No Such Thing

Sophia breathed out and let her hand glide over her forehead, now she had known this would come but she hadn’t thought it would be like this. Looking from each and everyone in the room her eyes settled towards her son. This wasn’t really a reunion she wanted for anyone to have, especially when she hadn’t even known that the son sitting in her couch was even alive.
Everything settled and then she walked towards the lost daughter sitting down and clearly having a hard time to comprehend all of it, which was understandable.
“I’m so sorry Victoria” she whispered as she squatted down in front of her and took her hands gently hoping she might be able to catch her eyes. “Lydia and I, we had an understanding, she would protect you and raise you as if you were her own daughter, and she did” she licked her lips hugging her hands in hers. “I, your father, he wasn’t, he wasn’t a nice man and it wasn’t something I had wished for, so I had to give you up, because you didn’t deserve to feel that from me, you deserved love and to be loved” Mateo had to get up and get out of the room, simply because of the anger that started to boil under the surface. Which man wouldn’t get angry if they heard that their mother had been raped?
Selene was standing silently, feeling hot tears gliding down her cheeks as she heard what was being said inside, but she couldn’t go and be part of it. Not right now, not knowing she had been so close to blood family, and not known it. Maybe it had been the death of Victoria that had lifted whatever had changed her scent, who was to know.
“I’m sorry I didn’t -“ Sophia looked towards Cassian and hissed “No, you didn’t think, so please, what's done is done - Victoria” she whispered squeezing her hands “this doesn’t take anything away from you, your family was still your family, and your mother was still your mother, I was just a person that carried you into this world, but that doesn’t define what a mother is” she stressed, not that she didn’t want to be a family for Victoria now, but it was also important for her that Victoria understood that she wasn’t here to take Lydia away from her.

Victoria took a sharper breath in. Yes, she had had her family while her mother had been around. Her mother had brought on a new husband who had then taken Eric in - later on they had taken Jack in. Then she had died and everything had changed slowly and painfully. The only family she had left was Jack and Eric when it came to the ones who had been there while she had been growing up. Victoria had found family with the serpents Anthony so gladly had ripped from her, or as Pearl claimed her to have chosen to leave them. But Victoria had also found family in her friends, she saw Cassian and Dion just as much like her family as Jack and Eric. But to know the woman who raised you wasn't your biological mother, to know your biological mother had felt the need to give you up because that the man, the man that was supposed to be your father had helped bringing Victoria into the world from the action of rape. It made Victoria sick to the stomach more than she already was. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deeper breath in feeling her tears escape and just travel down her cheeks.

Daisy stayed seated looking over at Jack for a moment, then picking up her phone and texted Scarlett that they had found Victoria, she was alive and safe - and Jack was there too, and that he hadn't done anything stupid. Just letting her know. Perhaps it was not now she should remind Jack of what he had done, because sometimes it was just waiting for them to figure things out for themselves. Then she finally got up, and walked over next to Cassian and snaked her arm around his, placing a small kiss on his shoulder. He couldn't have known, and they were all exhausted at this point. "How about this, we can take you with us home and you can stay in the guest room for the night - let everything cool down for now. No one needs to figure more out tonight," Daisy suggested looking towards Victoria who looked up at Daisy then at Cassian nodding a little bit. Because no matter how much more she wanted to figure out from all of this, there was no doubt she had reached the limit of what she could handle for today. She would otherwise have suggested Vic could have gotten with Jack, but she knew Jack needed to handle this next part on his own. And letting Victoria be a bystander to that - that just wasn't fair. "Yeah-" Victoria exhaled then slowly trying to get up again.

Sophia nodded and got up from where she was sitting. She wanted to tell her all sorts of things, but it wasn’t because she knew the right words or how to phrase herself, she had never thought that she and Victoria would find each other again. “Sounds like a plan - My door is always open, and you are welcome to text me if you want to find out more, I’ll give my number to Cassian” she whispered and Cassian was quick to find his phone and hand it to Sophia after he had started the add new contact. She put in her numbers and then handed it back taking a step away so everyone could get out of the house. Then there would be time for her to grieve, to find out what she would do about calling Diego, and if Mateo even wanted any of this. He just as much as the rest of them, had been pulled into something that he hadn’t been expecting.
Selene kept standing, she had to find another time to explain all of this to Victoria, she had always known that there might be siblings out there she didn’t know about, but she had never wished for anyone more than their father wouldn’t be hers as she wished it for Victoria.

