holding on for life

Amelia It wasn't going to be easy, but after the discussion she had with Vaughn, and after she had felt the anger that rolled off of him in waves, Amelia knew there was no choice but to leave. Vaughn had offered his car up, and if Amelia hadn't been so high strung, she would've said no. As Vaughn's house grew smaller and smaller in the rearview window, Amelia felt something drop into the pit of her stomach. She had to say goodbye first. To Harmony, to Dustin, to Jasmine. She couldn't just leave, not without saying her goodbyes- but what good would any of that do if Jacob, or whoever it was he was working with, followed her? He could've tipped whoever off by now, and the brunette needed to get the hell out of there. The only person she could see that wouldn't cause any raised eyebrows as Harmony. She was human. She was safe. Even if Amelia had doubts that Lance was safe, Harmony was. It was only a matter of time before the brunette was parked in front of Harmony's and Lance's place. Getting out of the car, Amelia hurried to the front door, her senses on high alert. Knocking on the door, Amelia took a step back. "Harmony?!"

Harmony ‘s head bobbed back and forth as she swayed to the music coming out of her iPod. Queen had always been one of her favorites and always pumped her up, which was good considering her current activity. She steadied her hand as she dragged the paintbrush across the poster board and she sang softly along with Freddie Mercury. Leaning back, she looked at her creation and smiled with the finished product. Four signs down, two more to go. Picking the poster board up, she walked over and leaned the sign against the wall to dry among the other picket signs. Passing out anti-hunting/pro-lycan fliers at the local gun shops was good, but protesting was better. After hearing the news of Jesse’s death, she knew she had to do something. Her friend was dead, her brother had been shot, and her best friend had almost been murdered. And it all had to stop. Even if she had to stop it herself. Grabbing another blank piece of poster board, she headed back over to the kitchen table and was just about to sit down when a knock sounded at the door. The voice that followed it sent a happy jolt through her and she jumped out of her chair and trotted over to answer the door. She threw the girl a smile as she swung open the door. “Hey, Melly Mel!”

Amelia As soon as the door was opened, Amelia ushered the girl inside. She couldn't take the chance of somebody seizing her, and although her overactive imagination was going full force, she had to be safer than sorry. Closing the door behind her, Amelia scrunched her nose up at the different scents as they tangled their way through her nose. Amelia had taken a few minutes back in the car before leaving Vaughn's to rid herself of the marked cheeks and smeared lipstick, but she knew that Harmony would be able to see right through the facade she was now carrying. "Harmony, I've got to talk to you." Taking ahold of her best friend's hand, Amelia squeezed it tightly, her throat constricting as she let the words tumbled off of her tongue. "Something happened and I've got to leave. I'm not coming back."

Harmony let her friend guide her back inside the apartment. Mel was acting weird and a concerned frown etched onto Harmony’s forehead as she studied the girl in front of her. The fact that Amelia was clutching her hand tipped her off. Something was wrong. It took a second for the words to sink in. “You’re what?” she asked, her voice rising a bit. “What do you mean you’re not coming back? Why? Mel, what’s going on?” The questions tumbled out and she couldn’t mask shock or confusion.

Amelia "Harmony, listen to me." It was lucky that Amelia had become friends with somebody just as short as her, because she wasn't sure if she could place her hands on either of Harmony's shoulders and not look like an idiot if they were somebody who was taller than her. "Jack-" Clearing her throat, Amelia corrected herself, "Jacob." Running her tongue over her teeth, Amelia tried to think of how to tell her. Harmony wasn't in on the inner workings of the lycan world, but she did have a brother who was a fox, so she could benefit from the information. "He's a hunter, Harmony." Dropping her hands, Amelia's voice grew cold. "He's a hunter, and he's been living under our noses this entire time. He says he wasn't the one who shot me, but I don't know what to believe. If he wasn't, then it means there's another hunter living out here," Amelia continued, her heart hammering. She wanted to get out of Pickens as soon as possible, but she couldn't leave without giving Harmony the information needed to keep not only herself, but Rev out of trouble. "Harmony, he's a hunter, he was the one who took me the hospital- Only before he saw it was me, he was ready to split me open and do whatever the hell with my pelt."

Harmony ‘s eyes widened at Mel’s words. “Holy shit,” she drew the words out as she tried to wrap her head around everything. Jack (or Jacob ?) was a hunter. It was hard to believe but she knew Mel would never lie to her, especially not about something like this. Her mind couldn’t help but wander to all the times Jack had been in their apartment, how many times Mel had been alone with him, how much danger she had been in. She reached out and pulled the other girl into her arms. She knew how Mel had felt about Jack and could only imagine how betrayed she felt now. “Is that why you’re getting out of town? Because he knows you’re a ‘bear? Do you think he’s gonna come after you?” Panic shot through her at the thought of Mel getting shot. Harmony had already gone through her best friend ‘dying’ once, she didn’t think she could do it again.

Amelia allowed Harmony to wrap her arms around her, and the brunette nuzzled her face into the girl's shoulder. There was a certain kind of safety that only Harmony could provide, and that had been the peace of mind. Amelia pulled away slightly, nodding at Harmony's question. "Yeah. I can't stay here, Harm." Shaking her head, the brunette bit down onto her lip again before glancing behind her, only now having realized she had left the car running. "I can't put the rest of the Sleuth in danger." Amelia's voice broke slightly, but she pulled it up from the depths that it threatened to sink into. "I don't think he's going to come after me, no," Amelia said, her eyebrows furrowing. "When I left him, he was crying. He's- I don't know, I don't know, I don't know-" Amelia repeated. Bringing her hand up to cover her face, Amelia dropped it a moment later. "I thought you should know.. So you can warn Rev."

Harmony could only muster up a nod in response. Mel was leaving. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep, steadying breath to collect herself. She could feel sting of tears prickling at her eyes. Mel was leaving. Clearing her throat, she voiced the question at the forefront of her mind. “When are you leaving tonight, right?” She knew that she was. She knew that was the reason for this impromptu visit. It was goodbye. “I wanna give you something. Wait here just a sec, okay?” She didn’t want to let Mel out of her sight, wanting to keep the image of her best friend with her for as long as possible. But she needed Mel to take a part of her with her. Reluctantly, she turned to run into her bedroom. She rifled through her jewelry box sitting on the dresser and pulled out a necklace. Running her fingers over the silver, she returned to where Amelia stood. “Here. I want you to have this,” she said, flashing Mel a smile. She held out her lucky necklace for Mel to take. It was rare for Harmony to be without it, but she’d taken it off so she wouldn’t accidentally get paint on it. Hopefully it would bring Amelia the luck it had always given her. Hopefully, it would keep her safe since Harmony wouldn’t be there to do it.

