Chapter 14

"You'll never see Allison again."

Jack felt the anger rise inside him again. That was Ted's last statement before they parted company. Jack scoffed at the idea of leaving his wife and her sister behind, but his father-in-law was insistent. He never raised his voice, but the venom was evident.

"I'm not an unreasonable man," he had said.

Jack laughed out loud now as he drove his car back to his house and hopefully to his waiting wife. Ted agreed to redirect the rumors until Jack's college graduation, less than a month and a half away. In return, he asked for Jack to "control his urges" and "say his goodbyes" to Abigail. Then Jack could just quietly disappear and everyone could go on with their lives.

When Jack was ready to turn down the agreement, Ted reminded Jack of the ultimate repercussions of refusal. Statutory rape charges and possibly even the smearing of Abigail's name, something Ted said he didn't want but was sure he couldn't stop. Did Jack really want that for his dear wife? Ted's whole tone was condescending, his demeanor that of a man who had won a victory over an unworthy opponent. Jack held his tongue, actually grateful for the opportunity to flesh out his plan over the next few weeks.

As Ted prepared to leave the coffee house, Jack had to ask about Allison. Ted, again his eyes filled with venom, dealt with the issue with that one simple statement.

"You'll never see Allison again."

The moment Jack opened the door, Abigail collapsed into his arms. The two sank to the floor as Jack tried to console his sobbing wife. She felt safe again in his arms, but her anguish was just too much.

"Jack, what have we done? What have we done?" she wailed.

He caressed her hair, shushing her, trying to calm her. "Shh, baby. Shh. It'll be OK. It'll all work out. I know it will."

"We've really screwed up, haven't we?" she asked, her eyes searching his face for truth. "Mom wouldn't tell me anything, other than that it would probably be a long time before we saw Allison alone again."

She cringed at the look in his eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen him look so angry. He quietly held her, speaking only when he helped her to her feet.

"I think that only goes for you. According to your father, I'll never see her again. He wants to make sure I never see you again, either."

Her lungs heaved into another sob, and she felt her legs begin to give way again. He held her weight as he helped her down the hallway to their bedroom. She let him help her into bed, then she rolled over into a ball. He pulled the covers up to her chin.

"I'm going to start coffee brewing. I'll be right back."

She stopped crying, but didn't acknowledge his comment. Her brain was fried, unable to think clearly. She closed her eyes to stop the burning.

She opened them seemingly moments later and noticed the change in light in the room. She blinked a couple of times, trying to clear the fog in her brain. She looked over towards the window and saw Jack standing there, looking out contemplatively. He absently took a sip of his coffee.

"What time is it?" she croaked, her dry throat barely able to force the words out.

"Nearly two o'clock," he responded, turning to her, a warm smile on his face. She felt her heart swell. Just a look from him and she felt strengthened.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep."

He sat on the edge of the bed and gently caressed her bare arm. "That's OK. Pretty heavy stuff we're dealing with here."

"I'm sorry I feel apart. I don't normally do that."

He smiled at that. "Don't I know that. I was pretty shocked. But, hey, it's understandable considering the circumstances. How are you feeling now?"

"Better. I think I can focus now."

"Good. How about you grab a quick shower and meet me in the living room. We'll talk in there." He stood up without waiting for an answer and disappeared down the hallway. She marveled at his quiet strength as she slipped out of bed. She could sense something in him she'd not seen before, at least not at the levels he was exuding now. Confidence.

Jack was an intelligent guy, something that her father never gave him enough credit for. Part of that was probably due to the fact that her father was, well, arrogant. Jack's parents were lower class at best. His father left when Jack was three and his mother died after years of hard drinking and smoking when he was 10. Abigail's father didn't think anyone from those roots would amount to anything, and he grudgingly gave his consent to the marriage when it was apparent Abigail would do it anyway. Anything less than a huge wedding event would be frowned upon for people of their stature, so he pulled out all the stops. In public, he often mentioned Jack "overcoming his roots", but she knew how he felt in reality. It was something that made her bristle, but Jack just took it all in stride.

