The day they thought would never come

Prequel snippet 1 - The message

Jack POV---

Here I sit, on the couch with my head in my hands, I just don't understand what life wants from me anymore. It's like every time everything seems to be going my way... Vrrruum, there goes rug, pulled right out from under me. Its been a year. I have finally finished putting the past behind me and I am running toward the future.

And then something decides it wants to pull me back.

My own girlfriend is pushing me to do something I am not sure I can handle. All because of the message on my phone.

"Jack, we need to talk about this. It has to be really bad if Cassie called you. You know how they have been treating you. If this is important enough for her to reach out to you for help, then Gabrielle must be in a pretty bad way. You have to at least find out what is going on."

Jaycee, my girlfriend, my love, my future, is standing there pushing me back toward the person that pretty much broke me. Jaycee was the one that helped allow me to pick up the pieces and put myself back together again and here she is telling me that I have to go back. Doesn't she understand how hard this is? How much I feel like Humpty Dumpty sitting on the wall. If I break again I may never recover.

"Jack, I love you and I know you. I know you still care for her. I know you still love Gabrielle. I don't hate that she has that hold on your heart. I know you love me too. But you will never forgive yourself if something happens to her that you could have helped stop. You know I am right."

Yes, I know she is right, its just so hard. I wonder what is so bad that Cassie called me for help. I thought Cassie had made her feelings about me pretty clear over the last year. Pretty much all of Gabrielle's family did. They either hit me with the snide little comments or they just ignored me like I didn't exist. It seemed like her mother was the only one that even acknowledged that I was a person. I wonder what I did to deserve all this.

"Jack, you can put on the greatest act in the world, but you know deep down you care deeply about people. Even those that hurt you. You have to help her Jack. I am not sure I could forgive you if you didn't try because it will be turning away from who you really are."

I know she is right. I know I am going to do it. It doesn't matter if I fall again and never get back up. There really is no choice. If my Gabrielle needs my help, then she is going to get it. No matter how much it may cost me.

In the end there is really no decision to make. Gabrielle needs me.

Time gap.

So here I am. I talked to Cassie and wow was she freaking out. I can't believe Gabrielle would write that letter and stick it in her diary. If it is true then I am glad Cassie found it. I hope she is wrong about what it means. Well time to man up.

I raise hand to start knocking on the apartment door.