Amelia "Tonight." Amelia confirmed. The longer she stood there, the more horrible she felt about the situation. There was no turning back. There was no going back to Vaughn's and telling him that she was going to stay, that she would fight through whatever Jacob brought to their doorstep. This was final. The brunette nodded slowly and watched as Harmony disappeared. Wrapping her arms around herself, Amelia waited for her best friend to reappear. Within a minute of Harmony's disappearance, she was back, and with something in her hands. Eyebrows furrowing, Amelia looked down at the necklace as the woman handed it over. Taking it, Amelia tentatively ran her fingers over the chain before looking up at Harmony, tears springing in her eyes. "I wish you would come with me, Harm." Amelia whispered, pulling her friend into a tight hug. The necklace was still clenched in her fist, and as Amelia closed her eyes, she suddenly rifled through all of the thoughts and memories that Harmony had provided her with. "I'm going to miss you so much." Amelia whispered again, pressing her face into Harmony's shoulder.

Harmony returned Mel’s embrace, holding her close. This would be the last hug she’d ever get from her. Inhaling, she smelled the familiar scent of the shampoo that Mel used, one that she’d borrowed from time to time. She was going to miss it. This wasn’t fair. It seemed like she’d just gotten her friend back and now she was losing her again. Squeezing Mel a little tighter, Harmony iignored the tears that finally spilled over and slipped down her cheeks. This was for the best. Amelia wouldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t. “I know, me too,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper but she knew Amelia would hear her. “Maybe I can come visit you someday. Or maybe one day you’ll be able to come back. When it’s safe again.”

Amelia could've stayed in Harmony's embrace for hours, but Amelia knew that she couldn't. It wasn't realistic. No matter how badly she wanted to stay, she couldn't. Taking a deep, steadying breath, the brunette pulled away. Using the heels of her hands to rub away the tears that had began spilling down once again, Amelia smiled weakly. "You can come visit me anytime you'd like, Harm." Amelia murmured. Reaching out, Amelia smoothed her thumb across Harmony's cheek to wipe away the tears that had won over Harmony's resolve. Pulling away, Amelia put the necklace on and tapped it against her neck, another sad smile gracing her features. "You can call me anytime, too. Once I get where I'm going, I'll give you my address." At the moment, Amelia had no idea where she'd end up, but anywhere was better than Pickens. For now, at least. "I love you, Harmony." Amelia said, her words stronger this time. "Don't you ever forget that you're my best friend." Looking down at her hand, Amelia recognized the ring that she had bought for herself on her 22nd birthday. Deciding that Harmony would also need something, Amelia took it off before reaching out for Harmony's hand. Slipping it on, the brunette grinned. "Look at that, you don't even need to get it sized.."

Harmony didn’t want the hug to end because she knew it would mean that Mel was really leaving her. She held on a bit longer than she should have but reluctantly let go of the other girl. Mel’s touch on her face only served to make more tears fall, replacing the ones she’d wiped away. “Don’t be surprised if I just show up at your door one day in the near future,” she said, offering a small smile. “Or if you get random calls from me.” It was hard not having Amelia down the hall and it would be even harder not having her in the same state. But Harmony wasn’t worried about herself. Her heart broke for Mel. The ‘bear would be leaving her brother, her friends, her sleuth, her life here in Pickens. She didn’t know if she’d be able to do what Mel was doing, but Mel was stronger than her. Always had been. That was something she’d need to keep reminding herself of: Mel was strong and she’d be okay. And Harmony was just a plane ride away if Mel ever needed her and vice versa. “I love you too, Mel,” she said, her eyes catching the other woman’s. “So much.” She looked down at the ring that glided onto her finger. “Perfect fit,” she beamed up at her friend. “Kinda like me and you.”

Amelia chuckled lightly and took the initiative to wipe away some of her own tears. "It's not like I'd turn you away or anything." Amelia tilted her head to the side, a sad smile tugging at the ends of her lips. She wasn't sure if she'd be smiling much after leaving Pickens. She was the one who was running into the arms of safety. She was going to be leaving everybody else on a possible battlefield, but she knew that it had to be done. She couldn't chance Jacob and whoever else was hunting alongside him figure it out. Taking another deep breath, Amelia grinned at Harmony's comment about the ring and wrapped her arms around herself hoping that it would keep her from falling apart. Not only did Amelia find out that the man she was in love with was possibly responsible for all of the dead lycans showing up in Pickens, but he had also potentially been responsible for the shot to the back of her head. Even if he hadn't been the one to shoot her, he had certainly intended on doing other things. "I love you so much." Amelia rubbed away some more tears before taking the first step towards the front door. It was hard, but it had to be done. "You can come visit me anytime you like, Harm."

Harmony “Oh you can count on it, Melly Mel,” she said, looping an arm around the girl’s waist to walk her to the door. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. She was happy that Amelia would be safe. Pickens was practically turning out to be a death sentence for the lycans here. However, she couldn’t be happy that Mel was leaving. “And if you ever need me, don’t hesitate to call okay?” They’d gotten to the door way too soon. And all Harmony wanted to do was hold onto Mel and never let go. She wanted to make Pickens safe so the ‘bear wouldn’t be forced to leave. And she would. Harmony was going to do everything in her power to make it safe for Mel to come back. Not that there was a whole helluva lot she could do. She was only human, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying. “Stay safe, Mel,” she said, giving her friend one last squeeze.

Amelia fought for her sanity as she rounded the corner. Pickens was just half a mile away, and Amelia knew she could make it there in less time than most. Amelia was a fast runner, and it helped that during her downtime after she had been infected, she had taken to the woods and experimented with the different types of terrains while going full force. Now, however, Amelia was in a tight dress. It didn't matter that her heels were tucked away safely in her bag, because the dress was still constricting. Stopping, but only for a moment to cut a slit in her dress, the brunette charged forward again. The only sound that Amelia could hear, or even focus on, was that of her footfalls and the sound of her bare feet slapping against the pavement of the road. The brunette, despite the ability to run farther and faster than the average human was still out of breath as she bounded up the steps of Vaughn's porch. Throwing open the door, Amelia thanked the car in the driveway silently before calling out for her alpha.

Vaughn let out a heavy sigh before tossing the book aside. He reached the point where all the words were blurring together, and he’d learned long ago not to try to force himself to keep reading. His licensing test was in a couple days and he was trying to cram as much information into his brain that he could. Admittedly he was a bit rusty when it came to studying but he’d be damned if this test was going to keep him from practicing law in South Carolina. Scrubbing a hand across his face, he unfolded himself from his position at his desk and headed to the kitchen for another round of coffee. Going through the motions of making coffee was second nature to him at this point. And just the aroma coming from his Keurig machine was enough to give him a bit of the pick-me-up he needed. The sound of the door slamming against the wall and Mel’s cry for him stopped his caffeine buzz in its tracks. “Amelia?” he called out, heading toward the living room. “What’s wrong?”

