I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 30

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 30

That night is exactly why this hurt JJ so much. With Jessie still standing between the two men who meant the most to her, JJ finally breathed out and looked at Jessie with tears in his eyes.

"I knew..." JJ sniffled. "I knew... I shouldn't have called you. I remember that night you left like it was yesterday, and I knew what he did to you, and I knew you got away from him because if you ever saw him again you would take him back. I knew I shouldn't have called you, Jess, I knew it!" JJ said now through sobs as he slowly backed away and put his hands in his hair, tugging slightly at the golden locks.

Jessie just looked down at the ground. Deep down she knew it too. She knew the second she made the decision to see Rafe again, all bets would be off. She would always come running back to him. For one simple reason: true love. No matter what Rafe had done to her or anyone else in the past, she saw more potential in him than anyone could ever imagine. She was the only one who understood, and not even she could get JJ to grasp that. Some would call their love toxic, they would call it unconditional.

"Jayj-"

"No, just don't! Okay?! I did this! Now just leave me alone!" JJ cried as he stormed back into the Chateau. Jessie tried following after him but was met by a warm hand to her chest, John B.

"You know he needs time to cool down, Jess." John B simply stated through truly sympathetic eyes. "He'll come around, he just has to see you prove it." John B said looking over at Rafe, who was still standing there feeling even worse by the minute. Rafe finally spoke up.

"I expected it... I deserved it." Rafe exclaimed knowingly. He put Charley down to explore the grass. Everyone stood in silence for what seemed like days, but was really just seconds.

"You've changed." Sarah finally spoke up, coming up from behind the pogues with eyes on Rafe. Rafe just looked at Sarah and nodded through tears. Rafe wanted to say so much more, but he couldn't get the words out. Instead, Sarah and Rafe embraced in a long awaited hug, both of them crying.

"I see it, Rafe. I believe you." Sarah said through sobs as her hands wrapped around her brothers neck. Sarah and Rafe were on their own separate journey to healing. Rafe had to forgive and forget that Sarah was always thought of before him, and Sarah had to forgive the way Rafe treated her because of it.

"Thank you, thank you, Sarah." Rafe simply pleaded through small sobs as well. Sarah and Rafe finally broke away and Sarah turned back to look at Jessie.

"I want to meet my niece." She said through a soft smile. Jessie laughed a little as she took a hold of Charley's hand and brought her over to Sarah, the pogues circling in on the action as well as they looked at the little girl lovingly. The truth is, the pogues all still had their reservations, but they knew they couldn't stop Jessie or Rafe from being with each other. They never have, and they never will.

The pogues all exchanged hellos and loving glances and hugs with Charley one by one. The only one clearly missing was JJ, and his absence was felt, still, everyone pushed on. Everyone eventually moved to the fire pit as the sun set, each with their preferred beverage in hand as they played with Charley, who was loving the attention. Rafe was sitting in a patio chair around the fire, and Jessie was sitting in his lap. Rafe could tell Jessie's mind was elsewhere.

"Go talk to him. Just you and him." Rafe whispered in Jessie's ear as he rubbed her back. Jessie turned to look at Rafe.

"I don't know if he's ready yet."

"He may not be, but at least he'll know that you've tried." Rafe replied as he kissed Jessie's cheek for reassurance and gave her a love tap.

Jessie got up to make her way inside, the crowd went quiet as they realized what she was doing.

"Mama..." Charley began to whine with her arms stretched out. Charley was loving all the new people, but she still wasn't totally comfortable. Jessie looked back and found Charley clinging to her leg and whimpering.

"Stay with daddy, baby, okay? Daddy will take care of you." Jessie reassured her daughter as she patted her back.

"Come here, Charley. Come sit with daddy and we'll make some s'mores." Rafe said with enthusiasm. Jessie could tell the pogues still weren't used to this idea of seeing Rafe in this new light. They didn't think it was bad at all, just very odd. Charley was still hesitant but she obliged, running back to her father. Rafe stood up to meet her half way, picked her up and began to throw her in the air to distract her from her mother going inside. As the fits of giggles began to fade into the distance, Jessie opened the door. She was met with that all too familiar stench: weed. And boy, that was fresh too. Sure enough, she found JJ sitting in the living room. Jessie figured he must've been watching from a distance all night.

"One of cousin Ricky's specials, huh? I know it when I smell it." Jessie joked as she sat on the coffee table in front of the couch JJ was plopped on. JJ just blew a cloud of smoke, only giving Jessie a half glance before looking back at the scene outside, undoubtedly watching Rafe expertly make his daughter a s'more.

"Jayj... I really don't know what to say to make this better." Jessie sighed as she rubbed her hands together.

"There's nothing you can say. I knew this was going to happen." JJ replied, not taking his eyes away from the window.

"Than why'd you call me?" Jessie asked with caution.

"The same reason you said yes."

Jessie just looked down at the floor. They both knew why they did it.

"I missed you." They both said in unison. That was enough for both of them to start tearing up.

"I don't even give a shit about the gold anymore, Jess. It wasn't worth it if it meant you got back together with Rafe, especially not after bringing a child into this world."

"His child, JJ. Rafe deserves-"

"Rafe doesn't deserve shit, Jessie!" JJ interrupted as he finally kicked his feet of the couch to be face to face with his sister. "He needs to earn whatever it is that he wants."

"And he is. You really think I'm stupid enough to give into him all at one time? It's like you forgot who I was, JJ. I left because I knew Rafe couldn't handle it. I didn't even tell Rafe about Charley until I thought he could handle it. And as terrible as it is to say, I had no plans of telling Rafe about Charley when I went to the Bahamas... but he proved me wrong. And I'm hoping he'll prove you wrong too."

JJ just laughed as he looked away and took another drag. "You really think he's changed? You don't know the Rafe that we've known the past four years, Jessie."

"And you don't know the Rafe that I've always known. The Rafe that I know even now is still there." Jessie pleaded.

"You know where we come from, Jess. We don't get happy endings. You need to put the true love bullshit to rest and do what's best for your daughter." JJ spit.

"I don't need a reality check, JJ. I've been living reality for a lot longer than you realize, having to do things the hard way in order to put my daughter first, okay? So you're going to forgive me for wanting to do something for myself for a change." Jessie spit right back, growing annoyed but still trying to see JJ's point of view.

"You're immune to him, Jessie. You don't even realize it." JJ simply stated.

"If I was immune to him would I have left all those years ago?" Jessie asked.

JJ just smirked as he puffed out another cloud of smoke. "You left physically because you knew you could never leave mentally." That was it, Jessie had had it.

"So what if I can never leave him mentally?! He's the love of my life, my husband, the father to my child, and he clearly is trying to be better for us! Gosh, can't you see that?! No, no, you can't see that because you refuse to. Well, you know what? That's fine, because like I've done so many times before, I will take my family and we will go somewhere else and we won't care about who doesn't support us." Jessie wanted to leave right then and there, but she didn't... she couldn't. She secretly begged that JJ would come around in that moment. JJ paused, looking up at Jessie with angry eyes.

"You know who I haven't heard from yet? Rafe. I really would be inclined to know what he has to say to me about this. He needs to prove it to me, not you." JJ demanded with fierce eyes.

"Jessie, go back outside." Rafe butted in with angry eyes and a clinched jaw. He had his hands in a his pockets, a sure sign he was holding back his rage. There's no telling how long Rafe had been there listening but Jessie couldn't afford to care in that moment. She looked back at JJ, silently begging him to hear Rafe out, and with that she made her way to the doorway her husband was standing in. As she stopped at the doorway she gave Rafe a reassuring look, knowing how hard and frustrating this conversation was about to be, but she knew it needed to happen.

Rafe collected his thoughts in the time it took him to walk over to JJ and sit on the coffee table in front of him.

"Want some?" JJ asked seriously as he held the joint out in front of Rafe. He knew exactly what he was doing, and Rafe didn't fall for it.

"Very funny." Rafe simply replied with an annoyed look on his face.

"Hey man, trust me, this isn't funny at all. You really expect me to belive that all of a sudden you're not a lying, stealing, psycho, murdering ass cheat?" JJ questioned with his eyes narrowed. The blunt started looking better and better to Rafe, but he wasn't going back on his promise. Rafe just sighed and looked at the ground as he rubbed his hands together trying to formulate the correct response.

"Look man, I'm not proud of the punches that I've thrown. But all that was someone I no longer know. That was someone who had lost his everything. That was someone who didn't know he had a daughter in this world. Trust me, things have changed now."

Oddly enough, JJ did see something different in Rafe today. He was definitely still calloused and guarded, but he seemed... genuine in his apology.

"Like I said you don't have to forgive me today, tomorrow, or even ever. But it's no secret that I never stopped loving your sister even after she left."

"Oh yeah that's why you threw yourself at more girls, more parties, and more coke right? That's why you slowly slipped into a psychotic rage, forcing you to believe that you had to kill, Peterkin, right?" JJ so painfully reminded Rafe.

"JJ..." Rafe sighed hopelessly as he looked JJ in the eyes. "Don't act like you didn't have your vices to help you cope with Jessie being gone. You and I both had our own ways of numbing the pain, and frankly, they weren't too far off from each other. We both have more in common than you think. We'd both die for her." Rafe explained. JJ never had thought of it that way. Jessie left a gaping hole in both of their hearts in two totally different ways, yet they both felt the weight equally, driving them to places they never thought they'd find themselves. Rafe turned to more drugs, more girls, and trying to satisfy his father, JJ just turned inward to himself, becoming a shell of a person that made it clear to everyone he would never be hurt like that again. After the long pause to think, JJ finally nodded. Rafe didn't know if it was in agreement or not.