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The phone buzzed in her jacket pocket and she pulled it out and looked at it. She had no idea how to respond, because the damages were already done and she had packed her things. Standing in the silent drizzle she packed her phone away and looked up at the sigh that told her that she had found the Elysium casino. Now it might not be the best place to go, but it wasn’t like the casino was a bad place to work nor to have connections too. Not the same as it would have been to live in southside at least. And with all of her belongings packed in the bag on her back, she had no idea where else to turn to. She knew that Irina would be furious with her. But right now it was the only way she could see, so she finally stepped inside the warm and looked towards the bar to see if Kailani might be working. With slow steps she dried away the tears and tried to force a smile on her lips, seeing a beautiful blond woman standing behind the bar. “Welcum tuh the Elysian Casino, wot gan ah help yee wi’?” she asked in one of the most British accent she had heard in a long time, not prober English, no this was one of those accent that most people either hated or loved. Right now Scarlett decided that she loved it, because she needed that in her life right now. “Is Orion here today?” she asked with a low voice and the blond shrugged “Ah will see if eez in the office but ahm neet sure, gan ah git yee a drink while yee wait?” Scarlett shook her head and Penelope gave her a smile “Syeut yersel’ love” she said and turned as she walked over to the phone and picked it up to see if she could catch Orion at his office.

Victoria took a sharper breath in for a moment just trying to collect herself then scanning the room again. Nodding a little bit mostly to herself, because she was tired, exhausted even and she just wanted to shut down and be still for a moment. Without anything exploding. If that wasn't too much to ask. But she also wanted to thank Sophia and Mateo for even helping her. "Give me a second," she mumbled a little bit, following the scent of Mateo outside, letting her bare feet connect with the ground gave her the connection to her powers again she had longed to feel. "I'm going with Cassian and Daisy now," she announced with a small lift on her lips. "I just wanted to say thank you - for you know, holding my hand," Victoria took him in for a second. Not because she hadn't had brothers. No she would have said earlier on that she already had too much brother just by having Eric around, but standing here she was also very curious about his story. Also knowing and understanding if he didn't want to see her again, it wasn't like she expected her actual family to become her family. "But if you ever want to I don't know grab a none death related perhaps cup of coffee or something stronger, let me know, right?" She tried lifting the mood a little bit, but wasn't for if it was for his sake or hers, maybe a mix of both.

Then she returned inside, where Jack walked towards Selene asking her for a lift back home. Not wanting to waste Cassian, Victoria and Daisy's time by getting him home as well. Victoria walked over next to Cassian still a bit unbalanced movements but she felt a bit more like herself after having been outside. "Thank you," she gave her actual mother a small smile then looking towards Selene and Jack, giving both of them a tired yet warm smile, then holding onto Cassian's arm, getting ready to leave.
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River sat not far from the bar when he saw Scarlett coming in speaking with Penelope. He wasn't really saying much, too annoyed by that son of a bitch to Anthony, hopefully that stupid incompetent boy had learned a lesson now. Most likely not. "Not sure he is taking phone calls," River announced and let out a sigh, "are you lost dove?" River knew Scarlett, or he knew her when she had been working for him back then. Not that he believed people like her shed their skin that easily as they themselves believed. "Oh come on now River, don't be like that -" Kailani walked back in into the casino. "She is no where to be found at Southside, I checked everywhere without running into Calliope or Anthony that matter," she took a sharper breath in and walked back behind the bar and grabbed a flask of whisky to pour up. "Wait you knew ma girl right? Vic - that's why you are here, or what else is troubling you my love?" Kailani sat up on the bar counter with the glass in her hand and looked at Scarlett. They had been old friends after all.