Amelia When Vaughn came around the corner, Amelia dropped her bag and pushed her hair out of her face. The tears had dried up, but Amelia was sure that there were tracks running down her face by the mascara. Pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes, Amelia closed them shut for a moment. If she started to speak without any direction, things would get messy. She needed to take a moment to wrap her head around what she was about to tell Vaughn. How Vaughn was going to react was a complete and total mystery to the brunette, but she couldn't take the time to think on it. "Jack- Jake- Jacob, he's a hunter." Amelia's breathing became laboured. It was the first time that she had voiced her discovery. "I- that's all I know." The brunette shook her head and took a deep breath. "He's a hunter. Said he wasn't the one that shot me, which means there's somebody else out there- Two hunters." The brunette took another deep breath and bit down onto her lip. "He knows I know, Vaughn."

Vaughn didn’t interrupt her even though his head was filling with questions. His first instinct was to go hunt this fucker down, but he made it a point to remain calm. Amelia was his first priority at the present moment. “Okay. It’s going to be okay,” he said, trying to get the Delta to calm down. Her breathing was a bit frantic and he could sense the fear and anger stirring in her ‘bear. The last thing he needed was for her to shift right now. “How about we sit down and we can talk this through.” He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently ushered her over to the couch. “Jack’s the guy you were dating, right? Did you ever tell him about anybody else in the sleuth?” He needed to know if they were in any immediate danger and if he needed to have everyone come out to his place.

Amelia swallowed thickly, nodding at Vaughn's suggestion. Letting her Alpha guide her to the couch, Amelia sat down and began lacing and unlacing her fingers. Not only was Amelia growing anxious, but her 'bear was as well. It had been easy to push away the murderous thoughts that rolled through her mind when she was leaving, but the longer she sat there, the longer she began to wonder why she hadn't attacked him to ensure he would never hurt another member of the sleuth again. "Jacob," Amelia correct him. There was no Jack. To her, he was dead. All she could think about was Jacob, Jacob, Jacob. She thought of all the lies he must've told her, but decided that was for another day. "No, I didn't," Amelia murmured, her voice breaking. Eyes widening for a moment, the brunette scrubbed her hand over her face. "I told him about Dustin." Looking up at Vaughn frantically, the brunette reached out for his arm. "Vaughn, please don't let anything happen to my little brother."

Vaughn took a seat next to the Amelia and his inner ‘bear reached out to quell some of the Delta’s anxiety. He noted the correction but didn’t speak on it. The woman’s answer didn’t quite satisfy him but he didn’t see the need in alarming the sleuth just yet. “Don’t worry, Mel. Dustin’s going to be fine, alright? I won’t let anything happen to him or /you/.” He meant it. Nothing else was going to happen to any of his ‘bears if he could help it. He just needed time to figure out the best plan of action. This Jacob fucker needed to be dealt with. He didn’t know if he believed that Jacob hadn’t been the one to shoot Mel or any of the other ‘bears for that matter. For all Vaughn knew, the hunter could just be trying to pass the blame and take some of the heat off himself. And until the Alpha had proof otherwise, Jacob was public enemy number one. “How did you find out he was a hunter? Did he tell you?”

Amelia took another deep breath and focused on Vaughn and his attempts to calm down her 'bear. Biting down onto her bottom lip, the brunette nodded at Vaughn's words. "I-" Mulling over what words to use, Amelia took another deep breath. Staying silent for a moment, the Delta collected her thoughts before telling Vaughn how she had found out about Jacob. "He didn't tell me, no.." Amelia started. Her mouth was suddenly dry, and it was only then did she realize she had worked her body to the max when running back from the highway. Despite the cold weather, the back of Amelia's neck was slick with sweat and she felt like keeling over from exhaustion, but Amelia pushed through it. "Do you remember how I couldn't remember anything from before I woke up in the hospital?" Amelia looked at Vaughn, searching his eyes. He could feel the anxiety in her 'bear, but she couldn't feel what he was feeling, and that scared her. She didn't want Vaughn making any rash decisions, but knew that he was the Alpha and his word stood. "He has a gun- Had a gun in his glove compartment. I threw it into the street after dissembling it." Shaking her head, Amelia forced herself to get back on track. "He was trying to give me a necklace, but then I saw the browning.. Once I focused on it, all of the memories came flooding back, because the night after I got shot, I had it pointed at him after he tried convincing me that he wasn't a threat." Taking another deep breath, Amelia tried to slow the beat of her heart down by tapping on the arm of the couch. Counting each tap, Amelia continued, "One.. Two..- Sorry, uhm." Shaking her head, Amelia pushed her hair out of her face with her free hand before finishing, "He was the one to take me to the hospital. He was ready to skin me alive. I can't remember where his place is, otherwise I'd tell you, but God- there were bones and pelts and I- The smell of death was everywhere, Vaughn."

Vaughn deliberately eased the tension in his face as he listened. The mention of Mel’s memory loss made his jaw clench as he remembered the cause of that amnesia. He gave her a short nod to encourage her to continue with her story. He tried to keep all of his anger out of his expression, schooling his features to keep Amelia from freaking out any further. But the more she spoke, the angrier he became. He picked up on her tapping the couch but didn’t comment on it, just made a mental note to see about getting Amelia some counseling if she needed it. Being bombarded with memories of a traumatic experience couldn’t have been easy, especially when those memories involved someone you cared about trying to kill you. “It’s okay, Mel. You’ve given more than enough information to go off of,” he reassured. “How did you make it all the way back here? Did you run all that way?” Concern colored his voice and his senses turned to the outside of the house, listening for anything out of the norm. The hunter could’ve followed her here. And part of Vaughn actually hoped he had. His ‘bear was just itching to come face to face with the guy and his only instinct was to protect Amelia. Protect his sleuth.

Amelia nodded, worry overlapping the calm expression that she seemed to have adopted throughout her explanation. "I ran, yeah." Amelia let out a soft chuckle, one that became mutilated by a soft sob that rose up in her throat. She hadn't let herself cry, at least, not hard enough. She wouldn't do that now, though. Not when Vaughn needed her to stay calm. Smoothing her hands over her face, Amelia held them there for a moment before looked at Vaughn again. "I have to leave." Before Vaughn could interject, Amelia shook her head. "I have to go- I can't stay here." Amelia whispered, her voice breaking slightly. "I can't let them find out about the 'cubs. Nobody has yet, and I want to keep it that way," Amelia half-whined, half-shouted. "Vaughn, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry you had to deal with... all of this as soon as you came into our lives. I'm so sorry." It wouldn't matter how many times she were to apologize. She was doing the one thing she promised herself she never would. She was running out on her family.

