Throughout It All

17 | Stopped Time | July 20, 1914

Title sort of in reference to the song Stopped Time on the Vincenzo soundtrack.

Oooooh what's going to happen?!

This gets heavy really fast.

Enjoy! :)

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For a moment, no one moves. As time stops, everyone is completely frozen.

As James Baletti takes one step forward, they all take one step back.

"How ... how did you find us?" Sardinia chokes out. "We took so many precautions..." the words die out. 

There is genuine fear in Dave's eyes. He gulps. "It was only a matter of time, I guess."

"There were locks-" Sardinia tries again, still trying to comprehend that this is truly happening.

"I've learned how to pick a lock over the years." How could James say that so calmly?

Jack can't stop staring at him. "We trusted you."

I trusted you.

He still can't wrap his mind around what's happening.

"You helped us." Jack still can't figure out why they're on different sides. "You gave me the letter. You told me where to find Mush."

"That's what he wanted," Race realized. "It all led up to this." He stares at James. "Whatever this is."

"What have you done?" David breathes out.

The indescribable fury is still in James' eyes. Yet he calms for a second, and says something that makes their blood run cold: "I was never with you."

Spot stares James down coldly. "You have some explaining to do."

"Gladly," James returns with a sneer. He faces Jack. "At the cemetery two days ago, did you really believe that I waited a year to give you the letter? Did you really believe that me being in the cemetery--where you could find me easily--was a coincidence?"

Jack has nothing to say.

"Wait." David realizes something. "Today was the day a year ago Kid Blink was buried. Not yesterday." He looks at James. "Yet you will still there."

"You waited for us to come back," Jack murmurs, eyes wide.

James nods, like he's glad they're finally putting two and two together.

"I don't believe it!" Spot exclaims. "This whole time, this was all just a set up." 

"Well, not all of it," James says, in an indifferent tone. "My brother really did write to you. He wrote a lot of nonsense in his final days. He must have known that his letter to his lover would never make it, because he spontaneously started writing desperately to Jack."

"My ... my letter...?" Mush repeats, not believing his ears.

"He wrote a lot of things to many people," James says. "And of course, I read them all. It was only the letter to Jack I found that was worth keeping. So I burned the rest."

Jack, David, Race, and Spot clench their fists as Mush lets out a strangled cry. They could have had so many more of Kid Blink's words. But because of his brother who stands in front of them, they never will. He didn't have the right to take all those words from them.

"So why did you keep it?" Jack asks. "Why wait a year to give it to me?"

"I was biding my time," James answers. "I needed to figure out a plan. I needed to gather as much information as I could. And why I kept it? It was perfect. It was enough to drive you all insane, just as you all drove him insane. He was crazy about all of you. And yet most of you didn't care."