's enough anymore."

"I guess not." Francie sighed. "Full disclosure, I almost ended it a while back but... well, then Truncheon got into trouble. I guess I was just worried that if I kicked you out of here, would you even have any place to go?"

"I'll be fine," he promised her, his hand covering hers on her knee, because he knew her concern was genuine.

She may be a ball-breaker when it came to business, but there was a heart under all that attitude. He knew, he'd seen it. It just didn't belong to him, that was all, and he didn't want it to either.

They parted on reasonable terms, her offering him a hug, him accepting without pause. She wished him all the luck in the world for whatever came next and he told her 'likewise.' Then he packed up his stuff, which didn't really amount to much, and he left.

Though the New York streets were cold and his relationship was dead and gone, Jess felt lighter as he travelled back the way he had come. He stopped off on the way to grab a pizza, then continued on, right back to Truncheon. Until the end of the month, the building was his, at least as much as it belonged to Matthew and Chris. They used to live in it and it was where he intended to stay for the next couple of weeks. He would worry about where to go next later. For now, at least he had a place.

Letting himself in through the back, he securely bolted the door behind him, then climbed the stairs up to the rooms over the store. There were only two, and one of those was reserved for the publishing side of the business. The other, which had once served as a cramped bedroom for all three of them, was now half-filled with boxes of less popular books, reams of paper, broken shelving, and assorted other crap. It was freezing cold, mostly dark, and Jess didn't entirely relish the idea of sleeping there, but he would make it work. Much as he preferred not to remember, he had suffered through worse in his younger days.

At least his laptop was fully charged and he could access the internet. If nothing else, he had CoffeeGirl84's latest email for company and to keep him warm. That wasn't nothing. In fact, in that moment, for Jess, it felt like everything.

To Be Continued...