Vaughn lifted an alarmed brow at Amelia. He could understand her wanting to leave, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to let her. The sleuth needed her. She was one of the fiercest protectors of the cubs and her sleuthmates. And with hunters lurking around, he wasn’t sure he could afford to let her go. Plus, he knew he could protect her better if she was here with him. But on the other hand, she did have a point. If Jacob was watching her, she could lead him straight to the twins. Not to mention that her newfound knowledge painted a pretty large target on her back. If her leaving would save her and reduce the risk of people finding out about the cubs, Vaughn was willing to let her go. If that’s what she really wanted. “You don’t have to leave, Amelia. I’ll make sure you or any of the others don’t get hurt,” he said. And he would do his best to keep that promise. “But if you really feel like the best thing would be for you to go, then… I’m not going to stop you.”

Amelia The silence wracked Amelia, and she wasn't sure if Vaughn was contemplating killing her right there and then for leaving the Sleuth, or if he was considering her words. She knew that Vaughn was a reasonable guy, but after all she had witnessed- she couldn't take any chances doubting somebody's motives. When he finally spoke, Amelia shook her head slowly. "I have to, Vaughn." Her words were soft, and she was sure that if neither she or Vaughn had excellent hearing, that he wouldn't have heard them. Biting down on her lip, Amelia thought about what she would be putting behind her if she decided to leave Pickens, and the picture wasn't pretty. The whole sleuth for one, and for another, she would be leaving Harmony. The feeling that came with recognizing the fact that she could never step foot in Pickens again was devastating, but she knew she had to do it. For the Sleuth, for herself. "I don't-" Amelia kept her mouth shut for a few moments before looking down at her hands, which were now conjoined and sitting in her lap. "I'm sorry I let you down. I'm sorry I let the Sleuth down." Looking back up at him, the brunette shook her head. "I'm not doing this out of cowardliness," Amelia continued, "I'm doing it to make sure that the target place on my back doesn't transition over to you."

Vaughn took a deep breath, resigned to the fact that Amelia was set on leaving. He turned to look at her and rested a hand on her shoulder. “You didn’t let me down, Amelia,” he reassured. “And I don’t think you’re a coward. I know how much you love the sleuth and I know you have our best interest at heart, which is why I’d be willing to let you come back if you ever wanted to.” He’d grown to really like Mel and appreciate her loyalty and contributions to the sleuth. He wasn’t going to banish her from ever coming back to them, especially when he had a huge part to play in this whole situation. Mel was shot on his watch. She nearly died because he couldn’t protect her and now she was being forced to leave her family because of it. The least he could do was offer her a place in the sleuth if she should ever want it again. “When do you want to leave?”

Amelia smiled weakly, happy to know that she wasn't being exiled. She didn't know how it worked for other groups, but Amelia had half-expected to be banished from Pickens for all eternity. She was glad that Vaughn didn't see Amelia's departure as abandonment. "Tonight." Amelia said, her voice hard. She had to be strong, not only for herself, but for all of those she was leaving behind. The thought of leaving Dustin in Pickens terrified her, but she knew that he wouldn't come with her, not even if she asked him to. He had his duty to the Sleuth to stay and protect it, and while Amelia wanted to protect him she couldn't do so, not with the way things were. "I need to leave tonight." Amelia repeated.

Vaughn nodded before pushing himself up from his position on the couch. “That’s probably best,” he said, voice solemn. “We can’t risk this Jacob guy coming after you.” He crossed over to the front door and fished his keys out of the bowl resting on the table near the door. “Take my car,” he said, separating the car key from the rest of the keys. “It will get you to where you’re going.”

Amelia "Your.." Amelia swallowed thickly as she took the key from him. Looking down at it, the brunette glanced back up at Vaughn. "Thank you." She wasn't sure how Vaughn was on hugs, but she didn't care. In the little time that he had been in Pickens, he had already done so much for her, and all Amelia could convey was gratitude. Pulling him into a tight hug, the brunette smiled, despite the fact that he couldn't see it. After a moment, Amelia pulled away. "Take care of everyone. I know you can." Biting down on her lip, she looked down at the key in her hand. "I'm going to go grab what I need and get out of here." Taking a deep breath, the brunette squeezed Vaughn's shoulder before turning upstairs to gather her things.

Jacob: With their first date having gone so pleasantly it had been easy for Jacob to talk Amelia into another. Jacob had a gold coin and more than sixty days sobriety in his pocket and he felt lighter for the first time in a while. He knew that there was still a lot he was going to have to research, a lot of decisions he was going to have to eventually make but he was in a quasi-grace period for his own sake. Or was he? He didn’t honestly know. Going to meetings was becoming more routine and less of a daunting experience, especially the times when Naomi lent her certain brand of encouragement veiled as a threat, and he found it easier to keep busy the less his mind insisted on focusing on booze now that his body didn’t need it to function. He hadn’t even been tempted by the restaurant’s extensive import beer list, which for him spoke more than most people would ever realize. Jacob couldn’t afford to be sick. There was still work to do, Jones was proof of that. None of that mattered to him at all though, as the Jeep steadily brought them back towards Pickens. Jacob himself was in the remnants of what had been a surprisingly flattering suit, tie draped around his neck as the blazer sat on the back seat. His sleeves were rolled up, arm hanging out the driver’s side as he gently tapped the siding along to the beat on the low-playing radio. In the meanwhile, he replayed the night in his head. It had gone considerably well, he thought. Great food, a nice change of scenery, and even a couple dances which he was certain had to have earned his rhythmless ass some brownie points. At the though of it, Jacob turned to face Amelia and flashed a brief smile. “…can’t believe I actually got you to stand on my shoes.”

Amelia As the trees blurred past on either side of Jack's jeep, Amelia thought back the time spent in the restaurant. In the beginning, Amelia had been one for the fancier side of things, but as time progressed and she realized that there were more important things to be worried about, her concern for what brand of mascara she'd buy next had flown out the window. Jack's voice cut through the silence like a sharp knife, and Amelia turned her attention away from the blur of trees. Grinning, Amelia reached for the dial on the radio and turned the music down, though, it hadn't been very loud to begin with. She wanted to focus entirely on Jack and nothing else. Things were finally getting back to normal, and Amelia was coming to terms with the issues that were laid before her. "Just because I was afraid you'd step on my feet." Amelia stuck out her tongue and leaned back in the seat, her head tilted to the side as she watched Jack for a moment. "We should do this again sometime." The feeling that she normally got while around Jack blossomed, but instead of listening to the voice in the back of her head, she pushed it away. There was no point in fearing the fact that he would cheat on her again, because for one, they weren't together, and for another, he was a different person from what he had been all those months ago.

