The Freedom of a Killer Is Gone

[[Twenty-Two Years Later]]

"Has your sister talked to you lately?" Rebecca asked her son.

"Yeah Mom, she called me the other day. We were talking about having dinner with you and Aunt Jen next week." Jack replied.

"Well I'm sure I can make it, but you know Jen. A lot of her patients have been acting up, you know, close to Halloween so kids go in to the asylum and mess around with them. So-"

"Ebby! I need to go to work real quick, I need you to feed Orange!" Jen screamed banging on Rebecca's door, telling her to feed her dog.

Sighing and covering up the phone. "I will! Just go help the crazy people!" She shouted back. "Well, that was her. I'll call you back later hun, after I feed Jen's damned dog."

Jack laughed from across the line. "Sure, just don't kill the dog Mom." He chuckled hanging up.

Rebecca placed the phone back in the cradle then stood up from one of the kitchen seats. Her once short red hair was now at least to her mid back, when she had it down. She looked very much the same as she did twenty-two years ago. There were the obvious changes in her but none of them too great.

Her children, Jack and Polly the twins, had grown up and both were off at college. Jack was majoring in Political Science while Polly was majoring in History. Both of them were extremely smart, just like their parents, or at least the one they knew.

For twenty-two years Rebecca raised her children with only the help of her friend. They had a massive expanse of money, courtesy of their past lives, but that didn't help everything.

Rebecca grabbed the spare keys to Jen's house and headed out. Jen's house was right next to Rebecca's, and thank God it was.

Unlocking the door, Rebecca cautiously stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Orange! Orange come here you big, slobbering oaf!" She called. The sound of paws on tile broke the silence as a large orange dog came bounding towards Rebecca. Orange jumped up on Rebecca smashing her into the wall. "Orange! Down! God damn it down!" After a small struggle Rebecca pushed the dog down then walked to the kitchen. She pulled out a bag of dog food and poured a good size portion into Orange's dog bowl.

As Orange gobbled up his food, Rebecca inconspicuously slipped out and went back to her own home. She dropped the keys on the kitchen table then went into her living room and plopped down on the couch, sighing. Her arms wrapped around her body and she curled into a ball. Rebecca closed her eyes and let out another deep sigh.

Some unfamiliar feeling started on her head, but Rebecca wiggled slightly. The feeling stopped but then picked up again. It happened several times and was beginning to get on Rebecca's nerves.

Jolting up, she waved her hands around wildly. "What the fu-"

Rebecca's mouth hung open as she stared into the dark brown eyes of a man. He was leaning down on the back of the couch, staring down at her. His wavy dark-blonde hair was tucked behind his ears. A wide grin on his scarred lips.

"Hi."

Smack

"Get. Out." Rebecca seethed jumping from the couch. "Get the hell out of my house."

Jack Napier held his cheek mouthing 'ow' several times. He stood up straight and walked around the couch to Rebecca. Looking around wildly, Rebecca walked backwards.

"I said get out! You've got no right to be here!" She hissed standing her ground.

Jack walked forwards, the smile gone.

Glancing to her left, Rebecca suddenly bolted away. Jack shot out and grabbed her arms, pulling her against himself. "Rebecca." He said calmly.

"Jack." She growled in return.

"Please, you've gotta understand." He pleaded.

"Understand what!?" She screeched. "You left me! While I was pregnant I might add! I gave birth to fucking twins while you were off God knows where! I spent twenty-two years telling people, including my children, that their father was not there! Do you even know their names!?" She shrieked angrily.

"Jack and Polly. Born October 19th 2008 and are both attending college at UCLA." He answered immediately.

Rebecca looked at him suspiciously. "How do you know that?" She asked cautiously.

"Jen told me." At this Rebecca's eyes widened. "A year back I contacted her, she was mad as hell but agreed to tell me all about your and the kids life." He said taking a step forwards.

"Why are you here?" Rebecca snapped, glaring down at him.

Slowly, Jack took another step forwards, then another till he was about a foot away from Rebecca. "Because Ebby, I love you, just like I told you." Rebecca opened her mouth to protest but Jack wasn't done. "Don't you think it was hard for me to!? Years without you by my side tore me apart! Knowing that I couldn't be there for our children killed me!" He cried out grabbing her shoulders.

"Then why weren't you here!?" Rebecca shouted trying to tear away from him.

"Because!" He screamed shaking her. "I had to protect you! God knows what the hell would have happened to you if I had stuck around! I wanted Jack and Polly to be normal kids and not have to go through all the shit I had to when I was a kid! We would have just gotten into more shit if I had stayed. Please Ebby, understand, I had to."

Tears formed at the edges of Rebecca's eyes. "No you didn't." She whispered. "You could have stayed! We would have been alright!" She cried burying her head into his chest. "You didn't have to…"

Jack wrapped his arms around her, setting his head on her's and began running a hand through her air. "Ebby…I am so sorry." He whispered holding her tightly.

Rebecca began to sob harder into his chest. "I love you so much!" She cried, her voice shaky. "It hurt so much!" Rebecca blubbered her tears soaking Jack's shirt.

Pulling away slightly, Jack lifted up Rebecca's chin. His eyes searched her's for a moment before her gently kissed her. "It's ok, now." He whispered softly wrapping her back up in his arms. "It will be fine from now on."