"I still don't understand why you've done some of the things that you did... but, I'll respect Jessie enough to not get in the way. But I want to make it very clear I don't trust you yet, but I'll try." JJ whispered with a raspiness indicating he was holding back emotion.

"Thanks, man." Rafe answered genuinely as he patted JJ on the shoulder and stood up.

"This is not for you. This is for Jessie... and Charley." JJ said coldly . Rafe simply nodded and pursed his lips, knowing his statement was totally fair. JJ followed after Rafe as they were about to exit the house.

"Oh and hey, I'm still serious about the gold... you can have the rest of it. I really don't want it anymore." Rafe exclaimed as he turned to look at JJ. JJ just smiled and nodded, that was the first genuine smile Rafe had seen from JJ... probably ever.

JJ was still very unsure about everything, but he decided to put on a brave face so he could finally do what he's been dreaming of.

"Where's my niece?!" JJ screamed as he walked through the yard towards the fire pit with Rafe.

All the pogues whooped and hollered as they saw JJ come towards them with a smile on his face. Rafe knew it was fake, that was between him and JJ though.

Jessie walked toward the two men with a grin as wide as the east is from the west, assuming they had come to some sort of a truce... or at least a stalemate. She had Charley holding onto her hand as she walked over and bent down in front of JJ. JJ followed suit to be eye level with Charley. Rafe was standing over and watching with a smile, definitely feeling like he shouldn't intrude.

"Charley, this is Uncle JJ. He's my brother." Jessie said in a slow tone that her daughter could comprehend. Charley really didn't know the concept of brother, sister, aunt, uncle, etc, but she would learn through exchanges just like this.

"Hi, Charley!" JJ said with excitement as he softly waved at his niece. His heart was already filled with so much love and tenderness, he wanted to pick her up and spin her around and squeeze her right then and there, but he knew that wouldn't be getting things started on the right foot.

"Hi!" Charley stated back with curiosity in her big diamond eyes. Charley wasn't afraid, and Rafe loved that about her, but that also terrified him. He knew she would be a trailblazer one day.

"You wanna give Uncle JJ a hug? He would love that!" Jessie gave Charley the option, but made it very clear it wasn't required. Jessie knew Charley wouldn't be opposed though. As expected, Charley waddled over to JJ and flung herself onto his chest with her short arms wrapping around as much of his shoulders as she could. JJ melted, immediately clinging his arms around her and resting his head against hers, which was now in the crook of his neck. JJ started to tear up, and so did Jessie, as they stood there looking at each other, brother and sister, both thinking the same thing.

They made it.

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 40

There Rafe stood, begging in the closet with Jessie's back still turned away. She hadn't moved a single item in the suitcase since Rafe started pleading with her through tears. He at least appreciated that he had her attention.

Please don't leave me again, Jessie heard Rafe say. She wanted to look at him so badly, wanted to run up to him, hold him in her arms and beg him not to cry anymore. But she was at war with herself, still not allowing herself to forget what happened downstairs just mere minutes ago. Jessie took a deep breath to prepare herself for the sight she was about to behold, she knew behind her was a man desperate to keep what he lost, and although she wanted to capitalize on that fact, she felt that would be more than a little manipulative.

"Rafe..." Jessie whispered with a dejected sigh. She stood up slowly and turned to face Rafe with a sad look on her face. She took a few steps towards him and cupped his face in her hands. The motion should've made Rafe melt, instead it paralyzed him, still knowing that Jessie could be absolutely unpredictable when it came to protecting her peace and safety.

"I'm not gonna leave you." Jessie whispered with a tenderness in her eyes and voice. "But I am allowed to be upset with you over what happened. I am allowed to be confused about what happened down there. I'm not gonna lie and tell you that you didn't break some of the trust that I had in you." Jessie choked out, still holding onto Rafe's face, at this point both of them tears rolling down their face. Through sniffles Rafe simply nodded in understanding, not having the courage to utter any words even though he really wanted to.

"It just seems like one step forwards, three steps back with us sometimes." Jessie trailed off as she kept the eye contact with Rafe. At that Rafe had to look down at the carpet underneath them, not being able to withstand the weight of the words. Rafe slowly nodded his head up and down and tried his hardest to choke back a sob. He knew Jessie was right. It seemed their whole relationship was always a series of unfortunate events, half of them most certainly being Rafe's fault. He knew she was right in being a little less trusting of him now, still the allegation killed him inside, and he could've sworn he felt his heart tighten and flutter.

"Have you been using again?" Jessie asked still barely above a whisper with sad knitted brows. Rafe shot his head up with surprise.

"What? No, Jess, I-I promise." Rafe sniffled. Jessie didn't believe him and that showed on her face, a look of doubt evident. Jessie knew Rafe inside and out. More importantly in this moment, she knew the mind of any drug addict inside and out, seeing the patterns of her dad, her husband, and even herself. With Rafe having to kill his own father and dealing with all the amenities of having to cover it up, deal with the business, and everything in between, it would be the perfect storm for a newly clean drug addict to relapse. She had seen her dad, herself, and even Rafe relapse over much smaller matters.

***

Tonight was a night that Jessie had grown to see more consistently. It was a typical Friday night in Kildare and the secret husband and wife decided to dawn the doors of a party on the beach. Much like the first night they met just months ago, everyone would be there.

Rafe had just gotten back from a business trip with his father, undoubtedly contributing to his very visible stress. Between being away from his Jessie and dealing with Ward's demands and opinions, it was another perfect excuse for Rafe to get high once again. Jessie never cared about getting high or drunk, clearly she enjoyed the act a little too much herself at times. The problem was now that Rafe continuously let it get out of hand, and he had become a different man because of it, one that she couldn't predict or trust completely.

Jessie knew Rafe would be particularly on edge tonight given the past week being less than an ideal use of his time in his mind. She already had her guard up before the party even started, making sure to be on time and ready to go when Rafe pulled up into her driveway to pick her up.

Jessie walked out on her porch dawning a black and white checkered string bikini, only coverage being some jean shorts over the top of her bottoms. Rafe's favorite.

"Rafe's going to be here in a second, just a heads up." Jessie said nonchalantly looking at her father, who was smoking a cigarette and tinkering with whatever motor was seated in front of him at the moment.

"You think I give a shit where you're going or who you're going with?" Luke growled, not bothering to look up from his work, simply blowing a cloud of smoke between his lips.

"Well I felt it was only fair to let you know considering he beat the shit out of you a couple weeks ago." Jessie sassed back with sharp eyes that her father still had failed to meet. However, that comment was exactly what pulled his gaze to his daughter.

"Oh yeah? And who's fault was that?" Luke retorted, clearly unamused. Jessie didn't want to start an argument, especially not considering Rafe was about to be there, so instead of telling her father off like she was so naturally inclined to do, she simply de escalated the discussion.

"Whatever, Luke, just forget I said anything." Jessie responded as she walked off the porch, seeing Rafe pull in.

"Hey." Luke whistled, trying to get his daughter's attention. Jessie looked back as if to implore him to go on. "If you're gonna dress like a slut at least make sure you get paid to do it. I know that boy's got money."

Jessie wasn't even shocked by the comment, instead she just scoffed and walked off, really wanting to give her father the middle finger, but deciding against it given that, again, she was not in the mood to start anything.

Rafe had his truck window rolled down and his arm hanging out the window with a displeased look on his face. Jessie wondered what had happened already for him to look so pissed. Her smile quickly faded as she noticed and hesitantly walked around to the passenger side, opening her door and sliding in.

"Hey baby." Jessie said enthusiastically, trying to gauge what his face was for. Rafe didn't falter, not saying a word, only looking at Jessie with pursed lips. "What?" she asked, now with annoyance, not exactly the greeting she had hopes for after a long week of not seeing him.

"You didn't tell me that prick was gonna be here." Rafe snapped, still not moving from his spot in the driveway. Jessie just looked back at the porch confused.

"Uh.. I didn't think it was big deal considering you were just picking me up."

Rafe just scoffed. "You do realize I still wanna beat the shit out of him right?"

"You already did, and I'm pretty sure that's why he hasn't come over here telling you to get out of his yard yet." Jessie joked. Rafe just shook his head, not in the joking mood.

"I wish he would." Rafe challenged with a look towards Luke that could kill. He eventually looked back at his wife. "He hasn't put his hands on you since then has he?"

Jessie only nodded her head no slowly as she looked at Rafe with loving eyes, suddenly appreciative that he cared so much.

"Let's get out of here." Jessie said playfully as she looked at Rafe with lust, trying anything at this point to get him to calm down and enjoy the night. Rafe understood and returned her words with a smirk and the shift of his truck.

The two of them finally rolled up to the party, making sure to bring their own alcohol for the coolers. Before Rafe got out of the truck, Jessie put her hand on his thigh to stop him. He looked back at her confused. Jessie leaned in to trace her fingers along his jawline.

"I missed you." Jessie whispered looking at Rafe's lips and then back up at him. Rafe melted at her touch, suddenly feeling more of the stress from the past week slowly melting away as their lips finally connected. Jessie eventually tangled her fingers in Rafe's hair as much as she could considering she was working against the black backwards hat he was wearing.

"I missed you too." Rafe mumbled against Jessie's lips, pulling her in closer with his own hand around her neck. As they finally untangled themselves from each other, Jessie noticed something in Rafe's eyes.

