( COMPLETE ) - Tag & Jack.

There were so many thoughts processing through Jack's head, he couldn't sort one out from another. The mere fact that Ava and her friends were witches was enough to anger him in itself. Could he really believe that it was just coincidence that she had started talking to him? Fuck. That it was coincidence that Sierra started talking to Tag. Though, maybe it was the other way around, but it didn't matter. They knew. He knew they knew. And he was pretty sure that Ava knew she slipped up big time. At first, he thought to himself that he really couldn't be angry with her - or any of them. The fact of the matter was, they didn't come from just any Coven. They were the ultimate rival Coven to them. Were they out to get them or was it really all a coincidence? Jack didn't believe in them. After all, he was a witch with extraordinary powers - nothing was coincidental in his life. This was no exception.

He was worried most about Tag. Undoubtably, he would take this the worst out of all of them. Him and Tag didn't exactly have meaningful conversations when it came to their love lives. Though, Jack knew how he felt about Sierra without having to ask. Not to mention, she's the only 'girlfriend' he's had that lasted longer than a week. On the other hand, he felt betrayed by Ava. He could only imagine how Tag would feel, and that probably wasn't accurate, because Tag had been known to surprise them. Jack had always been excellent at reading people. These girls had slipped right passed him, and he wasn't sure how. Had he not been now entirely convinced that Ava had used, he would have suspected that although their ancestry was dated back to their ancestors rivals that they didn't have any powers. Through much research over the greater course of the day, he'd come to find out that their coven skipped each generation. Meaning, every other generation were powerful witches - either way, they knew of their history. Skipping generations was also probably the reason why they had been thought to have died off at the trials.

Standing in the basement at Putnam's Barn, sitting in one of the four chairs that had faced the altar, his fingers massaged at his forehead. He was dreading this. All of it. Having to tell them (mostly Tag), which is why he'd asked him to come first. Having to deal with telling Ava that he knew - ultimately prompting her to kill him if thats what she was suppose to be doing. The feud had only been seemingly over because they were 'dead', only now that they weren't, he didn't know what it meant. If they were sent to kill them, why THIS generation, why not their grandfathers generation? His thoughts were interrupted by Tag making his appearance down the stairs - looking completely baffled as to why they were meeting up here. He knew when a meeting was called at Putnam's Barn by any of them, it was to discuss their heritage stuff. Little did he know, this time it was more so about his girlfriends heritage. Jack surveyed him carefully with a somber look on his face. "You're going to need to sit down for this. I mean it." No reason to beat around the bush, but he wanted him to sit him down first.

Jack sent him several text messages a day, so the banter back and forth that day had not concerned him until his roommate had asked him to meet in the basement of Putnam's Barn. The location was reserved for discussions about their heritage, painstaking precautions taken to keep their secrets to themselves. Tag cocked a brow at the screen, wondering why his friend would have chosen that particular location. After wasting approximately ten seconds trying to figure it out, he bounced a shrug off his shoulders and decided that his time would be much better suited making his way to the designated meeting spot. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he casually strolled along the path. A few of his peers paused to greet him, and he responded with a polite nod in return. He had never been one to engage in conversation with mere acquaintances; he deemed petty small talk as a waste of precious time that could be better spent doing something much more productive, or at least more interesting. Still, Tag understood the desperate need not to draw any additional scrutiny to his life. So he remained polite, keeping people at a comfortable distance.

The school year was drawing to an end, and the seventeen year old could feel the anticipation for the freedom of summer crackling through the air. He longed for the days when nothing dictated his day except for his own wants and needs. The thought of lazy days evoked the slightest hint of a smirk over pouty lips. There would be plenty of time to cause a ruckus with Jack and Adam, and then there was the added perk of having Sierra this summer. Summer vacation in the past typically meant another broken heart to add to his collection, as he ended whatever short-lived relationship to explore the endless possibilities that break provided. He had no intentions of parting ways with Sierra though; Tag had finally met his match. Not only could she keep up with him in the bedroom - or anywhere else that their sexual escapades led them - but she kept him entertained and interested enough to stick around. That alone was a feat that no other female had been able to accomplish. He enjoyed the time that he spent with her, and he could not wait until he had her at his disposal whenever he wanted.