Jacob: “I’d like that a lot, Mel.” Jacob smiled and it was never as wide and bright as when it was aimed at her, who was too good for the town around her as far as he was concerned; himself included. He still remembered the impromptu homecooked she had invited him over for when first they started talking and Jacob was pretty sure he would never taste a piece of corn bread as delicious again in his lifetime. Chuckling a little at the thought, he focused on the road as they made their way and couldn’t help but to relax back into the seat, his arm moving of its own accord to rest his good hand in her lap, palm up towards the sky with hopes she’d care to hold it. “Next time we’re going paintballing, though. That’s two fuckin’ monkey suits I’ve been in, now.” It wasn’t a chuckle this time but a genuine laugh barked out at the road and he resumed gently tapping the side of his Jeep even though the music was barely audible anymore; he didn’t care. If they could’ve just spent the rest of their lives driving, he would’ve signed up in a heartbeat. “You gotta head home right away, lady? Probably past your bedtime, huh?”

Amelia As if it were out of habit, Amelia took Jack's hand. Lacing her fingers with his, the brunette squeezed his hand lightly, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. With how stressed she had been, it had been a wonder that she even found the time to freeze the continuous anxiety attacks and move on with her life. It hadn't been easy, but as soon as she forced herself out the door, Amelia found that life was a little bit easier, especially when she was around Jack. Dark hair wound its way up towards the headliner, and Amelia aggressively pushed it down, flattening her hand over the top of her hand, the grin still pulling at the corners of her lips. "I don't have a bedtime, and besides, you said you wanted to show me that you know how to dress up." Winking at him, Amelia subconsciously rubbed at the healed wound on the back of her head before dropping her hand back into her lap, deciding that it didn't matter if her hair became tangled.

Jacob: Grinning again though this time a little mischievously, he rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand a couple times; subconscious response to the squeeze, probably. Small comforts. He could touch her, she was right there next to him. Mel was alive and smiling and beautiful, going nowhere so long as her hand was in his. Jacob noticed her fussing with her hair and pulled his hand in to put her window up a little before putting it out into the chilled night air again. Jacob turned to look at her again in time to catch the wink and the adoration already in his now-clear blues burned that much brighter. “I did, and I have, I think. What’s the verdict, am I gonna get a gig with Armani anytime soon?” He snorted, waggling his fingers idly just to tease her before trying to engage her in thumb wrestling. Like the giant four year old he was. “I, uh…never really mentioned, because it’s…fuckin’ weird, I guess? But I saw you at that wedding reception and I just..” He shrugged, biting on his lip as he shook his head. “..I don’t know. Realized what I’d lost.” Taking his hand in again to scratch at the light stubble on his jaw, he made sure to keep his eyes on the road. “…you looked amazing. I mean you are, anyway…but that night especially.”

Amelia Giving him a smile of thanks as he rolled her window up, Amelia turned slightly so that her body was facing him. Pushing her thumb against his, the brunette bit onto her bottom lip, keeping the giggle that rose up from her throat at bay. "Armani? Maybe. I think you need to have sharper shoulders to really rock Armani, though." With her other hand, Amelia squeezed his shoulder, her grin breaking wide. "You're too beefy." As he spoke, Amelia kept quiet, her thoughts traveling back to the wedding reception. That had been the night she nearly ate one of the foxes. Thinking back to the dress specifically, Amelia frowned as she remembered how she had shredded it to bits as she shifted. Jack was right, it had been a nice dress, and now it was in tatters in some dumpster on the other side of the world, probably. "Thank you." Honestly, Amelia hadn't even noticed that Jack had been looking at her, but she had been looking at him. "That was eons ago, it's so weird to think about it now."

Jacob: He let his thumb drop dramatically, if thumbs were capable of falling in such a way, no sooner than she had pressed hers against his, faking as if she had the strength of ten men behind her tiny little digit; he’d let her win each and every time. Jacob glanced to his shoulder as she squeezed it and followed the path of her arm up to her face, locking gazes. He couldn’t stare long, naturally, but he almost couldn’t help it. You missed a lot when you lived in the bottom of a handle of whiskey and the entire night he kept losing himself in how pretty she was, how pretty he truly found her. It was more than that, of course, but it had been so long since he had /looked/ at people. And with the world in sharper focus Jacob was seeing a lot as if for the first time. “Is that actually a thing, ‘too beefy’? I’ll model Speedos instead, then.” He waggled his brows as he looked back to the road, tonguing at the inside of his cheek while he listened to her, nervous as to what her response would be concerning the reception. One of the negatives of the newfound sobriety was feeling everything in spades. It was hard to describe what your afternoon was like when you had an anxiety attack over grocery shopping, nevermind what it was like to talk about his less savory days. Amelia seemed to have moved on from it, though, by some small act of something’s grace, and so Jacob followed closely behind. “..you know I’m sorry, right? I keep harping on it, I know. But I am. I really am.”

Amelia Staring at him for a moment, Amelia found that forcing the giggles back down into her diaphragm was impossible. The 'bear let one escape from behind her barred teeth and she shook her head. "Oh God. I don't care how sexy somebody is, a speedo will always be a complete and total turnoff." Shaking her head as if to emphasize her point, Amelia fought back the explosion of laughter as she saw the somber expression settle over his features. Quieting down, Amelia bit down onto her lip at his apology. Looking down at their hands that were still intertwined, the brunette clasped both hands around his and brought it up to her mouth, kissing his knuckles. "I know you are, Jack." Amelia smiled weakly, her heart thumping unevenly. The subject of she and Jack's failed relationship had been a sore one for entirely too long, and Amelia had pushed past it. It had taken a lot of work to let herself be comfortable in his presence again, but eventually, she found it to be easy. Kissing his knuckles again, Amelia nudged her nose against his fingers and smiled against them. "It's okay."

Jacob: She called him Jack and something fell in his face, luckily turned forward to watch the road but he stumbled all the same. Jack. That’s who Amelia had kissed in the Outlaw’s parking lot, not him. Not Jacob. Jack was just a man struggling to piece his life together, who made mistakes and paid for them like any other person walking the Earth. There could be sympathy for Jack, which is likely why he found himself in the situation he was with a girl who should never have spoken another word to him again. He tried to fight that duality, tried to reconcile with himself that it wasn’t two different people and he didn’t get to use an alias as an excuse. It had bit him in the ass, though, because he was more himself with Amelia than any other person or place in Pickens, his brother unfortunately included. Yet he was /still/ lying to her, even after all that had happened. Her lips on his hand brought his focus back to her and he chanced a glance, biting down hard on his own lip before he managed to speak up albeit softer than was normal for him. “…you know that’s just a nickname, right? Jack?”