"Have you used today?" Jessie asked, already knowing the answers due to the bloodshot and watery eyes of her husband. He also already smelled like alcohol.

"Baby, I've used every day since I went to the mainland with my dad." Rafe joked with a charming smile as if it was no big deal. Jessie didn't say anything, only looking down from Rafe with a disappointed look.

"I thought you said you were gonna cut back once we got back from Charlotte. Rafe, you know it's getting out of hand." Jessie scolded.

"Jess, it's been really stressful this week, you know that. You know how it is." Rafe whispered, still not wanting to kill the mood between them. "Please don't start this." He said a little more annoyed. Jessie decided to let it go like she had a few times before, allowing her face to change showing a half hearted smile. Rafe knew it was fake, but he still decided to capitalize on it.

"You look good." Rafe smirked, trying to go in a different direction with the conversation. He slowly creeped his hand up Jessie's torso. "You mad at me?" Rafe asked with a seductive pause. "Take it out on me." He teased with a sly smile. It was hard for Jessie to hold back considering how cocky Rafe was being, and she definitely missed his body while he was gone. She quite enjoyed his attitude knowing that it was a stark difference from the clean cut kid she first got involved with, but she couldn't get carried away just yet.

"Later." Jessie scoffed as she leaned back over to open her door.

"I'm counting on that." Rafe joked as he got out as well.

"I'm sure you are." Jessie rolled her eyes as she walked to the tailgate to open it so Rafe could get their cooler. It was filled to the brim with their drinks of choice. Jessie had no doubt that Rafe had some extra special stuff in his short pockets. That was most certainly the trend for a while now.

A couple hours had passed and the sun had finally gone down. The air became crisp and the breeze felt nice. Rafe was now sitting on their cooler around the bonfire, and Jessie was sitting on Rafe's lap. There was a perfectly good seat beside Rafe, but Jessie knew he was particularly handsy tonight given how he had been without her for a whole week. Rafe kept his hands on Jessie in some form the entire night, not out of possession, but out of obsession.

"JJ, hand me some of that." Jessie said across the fire with an extended hand hinting at the joint he had in his hand.

"Get your own, sis." JJ sassed, clearly not meaning anything by it.

"Alright, fine, give me one of the ones in your pocket." Jessie sassed right back, knowing better than to think that was the only one JJ had. JJ rolled his eyes and walked over to his sister and dug one out of his front pocket. Jessie stuck it between her lips as JJ lit the joint for her. Jessie handed the joint to Rafe, knowing he was waiting on it as well. Sure enough, he took a drag in satisfaction and blew the smoke the other direction.

"Hey, dude, if you're gonna smoke my weed you could at least take your hand out of my sister's ass. I know you've missed her and shit this week but you got her propped on you like a puppet." JJ remarked as he went to go sit back down. A slew of "oohs" and "burns" could be heard around the fire followed by laughs, even a chuckle from Rafe. Jessie knew he was relaxed now.

"Don't worry, man. We were just about to leave." Rafe mumbled with a smirk, everyone knowing what that meant. Rafe gave Jessie a love tap to signal to her to get up, to which she did. More whoops and hollers could be heard around the fire as well. JJ just looked disgusted.

"You better get it all out before I get home. I don't wanna hear that shit again."

"If you wait too long we might do it in your bed." Jessie joked with a sly smile. Everyone laughed.

"You better not!" JJ demanded as he pointed at the two of them.

"Relax, man... we're not even gonna make it back to your house." Rafe laughed.

"Yeah, okay, you two can go now." JJ said as he physically tried to shake the images out of his head, taking another big chug of his beer. Jessie and Rafe laughed as they walked hand in hand down the beach. Rafe was definitely drunk, which was the only reason he was able to joke so openly with JJ about railing his sister. Jessie was just glad that Rafe hadn't picked a fight with anyone tonight, as that was becoming his routine when he got strung out enough.

The two teenagers walked hand in hand with a content silence between the two of them, both of them at least tipsy and a little stoned. They didn't get very far before a familiar voice was heard behind them, someone was clearly flagging Rafe down.

"Hey man, hey, over here!" Kelce whistled, another friend that Jessie wasn't fond of, but he was most certainly a step up from Topper. Rafe and Jessie both whipped around, Rafe's goofy girn a little bigger than Jessie's of course. Jessie was clearly hoping to get some alone time with Rafe, but Rafe seemed easily distracted at the moment.

"Yeah, man, what's up?" Rafe asked, still managing to hold onto Jessie's hand with a beer in the other.

"You got any more lines? Night's still young ya know." Kelce hinted as he playfully tapped Rafe on the shoulder and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Hell, yeah man! I've got some more in the truck." Rafe replied as he began walking back towards the party, he stopped quickly once he noticed the displeased look on Jessie's face, and that she had dropped her hand and stood in the same place. Rafe said something to Kelce that she couldn't hear and with that Kelce was off back to the party and Rafe came back to Jessie with a confused look.

"What's wrong?" Rafe questioned.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Jessie scoffed. "I haven't seen you all week and you're just gonna be pissy, on edge, and now get strung out with your friend the second you get back?"

"Hey look, baby, I told you it's been a rough week... I need this." Rafe whispered as he tried to grab Jessie's arm with a sincere look on his face. Jessie pulled away.

"Yeah, well maybe I need you? Maybe I haven't seen you all week and we're still playing this stupid game of being married under wraps and now you're still using just as much as you were before. You have a problem, Rafe. You say you're gonna cut back and then you relapse over the dumbest shit and I-"

"Hey," Rafe tried to soothe. "It's gonna be okay, I promise, alright? I just need this tonight, and we'll be husband and wife to the rest of the world soon enough. So come with me?" Rafe asked as he extended his hand with a hopeful look.

"I'm staying right here. You go have fun." Jessie said clearly sarcastically as she sat down on the sand and smoked her joint, not daring to look back at Rafe.

"Jessie, I-"

"You better go. You're gonna wanna be high when you come back to get me."

Rafe knew Jessie now needed time to herself, as she always got really defensive when someone-he- made her upset. Against his better judgement, he decided to go and give her some time to cool down. Rafe managed to slip past the party virtually undetected and back to his truck to meet Kelce for a line.

Jessie sat on the beach smoking her joint all alone, like she had done so many times past. In an odd way, she missed it. But she'd still rather be with Rafe. She knew first hand how hard it was to struggle with addiction, but Rafe always managed to take it way farther than Jessie ever did, allowing the drugs to take over his whole life, shape his personality, corrupt his character, and give him a lame ass excuse for doing so. She hated who he's become, yet she felt responsible for creating it.

Jessie heard footsteps, but when she looked up she noticed that they were not Rafe's. In fact, it was none other than an old flame of hers, one she regretted ever hooking up with long before Rafe entered the picture.

"What do you want, Dylan?" Jessie asked, clearly annoyed and not daring to spare him another glance. She took another hit of the weed in her hand, knowing she would need it to get through this conversation. Dylan was nothing more than a drunk hookup to her, but he never could seem to get that through his thick skull and always managed to show up at just the wrong time.

"Just thought I'd come check on you..." Dylan said with a concerned voice that Jessie knew was fake.

"What you spying on me now?" Jessie seethed as she looked up at the brown haired boy with a red solo cup in his hand. He was from Jessie's side of the island.

"Nah, really just spyin on Rafe, that kook needs an attitude adjustment." Dylan joked as he made himself comfortable beside Jessie. "But you were always good at that."

"Look, Dyl, I don't need your help here, alright?" Jessie couldn't help but call the kid by his nickname, even though she clearly wasn't interested, they had always been civil.

"Come on Jess, what does that dude have on you? There's no way you'd be dating a kook for this long without something being in it for you." Dylan hinted as he tried to look into Jessie's eyes despite her turning her head out towards the water.

"You don't know anything about me." Jessie said with a slight laugh as she blew another cloud of smoke.

"I know that you don't commit. That's why it never worked between us... so what the hell does he have that I don't?"

"Dylan, you knew from the very beginning you were nothing more than a fling, so why did you get so attached in the first place?" Jessie asked with sarcasm laced in her tone. Dylan always loved that she was consistently a cocky little shit. Before he could answer, they both were interrupted.

"What the hell is going on here?" Rafe asked barreling towards the two with a new beer bottle in hand and furrowed brows. Surprisingly, neither one of them looked concerned. Jessie just rolled her eyes as the two of them both got up.

"Well I was coming to check on your girl after you left her for god knows what reason." Dylan spat, now taking a few steps towards Rafe.

"Oh, yeah? My girl can handle herself." Rafe sassed back as he took a few strides towards the pogue in return.

"Yeah, clearly she can because she's out here on this beach all alone smoking a joint like you don't exist!" Dylan laughed. "I don't even know why you're here. Hell, I bet she doesn't even need you in the bedroom-"

That comment was enough to set Rafe over the edge, shoving his drink in Jessie's chest before she could say a word. Rafe lunged for the pogue and shoved him, causing him to take a couple steps back.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about man." Rafe mumbled as he took fist fulls of Dylan's shirt and began to back him up towards the water.

"Oh don't I? I bet I kept her way more satisfied than you ever di-"

Rafe didn't allow anymore words to come out of his mouth before he landed a solid punch to Dylan's jaw, the two of them now in a full on brawl.