Descending the stairs, Tag pushed all thoughts of the blonde from his mind. He had not disclosed his darkest secret to her, and he had absolutely no intention of doing so. He knew well enough to know that people did not have the capacity to accept the paranormal. Instead, it seemed to incite fear in the hearts of those who were not gifted with powers. Long ago, he had vowed never to abuse his powers as his father had, and he had been rather successful in that respect. He would simply have to exercise complete discretion if he ever had to use them in front of Sierra. Hopefully, it would never come to that. Hopping over the last two steps, he landed on the concrete with ease, sauntering over to his friend. The expression on his face immediately warranted concern. Rather than questioning Jack's judgment, he simply followed orders. He sank down into one of the available chairs, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "What's this all about? Where is Adam?" The absence of the older Danvers' twin registered in his mind as a bit odd, putting him on high alert. His foot tapped against the floor, a sign of his heightened curiosity.

How was he suppose to tell Tag this? He didn't even know where to start, but he was never really one to beat around the bush. Then again, having to tell Tag his girlfriend is in their rival Covenant was territory that the two friends hadn't ventured into before. Nor did he ever think they would have to. In fact, the naive side of Jack believed they would never have to even face outside forces trying to destroy their heritage. Not that he really thought the girls were trying to do that, because they were in hiding more so than their own Coven. In the times of the Trials, the two Covens didn't exactly try to kill each other. They had just gotten each other killed. And it was so long ago. It didn't matter how mad he was at Ava right now, he could never harm her in any way.

The look on Jack's face was enough to convince Tag to sit down without giving him a hard time. Despite that normally, between the two of them it was all about who could give each other a harder time. Leaning forward, his elbows connected to his knees as his eyes continued to survey his friend. He sighed, bringing a hand up to wipe at his brow. "I asked him to meet a bit later." He said. His arms moved to grab at a stack of papers before tossing it onto the small, low rounded table in front of the two. "I wanted to tell you first." He explained. Truth was, he didn't think it was nearly as much of a big deal in general. Meaning, Adam wouldn't fret too much about it. Jack didn't really believe they were in any danger, and he was most certainly going to confront Ava after this about it, anyway. It was mostly a big deal to Tag and Jack, for obvious reasons.

Jack got to his feet, his arms crossing over his chest. "That female coven, is here." And the words still weren't coming any easier for Jack. "I don't think we're really in trouble with them per se. I don't think they're actively after us." He took a deep breath, his attention now focusing completely on his best friend sitting down in front of him. "Ava's one of them." It was funny, he had meant to say Sierra, but Ava was so much on his mind that it was a Freudian slip - nevertheless, the statement was true. He wondered if Tag could put the rest together about Sierra on his own. His head nodded to the stack of papers. "Family trees, tracing them back to the rivals of our ancestors and crap." He sighed, urging Tag to look at them. "...Sierra's one too, man." He said very softly, but he knew he would get the message.

The anxious tap of his foot against the concrete echoed loudly in his head, colliding with the thoughts bouncing against the walls of his mind. Tag prepared himself for the worst; had someone uncovered the secrets they had gone to hide at great lengths? It still did not explain why Adam was not there, especially if Jack had asked him to meet later. Furrowing his brow, he nervously massaged the nap of his neck. Maybe Jack wanted to discuss it with Tag first to develop a plan to tackle the situation with Adam. Yes, that made complete sense. But something deep inside of him stirred with the instinct that he was mistaken. He silently chastised himself for trying to figure it out even before his friend started talking, again pushing all thoughts aside as he focused.

Female coven. Here. Not actively after them. Ava. Sierra.

The words floated through his mind, skin prickling as he took an extended moment to process everything. Sierra was a member of a female coven, a rival coven at that. The first thought that occurred to him was that she would understand. He could be completely honest with her, and maybe the common ground would draw them closer. But then he recoiled with the realization that as a member of the rival coven, she already knew. She knew who he was; she knew what powers he possessed. For the first time in his life, he had opened himself up to someone, only to be fooled. Silence cloaked him, the quiet before the eminent storm. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths as he struggled to maintain his composure. Although he made a conscious effort to control his usage of his powers, he understood that unbridled emotions could evoke them as well.

Drawing in a deep breath, he lifted his steely stare to meet his friend’s gaze. “Are you sure?” Of course, Jack was sure. He wouldn’t have confronted Tag with the information had he not been sure. He glanced at the stack of papers Jack had placed in front of him. Reaching for them, he handled them as though they were brittle documents that would crumble to dust at the slightest touch. Eyes scanned through the sheets of paper, wondering why they had not been aware of the coven’s presence before. He felt as though their ancestors had betrayed them, wondering what good having powers were if one could not protect himself or the ones he loved. A wave of frustration crashed over him as he suddenly stood, sweeping the evidence off the table with nothing more than a mere thought. “WHAT THE FUCK?!” he bellowed, pacing around the room.