Amelia leaned back in her seat, both hands continuing to cover his as she watched the road ahead of them. They had taken a small day trip out of Pickens, and Amelia had to say, she was definitely happy about it. Pickens had been wringing her dry, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could take it. Looking back over to Jack as he spoke, the brunette's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean it's a nickname?" Amelia chuckled lightly. "I thought your nickname was Jack Ass," Amelia teased, poking his shoulder again. As she sat in silence, Amelia tried to figure out what kind of name could pull off the nickname 'Jack.' Coming up empty, the brunette looked at him expectantly.

Jacob: “I mean it’s a nickname, you know. A name someone calls you ‘cause they’re too lazy to say your fuckin’ real one or they just don’t like it. I dunno.” He couldn’t help but to laugh. He was a jackass, all right…just not Jack Ass. Not since Harley. Memory was foggy but he did believe she was the first to call him so- or was it Layla?- not that it mattered. When she poked him, he playfully tried to pinch at her fingers and palm before falling into more silence. There really was no point in turning back now so he took a breath, first, and took the gamble. “…Jacob. My name is Jacob.”

Amelia "Jacob?" Amelia raised an eyebrow, unsure of how the hell Jack came from Jacob, or even vice versa. Amelia sat in uncomfortable silence for a moment. "..Jacob." The name tasted foreign. "So why do you go by Jack?" Amelia tilted her head to the side, wondering if it was his middle name. She knew plenty of people who went by their middle name to avoid the embarrassment of their first, but Jacob wasn't an embarrassing name, not unless it was also his father's. Amelia thought back to what little she actually knew about Jack... Jacob, and wondered if Jacob was his father's name, and there were negative attachments to the name.

Jacob: His muscles tensed when she was silent, fearing rejection immediately so he braced for impact. There was a simply way out, though, but it was only more lying. Always, lying. Jacob had done it for so many years, and effortlessly so after a while, that he didn’t know why it was becoming an issue. But of course he knew. It wasn’t the sobriety, at least not entirely. Or, more realistically, not at all. Jacob cleared his throat, first. “…I was Jake since I was like two years old. Everybody and their grandmother called me Jake, and when I was learning how to spell I always forgot the ‘e’. I always wrote J-a-k. So they just started calling me Jack. Then Jack Daniels became the drink of choice and…poof. Fate.”

Amelia "You looked really tense for something that silly." The brunette's shoulders relaxed and she leaned farther into her seat. A little more and she probably would've disappeared. "Some people called me Amy. Back in Posen, I mean." The brunette glanced over to look at Jacob, her eyes traveling over his profile. "I hated it." The brunette shrugged. "There's not really a cool story with that one," the brunette admitted, a small laugh bubbling up in her chest. The fact that he had looked so tense when telling her the history of his nickname told Amelia that what she heard wasn't the whole story, but she wasn't going to push.

Jacob: “…I’m, um..” This was the hard part. It was the /truth/. He shifted in his seat with a little grunt, taking his hand away from hers to scratch at the side of his nose. Jacob rubbed the hand on the material of his slacks before re-offering it to her, same as before. The grip on the wheel, though, was tighter than he meant for it to be and he had to remind himself to relax. It should have been more comfortable to tell the truth. “I’m estranged from my family. I don’t talk to them, they want nothing to do with me and that’s just fine. So I stick with Jack.” He didn’t mean for his voice to waver, for his features to darken or his mood to plummet. It was just hard to handle the anger, the grief, the shame all bubbling up from his knotting stomach. Lucas still kept contact with some relatives, he suspected, and that was fine. They probably had conference calls to gossip about his fuckups. Pulling himself from the train of thought with a shake of his head, Jacob composed himself as best as he could. “Jacob’s dead. I just thought you should know.”

Amelia let his hand go reluctantly, her face falling slightly. The bubbly mood she had been in prior to the talk was long gone, leaving way for a somber car ride. Swallowing thickly, the brunette smoothed her hair from her face and took Jake's hand again when he offered it up once more. Ghosting the tips of her fingers across his palm before she laced their fingers together, Amelia squeezed his hand reassuringly. Bringing it up to her mouth again, Amelia kissed his knuckles softly and then rested their conjoined hands back in her lap. "Hey, Jack?" The brunette's heartbeat increased and as she let the words tumble off of her tongue, she tried to keep her hand from shaking in his. "I love you."

Jacob: Jacob almost veered off the road with her admission, unexpected but somehow perfectly timed. Somehow just the thing he needed to climb back from falling into a funk. After the initial disorientation of being caught off guard subsided and he was able to assure himself he had full control of the vehicle, he squeezed Amelia’s hand and gave her his best smile. It was always so fucking easy to give her his best smile. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he bounced his left leg anxiously. “…I love you, too, Mel. Fuck, do I fuckin’ love you.” He jutted his chin in the direction of the glove box, looking from it to her and back to it again and though he thought it impossible Jacob smiled /more/. There was a gift waiting for her inside, a simple necklace in a neatly wrapped box resting against his Browning. “Get me my cigs, please?”

Amelia 's eyes widened slightly as Jake swerved. "Jack, watch the road!" The brunette let out a soft chuckle and squeezed his hand back in return. Her words must have dug him out from whatever pit he had found himself falling into, because his smile told Amelia all she needed to know. He didn't even need to actually use his words, but he did anyways. The brunette bit down onto her lip, but no matter how hard she tried to keep it from curving upwards, there was no taming it. In place of the two somber adults were a pair of smiling idiots, and Amelia couldn't be anymore pleased with the change of mood. At the mention of cigarettes, though, Amelia raised an eyebrow. "I thought you quit?" She asked. Using her free hand, the brunette pulled open the glove box, her hand diving in to retrieve the carton of cigarettes, but her eyes rested on something else. There was a long box, which looked like it could've been a present, but that wasn't what Amelia was staring at. It was what was underneath. She had seen it twice before. Once, in the Outlaw parking lot, and again in a backyard. Why had she seen it twice? Swallowing thickly, the brunette removed her hand from Jake's. Avoiding the box altogether, the brunette pulled what she recognized as Jacob's browning. Eyebrows furrowing, Amelia recalled the last time she felt the weight of the gun in her hand. The longer she held it, the more she remembered. It had been a male hunter. She had been right about that, but she had been so fucking clueless as to who it actually was. She was sure that she was going to bore holes into the gun, as she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of it. Amelia's heart hammered, and could've sworn it was about to pull itself up her throat and out of her mouth. Closing her eyes, she tightened her grip on the gun, careful to avoid the trigger. She had pointed this gun, too. Focusing on the gun, Amelia tried to remember bits and pieces of what had happened, but it came easier as the images began flashing in her mind. "Oh." Amelia whispered.