Cassian nodded and looked towards Sophia that looked like she was falling apart slowly in all the seams, but it wasn’t really him that needed to be there for her. And then he suddenly remembered her. This was Willson’s old girl. The one that he had asked to marry him and then she had run off, he looked towards Victoria and then - it suddenly made senses, all of it did. Maybe he should interfere even though so many would tell him that he shouldn’t, but how could he not when he had just found this out?
But not now, and she had her son to be there for her, hopefully.

Mateo turned and looked towards his apparently sister, he gave her a warm smile and nodded. “A cup of coffee or stronger sounds like a really nice idea, I’ll have my mother forward my information to Cassian” he said with a softer smile, knowing that they could get in touch if she really wanted too, even if she didn’t there wasn’t any pressure. “Victoria - I understand” he whispered pressing his brows together and then nodded as she went out to the others again.

Cassian put an arm around Daisy and Victoria as they got outside and just like that, he teleported them back to Daisy’s house.

Selene let out a soft sigh and then turned towards Jack. “Let’s get you home, before you get any more bad ideas” she sighed and gestured him to get on her bike again and she could drive them to Jack’s place before she could go back to Walter and hopefully forget all of this had happened.  

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Scarlett pulled a slight annoyed face by hearing River. “No, not lost” she sighed and turned her eyes towards Kailani as she came walking towards them.
“yeah I know her, not why I’m here though” she licked her lips and then looked from the tree people that all looked at her. “She’s okay, sound and well, she’s going home to Cassian where she’ll be the next couple of days I would think” she mumbled, turning towards Penelope “maybe I would like a drink after all” she whispered and Penelope nodded as she started mixing something together. “Sir?” Penelope spoke with a soft voice as she refilled his glass before putting Scarlett’s drink in front of her.

Jack made a grimace to Selene before he followed her, and got on the bike so they could drive to his place. "Then we can talk about you and Vic being sisters later," he said knowingly. Having picked up on it. And with that story Sophia just had told, perhaps it wasn't the nicest to share for Selene too. Then again if anything both Victoria deserved a sister like Selene, and Selene deserved a sister like Victoria - so if anything good were to come from their father, it would be that. It was when it hit him as he looked up at the apartment, and he took a sharper breath in. Then ran upstairs without even saying anything to Selene, but he just ran up the stairs, got inside the apartment and it was empty. He knew that. He could smell that, but still he called out, "Scarlett," his eyes searched around and he took a sharper breath in. "Fuck," he cursed still looking through every single room, then storming back out. One should never underestimate a cryobird on full speed searching a place. He had only been gone at least two minutes. "She said she would leave if I left - fucking fuck," he kicked the nearest bin so it tilted over, then shaking her head. "I will go find her, catch up some other time?"  Letting her know that it was alright if she wanted to get home now. Then he set after tracking Scarlett down on foot.
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Kailani raised her eyebrow by the mention that Victoria was alright and was at Cassian's. "Oh yeah, Cassian Jones -" she mused lightly, while  circling the glass a little letting a little chuckle out. You needed to be blind to not find Cassian attractive, the Jones' just tend to have that sort of sweet charm. And well she had been hanging around Olivier once after all. But well she now just appreciated it more than going after it, after all her heart did belong somewhere else. "I'm glad to hear she is safe, I trust we will hear from her whenever she is ready," she nodded towards River who waved taking his leave to his office. Kailani pressed her brows a bit together when Scarlett requested a drink, now she would never be one to decline anyone a drink - but wasn't it something with Scarlett tried to stay sober? Not that the two girls were close friends these days or anything that inclined that Kailani should care, but well. Then again Scarlett was a grown woman. "Sure you want to go there? Once you take that sip its right back where you started, it's not gonna fix anything." Kailani tilted her head a little bit to the side observing the banshee.

She looked at him as he ran upstairs. A soft breath left her, because if she was being honest, she had just waited for this all along. She just hoped he hadn’t been too late in figuring out what his little vendetta mission might have ended up costing him. Walking upstairs to the top floor she looked inside the apartment as he ran around like a headless chicken.
Nodding she stepped away from the door as he ran out. She didn’t even say anything other than close the door and make sure that it was locked safely behind her before she walked down and drove home again. As she stepped off her bike for the last time that evening, she sent him a text that he should give her a notice when he had found her and how it went, at least when he had time again.