Part of her father's view of Jack also seemed to revolve around Jack's apparent lack of confidence. Abigail saw Jack's confidence in his lack of arrogance. Ted couldn't see Jack's confidence because of that same lack of arrogance.

As Abigail finished her shower, she was surprised to feel the void of anxiety that had been their earlier. For some reason, she knew Jack would have a plan, and that the plan would be a good one.

The phone rang, and Abigail wrapped a towel around herself before stepping into the bedroom. She heard Jack call from the living room.

"Abbie! Pick up the phone!"

She picked it up nervously. "Hello?"

"Abbie, what's going on?" It was Allison, and the panic in her voice almost set Abigail to tears again. Before she could speak, she could hear Jack's voice. He was obviously on the other receiver.

"Allison, your parents know about me and you, and they know that Abigail knows."

"Oh, dear God." Her voice quivered. "How did they know?"

"They heard the rumors, too," Abigail spoke quickly.

"We were careless, and your dad put two and two together," Jack interrupted. "I felt like it was no use denying it. Apparently, Abbie felt the same way."

"I did. Mom said there was even a rumor about you and me. I admitted to that, too."

Allison made a strangled sound, like she was trying to stifle a cry. Abigail continued.

"Listen to me, sis. You've got to get a grip. They've said we can't see you for a while."

"No! I won't let them keep me from you guys." Abigail could hear the muffled sound of the school bell.

"Listen! You need to get to class. Just go home and deal with it the best you can. Jack has a plan, I think. He and I will work it out and try to let you know what's going to happen."

Allison was openly crying now. "They can't do this. I'm sixteen..."

"And you live under their roof. For the time being, you are their charge."

Jack spoke again. "Allison, we can make rash decisions right now and be fighting a battle forever, or we can work a plan, and hopefully not have this drag out. Right now you need to be strong. You don't have to like it, but you need to be patient." Allison started to protest again, but Jack cut her off. "I love you, Allie. You have to trust me."

Abigail could hear her sister sigh. "I need to go. I love you, Jack. I love you, Abigail."

"I love you, too, Allie," Abigail said, then heard the phone click.

Allison stood in the solitude of the restroom. She splashed water on her face, dried off and then touched up her makeup, trying to make herself presentable. She was already five minutes late for her last class, but she didn't care. The phone call to her sister and brother-in-law confirmed her worst fears. Sure they had planned on telling her parents, but Allison couldn't help but feel that if they had been able to do it in their own time, in their own way, the reception would have been different.

"Trust me." That was Jack's last admonition to her. Abigail seemed to. Allison had no reason not to. She took a deep breath and looked in the mirror. A ragged reflection stared back at her. I look like shit, she thought. She grabbed her bag and headed to class. She took another deep breath as she stood at the door of her classroom, then pushed in.

Mr. Philpot looked up at her, as did the rest of the class. They had obviously been working on some assignment.

"Nice of you to decide to join us, Allie Jo," he leered at her. She cringed but only flashed him an impassive look as she moved down the aisle to her desk. She hated his little pet name for her. He had pet names for a handful of girls in the class, like they were some tight little clique. What a letch. "Please remain after class for a moment to discuss your tardiness," he said before turning his attention back to some magazine.

Allison pulled out her textbook.

A whisper floated up from behind her. "Chapter 26. Read and answer questions one through 14 at the end." She glanced around and gave a quick smile to Stephen Grant. He had been in her class since grade school. Because of their last names, they ended up in the same groups and homerooms pretty much ever since. He was a short, chubby guy, and while they didn't walk in the same circles, they'd always been nice to each other.

Allison began reading, but her mind kept drifting to the dilemma in her life. What was going to happen when she got home from school? Jack said she should just go home and go with it, but that was easy for him to say. He wasn't going to be victim of the never ending inquisition that was sure to be waiting for her every day. She knew he was right, though. There needed to be resolution to the situation at hand, and she wouldn't be able to avoid her parents forever. Legally, they had rights to rule her life for another two years, since there really was no logical reason why it should change. Yeah, they'll terminate parental rights in favor of putting this young girl in the care of her incestuous lover.

