No one can fight forever. Everyone has to take a break, a time to rest and heal. Sometimes it is merely physical. But many wounds are mental and emotional, and those can hurt longer and harder than any physical pain. We need to give ourselves time to heal. Sometimes old friends can help with that. Sometimes they open wounds we thought were long closed. Real friends are worth it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jack opened his eyes and didn\u2019t recognize the room around him. It was early morning. The oh dark thirty kind of early morning where the only people awake were those with ill intent or those guarding against that ill intent. He was in a bedroom. Or maybe a dressing room. Nobody would ever buy a bed this hard and uncomfortable for their home on purpose. A screen on one wall showed news coverage of a suspected gang war in the streets. The talking heads had no idea what was going on. Jack wished them luck figuring it out.<\/p>\n
Then the smell of Chinese food hit his nose and Jack\u2019s stomach growled like a volcano ready to blow. He rolled off the bed in a swift, smooth motion and stepped over to the table where ten steaming paper boxes full of aromatic food waited. He tore them open and his stomach nearly did a flip as it recognized the food in front of it. The chicken wings went first as Jack grabbed them in shaky hands and tore the meat off the bones with his teeth. Stars exploded behind his eyes as the food hit his stomach like a bomb.<\/p>\n
He sat down hard on the chair he belatedly realized was there and closed his eyes against the pain that was oh so good. He needed food so much it hurt. The wave of pain faded away and he opened his eyes to examine the other boxes for a few seconds. Then he grabbed a fork and tore into the general\u2019s chicken, the sweet and sour chicken, and the spicy chicken one after the other. They went down quick and he felt his starving body converting the food to fuel it could use. He paused as the last of the spicy chicken went down and looked around again. Egg rolls. He smiled and wolfed them down next. There was no meat in them, but they were good filler and tasted good. Then he demolished three boxes of beef, ignoring the cooked and limp vegetables in them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoa,\u201d a voice said from behind him and Jack turned to see Julie sitting on the bed. Jack\u2019s mouth fell open as the lingering hunger in his belly just melted away at that sight.<\/p>\n
Julie leaned forward on her knees, feet splayed out behind her. Long blonde hair lat flat and tangled on one side, and drool ran down her chin. She blinked sleep out of her eyes and a knee-length nightshirt hung off one shoulder while the other shoulder bunched up against her neck. He hadn\u2019t seen her looking so unglamorously messy in over ten years. She was beautiful. All he could do was stare.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d she asked and looked around.<\/p>\n
He just kept on staring.<\/p>\n
She looked down at the long shirt riding halfway up her legs and blushed. One hand flashed down to pull the shirt down while the other pulled the shoulder up, and the shirt stretched under her twin assault to reveal pretty much every one of her very nice curves. \u201cDon\u2019t look at me like that!\u201d she shouted.<\/p>\n
He just kept on staring.<\/p>\n
She squirmed under his gaze, and then threw herself into a roll that revealed almost every last centimeter of her long legs before she disappeared behind the bed. She remained still for several seconds. He didn\u2019t move. Her head finally rose over the bedside, hair sticking out in every direction. \u201cWould you stop looking at me like that?\u201d she asked plaintively.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d Jack asked and just kept staring.<\/p>\n
The shoulder of the rebellious shirt fell down again as she finally met his gaze. \u201cBecause\u2026I just woke up,\u201d she whispered. \u201cI\u2019m\u2026I\u2019m\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re beautiful,\u201d Jack whispered and every square centimeter of skin the shirt revealed turned bright red. She ducked back behind the bed and the sound of fingers running through hair filled the room.<\/p>\n
Then she looked back up over the bed, her hair was only slightly less messy than before. But her eyes froze on his chest. \u201cWhoa.\u201d Her voice was soft and full of everything that had ever made him love her. Tenderness, amazement, and just a hint of the strength he remembered in there.<\/p>\n
