``fire in my veins,

[jude maureen endsley]

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---A "PRE-DATE" DATE. DID SUCH A THING EXIST? a man had contacted her, requesting her services. he was from los angeles, apparently some hotshot who had friends in high places somewhere in the big apple, friends she'd obviously met before, although he had refused to give names. maybe she didn't want names. he was looking for a girl, however, and jude endsley had apparently fit the criteria. he had wanted to get together before the actual event to explain, probably go over the details so they'd have their stories straight. he'd offered to drive out to valkyrie and meet in some chinese restaurant, which she figured was because he didn't want to have to deal with seeing anybody he was familiar with. "it's not really a job, yet. he hasn't hired me," she said to herself in the mirror as she slid in her earrings. her slender fingers grasped a small vial of perfume that was sitting on the vanity, and she dabbed the scented liquid along her wrists and neck. the green macaw tilted his head in silence, watching her. "don't give me that look, henry," she groaned. yeah, she was talking to the bird. she did it a lot, all the time, actually. he would speak back to her too, but he was in some sort of silent mood. the bird was the only person she could count on to not spill the beans or betray her trust. he kept all her secrets, always listened. as sad as it sounded, that bird was probably her only friend, the only living creature that knew anything about her, "i'm not even thinking about him," she rolled her eyes. the bird squawked, and it sounded something like laughter. mocking laughter. "i'm really not," she shrugged, finally sliding the black headband over her blonde curls. she turned from side to side, scrutinizing herself. this was good. not too dressy for a first meeting, but good enough to maybe give a little spoiler. she was just trying to keep his attention, seal the deal, per se. henry whistled from his perch and jude laughed, "wanna come with? this is only my second date since... y'know. i'm a little nervous," she smiled sheepishly as the bird shook his head from side to side jerkily. jude frowned.

since the end of her engagement, the only other time she'd gone out with a guy was jackson sharpe, somebody whom she had, unfortunately, been previously acquainted with. it was weird, because it was a blast from her past, something she actively avoided in her new skin, and it was the first man she'd... well, been anywhere with other than her ex-fiancée. being out was odd in itself, because she'd thought her escorting days were over when she put the pretty diamond onto her finger, but then it was revoked, and she found herself in the possession of a large sum of money due to her recently deceased relatives. life had taken such an unexpected turn so quickly, but being an escort was a part of who she was now, it was a part of what changed her into a person she could love rather than the memory of the little girl she loathed. the weirdest part about the outing with jack was the coincidence, for starters, and being around somebody who knew her. really knew her. somebody who knew where she'd come from, the darkest part of her past, the sheer vulnerability. it was unsettling, and in a way, she hated it. she hated being back in this town because it was like a disease, totally inescapable. she may as well have a terminal illness, because valkyrie was its geographic carbon copy. people didn't get away from valkyrie, they were always drawn back into it. it was the type of place that poisoned your very blood, that pumped venom through your heart. that was the way jude saw it. this town had broken her and built her, it was the very foundation of her motivation, and she hated it. she hated it so much, but she was more money hungry than she was hateful. she liked the house too, and it was separated from the rest of the town, secluded. but the flashbacks? the people she'd known? she had left for the reason of never looking back. she hadn't wanted to see any of them ever again. it was just a reminder, a reflection of what she once was. she had to keep reminding herself things were different now. she was different now.

she kissed henry goodbye, as was tradition, and got in the old shelby mustang she'd inherited. bright red. it didn't take long to get to the place they were supposed to dine and discuss. she was grateful that she hadn't been around when the earthquake first happened. it must have taken a lifetime to get from one place to the next due to all the destruction. she had heard the shaks, as they’d called it as kids, were still pretty beat up, some of the neighborhoods last on the list for renovations. well fine by her, because if she had the choice, she wouldn't set foot in that side of town ever again. maybe it seemed pathetic, but it all haunted her, all the memories, everything. she'd never come to peace with the person she had grown up as, she had never accepted that person. jude had jumped straight to killing her off and sticking her six feet under, never to be heard of again. why accept a part of yourself you hated? she was perfectly content with the path she had chosen. jude had decided to reinvent herself rather than come to terms with the girl she was and the life she had been destined to live. but new york had molded her into a person she loved, a person she'd always wanted to be. somebody she normally would have envied, but instead found others envying her. she now had a sort of confidence, a self of pride in herself. sure, maybe it was partly a sort of facade, but that didn't matter because she loved it. she loved who she was. other women thought she was fake, a bitch, and men saw her as some shallow whore. it was all partially accurate, and she preferred the stereotypical assumptions over the truth, so she accepted it all with open arms, which only piled onto the insults, but she welcomed insults like being showered with rose petals and applause. this life was her stage, and she was a star in her own movie, and it was a good movie, and the audience was rooting for her while all the other characters wandered aimlessly with no real purpose but to simply be there. that was what she had done, taken charge over her own life. how many people had the determination completely transform? it was a real transformation too, from a caterpillar to a butterfly. jack had said so himself, she didn't look like the ten year old running around with his kid sister anymore.

and that, that right there was where henry's stares stemmed from. people probably though she was crazy for sincerely confiding in her quirky journal with wings, but jude was truly convinced the bird listened to her, and that he understood her. call her insane, and maybe she was, but that didn't change the fact that henry the green macaw was her best friend, and he kept giving her "looks" because she kept mentioning jack, and she never mentioned anybody multiple times, especially not clientele. jude had enjoyed the date with him, yes, but she wasn't some loves truck teenager or anything. it was more that he knew the sadder side of her that left her a little breathless. it was like pulling her back into the reality of returning home. maybe this new thing was a distraction. the job reminded her of new york, of who she'd become. she liked that reminder, and right now, she was starting to feel more like she needed that reminder. so she arrived at the restaurant. it wasn't the nicest place in the world, but she'd heard about the food, so it worked for her. when she arrived, she looked around for the most presentable man. there date, or whatever it was, was set for nine o'clock, but she was already ten minute late. funny enough, as she spun in the place, looking for her guy, she saw one walking in the door in a white button up and slacks. he grinned at her. obviously he knew who she was, so that meant he must be the guy. he was tall, handsome, maybe a little stern looking, but not while he was grinning. blonde hair, green eyes, some crow's feet around his eyes, but that wasn't a huge deal. yes, she could do this. jude smiled back, waving, and he directed her to a table, setting a brief case down onto the ground next to him. her blue eyes met his, and he extended a hand which she took, "jude endsley," she announced smoothly, and he just nodded, "i know. nice to meet you. i'm jacob fell." jude withdrew her hand, sitting back in the chair, "the pleasure is all mine," just then her eyes released mister fell's, and she found herself staring at a face she had certainly not anticipated seeing. jackson sharpe. quickly, she turned her gaze back to her client.

