If Only..(Part 1 And Part 2 Included)(Under Edit)

Chapter 13 - Astray

I could see the color of his face fade away, "WHAT??Are...Are you sure?"

I just nodded.

The Hawks, Hideout;

Jereff thumped a file over Jackson's desk and demanded, "What are these?"

Jackson, who was slumped over his chair, glanced at the file and back at the phone, "The last thing I remember, You brought it in here. Who do you think, will know about it, better?"

Jereff banged at his desk, "I brought them to you, to open your eyes. Check it!"

Jackson peered at Jereff and went through the file.

"Do you have an explanation to this, Jackson?"

Jackson took a deep breath and casually dropped the file over the table,

"I am asking you, how is, she still alive?" he continued.

Jackson looked up at Jereff blankly to see him fuming with anger.

"I need answers. You said earlier, you were killing her."

"That's what I did." Jackson finally responded.

"And you never missed a target."

Jackson chuckled, "Not all fires, hit the right target, Jeff. Some fail as well."

"THAT IS NOT WHAT, I ASKED FOR."

"Right! After you guys left, I woke her up from the dead?"

Jereff moved his head in denial and huffed, "You know? You fail miserably at lying in front of your brother."

Jackson leaned forward and hissed, "Just get to the fucking point."

"The point is, you are letting your emotions tame you. And you telling me, you don't know, why you never hit your target? let me tell you. Because, that is what you freaking chose."

Jackson silently stood up in his place and walked up to the window.

"What is wrong with you, these days?" Jereff continued, "I was never worried about your actions. But now? Some of your actions are not making any fucking sense. You are being utter stupid.

Jackson chuckled softly and shook his head

Jereff grimaced at his response, " This ain't a joke, I guess."

"Nope. It's not. I guess "

" Are you freaking drunk?"

Jackson turned his heel towards him and shook his finger, "You reminded me, right."

He pulled open the mini fridge took out a chilled beer, while Jereff kept scrutinizing his actions like a lost puppy.

Jackson opened the can and took a sip before turning towards Jereff, "You are right. She is alive because, I wanted her to be."

Jereff kept a questioning stare intact on him, waiting for him to proceed.

"You see, " he continued, "The sky, the stars, the green grass..."

"I did not ask for a poem. Dammit!"

"I'm not saying one either. My point is, non of them can be a relevant witness, for a crime scene. Can they?"

 "You mean?"

"She is the victim, and the witness as well." walking closer to Jereff, "If she dies, no one knows, who killed her."

"And, you send your information, through an injured messenger to the cop. Wow! Do you know?She recognises your face now.

"I know."

"Do you know? There is there are face artists?"

"I know."

"Jack, all that we have built, to keep us, and our families safe, are about to turn useless?"

"Leave that on me. Sometimes, you need to take a step backwards, before a bigger jump."

" Be careful, with your jumps."

Jereff gave Jackson a last warning stare before he darted out of the room, leaving Jackson alone in his thoughts and confusions. The truth was, he was unsure of his own actions. Jereff was right, he missed a target. That left him questioning, was it really a miss or was it a change of his own heart.

It was a decision by his heart. That fine day, although he had his gun pointed at her, unshaken but internally he was praying for her to survive.

A part of him was still beyond his control. That part which was making him do things, unexplained to him. That part which is too strong to fight and that part which is leading him through different tests, leaving him devastated at every stage.

A part which is dragging him to an unknown journey without a definite destination. The more he wanted to fight it, the more was it getting stronger.

In short, a fight has started. A fight between him and himself. A fight which won't kill him but would break him to an extend that nothing in this realm can ever fix him. A fight, he can't avoid, either.