Jack had been prepared for the absolute worst. And it would have been completely understandable had he thrown his friend across the room, out of displaced aggression. Not to mention, he's the one who told him. He'd seen Tag angry before, but not like this. Nothing had warranted him to getting this angry in the past. Tag had been different with Sierra. For one, he referred to her as his girlfriend. And as his best friend, and because of his observing nature, Jack could tell things without him having to express them to him. As he had really started to fall for Ava, he was heartbroken himself. Not like Tag though, he imagined. He remained standing in his spot across from his friend, while he went thought the evidence Jack had produced for him. Not that he wouldn't believe him without it, but being able to read about it definitely let it sink in more.

Tag would make his own ideas and observations on what their motive was. While Jack had decided that it wasn't a malicious intent. Tag had went after Sierra, he had went after Ava, and while they responded. They didn't initiate it. In fact, since the beginning of high school he knew of them, but none of them spoke. Unless this was all part of some master plan, it was all a coincidence. Though, he wasn't about to share his thoughts with Tag. For they might be wrong. He wasn't really one to tell him to calm down, because when he met up with Ava he knew he was going to explode himself.

He watched his friend stand, inadvertently using his powers to wash the papers off the table in front of them. It had finally hit him, and Jack hadn't found his voice up until that point. "I mean, I guess we can't really be sure till we confront them." He shrugged. No, Jack was sure. It was all right there in plain black and white, not to mention what had tipped him off to go searching for answers, anyway. "Ava used around me. She didn't mean to, but I felt it. I think she knows that I know." Ava was pretty perceptive, too, Jack had noted. And she sure as hell knew she screwed up. "If you gotta get out of here, it's cool, I'll wait for Adam to tell him." Jack never really felt the need to comfort his friend, or give him advice before. Not until now. Though the one time his friend could have used it, he had nothing to say. "I'm sorry, buddy."

“Confront them?” he repeated incredulously, as though it was most ridiculous concept ever. And at this precise moment in time, it was the most dangerous notion ever as well. With pure rage boiling through his veins, Tag could very well evoke the apocalypse with the sheer volume of his fury. He found himself fantasizing about a possible confrontation, the cataclysmic collision of ancient feuding powers. Nothing they had shared seemed real anymore, merely a mirage of affection and emotions that he had actually savored for a split second in time. While Sierra had never given him reason to believe that their relationship was anything but genuine, the new knowledge of her own heritage forced him to reconsider everything he knew about her. He swallowed the bitter truth; he knew nothing about her. He had been cautious around her, not wanting to subject her to the scrutiny and inevitable ostracizing that accompanied his secret. He had kept the truth from her out of a certain adoration that he had never felt towards anyone before.

Another bout of rage bubbled deep within him, exploding in a powerful blast that set the sheets of paper strewn across the basement floor aflame. Azure eyes widened at the unexpected use of his powers, clearly much too frazzled by the display of strength to extinguish the fire himself. “Son of a bitch!” he exclaimed, motioning to his friend. “PUT IT OUT!” He charged forward to handle the situation as a mere mortal would, but the heat of the flames forced him to stagger backwards. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, to eliminate the evidence that had started this whirlwind of fury that he could no longer control. But these were important documents their ancestors had preserved, tools to teach younger generations about a dark heritage that proved to be both a blessing and a curse. As much as he wanted to destroy every last piece that connected them with their past, he knew that he could not. It was far too important to him, to all of them.

Tag stared into the blaze, the flames licking at the papers but not consuming them. Blinking back his surprise, he sighed with defeated relief. Eventually the fire would taper out, but without damage to the papers. He silently thanked the powers that were, slinking down to the floor as he rested his forehead against his raised knees. “Don’t apologize.” As much as Tag wanted to escape, he could not trust himself to keep his powers under control. Ava had already made the grave mistake of using her own powers in front of Jack, and the last thing that they needed was for Tag to seek retribution and reveal their coven to the world. “It was all a lie. It was all a lie. It was all a lie.” He repeated the sentence over and over again, a mantra to force himself to accept the reality of the situation. It was all a lie. He could trust nothing that had transpired between him and the one girl who had managed to break past the barriers. It was all a lie. She was a lie, nothing more than smoke and mirrors.