[/justify]

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(STATUS) finished. (TAGGED) jade, whoever, whatever. yeah. (WORDS) 1,579 (OUTFIT) click. (COMMENTS) yay!! (CREDITS) me. lyrics; "dream" priscilla ahn.

[/justify]

[jackson noah sharpe]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 340px; background-image:url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/fk5qwnjpg.png); padding: 30px; border: #5d4847 solid 30px; ] IN SLOW MOTION OUTFIT CLICK TAGGED JUDE NOTES: love jade <3 --- JACK had a lot of things going on right now. he was planning a bank job, beating his mother's qualms about his bachelor status with a stick, and he was reading more about the crime in the city than he was doing crossword puzzles anymore. when it came to the crime in the city, jack really shouldn't of cared about it, but he did. he cared because major organizations were coming in, guns blazing and expecting to run valkyrie. on the other hand, there were guys like jack who were trying to make a living doing their own illegal activity. jack knew they could do their business outside the city's limits, (that how they made their fortune anyway,) but jack had spent too much time already surveying the bank. being a criminal in valkyrie, you weren't shut out from the happenings and hearings of the city. jack knew things. late at night in downtown valkyrie, the alleyways talked. of course he didn't know the inner workings of the different groups, but he did know that if he wanted to find a russian, he would go to the inferno. it was just little things, enough to wonder how he should proceed with his own techniques. of three kids, jack was the oldest. he was the first to walk, the first to graduate from high school, the first to start a career... you got the idea. his mom was expecting jack to be the first to get married, the first to give her grandkids. jack loved his mother, of course he did, but her subtle, (but not subtle) hints that she wanted jack to be happy with a woman was becoming blaringly obvious. his first mistake was telling his mom that will had set him up on yet another blind date. because of that, she called his phone the next day to ask how it was, who she was, and if they were going to be going out again soon. jack was vague. he had been vague on the details because while he enjoyed his date with jude endsley, everyone in his family knew who jude was. jude was his sister viv's best friend. his parents had scary memory like himself and they would know immediately that jude was the girl they always let hang around their house because his parents knew what kind of homelife she was being brought up in. years passed, yes, but as far as jack was concerned, it was like he was eighteen again and she was eleven. jack shuddered even thinking about it, but hell, she grew up very nicely. jack had barely been able to recognize her at first. jack was interested and he told her that. he was also planning to rob the valkyrie county bank with his friends. impossible? not for them. they just had to make it fool-proof. it had been getting hard with his favorite stalker, jules, hanging over his shoulder. jack was just growing more stressed as the days went on, and maybe because it was in valkyrie he felt more on edge than feeling a home field advantage. his brother and sister weren't helping because they felt he was hiding something and the three of them had always been pretty close growing up. but... some things you just had to keep to yourself. this was one of those things. he had gone out to dinner with his brother and sister that night without their parents and jack knew within five minutes of them sitting down to eat that ryder and viv had already talked prior to them coming together. they had gotten together to discuss how they were going to approach their big brother's situation. sure enough, right when they passed the menus to their waitress and she walked away the first thing viv had to ask was, "so... what have you been doing?" jack wanted to make one thing clear, he loved his sister, and he loved his brother but he wanted them to stay out of his business. didn't they know it was safer for them to know nothing? jack played coy, by saying he was just hanging out, enjoying his friends, that sort of thing, but ryder, the up and coming lawyer had to clarify his sister's question by saying, "your job, jackie. you walk around in expensive suits and watches and expect us to think your unemployed." yeah, well, jack was an extremely good dresser. he did sort of walk around looking like he was important. possibly more important than who he was, but hey, he looked good doing it. he calming explained to his siblings that he might have been fired from his job and blacklisted to any financial position to any company, but he didn't lose his memory of dealing with money. jack just said he and his friends were investors and things were paying off for them. he wanted dinner with his siblings to be relaxing, instead? he felt interrogated and by the time their check came, jack was just irritated and he demanded he pay for all their meals because he could. he didn't know why his siblings put him in such a bad mood, but he had mentally checked out of their closing conversations. thankfully, his night wasn't ending there because he was meeting people for drinks. however, now jack just wanted to get belligerently drunk at the bars with his friends and throw his expensive suits and watches around at random people and just buy new expensive stuff in the morning at equally expensive places. why? well, because he could. teach his siblings a damn lesson even if they wouldn't be there. jack would show them. jack was hoping that a night of drinking would lighten his mood. he still said goodbye to his siblings with a smile on his face but when he turned around on the sidewalk, he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked down the street. he was downtown, he always liked the city at night downtown because it wasn't dead. the lights still were on bright and there were always groups of people moseying around the sidewalks grabbing something to eat, smoking, or being with their friends. jack looked down at checked his watch. he was meeting people at 9:30 pm, and jack mentally decided he wanted to wake up the next morning and question how the fuck he even got home. yup, he was looking forward to that kind of night. first, it would be shots on him, then he'd tell the bartender if he kept them coming he'd leave a handsome tip. if at the end of the night, jack wasn't on top of table saying he was king of the world, he would be extremely disappointed. he didn't get drunk often, but when he did, it was like new year's eve and someone's 21st birthday party smashed into one night. he barely got down the two blocks to the bar he was going to when something, or should he say someone caught his eye. sitting inside some restaurant was jude talking to someone he knew was plucked from some golf course in los angeles. jack should know, he lived there for three years. he looked up at the sign hanging from the building. china wok. the fuck? if jack hadn't been in such a pissy mood... no, he'd still do this anyway. jack walked into the restaurant where a hostess greeted him. "just one?" jack shook his head, "i'm with that party over there." the best part? was that jude noticed him at that point. he brushed pass the hostess and walked over to a table that was clearly a table for two. pulling an unoccupied chair from an empty table next to their table and joined the tiny table. he looked at the los angeles tool and then at jude before raising his eyebrows. "really?" la-boy looked at jack and started an "excuse me?" but jack just chose to ignore him. "can i talk to you for a minute?" jack asked jude. "do you know this guy?" jacked rolled his eyes and got up and started walking back the way he came, towards the entrance. he turned back around seeing jude following him out of the restaurant. his hands were back in his pocket and walking towards the edge of the sidewalk by parked cars. "you know he's only trying to sleep with you, right?" THE BLAST IS BEAUTIFUL

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TEMPLATE BY KHRISTIAN @ CAUTION 2.0, LYRICS BY SNOW PATROL

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[jude maureen endsley]