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“I’m sure you will” she mumbled, looking at the drink that was standing in front of her, it almost felt like it would burn through the desk if she wasn’t careful. She hadn’t even touched it yet when Kailani asked if she was sure she wanted to go there.
Her eyes glided towards the siren and then she let out a sigh, she knew that she was right. And she had just left Jack because she wanted her daughter back and didn’t want to jeopardise anything that could make her wait longer for getting her into her life again. “You’re right” she whispered and pushed it towards Penelope that gave her a small smile and took the glass “Mare fo’ wor then” she hummed and drowned the glass and turned to some other costumers. “You have really changed the personal since I last worked here” she said with a small smile and looked towards Kai again “how are you doing?” she asked, wanting to think and talk about anything else than her.

Kailani almost breathed out a bit relieved that Scarlett pushed the drink towards Penelope, and chuckled a little bit as the human downed the glass before turning her attention towards Scarlett again. "Yeah well, it's how I like it. And they are my girls, we take care of each other,"Kailani chuckled a little bit again, pulling a smile, "a coffee?" She offered wanting to give Scarlett at least that while she was sitting here. "Other than Anthony crossing the line again again, well then I'm actually doing just fine. Cannot complain," she replied with a small shrug and downed the rest of her drink. "You know if you ever want I'm sure we can find a place for you here," she suggested with a inviting smile. "But it's not why she arrived here was it?" Orion then asked walking in closer. "I cannot say I expected to see you in here tonight?" He kept his eyes on Scarlett and sat down on the stool next to her looking up at Kailani for a moment who jumped down from the counter to fetch Orion a drink. "Maybe you should save Bast before River turns him into a giant pillow upstairs," Orion kept his eyes on Kailani who let out a sigh. "You can also just say, bugger off Kailani -" she mumbled before heading upstairs to River's office.

Orion then turned his head towards Scarlett, "what brings you here?" He wondered, and narrowed his eyes a little bit. Mostly because last time they had seen each other things hadn't really been going that well, "sure your friends would like finding you here?"

”A coffee would be nice” she said with more of a smile then she had before. “Fucking Anthony” she mumbled closing her eyes. Now, it wasn’t because she didn’t want him dead, because Jack would do many a favour if he made sure that he would never see the light of day. But there were other factors that played in, in all of this. Mainly that she was afraid that it would affect what would happen to her daughter and she couldn’t knowingly bring her daughter into that kind of life.
Her head snapped towards Orion and her eyes widened a little, now it had been him who she had looked after. Maybe it was foolish, but he had been the first person that had come to mind, and he had been there before. Even if it hadn’t worked out.
Scarlett gave Kai a little wave as she walked towards River’s office, where Bast was sitting in the couch looking at River as he slowly sipped his brandy.

“I don’t know, familiarity?” she said with a small sigh and took a sip of her black coffee and then let her blue eyes connect with Orion’s. “Probably not, especially not after what happened last time - you asshole” she said, but even though her words might be harsh her smile told him another story. “I didn’t have anywhere else to go, I left my boyfriend” she mumbled looking back in front of her and took another sip of her coffee.

Orion made a small shrug, "don't be like that, you knew just what kind of people you were dealing with, you just forgot for a moment," he pointed out not taking offence to the way she talked. Last time had after all been a more rough round, but when you took some time off from his line of work it was sometimes hard to remembering where you were from. But he gave her a little cheeky smirk. "You left your boyfriend, so why come to me? If you need a warm hug and some comforting words, I'm not your guy," he reminded her looking towards with his eyes just a bit narrowed. "Even if you didn't have anywhere else to go, this seems far away from home - unless you look to return," he raised his brow a little bit. One thing was it were very hard to close these doors once you had been a part of the family, and there were a few people whom you always hoped would change their mind and come back to the family.