He looked down and realized he wasn\u2019t wearing a shirt. He wasn\u2019t wearing pants either. All he wore in fact were some exercise shorts and a mass of bandages covering far more of his body than he was entirely happy with. He\u2019d taken a serious beating the day before. Had it really been that long ago? He followed her gaze to the angry red welts peeking out from under one of the bandages that had fallen off. He touched it and felt the heat. It was still the night after the battle. His body was still busy regenerating the damaged tissues.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it\u2026is that normal?\u201d Julie asked and came to her feet. The nightshirt fell off her shoulder again as she walked around the bed.<\/p>\n
Jack tore his eyes away from her and let out a long breath. \u201cEvery time I get shot it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julie stepped up to him, looked him in the eyes, and placed one hand on his chest. It burned hotter against his skin than the angry welts and he closed his eyes. She traced the edges of the bandages with an electric finger and blood pounded through Jack\u2019s mind. \u201cThey had guns. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack licked his lips. \u201cThey didn\u2019t have guns,\u201d he said in an attempt to take his mind off everything she made him want to do right then. \u201cJust really bad Chinese knockoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Julie\u2019s eyes narrowed, her mouth pursed, and she pulled her hand away from his chest. Then she set her jaw and punched him, hard, in the shoulder that was miraculously free of bandages.<\/p>\n
Jack gasped at the strength in her farm girl muscles and tears filled his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey shot you!\u201d Julie shouted and punched him again. Then she glared into his eyes. \u201cI treated every wound! So don\u2019t give me that bull about puny weapons! You almost died<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n She hit him again and Jack realized that she wasn\u2019t going to stop. Seeing him half dead had obviously been more traumatizing to her than being<\/em> half dead had been for him. She was apoplectic that he could be minimizing the threat. She was going to keep hitting him, and that hurt, so he tried to think of some way to calm her down. But he knew from long experience that it was easier said than done.<\/p>\n Jack reached out to enfold her in his arms and pulled her in close. She resisted him, fists balling hard into his chest. Her hot breath tickled his chest and she pushed against him. It was like a mouse trying to push a cat away. She squirmed and pushed, but he held on tight. She demanded that he let her go. She questioned his parentage. She strained with all her might, but he held her tight against his body.<\/p>\n Julie finally stopped struggling and rested her face against his chest. He felt her eyelashes brush him and knew she had closed her eyes. She remained still for several seconds, sucking deep breaths in and letting them back out again. He felt the cool air pulling on his skin, followed by the hot air from her lungs pushing him back. Her hands relaxed and then balled up again, fingers moving back and forth across his chest.<\/p>\n The smell of strawberries drifted up to his nose. Something warm and wet ran down his chest. Julie sniffed and pulled her hands in tight. Her breathing grew ragged, and she pulled in a long desperate breath. Then she let it out in something that was almost a sob. \u201cDon\u2019t you ever\u2026do that\u2026to me\u2026again,\u201d she half-sobbed into his chest.<\/p>\n That got him. She was a real firecracker. She could make sailors blush in more languages than Jack could count. But hearing her cry was more than he could take. It had been when he didn\u2019t know why she cried. It had been worse once she trusted him enough to tell him. He\u2019d felt as helpless as her at first. He hated that feeling. He hated anyone that made her feel that way. And now he<\/em> was the one doing it.<\/p>\n Jack closed his eyes, brought one hand up to her neck, dropped the other to her waist, and cradled her. \u201cI\u2019m here, Jewls,\u201d he whispered into her ear, tears running down his face to mix with hers. \u201cI\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n They stayed there for an eternity, crying softly into each other\u2019s arms until they regained their composure. Julie finally pushed against his chest and leaned back to give him a long and hard look. Then her hand reached up, snaked around his neck, and pulled him towards her. He tasted strawberries on her lips for a split second. A second. Two seconds. The kiss ran into eternity and a small part of his brain screamed that he needed to breathe. It was a very small part and he ignored it completely.<\/p>\n The door opened \u201cWell, that\u2019s finally\u2026\u201d a voice began, and those three words were more than enough for Jack to recognize the owner. \u201cJulie!\u201d Alex shouted in an outraged tone.<\/p>\n Julie\u2019s eyes went wide and she pulled away from Jack in a flash. \u201cNothing happened!