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---SHE OPENED HER EYES TO SEE A WOMAN CRYING. it was all so fast, so confusing, but she could hear the screams, the shock, the pain. her vision was shaky, nothing seemed clear. it rang in the air, and the first person she saw was a young woman hovering over a small figure. her brain was telling her to go help the obviously distressed mother, but her body protested. she was so tired, so sore. her eyes closed again briefly, she could hardly process what was happening, what was going on. the last thing she remembered was.... "oh my god," she croaked, trying to get up but not finding herself able to, "jack?" she could hardly hear her own voice, but maybe that was because of all the noise around. time seemed frozen, everything moved too slowly, or maybe it was too quickly. she felt her eyelids grow heavy and she rested her cheek back down on the asphalt. when she lifted her head again, the mother was still there, but now there was a paramedic with her. it couldn't have been that long then, could it? or had he always been there? there was a sharp pain throbbing through her skull, and she was vaguely aware of the fluid sliding down her face, her hair damp. where was jack? he'd been there. she could remember that much, she could remember them outside, and he pushed her, right? she thought that was how it had happened, so where was he? suddenly the pain was becoming extremely more evident. she picked herself up, balancing precariously on her knees, one arm went to probe her head, but she was stunned by the sudden lash of pain in it. she looked down to see a particularly large piece of glass lodged into it. there was blood everywhere, and she was sure it was the sticky substance clotting against her skin now. overwhelmed, she leaned over on all four and threw up onto the street. it was only seconds before she felt a hand on her back. the stranger helped her sit up, a paramedic. he flashed a light into her eyes, and he was saying something to her, but the ringing in her ears had gotten so loud that she couldn't hear a thing that left his lips. the pain reverberated through her body, her head felt like it was being beaten from the inside out. it was too much, and then she felt herself shaking, there were black spots in her vision, getting bigger and bigger. she was losing her grip, and then everything was black.

only a few minutes earlier she had been sitting in china wok. "so miss endsley, what brings you out here from new york?" this mr. fell asked, obviously only partaking in pleasantries for the sake of being polite. jude shrugged, a tight smile on her lips. she could see jack approaching in her peripherals, "oh you know, new people, new adventures," her brow raised ever so slightly, she brought her glass of water to her lips, sipping quietly as he heinously pulled up an uninvited chair. jacob fell stared at him wide eyed, then at jude. she just shrugged innocently, but she could feel the blood going to her face, her cheeks lighting up like a fire engine. he had no right to be here, to do this for her. they had gone on a date, one date, and she had only been there because she had been paid to be there. he was out of line, walking around like he owned her, embarrassing her. it was absurd. when jack asked if she was acquainted with mr. fell all she did was stare at him with an appalled expression. it was still surreal that he was even here, barging in. suddenly he shoved out of the chair and stormed off. jude smiled sheepishly at jacob, "i'm really sorry. big brothers," she couldn't think of anything better, so she rolled her eyes as she mentioned big brothers. jude followed him, furious. he had just made a huge fool out of her. "jack, stop," she whispered fiercely behind him, her eyebrows scrunching together, the blood boiling behind her pale skin. she strode faster and faster, catching up easily. tall girl with long legs perk. she followed him outside. "you know he's only trying to sleep with you, right?" for some reason that felt like a slap across the face. it hurt a little bit, mostly because she was well aware that that was the only thing a man could want with her, right? check out her record of men in the past, they usually weren't following her around for her witty personality or her hyper-intelligent brains. she heard a gruff voice behind her, "i'll call you later, miss endsley," jacob was standing there with his coat. he nodded politely before walking down the sidewalk and around the corner. jude just watched. it felt like a lifetime before he turned the corner.

this was why jude could never be with somebody, why she didn't let people in, why henry the green macaw was the only solid male in her life. men didn't accept her lifestyle because they were jealous and self-righteous. her lifestyle wasn't proper, it wasn't worthy of a relationship. well newsflash, she hated relationships, because that meant honesty, and to be frank, jude wasn't good at honesty. she didn't like being honest. she lied, it was what she had done since the day she turned eighteen and disappeared to the other side of the country without telling anybody. it was what she had done while she crawled her way of the social ladder, while she attended all the lavish parties and events. the only thing real about her was her name, and her hair color. the personalities? the pasts? it was a fraud, a hoax. there was something about self-loathing that made somebody keep their mouth shut when it came to anything real. she knew men couldn't handle this, even women couldn't handle this. thus her lack of friendships. people didn't like liars. the one person she'd ever opened up to, her fiancée, had paid her to "disappear." granted, he was more a selfish bastard who didn't like the idea of commitment, but he probably wasn't crazy about being with the escort from valkyrie california's own toilet bowl. in that world, everything was about appearances, and when somebody who put on a facade of appearances every day finally shed her skin and was condemned for it, well, it didn't leave a whole lot of silver linings involving honesty. lies were better, because if people rejected them, they were fake, it didn't hurt, because it wasn't real. jude had fought and clawed her entire life, for years. now here she was in a good place, and why would she want to fight some more? she wanted to take an easy road, she wanted to live off lies and blonde curls and smoke and mirrors. that sounded appealing to her, it sounded perfect. she wasn't looking for marriage, a white picket fence, two point five kids, and a golden retriever. she would be a horrible wife, a horrible mother, and quite frankly, she hated anything with fur. so no, she wasn't looking for a happily ever after, and part of that stemmed from fear of marrying her father. her mother probably hadn't realized what a psycho case he'd been when they met... what if jude found herself wrapped up in the same thing?

she turned around all of a staring, staring at jack. her shoulders went limp as she shook her head, "isn't that the point, jack?" she mumbled in response to his accusation of her client only wanting her for sex. "i may not sleep with them all, but sex appeal is a part of my job," she could feel the fire spitting back through her veins. she was livid. this was why jude didn't involve people. and if they expected her to just lie down and let them walk all over her, they had another thing coming. she spent eighteen years being controlled, and then she had to behave while on the job, but on any other occasion she was fully armed and ready to go to war. "it's not like he'd be the only person wanting sex on a first date," she snapped, glaring at him, implying he was no different from anybody else she'd ever met, "so you know what?" she took a few steps forward, standing right in front of him, "you can go to hell," she hissed, a fire in her eyes. she hadn't felt such sincere emotion in a while. she pushed past him, throwing her shoulder into his. that was when it happened, the explosion. she didn't really remember much of it, just the glass shattering china wok glass, a deafening roar, and she thought she felt somebody try to pull her out of the way, but that could have just been the sheer force of the explosion throwing her around like a rag doll. regardless, it launched her far away from the front of the restaurant, out into the street. that was when she opened her eyes to the crying mother, to the blood, the cuts. it was so chaotic, and yet she couldn't hear anything, just the vague sounds beyond the ringing. it was like a thick veneer was plastered over her ears, significantly lowering the volume on everything but an intense ringing that shook her skull. but the entire thing was too much for her. she felt herself slipping, and she lost consciousness as the emt reached her. "i could use some help over here!" he called, forcing his arms under her to pick her up and get her to the ambulance.

the next thing jude knew, she was in a hospital bed. her entire body was sore, but it was dull. she was awake for a while before she was finally able to open her eyes, and they searched the empty white room. a hospital? she noticed the i.v. in her arms, and the thick gauze wrapping it up. all of a sudden she noticed a nurse, young and haggard looking, "welcome back miss endsley," she said as cheerfully as she could manage, "you were in an explosion. the china wok building blew up. you are okay aside from some major cuts and bruises. you'll probably have to stay for a few days in order to recover. none of your bones are broken, but you have some muscle damage. all in all, you got out lucky, and i think your boyfriend is still somewhere around here too," jude was having a hard time processing it all, remembering, but the word boyfriend definitely threw her off. everything else may be foggy, but she knew for a fact that she didn't have a boyfriend, "who-" she began before noticing another familiar face enter the room.