"Both of you cut it out right now!" Jessie screamed over the top of them. Thankfully, the party wasn't too far away, so when Jessie realized she most certainly wasn't going to be able to break up the fight happening, she ran back to the top of the beach and yelled for JJ and a few others to help.

By the time Jessie came back with reinforcements, Dylan was found being held under the waves by Rafe, gasping for air whenever the waves subsided just enough. Rafe had a look on his face that showed not a sliver of remorse, only determination.

"Dude! Get off of him!" JJ demanded with John B and Pope in tow. The blonde managed to knock Rafe off his feet as he leaned into him with all his strength. Rafe and JJ both fell into the water, Rafe foaming at the mouth at this point. Before Rafe could get back on his feet, Dylan had managed to get up on all fours and cough the water out of his lungs, still hazed and gasping for air. Rafe finally regained his balance and was going back for round two when JJ, John B, and Pope all stood in front of him to push him back.

"Rafe, stop!" Jessie demanded as she stood in between the two feuding men, one of them still on the ground regaining consciousness.

"He deserves it Jessie, you know it!" Rafe yelled between the three Pogues holding him back. Jessie didn't respond, she simply looked over at her old flame and bent down to his level.

"You need to get out of here." Jessie whispered, although it sounded more like a plea. Dylan simply looked up with watery eyes and heavy breaths, giving her a look that showed he had more to say. Rather than risk being put to sleep by Rafe, he simply dragged himself to his feet and waded through the water back to the party.

"Hey you better be glad my girl just saved your ass!" Rafe yelled loud enough for the party to hear. Dylan simply shook his head, not even looking back, and gave Rafe a middle finger. Dylan knew he had just proved an even bigger point, whether he was successful in hooking up with Jessie again or not.

"Rafe! Shut it!" Jessie screamed as she looked at her husband with judgement and a hint of annoyance.

"Jess are you okay?" JJ asked breathless, still trying to regain his composure.

"What happened?" Pope asked.

"That pogue was trying to get with Jessie!" Rafe answered. The three pogues just glanced at Rafe with a look that said we didn't ask you.

Jessie sighed. "Rafe left me... for a second.. and Dylan popped up outta nowhere..."

"Like he always does." John B finished the sentence with a knowing look and hands on his hips.

"I'm fine." Jessie said, clearly playing with a short fuse. All she could do was stare at Rafe with fire behind her eyes and clinched fists. The boys could tell that comment was not meant to soothe them, it was meant to prove a point to Rafe.

"Alright well... we're gonna go." JJ said awkwardly as he pointed back up to the beach.

"What the hell is wrong with you Rafe? I had that shit under control!"

"No you didn't! You know what game he was playing! And what the hell was he talking about him being better than me in bed and shit, huh?"

"He was a random ass hookup before you that meant nothing! He was trying to get back into my pants tonight like he always does but I had it under control!"

Rafe didn't say anything, instead he looked at Jessie with a perfect mix of confusion, anger, and hurt. Jessie just shook her head.

"No... no, okay, you don't get to look at me like that."

"Like what?" Rafe asked through gritted teeth and knotted up fists.

"Like I'm some sort of slut that shouldn't have had a life before you! You knew what you got yourself into! Besides, you don't get to be mad at me for how tonight has turned out. None of this was my fault!" Jessie snapped back with just as much vengeance.

"So once again it's all my fault, huh?" Rafe laughed as he put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "God, this is so typical of you, Jess. Always blaming anyone but yourself like you weren't the one that hooked up with him in the first place. You should've told him to go to hell the second you saw him. You wanted him didn't you?"

"You're ridiculous! Do you hear yourself right now?" Jessie scoffed. "You act like we're not m-" Jessie had to stop her sentence right there, knowing they weren't exactly in private and everyone at the party could've heard them. Jessie sighed. "Let's just go home." Jessie said defeated.

"We'll finish this in the truck." Rafe pointed with determination as he walked past his wife, both of them still chomping at the bit to fire more words.

Rafe and Jessie both stomped back up to the beach, ignoring the party going on around them. Despite the looks of concern and pity, Rafe grabbed the cooler and walked back to his truck, Jessie not far behind.

The two both drove away in silence, neither of them quite sure where they were heading considering they hadn't discussed whose bed they'd be sleeping in tonight. At this point, Jessie wouldn't be surprised if Rafe dropped her off at her house without one more word.

To her surprise, Rafe pulled over into a random gravel road where they couldn't be seen, throwing the truck in park and looking at the wheel with words in his mind playing against his lips.

Jessie, being just as stubborn as Rafe, didn't feel the need to look at him either, instead opting for the dash in front of her that suddenly seemed so interesting. Jessie didn't feel like she had to say anything else, mainly because she didn't think she had done anything wrong. Then again, Rafe didn't think he had done anything wrong either.

Rafe finally decided to scrap his speech and opted to quickly flip the center console up above his head to reveal the middle seat. He grabbed Jessie's face before she even knew what was happening, let alone protest. Rafe crashed his lips onto hers violently and with so much passion Jessie couldn't pull away no matter how much she wanted to. She wanted to fix this, or at least prove her point, but all bets were off as soon as Rafe pushed Jessie up against the passenger side window and began to pepper her neck with hard kisses.

As much as Jessie didn't want to admit it, this is exactly what she needed to take the attitude right out of her, and Rafe knew it. They both had been without each other for too long to ignore the desire.

"Rafe..." Jessie begged as she tried to hold her hands under her so she wouldn't give into touching him like he was touching her.

"Shh" Rafe replied, never letting his hands stop roaming her body. "You still mad at me?" Rafe asked barely above a tantalizing whisper. Jessie just whimpered, clearly at a loss for words. Luckily, Rafe didn't need words, he knew Jessie was still mad at him, and make up sex was his favorite kind to have, a kind that had been a recent trend for the couple. "Take it out on me." Rafe said in a hushed tone in Jessie's ear as he went back to her neck, finding his way lower and lower to her bikini clad chest.

Jessie couldn't take it anymore. She needed him as bad as Rafe needed her in that moment, and she'd be lying if she said she hadn't been thinking about that all week long. Rafe's last words was the last push she needed to forget what had just happened at the beach.

Jessie finally freed her hands from underneath her and pushed Rafe back over to the driver side, not out of anger, but out of pure lust. Rafe could tell she was hungry for it, and he smirked as he watched Jessie meet him on the drivers side and straddle him. He returned the favor by taking her face in his hands and kissing her roughly, holding her back careful not to lay her directly on the truck horn. They had learned that lesson the hard way. Through kisses, Jessie had managed to take Rafe's hat and shirt off.

"You looked so good tonight." Rafe mumbled against Jessie's lips, his fingers finding the strings on her bikini top. He played with them in between his fingers, knowing that the slow movement really got Jessie going. Jessie didn't say anything, she only moaned into the kiss. "You made it really hard to wait for this." Rafe said as he pulled the string loose around Jessie's neck, causing her halter to fall down slightly. He then began to play with the string wrapped around her ribs.

"So stop waiting." Jessie simply stated between kisses, her hands now just as wild as his. That was all the confirmation Rafe needed before he slammed her down on the seat beside him.

That night was not the first time they took their frustrations out on each other, their pure adrenaline and desire for each other having the power to melt away any doubt or anger, and it most certainly wouldn't be the last.

***

"Jessie, I promise." Rafe said with much more ferver in his voice, finding some newfound confidence in his words. "Of course I've thought about it but... no, I haven't been using. I promised myself that if I ever got you back I would stop. The second you walked in my door I didn't touch that stuff, and still haven't." Rafe replied as he stuck his hand up in the air beside him as if to swear on the Bible. Jessie was convinced he would've testified in a courtroom if he had the chance. She believed him, thinking that maybe the bloodshot eyes and the volatile emotions and actions were really just a side effect of the most traumatizing twenty four hours of her husband's life.

"Okay," Jessie whispered as she nodded her head. "But I'm still allowed to feel differently towards you after what happened." Jessie said a little more sternly.

"Absolutely, I.... I just hate that I ever gave you a reason not to trust me." Rafe responded, once again trying to choke back tears. He couldn't help but feel like this would also damage his relationship with Charley, or at least what Jessie thought of him as a father. "I hope this won't effect how you let me see Charley."

"Right now I would just stay focused on how I view you." Jessie snapped back with a hint of sass but still mostly sadness.

"Right. I'm sorry, Jessie."

"You're going to have to earn some of my trust back... but I know you can. I've seen you do it before. I forgive you." Jessie replied numbly. Her mind was racing, with the main thought being that she hoped she wouldn't come to regret this.

Rafe couldn't help but crack a smile, leaning in for a hug and wrapping his arms around her tightly for fear of her disappearing. To his surprise Jessie reciprocated. Truth is, Jessie needed that hug just as much as Rafe did, because as angry and confused as Jessie was, there was still only one person in this world that she wanted. There was still only one person in this world that could melt all her fears away with one touch. Rafe. Jessie held onto Rafe just as tightly as Rafe held onto her.

"I love you." Rafe whispered into Jessie's hair. She hesitated, but still she replied.

"I love you too, Rafe."

To his behest, Rafe broke away, still being sure to hold Jessie close In his arms.

"Let's get outta here." He said with a small smile.

With that, Jessie went to packing the rest of the suitcase while Rafe grabbed some clothes of his own out of the closet, packing them in his own carry on. Eventually both of them made their way back into Rafe's bedroom, Rafe going towards the bedside table, and Jessie going towards the dresser that was on the opposite side of the room.