\u201d she said to her cousin in a rushed tone. \u201cWe didn\u2019t do anything!\u201d<\/p>\n Jack turned to see Alex standing in the doorway. She was everything Julie wasn\u2019t in that moment. Tall and elegant, long brown hair perfectly styled. The blue jeans could have been painted on, while the western shirt hung loose. She was amazing, and she gave Julie a very pointed look.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Alex said in a doubtful tone. \u201cThat looked an awful lot like something<\/em> right there.\u201d<\/p>\n Julie\u2019s skin blushed bright red again. \u201cWe\u2026just woke up,\u201d She whispered.<\/p>\n Alex played her gaze across the debris that was left of his meal.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026just woke up,\u201d Julie corrected.<\/p>\n \u201cI see,\u201d Alex said and aimed her raised eyebrow at Jack.<\/p>\n Jack shrugged. \u201cI was\u2026hungry. When I smelled the Chinese\u2026well\u2026\u201d He waved at the destroyed containers and shook his head with a rueful look. \u201cI never thought I\u2019d be so hungry I\u2019d miss a beautiful girl in my bed,\u201d he said with a self-deprecating chuckle. Julie blushed again and moved back to the other side of the bed, looking for something to hide behind.<\/p>\n Alex just shook her head.<\/p>\n Jack\u2019s stomach growled.<\/p>\n Alex nodded and strode over to pull another chair up to his. She sat down next to him and began to study his chest. Then she raised one hand and electric fingers began to remove bandages to uncover more angry welts that had been open wounds mere hours ago.<\/p>\n \u201cSo this is what it\u2019s like for you?\u201d Alex asked.<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n Alex shook her head. \u201cYou were half dead when you stumbled in\u2026now\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow I\u2019m just half starved,\u201d Jack completed with a chuckle.<\/p>\n Alex nodded and ran the hand up to his shoulder. It left a path of electric fire in its wake. \u201cDo they leave scars?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019ll never get another scar.\u201d Jack ran his finger over a long white scar on his lower abdomen. He\u2019d gotten it as a teenager when they\u2019d snuck into an after hours pool party and he\u2019d snagged the fence. \u201cBut that will never go away. I\u2019ll never age another day until the day I die.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAre you really still that boy?\u201d Julie asked as she scrambled back onto the bed to look at them.<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Jack answered with a smile aimed at her. \u201cI\u2019m better now.\u201d<\/p>\n Julie snorted and rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cStill full of yourself, I see,\u201d Alex said with a shake of her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI prefer to think of it as confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course you do,\u201d Julie whispered.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that why you keep bringing other women to see us?\u201d Alex asked.<\/p>\n Jack blinked at the shift in conversation. And then he remembered the reason he was there. He came to his feet in a smooth move and looked around for his uniform. \u201cWhere\u2019s Olivia?\u201d<\/p>\n Alex smiled. \u201cShe\u2019s resting. It\u2019ll take her a while to heal though, so I tucked her in for a long nap.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought you might say that,\u201d Julie said with a smile of her own. \u201cSo we hid your uniform.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t a game.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course it isn\u2019t,\u201d Alex said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t know who we\u2019re dealing with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou mean the Hurst family and their friends?\u201d Julie asked.<\/p>\n Jack frowned in confusion. \u201cHow\u2026do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPlease,\u201d Alex said with a shake of her head. \u201cYou think some random stranger directed you to our back door by\u2026what\u2026chance?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack\u2019s mouth hung open as she suggested the impossible.<\/p>\n \u201cJack, Jack, Jack,\u201d Julie said with a good-natured sigh. \u201cYou really are slow today, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe just got shot. A lot of times,\u201d Alex said with a shrug. \u201cAnd then you seduced him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did not!\u201d Julie protested.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease.