The Beast Within

Chapter Forty-One: Time Hadn't Been Cruel

4 years later.

Nyssa opened her eyes as she heard a thump coming from the older kids room, she pulled herself out of bed and tapped on the boys room "boys, are you okay?" "fine mom!" they both called out in unison making her feel suspicious "I'm coming in" she said and opened the door to see them hanging upside down off their bunk bed "do I even want to know?" she asked rolling her eyes helping them both down "Caleb said we would grow if we hung upside down" Jax answered "boys, Caleb is a grown up, you're both still growing, there's plenty of time to grow up, you're still my babies" she said hugging them both and peppering kisses to their cheeks "mom, stoppp" they both complained and she chuckled "fine, get dressed school in ten minutes, breakfast is on the counter" the boys nodded and ran down the stairs pushing each other to get there first, Nyssa smiled and picked up the boys washing and threw it in the washing basket.

She knocked on Crimson's door who let her in instantly "hi mommy" "morning princess, what are you up to?" "writing daddy a letter" she said sprinkling glitter on a piece of paper, Crimson took Jerome's departure the hardest, she said Jerome responds to her letters but Nyssa suspected it was Jeremiah who was answering them so she didn't lose all hope on her father "that's great sweetie, but did you want to help me get the twins up?" Crimson grinned widely and ran down the hall, she loved helping Nyssa with the two little ones "good morning Poppy" Crimson said lifting her younger sister and Nyssa picked up her younger daughter "hello Scarlett my gorgeous girl" she said sitting her down onto the ground and grabbed out their clothes and handed Crimson Poppy's outfit for the day.

They changed and dressed the toddlers and took them downstairs "Crim hurry up, the bus is here" Jason said pulling on his puffy jacket "bye mommy" Crimson said hugging her mom and then kissed the twins "bye my babies, have a good day" she called back as they all ran outside, she smiled and sat down to feed her two twin girls, Crimson walked by the post box and slipped the letter to her dad in it "you know he doesn't answer right Crim?" Jason said and Crimson shook her head "he does too, he misses us, he tells me so" she defended "whatever you say" Jaxon said as he and his brother laughed at their sister.

Jerome slammed the door to his home and pulled open the letter from his mail box, he smiled as he read the letter 'hi daddy, it's Crimson again.. no one believes me that you still care, I know you do, mommy thinks uncle Miah answers me back but I know it's really you, I just know it.. I miss you and I want you to come back, if it was because of mommy she is sorry, she misses you too, she thinks I don't hear her cry at night but I do, please come make mommy happy again, I love you it's your princess Crimson' Jerome smoothed out the letter and sat it in the pile of all the other letters from her, he picked up the very first one and sighed 'dadddy I want you to come bacck to us, I luv and miss u lots, we all miss you, if youre still there and luv us too pwease come back, luv your princess Crim' he smiled at the letter that he received years before, he missed his kids and wife more than anything but Jeremiah had warned him of what could happen if he did come back and that was enough for him to stay away but he needed to see his brother, he grabbed his car keys and folded Crimson's latest note and put it in his pocket to keep her close to him and started his car.

Jeremiah opened his front door and let the person in "it's good to see you" he said "thanks for sending me Crimson's letter" Jeremiah smiled "well, she's been sending them to my house I felt it was right for you to have them" "if things were different we could have got along Miah" Jerome said pouring himself a scotch "perhaps in another life, so what merits this surprise visit?" "did you-" he suddenly stopped in his tracks and his face heated up, there was a picture of Nyssa with all of her kids on Jeremiah's wall, he ran his pale fingers over her red cheeks in the picture, all he'd gotten in four years was letters he had no idea what any of his kids looked like or his wife "when was this?" "Christmas last year, the children insisted I frame it" Jeremiah stated pulling out a small photo album "here, this has pictures of the children" Jerome took it and opened it from the beginning and his heart stopped.

It was Nyssa and Crimson in the hospital, the next picture was Crimson and Jason as babies in bed with Nyssa, then there was a picture of Nyssa smiling brightly with Jason and Crimson on the edge of the bed as they slept he remembered taking it on Nyssa's camera, he flipped through the pictures and stopped on his and Nyssa's wedding day, her cheeks were glowing and her smile was infectious, the next one was them kissing in their wedding attire, he could remember that whole day as if was just yesterday, the next pictures were of Nyssa with a big belly and their three kids sitting around her, then there was one of her in the hospital smiling widely at the camera ready to meet her kids, then there was her cradling two young babies in a hospital bed, more of them was of her reading to their kids and of her with the two twin girls, the last picture in the album was of Nyssa and Jeremiah she was holding one little girl and he holding the other and the three kids were standing in front of them with big bright smiles, he went to close the album but a small picture slipped out, he picked it up and swallowed the lump in his throat, it was Nyssa before they had been together sitting on the bench of the old shared apartment, she was smiling brightly holding a bowl of fruit, he shut the album and sat it down feeling his emotions slowly drown him "are you okay brother?" Jerome nodded his head and downed his drink "fine" he responded coldly.

Nyssa held her twin girls hands and eyed the BMW in Jeremiah's driveway, she didn't recognize the car, she tapped on the door but there was no answer "is daddy home?" Poppy asked and Nyssa turned the handle which opened the door "he's probably working, come on" she walked them inside but froze as she heard a voice too familiar to her that turned her veins to ice "thanks for the drink Miah, but I gotta go" she pulled the study door open and felt her heart stop, Jerome turned around but stopped when his eyes fell on her, tears were brimming in her eyes and her bottom lip was quivering "hey Nyss" he said nonchalantly "hey? that's it?" she asked frustrated "you look good" "you bastard! four years and all you say is I look good!" she shoved him hard and stormed out of the house with her kids.

Jeremiah ran after her and Jerome slowly walked to the front door "Nyssa wait!" she turned and pushed Jeremiah away "you've been in contact with him this whole time!?" "I-" "have you!?" "yes" "then there's nothing to say" "Nyssa please, he asked me not to, I'm sorry darling" "you lied to me, you told me you didn't know where he was! my husband left me and you knew where he was!" "I'm sorry, truly I am, but he knew you not knowing was for the best" "you haven't just been lying to me, you've been lying to my kids, to his kids!" she glared at Jerome as he stood by the front door "it was what was best" Jeremiah defended but Nyssa opened her car door and put her kids in their seats and started the car, Jeremiah grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the car and shut the driver door.

Jerome stood up straighter and gritted his teeth watching the altercation annoyed "get your hands off me!" "be angry at me fine! but you're not taking my children from me, so don't try to" "I need to go" "I mean it Nyssa" he went to grab her arm but his movements were stopped by a strong grip to his wrist "bad idea Miah" Jerome warned, Nyssa avoided eye contact with either brother's "you can have them on the weekend as planned" Nyssa spat and climbed in her car.

Jerome glared at Jeremiah once Nyssa was out of view "this is your only warning, don't you ever put your hands on my wife like that again, or I will kill you" Jeremiah swallowed a lump and nodded and Jerome climbed into his car and was instantly gone, Nyssa wiped her tears away and stopped at the red light, she heard the rumble of a car pull up next to her, she looked over quickly but looked back and felt her heart beat quicken, Jerome looked beside him and their eyes locked onto each other, the light turned green and Jerome sent her a flirty wink then stepped on the gas and he was gone, she took a second to collect herself and drove off, time hadn't been cruel to him and it showed, she huffed and turned the corner to go to the grocery store.