"Yeah, confront them." Jack had repeated a beat after the question escaped Tag's lips. "At least I'm going to." He stated, his arms moving to fold across his chest. While his friend still had that look in his eye, he thought as if the worst had passed them. It was a bit of a surprise that he hadn't unleashed more of his fury - although, Jack had thought too soon. He tried to figure out what could be going through Tag's mind, but he couldn't even fathom what his best friend was thinking. That's when the flames erupted off to the side. He didn't think he'd ever set off such a blaze in all the years since he'd came into his powers. Sure, he'd produced a small flame once or twice before when he had smoked, that was the extent of it.

His eyes widened a bit - completely thrown for a loop as the heat beat down on his side for the moment. He heard his buddy yell, and the two both staggered back. He'd been so caught off guard, he hadn't even attempted to put it out himself. And he knew Tag was in no condition to extinguish the blaze. He took a moment to concentrate hard, before moving a hand to put out the flames himself. Beads of sweat collected on his forehead - whether from the unusual amount of usage of his powers or the heat itself. Taking a deep breath, he cursed himself silently for not being prepared for that. He had known there was a very good chance Tag would have done such a thing. He was an idiot for thinking his rage was near over.

He turned to glance at his friend, still having no words to say to him. Which was unusual for Jack, he always had something to say to shed light on a situation. The sun will come out tomorrow, or some shit. That was gay, he wouldn't say that to Tag because once he became himself again he would mock him merc-lessly for it. Jack had seen a lot of things in his day that would shock people. He wasn't easily shocked, himself. But as he watched Tag sink down in front of him, there he stood, shocked. As if he didn't know what to say before, now he really didn't know what to say, but there were times his mouth started talking before his brain caught up to him. "You don't know that it was all a lie..." His voice drifted off. At least he hoped it wasn't all a lie, because he still wanted Ava despite. That didn't mean he wasn't going to unleash a fury of his own on her. "C'mon, man. You wanna go to Nikki's? I'll tell Adam on the phone and have him meet us there instead?"

Tag slumped further onto the floor, attempting to coil into himself. Not only had he put himself and his best friend in danger, but he had expelled so much energy with the use of his powers. Perhaps too much energy. He felt drained, completely devoid of any emotion. He could not determine whether the emptiness stemmed from the culmination of his rage or the sudden belief that everything was nothing more than a bold faced lie. Damn it. Things had been going uncharacteristically well, almost too well in his opinion. Yet he had pushed all doubts aside because he had finally found something worth all the trouble. But with this new revelation, Tag no longer felt as though it had been worth the trouble. They had been blindsided by a rival coven, one who had presented a threat to their ancestors. While there had been no direct harm at the time, who could say that anything had changed? It unsettled him to know that his instincts had been so far off bases when it came to the stunning blonde.

“It was a lie. It was all a fucking lie.” He inhaled deeply, lifting his gaze to drink in the concerned expression etched across his friend’s face. Little fazed Tag, and to know that a revelation of this magnitude had evoked unwarranted usage of his powers spoke volumes. Frankly, it frightened Tag. He had not been aware of his own powers, and apparently that had been for good reason. Their fathers had learned the hard way, especially his own, and he had vowed not to make the same mistakes again. Yet there he was, embroiled in the heart of a wrath he could not handle. “They are members of a rival coven, Jack. History doesn’t change because we happen to think they have nice asses.” It was a trivial and condescending statement, but right now Tag wanted to belittle the girls as much as possible. Maybe he did not necessarily mean it, but he needed to believe that they were monsters and undeserving of any sympathy whatsoever.

As much as he appreciated the offer to head over to Nikki’s, Tag shook his head from side to side. “Do you really think it’s a good idea for me to be out there?” he motioned above them, to the world which could never understand them. “You can go on ahead, man. I’m fine.” A slight pause filled the air between them before he corrected himself. “I’ll be fine.” Of course, he was not fine. And the fact of the matter was that he did not know when he would be fine again. But the outrage he had expressed had been enough to instill a sense of fear and wonderment into his heart. He was perfectly content sitting there until his anger and frustration passed, safe from the curious eyes in a place where he could not hurt anyone else. That was his main concern. Tag did not necessarily like people in general, and he could do without the general population of Salem. However, he was not a vengeful or violent person, and he would not allow something like Sierra’s betrayal to send him spiraling into the depths of despair. She was only a girl, after all… right?