\u201d Alex rolled her eyes. \u201cNext you\u2019ll tell me you weren\u2019t about to jump him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t! We were just\u2026talking\u2026and\u2026um\u2026\u201d Julie trailed off as she looked for something to say.<\/p>\n Alex raised her eyebrow at Julie again.<\/p>\n Julie blushed again, but then sucked in a deep breath and struck a determined pose that made her look even more amazing. \u201cI didn\u2019t start anything! He<\/em> did!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWait,\u201d Jack finally said as his brain caught up to their argument, and the two girls turned from arguing with each other to look at him. \u201cYou\u2026You\u2019re<\/em> involved?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course,\u201d Alex said with another roll of her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cCharles contacted us a year ago,\u201d Julie added with a smile.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was a friend he said needed some help,\u201d Alex clarified.<\/p>\n Jack blinked. \u201cThe man\u2026in the suit?\u201d<\/p>\n Julie smiled and held her hand out, palm up. Alex frowned but pulled a bill out of a pocket and laid it on Julie\u2019s hand. \u201cShe bet that you\u2019d need one more question,\u201d Julie explained with a pleased smile and slipped the bill inside her nightshirt.<\/p>\n Jack scowled at her. \u201cI\u2019m so happy to fund your gambling habits, but we need to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Julie shook her head. \u201cNope. Not gonna happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack smiled at her. \u201cYou healed me. I\u2019m better now. So you can\u2019t stop me from leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n Alex smiled and proved him wrong. Her lips tasted like peppermint, and that was just not fair. But two people could play that game if they wanted to. Jack wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her in close, and gave her a serious kissing right back. Her body melted into him for a second that went on for eternity before she began to push him. He didn\u2019t let go. Then she dug a nail into one of the welts and he released her with a gasp of pain.<\/p>\n \u201cStop that,\u201d she ordered in a voice of iron.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Jack returned in protest. \u201cYou started it!\u201d<\/p>\n Alex crossed her arms and stepped back to give him a solid look at her stubborn expression. \u201cAre you here to stay?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Jack asked as he brain tried to catch up with whatever she was talking about.<\/p>\n \u201cYou still don\u2019t understand,\u201d Alex said and turned away with a disappointed shake of her head.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d Jack asked again.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not a one-night stand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Jack shook his head to clear it. Alex wasn\u2019t making any sense. \u201cYou\u2026never\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Alex shook her head again and let out a long breath. \u201cLook. We\u2019ll always be here for you. But not that way\u2026you left us.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Jack almost shouted. He just looked at Alex in disbelief as the adrenalin of yesterday began to pump through his limbs and brain again. He\u2019d been shot he didn\u2019t know how many times, and now this. Now she was accusing him of leaving. A distant part of his mind told him to shut up but it was oh so distant, Alex was right there in front of him and he could finally say what he\u2019d wanted to for so long. \u201cYou<\/em> boarded that bus! I stayed<\/em>! I never<\/em> stopped waiting for you! \u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd yet here we are. On Alpha Centauri.\u201d Alex shrugged. \u201cI guess you finally left.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the Shang burned<\/em> it all! What was I supposed<\/em> to do? Wait in the ruins<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou were supposed<\/em> to come with<\/em>!\u201d Julie shouted and Jack turned to see tears in her eyes. \u201cBut you didn\u2019t<\/em>. Why<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack had to lower his eyes. He just couldn\u2019t meet them. But he couldn\u2019t admit he\u2019d been wrong either. \u201cBecause Nashville was your<\/em> dream.\u201d<\/p>\n Alex snorted and crossed her arms at him. \u201cWe haven\u2019t been in Nashville for years. Try again.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sighed. \u201cMinnesota was home<\/em>. My<\/em> dream. I wanted to grow old with you. There.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t grow old,\u201d Alex said with a shake of her head.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know<\/em> that back then!\u201d Jack shouted back. \u201cThis!