That Last Little Spark

**Bam**

"How the fuck did he get out of jail?" I pounded my fists against the steering wheel when we stopped at a red light.

"You heard Jess. He got out early for good behavior." Dunn said, hissing out the words 'good behavior'. I was ready to hit something. The thing that scared me the most was looking in Jess' eyes and being taken back to when we were teenagers. She looked so small and scared. I hadn't seen her like that in years, and I hated it.

**Jess**

"I don't know what to do, April." I whispered, looking out the passenger side window. The hat was sitting in my lap, and it took all of my self control not to wring it nervously.

"It's up to you, honey. I don't think anyone would blame you if you left." she tried to console me.

"But what kind of person would I be if I ran away?" I asked.

"A smart one. You know that no matter how much he says he's changed, you can't trust him. And it's not running away. It's being safe. You didn't tell him where you lived, did you?" she asked.

"No, I told him I lived on the American side of Niagara Falls." I sighed.

"Well at least you know he can't find you there." she tried to reason. I was quiet for a few minutes before realizing something.

"I gotta tell aunt Kelly! She has to know!" I burst out, scaring April into nearly slamming on the brakes. I heard the squeal of brakes from the Hummer behind us as they tried to stop when she slowed down.

"Calm down, sweetheart! We'll drop our stuff off at the house and then drive over and see your aunt." she continued driving at a normal speed, but she had to take a deep breath. I could only imagine how hard this was on her. I was nearly hysterical one moment and then calm and eerily quiet the next. Not to mention the fact that I think Bam was ready to turn the car around and run over Chase at the street fair.

-Kelly's-

I didn't even bother to change my clothes when we got back from the street fair. I didn't even wait for April to get back from putting away the food we'd bought at the farmer's market. I dug my keys out of my bag and hopped into my car, gunning it and whipping down the driveway. Part of me knew it was because this driveway was epic and needed to be driven down this fast, and the other part of me knew that I had to get to Aunt Kelly's fast. I drove like a normal person to her house, but I had to take a few deep breaths before I could get out of the car.

"Jess!" she squealed happily, pulling me into the house. She sat me down at the table, asking if I wanted something to drink or anything to eat, talking about what had happened since I left and who was still in the neighborhood, asking about Kelsey and New York City. I tried to listen patiently, I really did.

"Aunt Kelly! Chase Andrews is out of jail!" I finally interrupted her, watching as she went deathly pale.

"How." her voice lacked the emotion it'd had only a few seconds earlier.

"He paroled out early. I ran into him at the street fair and he started apologizing and telling me he was sorry and that if he could take it all back, he could and he was asking about where I was living and what I was doing back in town and-" I said in a rush until she shook my shoulders.

"Calm down! One thing at a time, Jess! You're going to hypervenilate if you talk like that. Breathe." she commanded, setting a glass of water in front of me. I explained everything again, trying to be calm and keep my cool.

"Paroled out early, my ass. I'll bet someone bailed him out." she hissed when I was done explaining.

"So should I leave and go back to the city or stay here?" I asked.

"It's up to you, honey." she said.

"Why is everyone telling me that? Everyone keeps saying it's up to me! Can't anyone give me a hint as to what I should do?" I groaned.

"It's your decision, Jess. Neither April nor I can make it for you. You're a grown woman. If you think you can stay here, and you believe that he's changed, stay. If you need to leave, leave. He doesn't know where you're staying here, and he doesn't know where you live in New York." she tried to calm me down.

"But he knows where you live! What if he comes here looking for me?" I asked.

"I know how to use a gun, Jess." she was serious, like she always was when she talked about the pistol she kept hidden. She hated guns and violence, but living alone, sometimes an alarm system wasn't good enough. It was always in her nightstand drawer in a box, and there was a baseball bat under her bed in easy reach.

"And I'm not alone here." she continued. I looked at her strangely as she got up and disappeared into the hallway right off the dining room that led out to the enclosed porch off the back of the house. I heard the door being opened and the sound of claws hitting the floor.

"Just let them come to you." she called back as I heard the claws approaching rapidly. I saw a large white dog come trotting into the room, followed by a large black one. The white one looked like a German shepherd, without the black and tan, and the
black one looked like a husky.

"The white one is an American White Shepherd named Ash and the black one is an Alaskan Malamute, named Raven." she walked back into the room with a smile on her face.

"Oh you two are gorgeous." I cooed, the fear that was knotted in my stomach suddenly vanished as they approached me. Raven ran right up to me, but Ash hung back, watching me.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked as I ran my fingers through Raven's silky fur.

"Ash is the male of the house, the guard dog, I guess. He's always wary around people he hasn't met before. He's the one you let come to you. Raven has the same qualities, but she's always friendly to strangers. Plus I knew Ash needed a companion so I got them both. He's a wonderful protector, aren't you?" she added to him. He barked once and slowly walked over to me. I watched in amazement as Raven stepped aside to let Ash check me out.

"I never figured out why she does that. It's like she knows that he has the final say in if the person they're around is good or bad. It's astounding to see." she said, answering my unspoken question. Ash finally decided I was okay, because he nuzzled my hand with his nose and put his head in my lap.

"So you see, I'm never alone." she brought back the original subject of why I was even here.

"Maybe I should get a dog." I said mindlessly.

"I'm sure you could find a good apartment dog." she nodded.

With the help of Raven and Ash, my mind was soon taken off of Chase. We started talking about who was still living here and what the city was like. I had lost track of time when Bam called me.

"Where are you? Are you okay?" he asked frantically. I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 5.

"Oh shit, I didn't think I'd been here that long." I was surprised.

"Where are you?" he asked again.

"I'm at my aunt's. I'll be back soon, though." I promised.

"I should probably take these two on their walk. Don't worry about me, Jess. I'll be fine." she promised me when I stood and picked up my bag.

"If you're sure." I nodded and kissed her cheek while she kissed mine.

"Have fun while you're down here." she when I was sitting in my car and she had the dogs on their leashes.

"I'll try." I pulled out and honked the horn on my way up the street.