[/justify]

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(STATUS) finished. (TAGGED) jade, whoever, whatever. yeah. (WORDS) 1,826 (OUTFIT) click. (COMMENTS) yaay. (CREDITS) me. lyrics; "dream" priscilla ahn.

[/justify]

[jackson noah sharpe]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 340px; background-image:url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/fk5qwnjpg.png); padding: 30px; border: #5d4847 solid 30px; ] IN SLOW MOTION OUTFIT CLICK TAGGED JUDE NOTES: love jade <3 --- JACK didn't know why he was so angry with jude. he really had no reason to be. they had only been on one date and jack was overreacting. however, in combination with what just happened at dinner and just being generally irritated, seeing jude with some other guy just made him a little jealous for some reason. it probably also didn't help that there was just more history with jude. "history" being he knew her when she was ten. and really? he barely knew her because he had been on his way out and he really didn't get involved with his sister and her friends unless it was to pick them up from the mall or the movies. in addition to that, jack liked her, plain and simple. he really hadn't been in a relationship since he started robbing banks. he had a girl friend in los angeles, but when jack was black listed, the girl dropped him for no longer being someone. jack didn't smoke but as he paced the edge of the sidewalk, he sure could have used one. "isn't that the point, jack?" he looked back at her and shook his head, scoffing. was she being serious? he knew that she was an escort... one of the good ones if you could call it like that, but she made herself sound like some hooker. "no. it shouldn't be, at least." he was talking and he didn't know what he was talking about. it wasn't until she said, "it's not like he'd be the only person wanting sex on a first date," that he got really pissed. she told him that he could go to hell. "you didn't have sex with me, or did will not pay you enough?" he regretted it the moment he said it but she was pushing past him when he said it. and then? he was laying face down in the middle of the street. jack didn't know what happened. disoriented would have been an understatement. and for an over-active mind like jack's that was scary. his arm hurt he started coughing immediately as he tried to pull himself up. he squinted when a bright light was in his eyes. he turned to his right. headlights. he continued to cough. what the hell just happened. the headlights turned off and he saw someone open the car door and close it. shouldn't he be able to hear? a man came rushing up to him. "sir. sir. are you ok?" the voice was incredibly muffled and jack just stared at the man in front of him. he felt hands on his shoulders and the support was much needed. "i'm... fine. where's jude?" he was right next to her, they were fighting. "what happened?" where did she go? she was just pushing past him... and then he was here. "i don't know man... china wok just blew up. i was just driving down the street and then." the man shook his head in disbelief and jack followed the man's line of vision to china wok, which was engulfed in flames. what? he was just in there. "i was just in there." jack started making moved to stand and the man helped him. "you were in there?" jack got on his two feet and steadied himself with the help of the man. "jude. she was standing next to me." he looked around and the whole street looked like it was ripped out of an apocalypse movie. smoke filled the skies, debris, soot, and burn marks littered the streets and fell down like rain. "are you ok, man?" jack nodded as his eyes fell on jude getting support from what looked like an emt. "i'm fine. thanks." jack looked back at the man, just to show that yeah, he was ok and he walked over to jude at the emt, with another emt coming over with a stretcher. she didn't look conscious. "is she ok?" he asked, making sure he was still out of the way of them helping her onto the stretcher. "you know her?" jack nodded and decided to just follow them. was she dead? "is she ok?" and emt looked over at him. "she just passed out. we need to get her on the bus before we can see the rest of her injuries." he followed them straight to the ambulance and one of the emts stopped him. "sorry you can't ride with us." they were pushing jude in the back and jack said the first thing that came to his mind. "i'm her boyfriend." the emt nodded and let him board the ambulance with them. it was a silent ride on his part. he didn't know if he should say anything because he didn't want to be a distraction for them. he just answered the basic question they asked him, "what's her name?" "jude endsley." "how old is she?" "twenty one." jack road the short way to valkyrie's hospital and he just followed. "she's going to be ok, right?" he asked. "she should be fine, but sir, we need to do our job, ok?" jack nodded. he knew they had to do what they needed to do. but he still felt out of it and as he continued to follow the stretcher when they got inside the hospital a nurse stopped him. "you can't go back there, sir. the doctors will do everything they can." he stared at the swinging doors. "sir, are you ok?" he was sick of people asking if he was ok. jack shrugged off his jacket, suddenly too hot. "i'm fine." he started to turn towards the waiting room but the nurse caught him again. "your arm...." maybe it was adrenaline, or maybe jack just truly didn't feel it, but blood was soaking through his his shirt around his lower arm near his hand. "oh," he just stated. the nurse had him sit down along the side of the hallway in a chair and made him roll his shirt up. he knew there were more people more injured than he was and he saw them come in more frequently and quickly. person after person. people with burns, people with broken bones, people barely holding on to their lives. "you just scraped some tissue." jack focused back on the nurse. "oh." "we'll just wrap it and you can go." go? "i came in with... my girlfriend. how is she?" the nurse nodded, suddenly remembering she did stop him from going beyond what he could. "i'll pass you off to another nurse and i'll go check for you." jack spent another half hour not knowing anything. the nurse that wrapped his arm must have been a med student because she looked nervous as hell. and all the experienced medical personnel were dealing with injuries far worse than his. when a doctor finally located him, he said jude was fine beside some damaged muscles, however she was still unconscious so she should wake up anytime. the doctor asked some medical questions about jude. like if she was allergic to any medicines. that jack really had no idea. it's not like he could ask her parents... because they were dead. but the doctor showed him to her room. the next few hours, jack stayed at the hospital. he guessed he really didn't have to, but he felt like he had to. they had been there, standing at the edge of the street and then... they weren't. jack was lucky he didn't hurt anything more than a scraped arm. when he went into the bathroom that was in jude's room, his face was dirty with soot, and he had only minor scratches on his face that the med student cleaned out. but really? he'd wake up tomorrow and be fine. what the hell, man? he had been in china wok moment before it fucking blew up. why the fuck did china wok blow up? he washed his face and kind of just moseyed around the room. finally, he went to go get some coffee as the hours crept into the 2 and 3 am. even for it to be the early hours of the morning, the hospital was still packed. he filled coffee up in a styrofoam cup and walked back to jude's room. he heard talking as he got closer. it was the nurse talking to her. she must have woken up. the nurse mentioned her boyfriend and jack internally groaned. considering the conversation they had before they had almost been blown up. he entered the room and the nurse smiled at him. "he's been here all night," the nurse said and moved passed him and left the room. "glad you woke up," he said approaching her bedside. "about the boyfriend thing... it's the only way they'd let me ride in the ambulance with you." he sat down in the chair next to her bed and put his coffee on the table next to him. "how are you feeling?" THE BLAST IS BEAUTIFUL