She started laughing as he told her that he wasn’t the guy to give you a warm hug and comforting words. She turned towards him and a bright smile formed over her lips. “You talk like you forget that I know you rather well, no I didn’t come here because you would give me a warm hug and comforting words, I came because I know given everything you still tell the truth, and that was what I needed to hear” she mumbled letting her fingers glide through her long blond hair. Her eyes closed for a moment and then she shook her head, trying to get back into the game that she was playing.
“Maybe I did” she mumbled, looking down at her coffee, even though she was working two jobs while keeping up with her night school, it still wasn’t enough. But working here it would be possible for her to get enough money to do what she wished to do with her life. She knew that with a little help it would look like her job she was doing was more than enough to support her child, and even if they knew that there might be going something shady on, River was more than capable to make it look like everything was over the board. Not like the connections to Southside. No matter how far you tried to run, if you had some connection to that place it would mess with your plans of getting out.
She looked around, before she turned her head towards him again. “Could we go somewhere more private to talk?” she asked lifting her brow.

"We could, but I'm not sure now is the time," he took a sharper breath in, well tonight was an emotional night for her it seemed so. "You should take the night to think out what you really want to do," Orion replied keeping his eyes locked on hers, as the door behind them got opened. Not that you could catch the smell of Jack but the unchilling cold making you shiver was not really to be wronged about. It took Jack no seconds to get up close to them, starring a little bit at Orion. A part of him fought the older parts of him wanting to simply just believe that she had already moved on, gotten back to a lover from the past or something - it wasn't like he hadn't seen that movie before. But instead he took a deeper breath in, almost letting Nigel yell at him along with Selene in the back of his head - which was a loud duo. "Hey, can we talk?" He said almost out of breath moving his eyes from Orion to Scarlett, feeling how his heart skipped ahead. Orion lifted up his hands and got up from the chair to move behind the bar to get a drink. Jack didn't like the memories of last time he had been here, it had been rather intense.

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed before a very recognisable smirk formed over her lips. “Right, think things over”, she mumbled, not taking her eyes away from him even though a well-known cold glided through the room as Jack entered.
Only as his voice rang out did she look at him. The smile was gone again before letting her fingers glide through her blond hair and pushing it back. “Did you find her?” she asked, turning towards the bar, away from him. Of course, she could be happy that he had come to find her. She would lie if she told anyone that she wasn’t. But it also brought much hurt with it. Because he hadn’t thought it through as he ran out the door with the mindset of killing someone, had he just told her that he wanted to find Victoria, she would have helped. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand that it was a horrible feeling that someone said to you that a part of your family might be dead. But there was a big jump between grief and wanting to take vengeance.

Jack nodded a little bit, feeling the sensations of discomfort overtake him, not because it was a situation or a place where he hadn't been at before. But because she had left after he had taken off, and he didn't understand, truly in the moment understand or see the reason behind it. But he knew he couldn't just turn the cold shoulder and ignore it for the rest of his life. And he wasn't really a guy who spoke with a lot of feelings even if he had become better, it was still a thing he worked hard with. "Selene found me and dragged me on the right track," he took a sharper breath in. "Victoria is with Cassian and Daisy, she did die but somehow its not something you can see, but she will be there for a good couple of days- he exhaled not knowing how to start the other conversation waiting on them. Because he didn't want to go home without her, but he also couldn't force her hand, not that he wanted to. "Please come home -" he took a sharper breath in and held it there while just looking at her.

At this moment, she had to fight, even letting her lips quiver. Sucking it between her teeth, she closed her eyes and parted them to suck in a sharp breath of air. The sheer desperation in his voice for her to come home was almost enough for her to throw her arms her his neck and pull him close. Hushing him and telling him that everything was forgiven and she would do as she asked. But even if that entire scene played out in her head, she couldn’t move. Couldn’t do it. Maybe it was her own stubbornness standing in the way of just forgiving and giving the whole thing another chance.
Clearing her throat, she looked towards Orion. “Could I have a glass of water, please?” she asked, not feeling that coffee helped the soreness in the back of her mouth. Another shaky breath. Sweaty palms. Beating heart.
“You jeopardised that I might not stand a chance getting my daughter back”, she said as her lips pulled downward, leaning towards him with a low voice, as the last thing she wanted was to cause a scene. “One thing is that you are the former serpent leader and have ties to southside, but did you really think that you could walk away from killing someone with such close ties to someone you love? What would have happened then? One contact from the police and the fact that I’m a person of interest in a murder case and it will destroy all the progress I’ve made so far; I told you that I would go if you walked out, I warned you” she added quickly drying a few tears from her cheek and turned her eyes back towards the bar.