Jessie made her way to the dresser, finding the object she figured would still be there. In a hurry last night she left her diamond ring on the dresser, in that moment only caring about grabbing her most prized possession, her daughter. Jessie looked behind to see Rafe was still messing with stuff in the bedside table. She turned back around to play with the ring and roll it along the wooden dresser, carefully admiring the flecks the rectangular diamond gave off in the warm light. She couldn't help but contemplate everything as she watched the ring go in between her fingers.

What she didn't know was Rafe was on the other side of the room contemplating his own mental obstacle course himself. Rafe opened up the bedside table to grab the accessories to his gun, only to reach too far back and find an old bag of white powdery substance that couldn't be mistaken for his old vice. He looked behind him to see Jessie playing with something on the dresser, and rather than ask her what she was looking at, he took the opportunity to roll the tight, plastic bag in between his calloused fingers. Looking at the bag he couldn't really tell himself what he was going to do with it-- he truly didn't know, but for some odd reason that he couldn't explain, he didn't want to leave it behind. With that, he stuffed the baggie into his duffel bag.

Despite Jessie contemplating if now was the right time to physically show her semblance to Rafe, she finally slid the ring on her finger, admiring it on her hand as she stuck it out like every girl can't help but do. She remembered the first time she ogled the ring with a love and excitement in her heart so strong she couldn't contain it. This time of course felt different, but she knew that the feeling wasn't going to last forever, often times it would come and go, and she treated today as one of those days. Despite the excitement not being there, the love still was, that she was sure of. That was what scared her the most.

Finally both of them turned towards each other right about the same time and looked into each other's eyes with half-hearted smiles, neither one of them knowing the mental gymnastics the other just went through.

Like so many times before, that moment was a moment where Jessie would choose Rafe, and Rafe would choose a familiar vice.

be mindful of why you're on tumblr to read fanfics readers, u see how i don't post hateful comments on other writers' works, cause that's very inconsiderate and not cutesy. instead, if i don't like the fic i simply stop reading it and move on to read another fic that i'll like, very demure, very respectful, very approachable. let's be mindful 🙄

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 31

"Well tonight was super fun you guys but, it's way past Charley's bedtime." Jessie sighed as she got up from Rafe's lap as Charley was passed out on her shoulder. Rafe eventually stood up as well and took Charley out of Jessie's hands to put her in her car seat.

"Thank you guys for such an amazing night, and being so understanding." Jessie exclaimed as she gestured over to Rafe, who was out of ear shot.

"Anything for you, Jess." John B answered with a half smile.

"Yeah, and we all loved getting to know Charley. Thanks for bringing her around." Sarah said genuinely. Jessie could tell her heart was aching to know her niece more, and to see Rafe get redemption. Jessie knew in time she would get both. She gave all the pogues hugs as Rafe made his way back to the group with his hands in his pockets. Pope was the one to extend the olive branch formally as he stuck his hand out to Rafe.

"We're glad you're here... for Charley, man." Pope stated, still waiting for a hand shake. Rafe looked at his hand with surprise. After all that Rafe had done to Pope specifically and he was still willing to shake his hand? Rafe was impressed. He smiled and gladly took his hand, with a nonverbal understanding between the two of them that everything was okay between them. That was a step in the right direction, and Jessie was glad that all the pogues got to see that redemption was possible, slowly. Baby steps was all Jessie wanted.

"Same time again tomorrow... my place." Was all Rafe could muster, not really having the words to say but trying to make it clear he appreciated their kindness.

With that, Jessie walked over to her husband, who then took her hand and walked to the truck, opening her door of course. Rafe may be fine with fighting anyone who deserves it but giving his wife anything less than princess treatment was never okay in his book. He knew that wasn't always his thought process, and that's why he was more determined than ever to not let her lift a finger.

"Did you have fun?" Jessie asked hand in hand with Rafe as they drove home.

"I always have fun when I'm with you." Rafe replied as he looked over at Jessie lovingly. Jessie looked back at Charley sleeping in her car seat and realized something.

"Where's Charley gonna sleep tonight? She doesn't exactly have her bed with her." Jessie asked as she looked back at Rafe who was now focused back on the road.

"She can sleep in any room you want... or she can sleep with us." Rafe implied.

"Normally I don't encourage her sleeping in the bed with me, but that might be best considering she doesn't really know where she is." Jessie said.

"Whatever you want, baby." Rafe answered as he brought her hand up to his lips, giving it a soft kiss.

The three of them finally rolled up to the house and got out of the truck. Rafe went to the back driver door to get Charley out of her car seat. In her sleep she managed to still find Rafe's broad chest and sling herself around him, burying her head in the crook of his neck. They walked into the house and up the stairs to Rafe's old room. There was no way they were sleeping anywhere else in that house.

Jessie couldn't believe the sight, the room still looked just like it did years ago, with the exception of a newer comforter. Other than that, the room remained arranged the same as it did when she and Rafe were dating.

"Can you grab her pajamas? I put the bags in my closet." Rafe whispered as he walked over to his bed to lay Charley down. Jessie walked over to the large walk in closet and found the bags. She came back to Rafe taking off Charley's socks and shoes ever so delicately for fear of waking her. She had to admire the sight for a second, taking in the moment, noticing how sweet and gentle Rafe was being even when he thought nobody was watching.

Rafe and Jessie both worked together to get Charley changed without waking her. Although she stirred a few times, with gentle coos she was back to sleep. Rafe decided to lay her right in the middle of the bed for the time being while he and Jessie got ready for bed.

"She's sound asleep." Rafe said as he walked over to Jessie who was taking off her jewelry and laying it on his desk.

"Yea she is... you wanna fool around?" Jessie smirked as she snaked her arms around Rafe. Rafe was in disbelief at her boldness but he returned the favor by wrapping his arms around her as well.

"Our daughter is right there." Rafe scoffed with a slight laugh.

"Ugh, don't be weird." Jessie slapped his arm playfully. "I meant do you want to go take a shower?" She asked. As tempting as that was to Rafe, he did worry about leaving Charley in the room alone, even if his bathroom was connected. He looked back at Charley hesitantly. Jessie noticed his concern and pulled his face back to look at her again.

"She's out. She's not waking up, I promise." Jessie reassured through a lustful tone as she slowly lifted her feet to meet Rafe's lips, giving him a slow, seductive kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began pulling at the collar of his shirt. Rafe moaned into the kiss as he deepened it, wrapping his arms tighter around Jessie and exploring her body more. He was in it now, and Jessie knew it. She smirked through the kiss as she backed Rafe up into the bathroom and closed the door, making sure to lock it behind her.

- - -

That next morning Jessie woke up wrapped around Rafe's strong arms. She opened her eyes to see her husband conked out and her daughter sleeping on his chest. Jessie thought they both looked the exact same when they slept. She laid in bed for a few minutes but when she realized she was not going back to sleep, she decided to get up and walk downstairs to the kitchen.

Wondering around in the Cameron household was still very unusual to Jessie, despite the house being legally Rafe's, she couldn't help but feel an eerie presence, as if Ward Cameron could just walk around the corner at any given moment. Still, she tried to keep thoughts like that far away.

Jessie made her way into the kitchen in nothing but one of Rafe's old gray t-shirts where she looked in the fridge. Nothing. But that made sense when Jessie considered that the last time Rafe was in the house he knew he probably wouldn't be back for awhile, and he was right. But, ugh, Jessie was starving, she always did wake up hungry. Seeing that there was not even a snack in the house, she decided to just go back up to bed.

Jessie creeped in the room, careful not to creek the door and wake up the two still sleeping. She decided to simply play on her phone until they woke up. Jessie flipped through her snap story to see some pictures and videos from the pogues from last night. She was grateful those were only posted to their private stories. Jessie wondered how telling the world her and Rafe were back together-- and had a child-- was going to play out, but that was a conversation for a different day.

Not long after Jessie had come back to bed, Rafe began to stir. She felt Rafe's hand creep up her thigh as he tried to signal to Jessie that he was awake, but still trying not to wake the sleeping three year old that was dead weight on top of him.

Rafe slowly turned on his side, suddenly uncomfortable with how he was lying, careful not to let his daughter plop down on the bed and choosing rather to lay her down gently in between him and Jessie. Charley stirred for a moment but with Rafe rubbing her head and cooing her she was put right back to sleep, but not before cuddling into Rafe some more. He simply wrapped his arm around her and looked at Jessie, who had since turned over as well.

"Good morning, baby." Rafe whispered as he patted Charley's back.

"We need groceries." Jessie stated, half joking but also half serious. Rafe gave her an amused look.

"Well someone's cranky." He whispered again.

"Someone's hungry." Jessie replied, more matter of factly this time but still with a playful smile. Rafe just laughed.

"You wanna go get breakfast somewhere?" Rafe asked.

"Wouldn't that be a problem considering you're still kind of a spectacle around Kildare? And me? I mean nobody's even seen me in four years, let alone seeing us together with a kid." Jessie implied. Rafe paused for a moment to think.

"Let em stare I guess. We still need food." Rafe shrugged. Jessie still looked hesitant and Rafe could see that.

"Since when did we care what people around here thought of us, huh?" Rafe whispered with a loving look as he cupped Jessie's face and rubbed his thumb against her cheek. Jessie knew Rafe had a point, suddenly thinking back to midsummers, all the times Rafe stood up to his dad, the times Jessie stood up to the pogues, and the countless stares they received years ago when the kook king and the pogue princess were seen young dumb and in love around OBX. They didn't care then, why should they start caring now? With that, Jessie exhaled a sigh of relief she didn't know she was holding and nodded.