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TEMPLATE BY KHRISTIAN @ CAUTION 2.0, LYRICS BY SNOW PATROL

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[jude maureen endsley]

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---SHE HAD SPENT HER ENTIRE LIFE BEING CONTROLLED. her dad had always hovered over her, dictating her every move, her every choice. it was like walking on eggshells, one wrong step and it would all come crashing down. making the right choice made the difference between being smacked around or not. it made the difference between a noticeable bruise or not. she hated every second of her life in that house, but she played by the rules for the sake of self-preservation. she was chained to making decisions he would approve of, being if she didn't, well, that would give him incentive, something he had enough of even when she did nothing to upset him. it felt like her entire life she had been suffering from a bleak oppression, something completely inescapable. she didn't know what to do, she never had that power. it tore her up inside, forcibly pumping cold blood through her heart. she had to hold to the hope that she would get out some day, that someday she would be free to make her own decisions. hope was fragile, it was broken, and it was only a flicker of light in her desolate past, but it was hard to kill. impossible to kill. when the hope died, that would mean jude died, and she wouldn't let that happen. she was a fighter, and every day when she looked in the mirror through a swollen eye, she would tell herself she was another day closer, that she was going to be gone, and she would be great. she wouldn't always be controlled. she would hold her whole life in the palms of her hands. that is what kept jude endsley alive. not hopes of love, or prince charming, or college, but freedom. freedom was what kept her heart beating, what kept her eyes bright. if she let go of freedom, she let go of life. and for a girl who spent her entire life living under somebody's thumb, she hadn't planned on commitment, on a man in her life. her fiancée was another story, because while a friendship developed between them, they lived separately. he didn't try to control her. she was done being controlled.

maybe that was why jack was infuriating her. he was sitting here trying to control her. she felt like he was trying to force her into something, into being somebody else. well, she wasn't somebody else. she was the damaged shak girl who sold herself for money. that was her job, that was her life, that was her saving grace. he had no right to march into her life and start throwing around demands, accusations. he didn't own her. this wasn't his business. it brought back the anger she had for her father, except this time she could say something about it, she could defend herself. "like hell it should be!" she snapped back. did he not comprehend her occupation, what an escort was? she was supposed to be pretty, supposed to make other men covet her, and other women envy her. it was her job. it was her livelihood. it was the paycheck that kept her happy for the past couple of years. what did jackson sharpe know? "you didn't have sex with me, or did will not pay you enough?" jude's mouth flew open for a second. her eyes widened, and the blood rushed to her face, her hands trembling with fury. did he really have the audacity to say that to her? the sheer, flagrant fuckery to throw something like that back at her? she couldn't believe it. so much for him "liking" her, or caring. she should have known, she should have known people were selfish. nobody had ever wanted her for more than her body, nobody had ever looked past the perfect blond curls and the thickening black mascara. they didn't see beneath the glittery dresses and the sparkling jewelry. why would jackson sharpe be any different from them? why would she ever let herself think that? this was why she never even considered it, for this reason alone. he was no different from anybody else she had ever met. the world was a never ending parade of ostentatious stupidity. she was ready to turn around and punch him in the face before the building exploded.

the world wasn't fair. that was all she could think of. how could whatever divinity that existed out there think it was okay to put somebody through hell their whole life, then kill them off at twenty one? it sounded selfish, and maybe it was, but that was how she felt. when a building blew up in your face, you were supposed to die. everybody inside, and everybody around it was supposed to die. hadn't valkyrie seen enough death? hadn't this world seen enough death? it was mind blowing how people could have such little regard for human life. was the heartbeat of another person really so insignificant? jude couldn't picture herself killing somebody, let alone somebody who was completely innocent. who had caused the explosion, who was behind it? who had been the target? either somebody was extremely allergic to chinese food, or there was a whole hell of a lot more going on in this half ass town than any of the citizens were aware of. where were the police? shouldn't they have been protecting people from something like this? it was breath taking, it was impossible, and yet it had happened. she could have died, and what a horrible way to die it would have been, fighting, feeling those emotions. that wasn't how she was supposed to die, and it was a miracle that she was lucky enough to live through it. but what if she had died? at least she was living a life she loved. at least she had succeeded in following through with her promises, that she escaped. hell, she'd even gone to italy! the little girl she once was would never have dreamed of italy, she never would have dreamed of being so wealthy, so successful. jude did consider herself successful. even if people looked down on her career, she didn't care, because she loved it. she didn't have to work anymore, and maybe she would quit and find another passion, but for now she held onto it. no matter what anybody else said, they wouldn't understand how far she had come. anybody who hadn't experienced it firsthand would never get it. that was the plain and simple truth.

when jack walked into the room and the nurse mentioned he'd been there all night, she almost asked the woman to stay in the room, but she was gone before jude could open her mouth. it felt like her stomach was in her throat, and her head hurt, and her entire body was sore. she wasn't sure if these were side effects from the explosion, or from jack himself, but what she did know was that she wanted more morphine. "glad you woke up," he began. she didn't respond, only watching his face, her jaw clenched in silence. he explained the boyfriend thing, and jude looked away from him them, out the window. it was somewhat dark outside, but she could tell the sun would be coming up soon. she just wanted to go home, and she wanted to see her bird, and she wanted to lie in bed and eat chocolate and watch movies and cry. but she hadn't cried since she was ten years old, so why start now? "how are you feeling?" she heard him ask. instead of responding at the moment, she continued to stare out the window. she was going over what had happened before the explosion in her head. how he walked in sounding like an angry, possessive drunk, how he ruined her business transaction, how she followed him out, and the words they had thrown at each other. she could remember his last sentence clearly. "you didn't have sex with me, or did will not pay you enough?" she could feel the blood going to her cheeks just thinking about it, her hands clenching the blanket draped over her. that wasn't what she was trying to remember though. she was trying to think if she'd seen a clue, if she'd seen anything that could explain why that building had blown up, but she couldn't. she remembered seeing her infuriated expression reflected in the glass, and she remembered seeing people entering and leaving. she remembered seeing various people inside, completely oblivious to what was about to happen. she couldn't help but wonder how many of them had survived the explosion. but she couldn't remember one suspicious subject, one thing out of the ordinary. it was blank, and it frustrated her. she wanted answers.