Jacob: Jacob had been waiting all day to surprise her. It seemed to him a good departure from the ridiculous school of thought that keychains from any number of places were a satisfactory gift to give your girlfriend, or even the girl you were trying to get to be your girlfriend again. And with the way the conversation had been going, so recently saved from an air of melancholy, Jacob had mistaken it as his cue to end the night on a strong note. He really was expecting to hit a homerun with the gesture, or at least get himself a double, and waited with his breath caught in his lungs only to hear no reaction, no sound of paper being unwrapped. Jacob glanced away from the road and to Amelia, eyes dropping to see the gun in her hands. Heart starting to pick up, he wet his bottom lip and started to continuously glance back and forth between the road and the young woman who wouldn’t stop looking at his Browning and all he could think of was what he feared the most, as it pounded in his head in time with his quickening heart. She knows, she knows, she knows. “No, the box, babe…Open the box. Please...” He offered weakly, voice a whisper and he cursed himself for it. Readjusting his grip on the wheel again, Jacob slowly started to panic.

Amelia There was no point in pretending that the gun didn't bother her, because the shock and devastation was written all over her face. The brunette sat in silence, Jacob's words filtering in through one ear and out the other. The gun felt heavy in her hands, as she assumed it would've been, but what scared her most was that it was familiar. Opening her eyes, Amelia found that the gun was still resting heavily in her hands. There was no erasing the terror that Amelia had felt after sliding off of the metal table. There was no forgetting the bleached bones, or the smell of death. Amelia would never forget the look on Jacob's face as he rounded the corner, and Amelia would never forget what she had figured out that day. It had been Jacob who had shot her. He was the one who had taken her to the hospital and left her there, and now? Now, he was slowly digging his way back into her life. He had earned her trust all over again, and the worst of it was, Amelia didn't even have a fucking clue. Images of bleached bones and animal pelts lined her vision, and the brunette's hand went to the back of her head. It was the first move she made in the few minutes since discovering the gun. "Stop the truck, Jacob." Amelia growled, her teeth barred. Looking up at him, the brunette's eyes hardened. "Now."

Jacob: Amelia could have turned the gun on him and emptied the magazine into his chest and it still would not have rocked him so deeply as the look she gave him while commanding the Jeep be stopped did. He hadn’t even realized in his mounting panic that he’d accelerated and Jacob had to take the time to get the helm back under control, which was difficult to do when everything was coming apart at the seams. He wasn’t so deluded as to think she’d never remember, he just…never let himself think about it. What was the point in making himself so miserable when he could try a better method and show Amelia who he was before she recalled? Maybe then, by his logic, the remembering wouldn’t have been so bad and she’d have believed him when he again insisted he was a humble albeit terribly misguided taxidermist. With the town population being what it was, it wouldn’t have been hard to spin the angle that he kept it secret for the sake of keeping his own hide. To do that, though, he’d have had to offer up Lucas in order to answer the question of who, then, had shot her…and in the end Jacob simply couldn’t. The look in her eyes and the way she bared her teeth drained his complexion and when Jacob jerked the wheel to veer them over onto the shoulder he had to use both hands since they were shaking so badly. His legs felt numb, his tongue thick and dry, and his eyes burned with the warning of tears. Please, not now. Not /now/. “…all right, just calm down, okay? It’s okay, Mel…t-take it easy.”

Amelia It took a moment for the jeep to come to a stop, but once it did, Amelia threw the door open. Taking her bag and the gun with her, the brunette stumbled over the shoulder of the road and glanced around. They weren't too far outside of Pickens, which meant if she started running, she could get to safety. Jacob's words echoed in her head. He loved her, but it was obviously an act. He loved her, but he also shot her in the head? He was planning on dissecting her? She had seen the tools. The 'bear begged to rip apart her body and to devour the mother fucker who threatened her family, but Amelia couldn't do it. She couldn't allow herself the satisfaction of killing him, at least, not now. Amelia held onto the gun, her grip tightening. She had been so stupid. All of those times she had seen him, she had known somethingwasn't right, but she had passed it off for the issue of him being unreliable in the terms of their relationship going downhill. How come she didn't remember? It had been months, months and he pretended like everything was okay. Amelia tucked the gun into her bag and glanced over her shoulder.

Jacob: He was at first actually afraid to do anything. Jacob sat behind the wheel, gripping it as if his life depending on it while focusing all his effort on breathing because it was becoming increasingly difficult to do. The inside of the Jeep started to close in and he was feeling altogether rattled, tears welling just enough to make his eyes glassy while it felt like someone had just cranked the heat until the knob broke off. Jacob pulled at his shirt before it became too much and he shoved the driver’s side door open, nearly spilling out onto the ground. She still had his gun. Even if he wanted to just let her go, he couldn’t…but he kept his distance, moving back to the Jeep just to get the gift out of the glovebox. It was stupid, but it was all he had to try and diffuse the situation. Jacob approached slowly, wanting to call out but unable to find his voice and when Amelia glimpsed back it stopped him again, completely, though he somehow found his words. Not all of them, but enough. Now if he could just get his breath back. Jacob’s jaw worked but no sound came out, his eyes wide and blinking as if he couldn’t focus them and he slowly shook his head, continuing to approach with the giftbox extended. “…Mel, come on. Come back, just l-let me explain. I can tell you…tell you anything you wanna fuckin’ know just…d-don’t go.” He added, weakly. “…I can’t let you leave if you have my gun. Please.”

Amelia knew that she could outrun Jacob, no questions asked, but what if he had another gun? If she ended up somewhere private, who was to say he wouldn't shoot her again? Amelia's throat constricted again as he spoke and she shook her head, tucking her bag closer to her body. "There's nothing to explain!" She called back. Despite the slight chill that had settled over Pickens that day, Amelia felt like she was on fire. If she wasn't so goddamn devoted to her family, she would've thought about staying, but she couldn't. She had to get back to Vaughn and warn him, hell, warn everyone about Jacob and who he really was, and why he couldn't be trusted. Amelia took the gun out of her bag and pointed it at him, her finger flirting over the safety to make it look like she had taken it off. "You want your fucking gun?" The swear word rolled off of her tongue as if she swore on the regular. The words tasted harsh, but they were needed. "Do you want to shoot me in the fucking head again?" Tilting her head to the side, the brunette stared at Jacob, her eyes softening. "Why?" Her voice rose. If there were people watching them, she was unaware. "Why did you have to shoot me in the head, and then make me fall in love with you all over again?!" The tears all came at once, and Amelia wiped them away with her bare arm, as her dress hadn't come adorned with sleeves. "You said you loved me, but you-" Shaking her head, the brunette let out a laugh that shook her entire body. "I should've never fucking trusted you." With both hands, Amelia dissembled the gun. It came slow to her, but she soon figured out the gun and emptied the clip. The bullets spilled over the pavement and Amelia chucked the gun into the middle of the street. "Don't come anywhere near me again."