"So can we go like now?" Jessie asked. Rafe laughed again at her boldness.

"She's still sleeping." Rafe joked, pointing at the sleeping beauty in his arms.

"She'll be fine. She's been woken up before." Jessie reassured. Rafe just pursed his lips and gave his wife a look as if to say I can't do that to her.

"I have no problem waking her up." Jessie laughed.

"Well good because I can't." Rafe said as he looked lovingly at his daughter who was dead asleep against him. Jessie scooted closer to her daughter and started scratching her back. She figured this would be a good time for Rafe to learn the best way to wake her up. Charley, arched her back in her sleep, probably feeling like she was being tickled. She eventually awoke enough to put her arm to her back and swat away whatever was bothering her so much, assuming it was her own mom. Her violent swats made Rafe and Jessie laugh. Rafe's rising and falling chest was enough to annoy Charley and cause her to roll over on her back in between the two of them.

"Charley bug..." Jessie whispered sweetly as she tickled Charley's stomach. "It's time to wake uuuuup." She sing songed. Charley whined and rolled back over onto Rafe's chest and slung one arm around his exposed shoulder. Rafe couldn't handle the cuteness, as he had no choice but to wrap her in his arm and pucker his bottom lip at Jessie. Jessie just gave Rafe a look as if to say that he wasn't making the role of bad cop any easier. To the behest of both of them, Jessie finally pulled Charley gently back onto her back and started carefully shaking her awake. Eventually Charley opened her eyes and looked at her mom with confusion and slight annoyance.

"You wanna go get breakfast somewhere?" Jessie asked through a hushed tone. Knowing how much Charley loved breakfast, her eyes went wide as a response as if to say of course.

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 39

*** Rafe drove away from JJ's house in a panic once he realized that Jessie really was gone and JJ really didn't know where she was.

Rafe couldn't contain his emotions, leaving him no choice but to pull over. Rafe stared out into the space of the dark road in front of him, only lit by the night sky. All the realization hit him at once as his lips quivered and he narrowed his eyes, trying not to let the tears spill out.

He almost hit Jessie. Over a simple conversation that she was totally justified in having. She wanted him off the coke. But she started it right? Rafe thought that argument was childish. He felt nothing but childish after the temper tantrum he threw at both Jessie and JJ. Rafe wondered what was wrong with him, he had been angry before, but he felt a new sense of helplessness... like he was spinning out of control and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Rafe finally let it all out. The sobs were ugly and reckless as he lost control of his breathing. Rafe had nobody there to calm him down, only the voices in his head.

Be a man. Men don't cry. Rafe heard his father's voice. The same words he heard when he was ten years old, and from that point forward. The words be a man plagued him everyday of his life. Those words were enough to make him dry his eyes, wipe his face, and somehow go completely numb inside. Ward always had that affect on Rafe.

Deciding not to let Jessie have any more of this night, Rafe called the only person he knew could fix this, but fix was a strong word, it was more like putting a bandaid over a bullet hole. Rafe didn't care.

"Man, what do you want? It's too late for this sh-"

"I'm coming over." Rafe interrupted Barry, who sounded less than thrilled.

"Man you were just here?!" Barry replied annoyance and disbelief. "Are you already out?!"

"Not yet, but I will be." Rafe responded with numbness that chilled even Barry through the phone. Rafe simply hung up and Barry knew it couldn't be good.

Barry did the only thing he could think to do: call Jessie. Him and Jessie had a very odd relationship, one that was constantly moving and changing, one minute she would be a smoke buddy, the next minute a buyer, and the next a bitch. It all depended on each other's mood, but in a weird way, Barry always felt bad for Jessie. After all, Jessie only started buying for her father, eventually letting it trickle into her life as well, and now Barry had a front row seat at watching the drug trap another man that Jessie cared about.

Barry called Jessie over and over again, to no avail. The fact that she didn't answer really concerned him, his mind began to wonder to the worst possible scenario, especially with Rafe being so... unpredictable at the moment.

Barry blew up Jessie's phone, every passing ring only adding to his worry, until he saw Rafe pull up. At this point Barry was just plain mad, knowing that Rafe must've had something to do with Jessie not answering her phone.

Barry was anxious to meet Rafe right in the middle of the yard, not letting Rafe come to him like he usually does.

"What the hell, country club? Why your girl ain't answering her phone?"

"Shit, I don't know man. Just leave me alone." Rafe mumbled as he put his hand in Barry's face and walked right past him towards the front door of the trailer. Barry couldn't believe the balls Rafe had on him at the moment, clearly not caring about anyone or anything. It was only a preview of the facade he would adopt for the next four years.

"You don't know? Bullshit you don't know Rafe! You know damn well where Jessie is! You better not have sent her into hiding until the bruises heal-"

"I didn't touch her, okay?!" Rafe screamed, not being able to take the mental gymnastics any longer. "And I'm not bullshitting you... I don't know where she is man!" Rafe explained still heated. He finally looked down at the ground then back up at Barry with more sadness behind his faded eyes. "She left."

"What the hell does that mean, she left?" Barry asked, trying to adopt the same demeanor of not caring, even though he clearly did, at least in a "she's my best customer" kinda way.

"She left. Are you slow or something?" Rafe laughed maniacally as he furrowed his brows and walked closer to Barry. Rafe had no regard for his life any more, and at this point he was looking for a fight— another defense mechanism he would become very familiar with over the course of the next few years.

"No I'm not slow you piece of shit!" Barry mouthed back as he shoved Rafe back. "You're just being vague as hell and it doesn't sound very convincing."

"Well I'm not worried about convincing you." Rafe whispered with a twisted smile. He began to look off into the dark distance. "I'm not worried about convincing anyone." He explained with a dark glint in his eye that Barry hadn't seen before. "So you got more coke or not?" He asked, this time a little more in touch with reality.

"Yeah..." Barry trailed off as he was trying to read whatever Rafe was fantasizing about behind those eyes, he was unsuccessful. Barry just walked inside, looking over his shoulder, feeling like Rafe could easily kill him quickly and quietly with the way he was acting.

"Take your shit and leave." Barry snapped as he took the money from Rafe.

"It was good to see ya." Rafe said as he turned and walked away with a smile Barry couldn't see.

Rafe climbed back into his truck and sped off, pulling out his phone to call the only other person on this island he could count on. 

"What the hell, man? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Topper's voice sounded through the other line. 

"Yeah, yeah, man, whatever. Hey, party at my house tomorrow night. My parents will be out of town. Invite anyone. Party of the century man." The line went dead for a couple seconds. 

"Anyone?" 

"Anyone." 

- - - 

Music was blaring. Bodies were taking up almost the entire first floor of the house. If there was one thing about Topper, he knew how to throw a rager. Kooks, tourons, even pogues were at the Cameron's that fateful night. But Rafe said anyone, right? At that point Rafe didn't really care, the more people the better. Every person was just one more distraction for Rafe Cameron to forget about the one person he wanted to see there. To say it didn't work was a lie, it did work, and that's what threw Rafe into four years of sex, money, and drugs. The parties, the drugs, the fights, seemed to be the closest thing to numbing the pain. 

Rafe made his way around to everyone at the party, slapping his friends on the back and saying hi to everyone he could. The smile on his face was bold, but not the same one he used to beam when he had his Jessie around. 

"Dude, you were right. This is the party of the century! I'm pretty sure some girl is topless in the pool right now." Topper laughed as he met Rafe in the kitchen to pour himself another drink.

"I knew it would be, thanks to you." Rafe replied as he squeezed Topper's shoulders. "But hey, the real party's upstairs." Rafe trailed off with a smirk and a raise of his eyebrows. Topper searched Rafe's bloodshot and watery eyes for a semblance of what that meant, and he thought he had a pretty good idea. Up until tonight Rafe was decent at hiding his coke addiction from his friends and family, Jessie really was the only one who ever saw it, and for good reason. 

"Dude... what do you mean?" Topper asked with a hint of worry to his face. He figured Rafe's newly disheveled and reckless state had to be tied to whatever he was referring to upstairs.  

Rafe didn't reply with words, only a swift nod of the head as if to say come with me.

The sound of the party faded into the distance as Topper followed Rafe up the winding wooden staircase, to be met with a new smell, one that replaced the smell of sweaty bodies and alcohol and was replaced with a smell of skunk and other substances. Topper had a feeling he knew where this was going. 

Rafe opened the door to a spare bedroom, smart enough not to let anyone use his room for such activities. After all, his room was a mess anyways, he hadn't cared to clean it ever since Jessie left. He had let himself go in just about every way possible, and his room was no exception. 

Topper was met with a sight to behold, plenty of people doing lines right off the glass table and  enough weed to go around for the rest of the night. 

"Dude," Topper harshly whispered as he pulled Rafe's shoulder so he would face him. Topper looked less than impressed, and Rafe didn't look too fond of the judgement Topper was so clearly giving him either. "Are you insane? W-What you're into hard drugs now? Is that why Jessie left?" Topper snapped with furrowed brows. He had never seen Rafe so wild and careless, the kook king was typically anything but those two things. 

"Don't" Rafe snapped back with a little too much force, he stopped himself from laying a hand on Topper as he withdrew his fist and let his hand hang loosely beside him. "... talk about Jessie, okay? She's gone. And this night isn't about her." Rafe mumbled with a sly smile, trying to play it off like he didn't almost just pummel his best friend over speaking the name of the love of his life. He had successfully managed to dodge those questions and those feelings tonight, and Topper clearly just ruined that streak, making Rafe feel like he definitely needed a line now. 