"i've been better," she replied curtly after a few minutes, still not looking at him. why was he here? "you didn't have to stay," she said again, wincing as she swallowed. she was dreading the hour when she would see herself in a mirror. how much damage had been done to her perfect face? that was her money maker, after all. she shouldn't say it, she really shouldn't, but she couldn't help herself, "nobody's paying you to stick around," she was still pissed off that he'd had the nerve to say that to her, that in some crazy world that sounded okay to him. he was rich, he'd always been rich. he had a good family, he had probably always gotten everything he ever wanted. he probably had wanted will to pay more... so they could have... jude's nostrils flared slightly as she turned her head down to her lap, her fingers now knotting together. they were scarred and scratched, she could see the bruises and dried cuts on her arms and wrists. it was still so surreal, everything. she should have stayed home, and none of this would have happened. none of it.

[/justify]

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(STATUS) finished. (TAGGED) jade, whoever, whatever. yeah. (WORDS) 1,658 (OUTFIT) click. (COMMENTS) yaay. (CREDITS) me. lyrics; "dream" priscilla ahn.

[/justify]

[jackson noah sharpe]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 340px; background-image:url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/fk5qwnjpg.png); padding: 30px; border: #5d4847 solid 30px; ] IN SLOW MOTION OUTFIT CLICK TAGGED JUDE NOTES: ksdhfsfs. love them --- HE knew what he had said was wrong. who was he to judge so harshly on what she did when he could go to prison for what he did? he didn't mean what he said that will must not have paid her more so she could sleep with him. well, it definitely came out that way, but could he use the excuse that it had been in the heat of the moment? or in actuality, before the heat since it was pretty much the last thing he said before he woke up face down in the middle of the street. tonight was something you saw in the movies. a building blew up behind him and he was sure he probably didn't look as graceful flaying through the air on the impact from the blast. but this? this had been real. real people were injured and probably dying. by now everyone had probably been found downtown. even if it had only happened a few hours ago, jack felt like it was a dream you woke up from and couldn't remember all the details, you just remembered bits and pieces of it. and with jack, not remembering every little detail posed a problem. jack just liked knowing everything that happened and he didn't remember that much. scarily enough, jude's hospital room had a good view of the downtown area, and jack watched it for about fifteen minutes, by then, the fire had been contained and eventually died down thanks to the fire department. everyone's job was far from done, though. jack knew what was coming. the fbi. explosions like that sort of generated attention. especially when they linked, and they would eventually, to the crime organizations residing in valkyrie. because as jack had watched it from the hospital room, it definitely wasn't done by an amateur and it wasn't done just for shits and giggles. that had been planned and executed perfectly. of course, jack had just been in that damned restaurant seconds before it had exploded. his cellphone hadn't been damaged as he was thrown across the street, so he made sure to send out text messages to his parents and siblings saying he was ok and had been no where near the blast. he also asked if they were all ok. they were too, and jack was thankful for that. he lied because saying he had been there would pose question. he definitely couldn't tell them that he was in the hospital. he couldn't tell vivienne that he was hanging out in the room that was being occupied by her best friends. too many questions at one time, and he wasn't exactly on the loving of terms with his siblings at the moment. he loved them and he was glad they were ok, he was just still upset about how things had gone down and he was still irritated with the both of them, but he still cared. half of him was wondering if jude even remembered what had happened. maybe when she was knocked on conscious, she forgot what he said. maybe she would forget most of what had been going on and she would need clarification why she was with him. he knew all of this was highly unlikely, but he could wish, couldn't he? it took a whole five seconds for jack to realize that she remembered everything. she just stared at him and then instead of saying anything, she just turned to look out the window. so, she was mad, and she had the right to be. he didn't mean to hurt her feelings. sometimes things just slipped out, right? jack did have to say though, that if it wasn't for his childish, angry, outburst jude could quite possibly be dead right now. so, while she was going to give him the silent treatment, maybe she would think about that, huh? when he sat down next to her, he wondered if staying had been a bad idea. no. nothing was worse than waking up alone not know what was going on. jack had to stay, he wasn't like that. even if they had been fighting up until the blast, he wasn't just going to leave. besides, where else was he going to go? just, go back to his apartment? this wasn't something you could just sleep off and feel better in the morning. jack wasn't even tired right now. threeish in the morning, and he felt like he could go run a marathon if he was given the opportunity. he watched her though, as he sat down and as she looked out the window. he wondered what she was thinking about. what a terrible person he was? what the hell happened? or being around him was the last place she wanted to be? jack would guess all three. she did just wake up, so it wasn't like the nurse gave her every little detail about tonight. jack had been up since he woke up on the ground. the waiting room talk was all about what was going on. different renditions of different stories and accounts. who people thought did it, saying they saw someone die. gossip. jack was sure though the waiting room talk was more entertaining than what the news would have to say because the news had to tell the truth, and jack was guessing the media didn't know too much about what was going on right now. after a few minutes passed of dead silence, jude finally spoke and said that she felt better. she still wasn't looking at him. "you didn't have to stay," she added. jack leaned back in his chair. "i know i didn't have to, but i wanted to," he told her. he wanted to add that he didn't think mr. sperrys from los angeles who graduated from frat university would have stayed here with her all night and wait for her to wake up. but, he thought he was probably pushing his luck if he talked ill of her potential client. which, he secretly hoped wouldn't end up being business partners if you knew what he meant... "nobody's paying you to stick around." she was referencing his last sentence. so he defintiely knew now that she remembered everything up until the blast. the funny this was that jack didn't want her to think that even if will had paid more, he would have had sex with her. did he want to sleep with her? well... yeah. but not like that. you see, jack knew what he did for a living was illegal. and he knew technically what she did wasn't illegal but really, jack didn't see why it was. he knew escorts just... escorted rich people around to parties and events and sometimes the clients would buy them jewelry and presents, and he knew clients often had sex with their "escorts." and so the escorts got paid. jack had seen numerous of these business arrangements in la. it was a strange legal form of prostitution in jack's opinion. it was a gray matter to him. jack looked down into his lap and sighed. "yeah, i deserved that. and i probably deserve the next four insults you got forming in your brain." he picked up his coffee and took another sip. "jude... come on. look at me," he said and waited until her stubbornness got the best of her and she looked at him. "i'm sorry for what i said back there. i had been at dinner with my brother and sister and they were just irritating and excusing and... well, they put me in a really bad mood. when i was walking past the china wok and i saw you with the guy from los angeles, i don't know... i just snapped. i know what you do is your business and i shouldn't have interfered with that." he leaned forward and perched his arms on the edge of her bed. "i didn't mean what i said. even if... i wouldn't have slept with you anyway. i think i respect you too much." THE BLAST IS BEAUTIFUL