Jacob: His chest was heaving by the time his gun lay in scattered pieces in the middle of the road but he didn’t care. He just didn’t care. The tears finally came, the fact that he was fucking crying like a pussy just making them flow more freely, when she aimed the gun at him and he felt what had been left of his heart fall down into his churning stomach. And Jacob felt terribly numb. It was like a moment of shock before he fell to the comfort of what he knew and what he knew well was anger. He could feel his face flushing, vision blurred as he swiped at the tears with the back of his arm, and Jacob was so desperate, feeling so naked, that he couldn’t have cared less if he tore his throat with the force he yelled out after her with. “Do you have any fuckin’ idea what I’ve done for you? I would fuckin’ do /anything/ for you, Amelia. I’ve sat in a fuckin’…in a fuckin’ motel bathtub in my own fuckin’ piss and vomit, on my fuckin’ deathbed to get sobre for you. For /you/. You think I give a fuckin’ shit if I wind up in the goddamn gutter? Look at me.” He held his arms out to gesture at his unimpressiveness, just some fucking finger-missing prick from Pennsylvania with no friends, not even any mild acquaintances. He had a brother who hated him and parents who were in jail because he was a moron. He decimated his friendship with Harley when he threw her under the bus in confessing to Mel and made sure every last damn person knew to stay away from asshole Jack Danvers, professional leper. “…do you honestly think I did any of this shit for myself? You think I give a shit if I have a nice haircut and a fuckin’ suit? I should hang myself with the fuckin’ tie but I thought, I don’t fuckin’ know, I thought maybe if…if you lived and then came back and I could show you that I’m not this fuckin’ monster…/I/ didn’t shoot you.” With the outburst waning he fell back into tears and his arms fell to hang dumbly at his sides, heavy and useless. He managed to shrug his shoulders, though, and after that Jacob didn’t know what else to do. “…I would never hurt you, how could I? I love you. And I don’t care what you are, it doesn’t matter.”

Amelia "How am I supposed to believe that, Jack?" Amelia was screaming down, and the 'bear reigned back on her. It gave a warning that if she lost her temper, she wouldn't be standing there on her own two feet. "I woke up alone, on a metal table to find you ready to do what, to rip me to shreds?" It was obvious that Jack hadn't expect Amelia on the table, especially with the way he had reacted, but he had been ready to cut into her all the same. The tears poured evenly down her reddened cheeks now, and she didn't even bother to wipe them away. The colour had been ripped from her world, so all the girl really saw were the darkened swirls of grey that mixed in with the bright whites. "If you didn't shoot me, who did?" Amelia asked again, her voice breaking. She wanted so badly to believe that he didn't have anything to do with the fact that she had been set out, ready to be dissected, but all of the evidence pointed to the fact that he did. Swallowing thickly, Amelia looked down at her feet, frustration rolling through her. She hated not knowing what to believe. The hurt on his face told Amelia that he genuinely hadn't had anything to do with nearly killing her, but he had been exceptionally good at making up lies, that much was obvious. "I don't-" Amelia choked on her words and pressed the back of her hand to her mouth. She wanted so badly to turn around, to let him tell her what exactly happened, but she couldn't. Not when her family had also been shot at. It hadn't only been her who had been hurt, it had been Paris, too, and that only fueled the fire. "Don't come near me again, Jack." Amelia looked at him, her words strengthened by the set of her shoulders. "Please."

Jacob: “Mel…” He started to counter-argue but stopped himself as soon as the syllable left his mouth, cringing into himself as if her request stung. In ways, it did. In ways he wished were physical because that he could handle. It was the cesspool in his head that always hurt the most and there didn’t seem much of a cure for that outside of what he couldn’t have anymore. What did you really think was going to happen, though, Jacob? Shaking his head did nothing to bring focus to his eyesight, the heel of his palm grinding into his eye as he took a step back, free hand lobbing the necklace in its box to her as close as he could manage. “….just fuckin’ take it, hock it.” Jacob swiped at his eyes again and tried to blink some sense into his vision as he moved for the parts of his gun.

Amelia took a step back from both Jack, and the box he managed to toss at her feet. "I can't." The brunette bit down onto her bottom lip and pulled her bag in tighter to her, holding onto it as some sort of safety net. If she were a monster, she would've attacked him. Only, Amelia wasn't a monster at all. She was a young woman who's life had taken an unexpected turn, and now she was paying for it. Slicking her hair back and out of her eyes with one hand, the brunette turned around and started walking, hopeful that he wouldn't follow her. She wasn't sure if she could hold back any longer if he did.

The day she began noticing that the reds began bleeding out from the seams of her world was the same day she had to ask the woman beside her which were green and which were red, as the sign hadn't been put up yet. The woman had eyed her warily before pointing them out. If she trusted any of the doctors in Pickens, she would've went to get tests done, but she couldn't afford somebody outside of the Sleuth finding out. There were others, in other groups, Amelia was sure, that had heard of the Sleuth shootout. News travelled fast, even with the lycans. It was something Amelia couldn't help but feel at home with; the spread of gossip. She hadn't ever partook in the events that led to devastation as somebody's secret was ripped from behind sealed teeth, but she had seen enough of it back in Posen to know that no matter where you were, and no matter what species- Gossip was still addicting. 

"I should be grateful it wasn't something serious," Amelia whispered to herself. The house was empty, like most days, which meant that no matter how loudly Amelia spoke to herself, there would never be anyone to hear it. Clearing her throat, the brunette turned towards the door of her room, which led out into the hallway. The longer the days were, the harder Amelia found it to get out of bed. Not because she pitied herself, but because it was impossible to keep her attention on anything other than the dull thud of her heartbeat that somehow reached her ears each and ever passing moment that she made eye contact with somebody who she registered as a stranger. In the presence of human males, Amelia's judgement dwindled and all she wanted to do was run. Only, she couldn't let herself. Who was to say the hunter wasn't a female? Only, the vivid pictures she got while she was asleep told her otherwise. It was definitely a male hunter that the Sleuth should be worried about, Amelia told herself again and again. Amelia had made assumptions once, and they had involved the fact that she would be safe within the arms of the Sleuth, only, that thought had been kicked from her the moment she woke up in the hospital, miles and miles away from Pickens.