Jack had still been taking a few breaths of his own, after the fire. After all, it took just as much for him to stop the flames as it did for Tag to make them. However, he was upright - his arms now crossed again. Trying to figure out where to go next. He hadn't expected his friend to be in such bad shape as he was displaying now. He was all over the place with his anger and his hurt, it was a situation not even Jack could handle. He knew he was drained from the power usage, but something told him that he would have ended up in the same position on the floor had he not set fire to the basement. Part of him really truly believed that Ava would never hurt him; that she wasn't after him. The time they had spent together had always been so amazing, and it hurt him so bad to think that it was all a lie. So, he refused to let him think like that. Though, two girls from a rival coven falling for him and Tag? Could he really ignore how fishy that seemed.

No. He refused to think like that, because he'd already been on that thought train. His powers went amiss hours before when he found out for himself. He had to figure out a way to calm Tag down. He'd seen the way him and Sierra were with each other, even when their mouths weren't down each other's throats. Sierra was scary at times, but with Tag she seemed to genuinely care about him. What did Jack know though, honestly? He should have caught on to them sooner. His gut had failed him this time, so what made him think he was right about the way the girls really felt about them? That didn't stop him from trying to rationalize the situation. Not just for Tag, but for him as well. He had to play devil's advocate. "Yeah, but dude, you've been with her for five months. I highly doubt she stayed with you just because you're her rival. Not to mention, you went after her, it's not like she sought you out." He glanced off to the side, scratching at the back of his head. Talking about her wasn't the best way to calm him down.

"I'm not leaving you here." He stated simply. God only knows what he would do without supervision, unless it was a case of him really wanting to be left alone with his thoughts. Though, last time he let his brain take over the place erupted in flames. Taking a few steps back, he moved to park his ass on the same seat he'd been in before. His arms rested on his knees as he still glanced to him. There was a silence that enveloped the two friends for a moment, "What are you going to do?" He asked him. Jack knew what he wanted to do, and there was really no talking him out of confronting Ava. He was pissed, and he really wanted her to make it better - tell him that it really was a coincidence that she fell for him, make him believe in his guy feelings again. But Tag? Who knew what he was going to do. And before they left that night, he wanted to make sure it wasn't going to be something stupid.

The seconds ticked loudly in his mind, as Tag fumbled through the deluge of memories he had shared with Sierra. Every glance, every touch, every kiss. At the time, he had surrendered himself to the fire that pulsed through his veins, the unbridled desire he felt consuming every last inch of his soul whenever he found himself thinking about her. She had infected his mind, cursing him with the never ending stream of thoughts of her. He could barely concentrate on anything, much less anyone, else. He could accomplish nothing throughout the day without wanting to share it with her. Yesterday, he had felt as though the world was at his fingertips. He believed himself to be invincible, as though nothing could hurt him. Suddenly, the world as he knew it collapsed all around him. He stared at the devastation and destruction around him, wondering if there was even a sliver of truth buried beneath the lies and deceit. Five incredible months of bliss had been reduced to a pile of rubble.

Jack’s words filtered into his eardrum, breaking through the turmoil muddling his mind. Tag had been the one to pursue Sierra; he had intended for her to be nothing more than another notch in his bedpost. But somewhere along the line, she had become so much more than another link in the chain. They shared something that Tag had never been privy to before, something he quickly settled into. Life with Sierra was nothing short of adventurous, and he had never felt more alive than when he was with her. She introduced him to a side of himself that he had never known existed, a side that seemed specifically crafted for her – and her alone. He was certainly not naïve enough to believe that he loved her, especially not given the new circumstances. But something had transpired between them that had prevailed over any of his powers. He had only recently succumbed to the idea that what they shared was greater than anything he had ever known, and now he hadn’t the slightest clue what to believe in. A part of him wanted to believe that it was merely coincidence. But in the reality of their world, nothing was ever purely coincidence.

