Chapter Text
2016
“Mmmmmyello?”
“Jackie?”
“Andy? What—Why are you calling?”
“She’s—She’s gone. Cath—and Lena is—and Baz—“
“Hey, hey calm down. Take a breath, Andy. Tell me what happened.”
“She’s FUCKING dead!”
“Who?”
“Cath. Smurf wanted me to kill her but—but she was dead when I got there. And Baz is—is being so awful to Lena—Jackie—Jackie please. I want out. I need to get Lena out of here.”
“Fuck. Fuck. Okay, Andy. Give me—I’ll be home in two days. Can you wait that long?”
“I don’t—I don’t know.”
“You can. I’ll see you in two days. Make sure Lena isn’t at the house when I get there. Take her to the beach.”
“Okay. Okay. Jackie—“
“I’ll see you soon.”
“Jack—what a pleasant surp—“
Bang! Bang bang!
“Fuck you, bitch.”
“Hey, Lena.” Jack crouched down in front of the six-year-old, hiding behind Andrew’s arm. “I’m your Uncle Jack. Sorry it took so long for me to meet you.”
Lena peered up at Andrew, looked back at Jack, confused. “You look just like Uncle Pope.”
Jack’s mouth twitched. “That’s because we’re identical twins. And we’re going to call him Andrew, now.”
He very carefully did not look up at his brother—still saw the way his jaw twitched, the way his brow furrowed, the way he stared at Jack. Lena was just as confused. “How come?”
“Because ‘Pope’ is a very mean name the rest of our family called him to hurt him,” said Jack softly, taking her hand. “It’s okay,” he said, so, so gently when she looked frightened. “You didn’t know. I’m sure Andrew isn’t mad at you.”
Andrew didn’t say anything. His lips wobbled.
Lena leaned further into Andrew’s side. “Why are you here?” she asked quietly.
“Well.” Jack cleared his throat, sat back a bit. His leg was starting to hurt. “Because of what happened to—to your parents, I’m going to be taking care of you, now.”
She didn't need to know that Jack had been the one to murder her father point blank before he could even say hello.
“How come Uncle Po—Uncle Andrew can’t?”
Jack shot his brother a quick glance. He wasn’t looking at Jack, teeth clenched, grinding, entire body tense, ready to spring into action. “Well,” Jack said slowly. “Because the state doesn’t like that he just got out of prison. I’m the only one who hasn’t been in trouble. But he’s coming with us!”
He gave her a warm smile, ignoring Jessica, the social worker, sitting off to the side, carefully watching their interaction. They were in some sort of family room at her office. He’d already done his background checks and had helped Andrew get his parole transfer started to Pennsylvania. He’d been back in California for a week, now, and was starting to feel itchy about it. There was a reason he moved across the country, after all.
And he still had a few weeks in California, until Andrew’s transfer got approved. Until the state could get Lena’s paperwork through so he could adopt her.
Jack may, or may not, have pulled some weight to get the courts—both for Andrew and for Lena—to agree and move quicker than usual.
It probably helped that he had been discharged as a Major and had a stable job and swore to get Andrew the help for his mental health he desperately needed.
“I live in Pennsylvania,” he said, quirking a smile. “It’s kind of far away, and there’s no beach. There’s mountains, though! They’re really pretty. But! My best friend has a kid your age. My friend’s name is Robby, and his son’s name is Jake. They’re really nice.”
Lena scrunched her nose. Jack laughed and ruffled her hair.
Later, at the hotel while Lena was showering after Jessica finally let him take her, Jack sat Andrew down on the bed closer to the window, further from the bathroom. He sat on the other across from Andrew, leaning his elbows on his knees, lowering himself until he was in Andrew’s line of vision. His head was down, turned slightly away, looking like he was waiting for Jack to scream at him or hurt him. His fists were clenched, tight as his jaw, shoulders stiff and lips trembling already.
Fuck.
He’d really fucked up, leaving Andrew all those years ago.
“I’m sorry,” he told his brother. “For leaving you.”
Andrew’s mouth wobbled again. He refused to meet Jack’s eye.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come for you sooner.”
“Not like I would have gone willingly,” Andrew replied, voice broken.
“Yeah, well.” Jack sighed, hanging his head. “Listen—” Jack cleared his throat. “There’s gonna be stipulations, man. You can stay with me, but there are rules. I’m—I have money. Good, clean money. No more criminal shit, okay? No stealing, no more bank robberies. No more robberies in general. No violence. No drugs. None of that.” He watched the muscle jump in Andrew’s jaw. He knew that Andrew was thinking he was a hypocrite. And he was. But they both also knew that that had been the best, and maybe only, way to protect Lena. “And you have to go to therapy. And you have to take whatever meds they want you to take. If the meds aren’t working, or you don’t like how they make you feel, then we just try again, but—Andrew—You need help. I’m not psych, but I know you need help.”
Andrew sneered at him, finally glaring at him. “How am I supposed to pay for that shit? It’s expensive.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “I’m paying for it. I will pay for you to live in my place, and I will pay for your meds and therapy. If I’m going to make it a requirement, I’m not gonna make you pay for it. I’m not an asshole. And I’ll pay you to watch Lena.”
Andrew swayed a little, stunned. “What?”
“I work nights,” Jack said simply. “I need someone to watch her. So I’ll pay you for it.”
“But—She’s my niece. You don’t have to pay me to watch her.”
Jack heaved a sigh. “I don’t have to, but do you really think you’re gonna get a job right now? When you have to watch her every day?”
Andrew narrowed his eyes. Watching him warily. “And if I break a rule? Just gonna—what, toss me on the street? Throw me in the trash?”
“No.” Jack rubbed tiredly at his eyes. Man, he had really fucked up if his own brother thought he would toss him like trash. Their family probably hadn’t helped matters, any. Fuck. Jack had been lucky to run off to the Army the moment he had stepped off the platform at their high school graduation. “I’ll still pay for everything. But you won’t be able to stay at my place. I’ll pay for an apartment for you, if you break a rule. You can still be in her life and visit, but breaking a rule means you have to earn my trust back, and that won’t be easy.”
Andrew looked away, jaw working as he thought. Jack could wait him out, though.
Finally, he drew in a breath through his nose. “Fine,” he grumbled, fists clenched on his knees. “I—I don’t wanna do that shit anymore. I—” Tears slipped down his cheeks, but neither made a move to acknowledge them. “I want to take care of her. She’s so… She’s so innocent, Jackie. I don’t want her to turn out like me.”
Jack watched his lips tremble as he cried. Swallowed his own tears. “I know,” he said gently, reaching out to ruffle Andrew’s hair exactly how he hated it. Andrew glared up at him, weakly batting his hand away. Jack grinned. “That’s why I know you’ll do your best. I wouldn’t want anyone else watching her.”
The shower shut off with impeccable timing. Jack slapped his knees, groaning as he stood. He needed to take his prosthetic off, but he still had shit to do. “Alright. Tomorrow we’ll go start packing shit. I have a phone call to make.”
Andrew watched him as he moved over to the desk. Once he was sat, his phone in hand and the provided paper pad and pen from the hotel in front of him, Andrew stood, wiped his tears, and went to pull out the couch bed. As he set that up, Jack clicked on a familiar contact.
“Hey, Robby,” he said as soon as the line had connected. “Can you help me figure out how to enroll a six-year-old at school?”