Suddenly a folded piece of paper landed on her desk. She looked at it a moment before moving. Making sure that Mr. Philpot was occupied with something else, she slowly opened the note.

Allie,

Where have you been? What's wrong? You look like you've been crying. I'm going to wait for you after class so we can talk.

Brianna

Allison knew something like this was coming. She didn't want to talk to anyone, but she also didn't want to worry Brianna more than necessary. She was her best friend, after all. She turned to look at Brianna and nodded her head, then went back to her work.

Jack laid out his plan for her. At first Abigail was skeptical, yet the more he talked, the more she became convinced it just might work.

"There are still a lot of holes," she said slowly as she tried to think things through.

"Well, duh. I'm kind of making it up as I go along. Don't forget, as of a few hours ago, there wasn't even a plan to be holy." He grinned.

Abigail smiled. "Was the pun intended?" He just nodded. "Sometimes you are a dork, Jackson Williams."

He jumped off the couch and grabbed his car keys. "Come on, Mrs. Dork. Time to head to the computer lab on campus. We have research to do."

Twenty minutes later, they were signing in to use the computer lab. Luckily, it wasn't too busy, so they were able to take computers side by side.

Jack cracked his knuckles, easily his habit that most annoyed Abigail. "OK. First we need to make a list of all the things we need to consider."

Abigail just sat back and let his mind go. This was his plan, after all. She'd help where she could, but he seemed almost possessed. She couldn't remember a time he seemed so confident, so motivated, so invigorated. Dad has met his match, she thought. She just hoped that Jack's assessment of her father was accurate. Everything really hinged on that.

"Hello. Earth to Abbie." Jack was watching her. She smiled.

"I love you, Jack. I have a feeling that we're all going to owe you a huge debt, my parents included."

Jack just shrugged, and she knew he was embarrassed with the praise. "Hey, remember that whole counting hatched eggs or baby chickens or something. We still have a lot to work through. Now back to the task."

They spent the next hour making lists and beginning their research, taking advantage of the Internet access, a luxury few people had at home. Jack raced to class while Abigail continued the research. He returned a couple of hours later and they continued until the lab closed at 10:00.

As Abigail cuddled up next to her sleeping husband that night, she felt more and more confident in their plan. They'd made major headway. She drifted off to sleep worrying about her little sister, but feeling more optimistic than she had all day.

Allison sat at her desk finishing up the extra work that Mr. Philpot had assigned to her. Her tears had long ago dried up. To her surprise her parents didn't grill her. They just gave her the silent treatment, as if the absence of conversation would make her feel guilty of her great transgressions. All it did was piss her off. Her father was waiting for her in the hallway after class, informed Brianna that Allison would be unavailable for the next few days, and then followed Allison home. The only things he said to her were centered on restrictions. She was confined to the house when she wasn't in school. The phone was off limits, as well. She would be driven to school and picked up afterwards, and she wasn't to contact Abigail or Jack under any circumstances.

Just as she reached to turn off her desk lamp, a loud knock on her window made her jump. Her heart thumped as she turned to look. She heard a muffled voice.

"Allie! Allie! Open the window!"

Allison breathed a sigh of relief and moved to the window. She opened it and helped Brianna climb through.

"Bri, you are crazy," Allison said in a sharp whisper. "What are you doing here? You are going to get us both in major trouble."

"From the looks of things, I'd say you already are," her friend said as she plopped on Allison's bed.

Allison pointed back to the window. "Someday you are going to slip off that tree and kill yourself."

"Nah. I've been climbing that tree for years, though I can't remember the last time. I must admit that it was easier without these things." She hoisted her ample breasts with her hands.

Allison sighed. "What do you want?"

"First off, not to have to climb down that tree until I get a good rest. Secondly, I want some answers. And thirdly, I want to help."

Allison's shoulders slumped and she sank down on the bed beside Brianna. "There's nothing you can do."

Brianna dismissed the comment with the wave of a hand. "Bah. There is, but until you tell me what's going on, we just don't know what it is."

"Thanks, Bri. I love you for wanting to help, but I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Just start at the beginning."

"It's not that simple."