Considering the newfound mix of emotions Rafe was feeling, he did just that. He went over to the glass table, not bothering to pay anyone considering it was his coke and lined up the white powder just right before taking a quick drag and sniffling soon afterwards. Topper still couldn't believe his eyes, he genuinely thought he was dreaming. 

"Okay, seriously," Topper began as he rubbed his head, "did someone slip something in my drink or did you just do coke right in front of me?" Topper asked. Rafe just stood up from the couch and laughed. 

"Dude, you're not hallucinating. And you need to chill, it's just something to take the edge off." Rafe replied as he patted Topper's shoulders. 

"Why're you doing this Rafe? Why're you throwing your life away? You know that's where this leads, right? You're starting to act like a po-"

"Shut up, man!" Rafe corrected Topper as he gave him a swift and forceful shove. Rafe gritted his teeth as the words left his mouth, clearly fed up with the accusations. 

Rafe already felt his life had been thrown away, and that was long before Jessie ever entered the picture. Rafe got dangerously close to Topper, this time looking him dead in the eyes with his chest moving rapidly and his blown pupils looking strait at Topper's normal ones. 

"The rest of my life is going to be filled with kook dinner parties, kook business deals, and all other kook shit. For just one night, I wanna have a little fun." Rafe said through anger, doing a great job at disguising the hopelessness he had been feeling since Jessie left, the same hopelessness he had when he met her that night at the Island Club, the same hopelessness that Jessie so effortlessly relinquished him from. 

Whether it was through fear or pity, Topper received the message loud and clear, only nodding his head, not daring to peel his eyes away from Rafe for one second for fear of what he could do to him. Rafe noticed one thing in particular about the past 24 hours. Barry and Topper seemed to look at him differently, with a newfound fear-no, respect- for Rafe Cameron. Rafe thought maybe this is what his father was meaning all those years, maybe this level of reverence was what Ward was trying to instill in him, and he just never found it until tonight. Rafe started to relish the way everyone looked at him, like he held all the power in the room, like he was unstoppable, unapproachable, and untouchable. He loved it. 

What started as a night meant to mask the heartache turned into a lifestyle of commanding the room. 

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 28

As Jessie was getting ready to leave for the restaurant, Rafe came into the bathroom as she was brushing her hair. Rafe wrapped his arms around Jessie's waist and pulled her in close.

"Where's Charley?" Jessie asked as she looked at Rafe through the mirror.

"She's playing in her room." Rafe answered. Jessie simply nodded and went back to getting ready.

"She called me daddy this morning." Rafe said simply with a small smile on his face. Jessie stopped what she was doing once again and looked back at Rafe with a grin.

"Seriously?!" Jessie asked with wide eyes.

"Seriously." Rafe replied through a slight laugh. "She said it this morning when she woke me up wanting breakfast."

Jessie couldn't help but be filled with tears of joy. This was more confirmation that her and Charley would be just fine following Rafe back to OBX or wherever they needed to be. No matter where they went, Jessie knew she couldn't split up their family again. Jessie couldn't choke out any words, instead she opted to wrap her arms around Rafe's neck.

"I'm so glad baby, you deserve that." She whispered as she buried herself further into Rafe.

"Thank you." Was all Rafe could say as he breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly they both heard little footsteps coming to the bathroom door.

"What we doing?" Charley asked with knitted eyebrows. She was already ready to go in her yellow sundress and high pigtails. Rafe bent down to be eye level with his daughter as Jessie went back to fixing her hair.

"We are going to find you some shoes to wear." Rafe replied as he pointed at Charley and booped her nose. She giggled and ran away to her room, clearly anxious to pick out a pair of shoes. Rafe simply followed behind her, but not before giving Jessie one last loving look.

- - -

"We ready to go?" Jessie asked as she slipped on her converse and met Rafe with Charley on his hip at the door.

"Yep." Rafe responded as they walked out the door and towards the bar downtown. Living in Manhattan everything was within walking distance, which Jessie loved. It was always a great way for Charley and her to get some fresh air and a little exercise. Plus, it saved on gas. Jessie didn't even have a car until after a year of living there, with the help of Mama and Tom getting her a job and hooked up with a friend selling one for a good price. However, she couldn't part with the small motorcycle she brought with her from OBX. That was all she had besides a few other belongings when she left. She left both her small car and motorcycle parked in the parking garage connected to their building.

The three of them had finally made it down to the small local dive bar. If Rafe would have blinked he would have missed it. He almost did, thankfully Jessie knew where it was and side stepped him just in time. Jessie had a key to the door of course but also told them she was coming and that she was bringing a friend. Considering they were stopping by before they opened she knew they wouldn't mind. They never minded having Charley there either. Many a night has been spent bartending with Mama while young Charley slept in the back room in a cot built just for her under Tom's desk.

"Hey Mama!" Jessie exclaimed enthusiastically as she let Charley down to run to her grandparents.

"Hey darlin!" Mama replied as she bent down to accept the impending bear hug from Charley. Soon after Tom rounded the corner.

"I thought I heard my favorite girls." The bearded burly man said as he came out of his office and around the counter to give Jessie a hug.

"Hey sweetheart." Tom exclaimed as he hugged Jessie and gave her a kiss on the head. Before Tom was done with the motion he eyed Rafe up and down. "Is this the guest you were talking about?" Tom asked with knitted eyebrows. At the same time Mama came walking up behind Tom with Charley in tow.

"Yes! This is Rafe. Rafe, this is Mama and PopPop. But you can call them Maci and Tom if you'd like." Jessie proclaimed as she introduced the two parties. Rafe stuck his hand out nervously with a soft smile towards Tom. Rafe couldn't belive how nervous he was. He had done billion dollar deals with gun wielding maniacs and their goons surrounding him with no nerves and yet this had him shaking.

"Nice to meet you." Rafe blurted out with his hand still extended. Tom looked down at his hand and back up at Jessie, still trying to decide if he was going to shake it or not. Tom saw the plea on Jessie's face and decided to go with it.

"Nice to meet ya Rafe." Tom said simply in his grisly tone he always has. Thankfully, Mama decided to break the very clear tension.

"Well, y'all want something to eat or drink? It's almost lunchtime!" Mama exclaimed as she made her way back behind the counter hoping everyone would follow.

"Chicken nuggets!" Charley quickly demanded as she ran alongside Mama.

"We'll just take whatever you make." Jessie answered as they sat down at the bar, Tom opted to stand alongside it beside Rafe, still unsure of the man he was looking at. For Tom, no man was good enough for Jessie. Jessie was not looking forward to telling Mama and Tom about her and Rafe's history.

"Can I get you anything to drink, baby?" Mama asked Rafe as she got Jessie started with a Moscow mule, remembering it was her all time favorite.

"Oh I'm okay, water's fine." Rafe replied, politely putting a hand up.

"What, you don't drink?" Tom asked with his eyebrows furrowed. This kid was seeming more and more peculiar to him.

"Uh... just not feeling it today, it's only lunch." Rafe joked looking at Tom for any semblance of understanding.

"Oh come on." Tom bantered as he slapped Rafe's arm with a little too much force for Jessie's liking. Thankfully, Rafe wasn't phased, his strong arms could definitely withstand the blow. "Little whiskey won't hurt ya. Put a little hair on your chest. Get him a whiskey and coke, Mama." Tom insisted. Jessie gave Rafe a look as if to silently apologize. Rafe reciprocated with a soft half smile as if to tell her it's okay. Mama gave Tom a look of disapproval but continued to make a drink for Rafe and slide it his way. Jessie tried to brush it off as best she could despite Tom's best efforts to intimidate Rafe.

"Sooooo..." Jessie began as she stretched her hands across the bar and look around bashfully. "There's a reason that I wanted to come and meet with you guys today."

"Uh oh, here we go." Tom joked as he finally took a seat at the barstool beside Rafe. Charley at that point was playing contentedly in the corner but Jessie wondered if she should redirect her to Tom's office.

"So, Rafe is actually... um... Charley's father." Jessie explained as she gripped Rafe's hand over the bar. "And we're... m-back together." Jessie didn't have the heart to tell them they were already married. She thought that would be way too much too soon. She knew eventually they'd get around to that conversation though. Mama and Tom just exchanged looks that neither Rafe nor Jessie could quite interpret. Were they angry? Confused? Surprised? Did they expect it? Probably a combination of all those things.

"This..." Tom began as he pointed at Rafe. "This is the guy you left home for? And this is the guy you had to protect from Charley?" Tom asked with a dangerous calm in his voice. Rafe couldn't let that slide.

"Hey man you don't even know me." Rafe spat as he immediately stood up from his chair and looked at Tom dead in the eyes, who had also stood up at the same moment to meet them. Despite Tom being slightly shorter, his gaze was just as fierce. Jessie didn't expect that to escalate so quickly, but she thought maybe she should have considering Rafe was never one to accept insults.

"I know enough." Tom answered with just as much vengeance in his voice. "I know that you were the reason Jessie had to leave wherever she came from. I know that you were the reason she felt she and her baby were unsafe. I know you were the reason she came here with no money and nobody to rely on." Tom continued, never breaking his death glare up towards Rafe. At this point their faces were mere inches away from each other. Rafe was trying to prove to Jessie that he had changed, but he still wasn't going to let disrespect slide.

