A Condemned Haven

Chapter 40

*****We're almost coming to an end people. Only a couple of more chapters to go.*****

Clarke woke up to the light filtering through the windows. At some point she had gotten tired of sitting in the chair and hopped in the hospital bed with Jack. His arm was wrapped around her shoulders with one of her arms extending over his chest. She was so glad he was okay, but she was also beyond pissed. Andy was going to answer for this no matter what. She had to catch the bastard now. She raised her hand off of his chest gently playing with a couple of pieces of his hair. He had grown on her and she hadn't even noticed. How much she cared about him had sneaked up on her. She traced his lips gently, stroking where he had been hitting. He opened his brown eyes and she felt a little embarrassed to be caught.

"Who told you to stop?" He was serious. He could look at her all day. She gently rested her arm back around his chest.

"Always patching each other up these days, huh?"

"Seems that way." They stayed silent as they just enjoyed laying there with one another. Jack could have died. Clarke was done with whatever blackmail shit this guy was trying to pull. She was going to keep Jack safe, but she couldn't just ignore him. He didn't want that and neither did she.

"Clarke, I have something to say. Don't interrupt me okay?"

"Okay."

"I haven't known you that long. Only about three months, but the first time I saw you I got this feeling. Like I was supposed to know you or something. I almost died yesterday."

"I know I'm sorry." Jack just laughed at her and turned her head towards him.

"I said don't interrupt. I almost died yesterday and if it happens again, I don't want to have any regrets. I'm sorry I'm having a really hard time getting it out," he chucked nervously. When his brown eyes finally focused on hers, she already knew what he was going to say.

"What I'm trying to say, is that things are serious with trying to find whoever keeps killing people and I don't know if he'll come after you next or me again, but I just need to say this. I've always been haunted by the possibility of what would've happened if Amy was still alive. What we could've been?"

"Jack you don't have to tell me this." Clarke looked away and he brought his finger under his chin to look back at him.

"Let me finish. I always had her in the back of my mind and so I didn't even open up to the possibility of something with someone else. But then I met you. Clarke I'm so in love with you that even getting beat the shit out of couldn't scare me away. So, if you're thinking about trying to ignore me again, it would hurt a hell of a lot more. You don't have to say it back. You don't have to say anything. I just wanted to let you know."

Clarke reached her hand up to his face and kissed him. She hadnt had tiem to think about her feelings with everything going on, but she knew she cared about him, deeply. She would wait until she meant it. Until she could do the same thing he did and put Brandon to rest. He was satisfied with her response as he kissed her back.

"I have to go. I'm sorry but I have to go to school." Jack just laughed as he kissed her one more time.

"Only you would think of school while I confess my undying love for you." She chuckled with him as she got up and walked to the door.

"Isn't that why you love me?"

"One of many reasons." She gave him a smile before leaving.

She was going to punish the person who did this to Jack. She stopped by her house to get a change of clothes before heading to where she needed to go. She had lied to Jack about going to school because she didn't want him to worry. She needed proof is she was going to punish Andy for what he did. As she made her way to the familiar trailer, she grew nervous. She knew Andy would be at school and his parents probably at work, but it didn't make breaking into his house any less nerve wracking. She knocked on the door, making sure that no one was home before making her way around the back. She was hoping some window would be unlocked, but when she saw the screen door in the back, she thought it couldn't hurt to give it a try. As soon as she yanked on the flimsy door it opened wide. Bingo.