Orion nodded before heading towards the bar to get the water, let them talk. You jeopardised that I might not stand a chance getting my daughter back he pressed his brows together, clearly not having realized that his actions could have that affect on her. "I'm sorry -" he shook his head a little bit and clicked his tongue. "But he murdered my sister, in the middle of the street for no reason for other than to piss me off. So, of course  I react, and I want the guy dead - You've seen the world where I'm from Scarlett, its bloody messy but I'm trying, - I'm trying," maybe - what if, what if he wasn't the person she deserved to be with? Not that it was an uncommon thoughts, because he had always believed that she could find someone far better than him, he was damaged goods that just tried to fix what had been broken since forever. Jack took a sharper breath in, thinking about if he should just take a step back and let her words be final, but he didn't move he just stood right there, "I might be terrible okay, I don't want to be okay - I just don't know,  I don't know what to say," he mumbled the last part blinking a little bit hating his emotions being everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Scarlett used her teeth to pull the inside of her cheek. She was gnawing on it while she thought through what he was saying. It was true that she knew where he came from. She understood the world far better than she wanted to. She also knew that he was trying. But sometimes, you had to live with the fact that one mistake was all it took.
She let her hand glide over her face closing her eyes in the process. It was a constant battle between listening to her heart and her head. Because her heart was telling her to let it go while her head constantly reminded her what she was putting on the line.
“I didn’t say you were terrible” she quickly turned to look at him, realising she had raised her voice. “I didn’t”, she said much softer, pulling back her bottom lip, breathing sharply. “And it’s not like I don’t understand what you are feeling and why you want to make Anthony pay for what he did; it’s not that”, she breathed out “, but you made a choice today, and maybe, maybe”, she felt how tears once again were begging to leave her eyes. “If you want to pursue your game of vengeance, you’ll have to do it without me, but if you want me to come home, you have to put those thoughts behind you” her eyes locked with his, giving him a new chance. To make a choice. But hopefully, he would also understand it was his last chance. She couldn’t just throw away the hope of getting her daughter back for a man she might love, but still a man she hadn’t known for that long.  

He could feel his heart speed up, not knowing how to act or what to do. Because he had never placed himself in a situation like this before, the last time  it had been Eris who had begged him for forgiveness and tried to get him to understand. But what he also came to understand from that right in this moment was that he couldn't force her to change her mind, and the process would drain them both from energy if he tried. "I didn't know what I wanted, I was angry and frustrated and acted out. I didn't even listen in the moment -" he mumbled the last part, because he hadn't taken her words seriously no, because he had been so in shock to have no way in his brain to act differently than the way he had. How could he, no one had ever taught him anything different. "I'm not going to hunt him down for sport if that is what you are asking, if I'm going after him I'm not going to do it by myself. But I'm not actively going to work on it - I --" - "You guys don't have to worry about Anthony. I will make sure that he is getting taken care off, we are about a handful ourselves who are tired of his little games. So, let us handle it," he looked towards the couple. "Things were clearly said and felt tonight. So, why don't you guys go home, get some rest and talk it out in the morning knowing - we take care of things, okay?" Orion handed Scarlett her water giving her a little nod. "We will take care of this," he wanted to comfort her on that. Jack took a sharper breath in looking towards Scarlett waiting for what her answer on the matter was.

Folding her lips, she looked down at her hands, figuring out what she wanted to do. It was like a million voices were shouting out at once, not really giving her the time to think things through. It didn’t help that her mind was already scattered by her screaming earlier, and this town wasn’t known for being the quietest when it came to the afterlife. Always someone dying a the corner or at the hospital. Sometimes you knew the person, and other times, you were lucky enough not even to take notice of it.  
Orion stepped in before she could answer, telling them that they didn’t have to worry about him. Her brows pressed together before letting a soft sigh out of her nose. “Right”, she looked towards Jack, allowing her hand to find his. “Then let’s go home”, she whispered, giving his hand a soft squeeze before getting out of her seat. If anything, this was a conversation she would rather have somewhere more private. “Just don’t think that this is the end of the conversation; we are talking about this later”, she said, to make sure he understood that this wasn’t just her forgetting and forgiving because she had used the word home. But for now, she could compromise.