What are you going to do? Tag had been pondering the very same question of himself for the past ten minutes. As much as he wanted to confront her now, he could not allow himself to do so. Despite the fact that she had betrayed him, he could not ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach – the same feeling that reminded him that he still cared. Fuck that. Fuck her. He knew that his emotions were spinning out of control, and it would inevitably leave him vulnerable to her own powers. For all he knew, she had already learned how to effectively call upon the powers. While he had always refrained from using his gifts against others, no one could predict what catastrophic outcome would result in a battle of forces. “I need to get away.” It was as simple as that. He needed to escape the place that held so many memories; he needed to clear his mind and sort through the chaos without being reminded of her wherever he went. “I need to leave Salem.” Tag considered the possibilities, wondering how he could explain the situation to his parents without alerting them to the presence of a rival coven. “I just need a few days away to figure it all out. I need to clear my head before I can even think about what I am going to do,” he spoke quickly, his mouth racing to keep up with his mind. “I’m leaving Salem.”

What was quite possibly more frustrating than the problem at hand, was the fact that he couldn't figure out what was going on through Tag's mind. Especially after he'd announced that he was leaving. Part of Jack screamed at him, urging him to try to convince his friend not to leave. What if the worst possible scenario presented itself, and there was some sort of battle. What if they really ended up needing him for magical purposes? These were thoughts that he didn't want to voice, if not for his own sake - for Tag's. Jack would stick to trying to supply his friend with a possible silver lining. Not put more doubts in his head. There wouldn't be a battle, because ultimately he wouldn't fight anyway. Not even if pushed to the limit. The feud should lay dead with their ancestors. It was all stupid to him, anyway.

Aside from all that, Jack still didn't think running was Tag's best answer. At least it wasn't the answer that Jack had opted to choose. Maybe it wasn't running, maybe he really needed this to clear his head. "Alright." He heard himself conceding, with a sign. "You have to do what you have to do." And that was the bottom line. "What do you want me to do? Don't ask me not to go to Ava, either because I have to for my own piece of mind." He'd do anything to help Tag out, but confronting Ava was something that was going to happen tonight. Which, she would in turn tell Sierra, there was no doubt about it. Thus, Sierra would probably deduct from it all that Tag knew as well. "Are you gonna tell her you're leaving? Are you gonna tell your parents?" Getting to his feet, ideas for his friend started to race through his head. "Alright, here's the thing if you wait till later tonight to leave - after I talk to Ava, I'll go with you - and we'll tell our parents we're going camping or some shit?" He offered. Unless, Tag meant he was leaving for more than a couple of days, then camping wouldn't be a sufficient excuse.

For a moment, Tag believed that Jack would actually attempt to convince him to stay. He understood that running away would not solve this dilemma, but he also knew that staying could prove to be detrimental to all involved. Case in point had been his recent explosion of rage; he had never lost control of his powers like that before, and he could not afford an encore. And as much as he did not want to admit it, he certainly did not want to inflict any harm unto Sierra. It extended far beyond her possible abilities to invoke her powers, but stemming more from the part of him that still cared about her. More than anything, he wanted to banish that feeling from the muddle of emotions overwhelming him. But it was much too strong. Even in the face of her betrayal, he could not fathom doing anything to hurt her. Perhaps that was the kicker. He cared far too much to hate her, but that did not mean that he could forgive her.

Tag shook his head from side to side, knowing that his friend had his own situation to confront. In fact, it had been selfish of him not to consider the fact that Jack was in a very similar position with Ava. “No. You go ahead and do what you have to do.” He glanced up, steely gaze locking with his friend’s. He drank in his words, turning them over and over in his mind. Yes, that could actually work. Sitting up, he clasped his hands in his lap and outlined the plan. “Here’s the deal. Confront Ava. Talk to her. Figure out what the hell is going on. Tell her that we are going camping. Ask her to relay the message to Sierra.” He cringed at the sound of her name falling from his lips, wishing that it did not cause a familiar stirring in the pit of his stomach. He would certainly have to work on that. “Then if you want to take off with me, you can. I don’t know where the hell I am going, but it doesn’t really matter. For all I care, I’ll just get in my car and drive until I run out of gas. I’ll get there when I get there.” Raking his fingers through his hair, his shoulders heaved with a sigh.

Finally pulling himself off the floor, he brushed off his pants and walked over to the immaculate papers that survived the flames. “I’m not going to tell anyone anything. Not until I know what the fuck I’m doing.” His voice was stony, laden with a newfound determination. “Nothing is coincidence, Jack. Even if they didn’t betray us, I don’t know that I can forgive and forget. I don’t know that I can trust her again,” he spoke softly, revealing a more vulnerable side of him that remained hidden to the rest of the world. “I just don’t know.”