\u201d He shook his hand like he was trying to tear it off. \u201cThis stinking immortality was never my plan<\/em>! Fighting this fraking war<\/em> was never my plan<\/em>! Getting ambushed<\/em> on Alpha Centauri was never part of any<\/em> of my plans!\u201d He stepped up to Alex and placed a finger in the hollow of her chest. \u201cYou were the only worthwhile plan I ever made in my life. And look how well that turned out.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you call us?\u201d Julie asked in a quiet voice. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell us?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBecause you never called me<\/em>.\u201d Jack let out a long breath.<\/p>\n Julie looked at him in disbelief. \u201cHaven\u2019t you ever listened to our songs?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I have!\u201d Jack returned in shock. \u201cI own all your albums. Everything you\u2019ve released!\u201d Then he laughed. \u201cAnd a lot of stuff you haven\u2019t.\u201d He ran his fingers through his hair and laughed again. \u201cI\u2019m your biggest fan.\u201d His voice broke on the last word and he looked down. He didn\u2019t want to be their biggest fan. He never had.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd you\u2019ve never really listened<\/em> to them?\u201d Alex asked with a shake of her head.<\/p>\n Jack rubbed his temple and sighed. He just couldn\u2019t fool them. He only had two choices now. Remain silent or say the truth. As a boy he\u2019d been taught that the truth would set him free, but that didn\u2019t mean it was easy. Or painless. He finally cleared his throat and looked back and forth between them. \u201cIf I\u2019d asked you to come back home?\u201d he tried to finish the question but it locked up in his throat.<\/p>\n \u201cYes,\u201d Julie answered the half finished question without pausing to think.<\/p>\n Alex remained silent, considering the question far more carefully. \u201cWe would have found a way,\u201d she said after a few seconds.<\/p>\n He was right. It was the one thing he\u2019d feared. They would have given up everything to be with him. And he would have given up almost<\/em> anything to be with them. Jack let out a long breath and smiled. He stepped away from them with the best casual motion he could manage at the moment. \u201cAnd that\u2019s why I never called.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d Julie asked in confusion.<\/p>\n \u201cI never could have lived with myself if you\u2019d done that.\u201d<\/p>\n Julie frowned. \u201cYou\u2019re not making any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack smiled. Of course he wasn\u2019t making any sense. Not to her. She thought with her heart first. It was one of the things he loved about her.<\/p>\n Alex pursed her lips and Jack saw the gears turning in her mind. She was getting it. She could see the logic. It was one of the things he loved about her.<\/p>\n \u201cYou were born to sing. You\u2019re the best thing I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d Jack paused, ran his fingers through his hair again, and tried to aim a wry smile at them. \u201cI saw that from day one. And then so did everybody else. I couldn\u2019t ask you to come back after that. This is what you were born<\/em> to do!\u201d<\/p>\n He met their gazes and saw understanding in them. Understanding and disagreement. And then they stepped forward, wrapped their arms around him, and buried their heads into his shoulders. \u201cYou really are an idiot,\u201d Alex whispered.<\/p>\n Jack usually would have protested that. But he was hungry again. And he was tired. He lowered his head and the smell of their hair filled his nostrils as memories filled his mind. The smells of forests at night. The sounds of water lapping against a beach. The sight of full moons reflecting off still lakes. The warmth of bonfires on cool autumn nights. The feel of ample hips under wandering hands.<\/p>\n He stood in the middle of a room with his arms wrapped around the two girls that had meant more to him than anyone else in all the worlds and found himself lost in memories he wished could have gone on forever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" No one can fight forever. Everyone has to take a break, a time to rest and heal. Sometimes it is merely physical. But many wounds are mental and emotional, and those can hurt longer and harder than any physical pain.[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2307-angel-war-earc","uentry","postonpage-1","odd","post-author-medron-pryde"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4874"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4875,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4874\/revisions\/4875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}