He squeezed her hand back and felt like he could finally exhale again. Even if it didn't mean anything were fixed or bound to, at least it meant they could get home and talk about things rather than staying here. Jack therefor nodded as he understood, and waited for a moment before he then sort to move towards the exit, meeting a familiar face on the way inside, that being Delphine. But for now, Jack didn't do much else but give her a small smile then they got out to the street, and could walk home to the apartment.

Jack unlocked the apartment and got them upstairs, tempted to get a drink from all the stress tonight, but he didn't he just sat down on the couch and waited to see what Scarlett wanted to do, and not do, because once again he wasn't really used to this.

The walk back to Jack’s apartment, back home. It was filled with silence. Not in a way where it was building up the tension between them or spreading an uneasiness, well, at least not in her. She was too tired to even be mad at this point, even if she was still stuck with the disappointment. Not knowing how to deal with it or tackle it as they came closer to the apartment. A void almost consumed her as she stepped over the threshold. The last time she had been here, she had told him that she would leave too if he left. Then he had turned around and run away. Taken the easy way out, anger and rage. The need for revenge.
“You can drink if you need to”, she mumbled, letting her bag fall to the ground before she walked over and sat down on the couch. Her fingers glided over her forehead. She could feel small pimples as her fingers slid over them. With all that was going on, she was breaking out now? A groan left her, and her head flew back and hit the sofa’s backrest. “You might have to prepare for another scream later”, she mumbled, pointing towards the cabinet in the bathroom. “There are a couple of excellent earplugs in there – use them when you snore”, she said with a soft smile spreading over her lips as she turned and looked at him with a more peaceful expression, and even though she had been so mad at him, it was clear and see the love that was still for him in her eyes.

Jack knew she was disappointed in him, he knew he on some level had failed her - just not understanding how or in which way he was supposed to feel sorry for the action. Because what would he have done if Victoria had been dead? If he had gotten the news that she was not coming back? He would most likely have kept going despite Selene trying to stop him, she would maybe have stopped him - who knew? "No its fine," he mumbled back and let out a sigh, just standing still for a moment, hoping he could catch his thoughts as they were running all over the place. "First of all I don't snore -- okay I might, but second of all, I will be just fine, okay? Don't worry about me," he assured her knowingly how his hearing and her screams would combine, painful really. Now he knew Victoria was in good hands despite the things that had happened, he found himself comfortable with that knowledge knowing Cassian and Daisy would take care of her. He could take care of him and Scarlett, make sure he hadn't broken up her entire trust regarding him.

She was just about to argue that he did, in fact, snore, but then he added the part where she shouldn’t worry about him, that he would be fine. She nodded, and for a moment, she just sat there and looked at him before turning and looking down at her lap. Pulling her legs up, she folded them underneath her with a small sigh; as if she had nothing better to do, she started picking at her fingernails and the dead skin that was around them. She wanted to say something, or maybe try to explain why what he had done was wrong,  but she wasn’t even sure he would be able to understand it or if she was good enough to explain what had gone wrong tonight. Maybe it wasn’t only because of the fact that she couldn’t get her daughter back, but the last time someone she had loved had wandered the streets alone in southside, he had been shot, and she had lost him. She couldn’t go through that again, and yet, by being together with Jack, there was a chance that she would lose him every day; she knew that. But tonight, it had just hit a little closer to home than she had realised.

He wasn't good at this, he wished that he was or magically could empathize with what she was going through. But he couldn't, at least not all the way, he could tell she was upset about what had happened but it was as far he could go down that lane. Jack couldn't understand why protecting his family or wanting to get justice for them was wrong, but he wasn't going to argue it, not now. The last thing he wanted to was fight. So, he stayed, tugged himself around her, as if it would protect her from the voices, knowing it wouldn't. And he knew he could heal the damage the screams would do to his ears. But it didn't matter how much pain the screams brought to his ears, pain for a thunderbird, cryobird was nothing he could take it. So he did, stayed there till the last wave past, making sure she got to bed and got some rest when it was finally over.
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