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TEMPLATE BY KHRISTIAN @ CAUTION 2.0, LYRICS BY SNOW PATROL

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[jude maureen endsley]

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---AFTER TONIGHT, JUDE WAS DETERMINED TO NEVER SET FOOT OUTSIDE OF HER HOUSE ONCE SHE GOT HOME. this was all too much for her, it was scary, and she didn't want to be a part of it. what on earth had happened? why had the restaurants blown up? she seriously doubted it was a cooking mishap, although that was probably what it would be played off as. she may not be hyper intelligent, but she sure as hell wasn't stupid enough to think that was an accident. that or maybe she was just overly paranoid. what was with this town? she didn't have a single good memory within the border of valkyrie, california that could shine through all the bleakness and bad times she'd seen during her stay here. well, other than getting rich quick through her grandparents whom she'd never spoken to a day in her life. that was legitimately the best thing she could recall about valkyrie. of course there were small, nice things. but nothing that stood out. this explosion would just be added to the infinite list of bad. somehow it just didn't seem to be fair, what a rotten bit of luck. or absence of luck, considering it seemed like hers had run dry the day she was born. but seriously, what was going to come next? was she going to become blind and deaf, maybe lose a limb? she was so frustrated, and what she really needed was a mirror, because her face felt like it had been date raped by a baseball bat. her looks were her money, or well, technically that wasn't the case anymore. so at least if she was now a hairless chewbacca protégé, she was going to a rich son of a bitch. still, the idea of being a hideous mass of humanity wasn't very pleasant, as shallow as it sounded, she thrived for beauty. she judged people off their looks, and she was sure they all did the same to her. everybody judged somebody by their looks, it just depended whether or not they meant to. being pretty had its perks.

and then there was always the downside. for some reason people seemed to have this fantasy that if you were pretty, your life was perfect. it was funny how incredibly off that could be. jude considered her life to be far from perfect. the only perfect thing she had was a green macaw, that was the only thing she fully appreciated and loved in her life, well, that and the massive amounts currently in her bank account. so things had been brightening up, it was just unfortunate that china wok had to explode and leave her bloody and bruised in the street. but at least scars healed and bruises cleared up. she could get all of that fixed. what wasn't so easy to heal was a broken heart, something jude endsley had been struggling with all her life, something that was resurfacing because of her recent relocation. valkyrie brought back bad memories, and not only was she getting over the surprising rejection of her fiancée, but she'd been trying to get over how her dad had treated her ever since the day she had decided to up and leave valkyrie and head for the big apple. it wasn't easy to patch yourself up emotionally, because memories always lingered. that was what made it the hardest, was the memories. looking at somebody like jude endsley, somebody would see the blonde curls and the diamonds, the red high heels and gucci clutches. what they didn't see were the well masked insecurities hidden behind the guise. jude wasn't extremely confident. yes, she knew she was beautiful, she had been blessed with beauty, but what she was insecure about was love, how people felt about her, if they could ever really want to be around her. the answer was no in her mind, and she wasn't about to test the theory, because quite frankly, jude liked being alone. sure, she enjoyed the lavish parties and luxurious gifts, but aside from the riches, she loved to sit in an empty house and bask in her freedom. companions held each other back, alone she was limitless. at least that’s what she kept telling herself.

that was probably why it was so confusing for her when jack had come barging into her meeting. it was probably why he infuriated her so much. after years of being put down and controlled and rejected, she just stopped caring about people or trying to have emotional connections with them. her fiancée was just another example of somebody who'd left. sure, she hadn't been genuinely in love with the guy, but she had loved him in her own way. he was her best friend for a while, the first person she'd really trusted and let into her life in years, and even he seemed to turn her back on her, and though it was out of lust, she couldn't help but think it had to have something to do with her personally too. it hurt to think somebody would be there and then have them disappear like nothing had ever happened, and it was just more reinforcement to encourage her introverted nature when it came to being, well, real. as far as she was concerned, jack was a blast from the past. he'd expressed interest, and she'd been fairly flirty... but that was her job, that was her guise. she'd been flirty and cute for years, and that was how she'd been getting by. yes, jack was attractive, but she didn't know him, and he didn't know her. she didn't feel some emotional connection to him, she didn't want to faint into his arms and be some damsel in distress. while she may seem dainty, she had always been fairly independent and against the typical feminine role. she could take care of herself, and she learned a long time ago not to rely on anybody. having jack act like he was some significant part of her life was foreign territory. jude wasn't used to it, and she didn't like the change, and she didn't like the fact that he'd seen her as the bruised and broken little girl she used to be. she was tired of being controlled, and now that she had all her own wealth, she had no reason to be controlled. her life was completely in her own hands, she could do whatever she wanted.

maybe it seemed harsh that she wasn't quite reciprocating his feelings. yes, she liked him, but she didn't want anything more than maybe a flirtatious outing or two. she didn't want to become attached or start to care, because caring gave somebody the power to snap you in half like a twig. it gave somebody the power to cripple, and to destroy whatever beauty had sprouted. it was better to just avoid it altogether, or that was the way jude saw it, it was the way she figured it had to be. her misty eyes redirected away from jack's face, glaring out the window in spite. the view, however, was particularly depressing and so she stared intently on a wilting flower on the bedside table next to her, probably left over from the last occupant of the room. she couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly as he expressed his "want" to be there with her. she was sick of talking, she just wanted to sleep. her jaw clenched together, flexing slightly as he went on, trying to coax her into looking at him. finally she gave him an exhausted frown, her forehead creasing as he spoke, an apathetic look on her face. she stared at a button on his dirty shirt instead of making eye contact while he spoke. her less damaged hand lifted to the bridge of her nose, squeezing it softly before sliding around to rub her temple. god, did her head hurt. but then he said something about sleeping with her and he attention perked again. she'd decided to stay quiet through his entire monologue rather than arguing, because that seemed pointless and she had little interest in going head to head with him. after he finished she just sat there, staring at the same button for a while. she really didn't know what to say back. i forgive you? much obliged? thanks for the respect? what did he want her to say? suddenly a nurse walked back into the room. "oh, sorry, i can come back," she said quickly, looking to step out. "no, please," jude mumbled, grateful for a distraction. "okay," the same nurse that she'd woken up to smiled, her eyes tired, "i was just going to ask if you had any allergies, and if the meds are keeping the pain at bay," "my head hurts, and i'm only allergic to kiwi," jude responded, promptly ignoring jack. the nurse nodded, "i'll get you something for that right away." the nurse turned to leave. "wait, when will i be allowed to leave?" jude asked quietly. the nurse turned around hesitantly, "well, there were a lot of injuries, and it has been chaotic all night. most of the doctors were diverted to more serious injuries, so will have to keep you a day or two in order to run some more tests and get a specialist in here to see if we did alright with you." jude frowned and the nurse muttered a sorry before walking out of the room.

jude sighed, biting her lip. what about henry? "look," she said, her eyes on her hands, "i'll let you off the hook, but," she paused, looking up at him, "you have to feed my bird until i can go home. and be nice to him, he'll get lonely without me, and he'll be confused," she probably sounded like a loony bin caring so much about her precious parrot, "also, i expect you to bring me food until i'm free, because i am not eating hospital slop." she stared at him seriously, like she was striking a business deal, but the resentment had left her expression.