"Yeah well that was the old me, okay?" Rafe replied. Tom just scoffed.

"You may be fooling Jessie with that but you're not fooling me alright I'll be damned if-"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Jessie interrupted, loud enough to get the point across but not loud enough to disturb Charley from across the room.

"Alright, come on now. Your daughter and your granddaughter is in the room right now." Mama spoke up as she went to grab Charley and take her to Tom's office to play with the toys they always kept in there.

"Yeah, and you're lucky she is." Tom retorted, narrowing his eyes at Rafe once more. Rafe was finding it increasingly difficult when a man was judging him so harshly without getting to know him first. Still, he had a point to prove. He remained stolid, not fuming, but he made it clear he was not afraid. Jessie decided to butt in before Rafe had a chance to say what he was really thinking.

"Tom, I promise you nobody is being more cautious about this than I am. I could never forget the reason that I came here, and I could never forget what you and Mama did for me..." Jessie trailed off as she wedged her way in between the two most important men in her life. "... but it's time for me to give Rafe another chance now that he knows about his daughter and is willing to change for us. Okay? Can you just trust me on this?" Jessie said as she looked up at Tom with hopeful eyes. Rafe had softened his look slightly and had un clinched his fist despite him still being angry deep down.

"I guess, sweetheart, whatever you want." Tom sighed as he looked at Jessie lovingly, then back up to Rafe with a hardened glare once again. "But if you step one toe out of line-"

"I'll handle it myself, like I always have, pop." Jessie interrupted with a knowing stare. Tom knew she was right, and so did Rafe. Jessie really hadn't changed that much in four years, she was still that strong, independent, snarky, know it all that was perfectly fine with taking care of herself. Rafe still appreciated that about her... that freedom she always found within herself to live life and not be afraid. Tom sighed in agreement.

"Lets eat you two!" Mama butted in, trying once again to break the tension— and the death glares— between the two men. Jessie moved from her spot back to sit at the bar, the others doing the same as Mama platted everyone's food, including Charley's, who had now re entered the room.

"So is Rafe who you were going to see last week?" Mama asked as she ate over the bar counter in front of them.

"Yeah, actually. I met him in the Bahamas to... tell him about Charley." Jessie answered. Her and Rafe both knew that was a lie, but they couldn't exactly tell the truth. How do you casually mention that you went across the world to take half of what you rightfully own as the wife of a murderer, drug addict and convicted thief of your own brother? Mama and Tom, despite how close they were to Jessie, never truly knew her history, and there was clearly a reason.

Tom put his fork down and swiveled in his chair closer to Rafe. "So what do you do for work son." Tom asked, this time a little friendlier, but not by much.

"Oh, I uh, run my dad's company. He passed away not too long ago so I'm kind of in charge of it now. Cameron Enterprises." Rafe answered, returning the same tone to Tom, friendly, but still not letting his guard down.

"Cameron? Oh! We heard about your dad a couple of weeks ago! Yeah, he was the one who..." Tom began, then realizing what he was about to say.

"Killed himself by blowing up his own boat, yeah." Rafe finished the sentence for him with a calmness in his voice that showed he was oddly un phased. To distract himself from the thought he took a sip of the whiskey and coke in front of him... well, more like a chug.

"Well, we are so sorry, honey." Mama spoke up, putting her hand on Rafe's with a sympathetic look. Jessie knew Rafe never liked pity looks, besides, he never had the best relationship with his father anyways so the loss wasn't as hard as the world may think.

"I appreciate that." Was all Rafe could muster as he pursed his lips together. He really wanted to say it was no big deal, but clearly that would raise some red flags. Instead he opted to grasp the small glass even more firmly. Jessie seemed to be the only one who noticed.

"Yeah, well, that's the main reason I needed to see Rafe. I knew his dad had just passed and as hard as it was to go back and see him, I felt it was only right that Rafe finally know what happened to me and that he had a daughter." Jessie took the moment to capitalize on her story. Truth is, as hard as it was to lie, she knew that Mama and Tom would probably never know the full story, that's just the way it goes when you're tied up with treasure hunts and ruthless tycoons like Ward Cameron.

"And I'm glad she did... she really pulled me out of the pit there." Rafe half smiled as he placed a hand on Jessie's thigh. That was the truth.

"Aw, well we're glad you two have found each other again." Mama simply stated and Tom nodded half heartedly in agreement. It was clear Tom was still fishing for information and looking for something to be wrong. Jessie didn't blame him, it was in Tom's nature just like it was in hers.

"Yeah, about that..." Jessie sighed as she grabbed Rafe's hand, she couldn't tell if it was for his support or hers. Regardless, Rafe squeezed her hand back. "I'm... well, we're... moving back home... to be with Rafe." Jessie finished, almost wincing not wanting to see the look on their faces in response.

Mama and Tom just paused in thought and looked at each other. Tom was quicker to speak than Mama of course.

"What do you mean? You can't be serious. You're gonna go back with the man who you ran away from four years ago just like that? Come on, Jessie, you know better."

"Pop... he's changed. He's not who he used to be. We're going to just try it out. What happened was four years ago. If I can see past it surely you can." Jessie insisted, this time with a hint of annoyance. Tom looked down at his plate and sighed. He finally nodded in agreement, knowing that at the end of the day it just mattered what Jessie wanted and what she felt was right for her and Charley.

"I think we're just... shocked is all. It was like one day you were perfectly fine with the life you had and now..." Mama explained.

"It's all changing. Yeah, I get it." Jessie sympathized. "And I know it's going to be hard and I know there are a lot of things we haven't thought about yet but we're just going to try. We're gonna start by visiting Outer Banks as a family... that's where I used to live." Jessie answered with a soft tone in her voice.

"You used to live steps from the beach and yet you chose to come here?" Mama joked. Jessie and Rafe just laughed.

"Yeah, this was the place I knew I could disappear. You know that, Mama."

"Yeah, I remember darling. I'm just glad you guys are getting another shot at being a family. Pop and I always wanted that for you, but we weren't quite sure it was ever going to happen." Mama ended her sentence with a giggle looking over at Tom. Tom chuckled as well.

"Of course we want the best for you, and hope everything works out, but you better come back and see us!" Tom exclaimed.

"Of course we will! I couldn't imagine a life without you guys." Jessie reassured as she went to give Tom a hug. Rafe sat there with a content smile on his face, silently thanking them for understanding.

"I promise we'll come back to visit as often as we can, and you guys are more than welcome to come see us anytime, my treat." Rafe said as Jessie went to hug Mama also.

"Oh, Tom wouldn't a vacation sound so fun?! Maybe one day we might even be invited to a wedding!" Mama hinted with excitement as she held Jessie's shoulders. Jessie just giggled nervously while looking at Rafe. Rafe smiled and hung his head down as if to prepare for the news they were both about to break.

"Hehe, yeah... about that..." Jessie started as she looked around at Mama and Tom with a clear nervous look. Mama and Tom looked confused as they narrowed their eyebrows.

"We're already married." Rafe chuckled as he threw his hands out awkwardly and slowly nodded his head.

"You got married to this man while you were gone? Thats what you were doing?!" Tom asked as he looked back at Jessie with judgement written all over his face. Oh great, this was about to be the cherry on top.

"Um, no.... We got married four years ago... before things went sour and I left." Jessie replied sheepishly, her posture showing she wanted to physically retreat into whatever shell she could find. There was an awkward pause as everyone tried to collect their thoughts, thankfully Charley was still eating her chicken nuggets happily in the corner and completely oblivious. Finally Tom slowly turned his head back to Rafe with a clear look of anger.

"You let your pregnant wife leave you and you didn't even think to go after her and make this work four years ago?!" Tom exclaimed a little louder than he should have.

"Tom!" Mama whisper-shouted, signally that he needed to keep his voice down. Tom breathed out heavily in frustration but understood.

"I didn't know she was pregnant. Jessie didn't tell me. But either way don't act like you know me, okay? You don't think I tried to find Jessie in every corner of this earth? You don't think I loved her enough to try and find her? Don't insult me like that ever again! You don't know the sleep I lost and worry I couldn't get away from when she left. Hell, that never went away! I never stopped looking for Jessie. There was never a moment when I didn't want to find her." Rafe spat as he got out of his seat and hovered over Tom with a look in his eyes that could kill. Tom didn't take that sitting down- literally- he stood up to meet Rafe with just as much fierceness.

"Well clearly you didn't look hard enough!" Tom retorted, still a little too loudly.

"It's not like I made myself easy to find, Pop! I changed my number, changed where I lived, and everything in between! I knew Rafe wouldn't have let me go that easily, that's the very reason I didn't tell him I was pregnant. I would've stayed and we wouldn't have grown up! But we're adults now and we can handle this! Rafe isn't to blame for all this. I left! This is the last time I'm going to let you fault Rafe over something that happened years ago!" Jessie demanded. Despite all that Rafe had done to Jessie and to many others, Jessie always saw something in Rafe that nobody else did. Rafe was always her Achilles heal, and that's exactly why she left years ago.

"Tom, she's right. You need to settle down." Mama said with a much more serious tone in her voice. Tom took the hint and sighed as he sat back down.

"I'm sorry, Jess, I just-"

"Don't be sorry Pop." Jessie said as she went around the counter to give Tom a hug. "You're like a father to me, you know that. I appreciate that you care so much... but you've gotta trust me on this one." Jessie assured. Tom nodded in agreement and quickly tried to change the subject to something more hopeful.

"So, when you leaving?"