Bad Luck Jack AU: Something Worth Fighting For

Chapter 5: Bad Memories

~~~11 years ago~~~

It was a Winter night in Safe Haven, and the snow was falling heavily. Most would have stayed indoors, but there was one car on the roads. It's occupants was a man who is bringing his daughter home from a cartoon festival in Northern Safe Haven. As the little girl, no older then 6, sat in her seat, smiling as she stared out the window as the snow fell. This is Vanexa, before her father's death.

As Vanexa was sitting in the back of the car, she was doing what every 6 year old girl did: Daydream about finding her special someone. "Daddy, what do you think my future husband will be like?" Her father, a man with scars over his body from his time in the Safe Haven Guard, smiled to his daughter, "Kitten, I know you'll pick out a perfect guy, you always had a knack for good instincts on people." The little girl smiled so brightly, she had no care in the world.

"Daddy, do you think I'll be as strong as you, or smart like Mommy?" He chuckled from the front seat, "Vanexa, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind you'll be just as strong as me, and I know for a fact you'll be just as smart as mommy, but no matter how smart or strong you are, you'll always be my little Kitten." She smiled even brighter, she was a Daddy's girl through and through. "Daddy, how much longer till we're home?"

He looked in the rear view, then to the back seat, smiling and rubbing his daughters head, "Soon Kitten, soon." He smiled bright as he was looking back, but when his eyes hit the road fear took over as he slammed on the brakes, as a woman was sitting in the middle of the road and he tried his best to make sure he didn't hit her, which was successful, but when he swerved, it flipped the car over and over, down the side of the hill, and crashing into a stump, barely hanging on by a few roots at the edge of a cliff.

"Daddy! I'm scared!" He knew he couldn't get out, his legs were trapped under the steering wheel, and the car was flipped over, but his mind wasn't on his safety, "Kitten, unbuckle your seatbelt and crawl to the back window, ok?" She nodded, and did as she was told, "Now with all your strength kick out the window out, and you have to kick hard! You can do it!" And she did, it took several tries, but she managed to kick the glass out and crawl outside, "Now what Daddy?!"

He looked back through the broken back window and sighed, "Go get help! There should be a cop nearby, go and get help!" And with tears in her eyes she ran up the hill, but he knew he wasn't going to get out of this alive, he tried to get free, but it was no good. That's why he had her go and get help that wouldn't come, so she didn't have to see what would be inevitable. But after a few minutes Sirens came, and 2 cops and Vanexa ran down the side of the hill, but he felt the cars weight shift as the tree stump began to break away.

And, just before the 3 could make it to the wreck, the stump gave way, taking the dirt under most of the car with it, and, along with the car, took her father's life. "DADDY!" was all she could scream, but it was too late. As the years flew by, she grew cold, hiding her feelings from the world. But, when she turned 12, she met a Jackal who was down on his luck, but had a heart of gold, covered by a will of steel, and fists of iron. That's the day she met the only one she would be willing to show her true emotions to. That's the day she met Jackson Wells.