[/justify]

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(STATUS) finished. (TAGGED) jade. (WORDS) 1,690 (OUTFIT) click. (COMMENTS) so late -begs forgiveness- (CREDITS) me. lyrics; "dream" priscilla ahn.

[/justify]

[jackson noah sharpe]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 340px; background-image:url(http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss279/legendskseeker/fk5qwnjpg.png); padding: 30px; border: #5d4847 solid 30px; ] IN SLOW MOTION OUTFIT CLICK TAGGED JUDE NOTES: ksdhfsfs. love them --- JACK was thinking. which was sometimes a dangerous thing. even though this tragedy tonight was a terrible thing, the police force of valkyrie would be so wrapped up in this investigation that other situations in the city might be overlooked. this was a blind spot that jack could use to his benefit. it was a tactic as old as time. while everyone was searching here, you could strike there. hm. it had potential and he'd have to sit down and really think about it for the future. of course, think soon, but still with time to spare. yes, this was the criminal in him that was surfacing. but he felt like he wasn't a "real" criminal. he never killed anyone, or hurt them. scared them, well yes, but jack wasn't violent. it was funny because he never had any criminal tendencies while he was growing up. he was what you would have called normal. he finished high school, went to college, and got a job. that seemed like the path most people in america followed. get a good job and make money was always the goal. well, jack had the job and was on the way to making good money, but hey, it all worked out. right now, he had a great job, and he was making buckets of money. did it matter how he did it? the thing was, jack was absolutely terrified of going to prison. because he knew at this point he'd be going for life. the team was all too deep in now to get a sentence that gave them an opportunity to maybe see beyond the prison walls. but now? no way. but, if he was ever caught, it would have been a good run. he just would rather not, because prison sounded terrible, considering rocky and ej had already been there. it didn't sound pleasant. but for some strange reason, he could see himself at ninety years old and telling someone about what he did sixty years before. but then again, he could see himself not living in the united states. somewhere overseas, where you couldn't extradited back to the united states. however, jack didn't like thinking about the future because it was all unclear and anything could change in just a moment. one day at a time, one job at a time, without looking forward to anything long term. jack didn't understand why he was so upset about seeing jude with mr. los angeles. he knew they went on one date, and even if they did get along well, it came down to the fact that it was one date. if he could explain it, he would tell her, but he couldn't and that confused him more than anything. maybe it was because he knew her ten years ago. but even then, he didn't know her. viv knew her, they happened to be friends. but jack... jack basically just remembered her. as they sat in silence, jack looked down at his watch. the nurse would be in any second. they were on a schedule of coming around every fifteen minutes. on cue, he heard the nurse's voice behind him, caught by surprise and trying to excuse herself, but jude said it was ok. jack sighed and leaned back in his chair as the nurse asked if jude was allergic to anything. then she said that jude would be in the hospital for another day or so. yeah, jack could see that. the hospital was filled with bleeding and injured people, even when they did get the rest of the doctor's in, it was going to take some time to monitor everyone and make sure there were no other internal injuries. jack didn't understand why he wasn't more injured. he had been standing there right next to her when the bomb went off and he wasn't lying in a hospital bed. it was strange how the impact affected people differently. he was virtually unscathed. well, he had a scraped arm that needed wrapping up and some cuts on his face, but it was nothing that wouldn't clear up within the week. he was sure that there were people standing farther away from him that got hit worse, too. the debris had been raining down after the blast, people probably got hit from pieces of building. jack also wondered how many people died. there had been a substantial amount of people that were still in the restaurant. there was probably a chance that people did survive, burned, but still alive. this was going to bring national attention to valkyrie. from the violence to the deaths, people would eat that shit up. the nurse left and jack wondered if jude was just going to ignore his apology, or even ignore him altogether. then she sighed and looked at him. "you have to feed my bird until i can go home. and be nice to him, he'll get lonely without me, and he'll be confused," jack blinked. then she said how he had to bring her food the next couple days she'd be in the hospital. that was probably against hospital rules, but jack stopped following those. but he was still stuck on... bird. she had a bird? "you... want me to feed... your bird," jack stated slowly. yup, it still sounded just as strange when she told him. "what's his name?" jack asked. he was actually surprised she had a bird. he wouldn't have guessed. jack had always wanted a bird but, he used to be too busy to have one. even now, he felt like he couldn't devote time into having one. his sister had always wanted one too when they were all growing up in the house, but that never seemed to become a reality. jack was living in one of those nice apartment buildings downtown. it was nicely decorated and had been a major step up from the piece of shit she had been renting three years ago. his parents had begged him to move back in when jack returned to los angeles with his tail in between his legs. but jack wasn't having it. it had been the point when vivienne had just started college, and ryder was well college career, so for his parents, all the kids had left the nest and though they had the family house, they had been traveling a lot for long periods of time and they said they would come back to the states to help him get adjusted, because, you know, he was then unemployed. but jack wouldn't have it. no, but now, he had moved up, and his family was uneasy on how he did it, but jack always remained mum on the job and money topic. one of the reasons why he was getting into the fight with his siblings tonight. in his opinion, what he did with his personal life was no one's business - even his family's. it had been three years since he started robbing banks and pulling off seemingly impossible heists. at first, it was for the money. but now? it was for the thrill, the challenge, success, and recognition. of course, they'd never be personally recognized but... they were infamous, ghosts, but infamous. he sat up a little taller in his chair. "so, you want me to come by the next couple days?" he asked with a small smirk. "i just want to make sure i'm hearing you right, that's all." he shrugged and shook his head. "i'll bring you food and feed your bird, but when you get better, you might have to do something for me," jack leaned in a bit more raising his eyebrow slightly. "not to be cocky, but i'll remind you that i did save your life, so you have to start being nicer to me." THE BLAST IS BEAUTIFUL

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TEMPLATE BY KHRISTIAN @ CAUTION 2.0, LYRICS BY SNOW PATROL

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