His Anchor -Jedidiah Sawyer. (Leatherface)

♡ Chapter Fourteen ♡

* Edited *

It doesn’t take me longer than a few minutes to get back to the house, and honestly, I don’t know what to expect. I take my time entering the home, making sure to compose myself and prepare for whatever Jed may have in store for me. I know he's upset about me asking him to leave, I could see it in the way he looked at me as he kissed my head. He had lingered, and now I was starting to worry about the possibility of this becoming an issue.

“You looking for Jed, honey?”

I smile at Verna as she passes by me with a basket of laundry and nod. She smiles and nods towards the basement, “He went down there. Something about finishing a mask of some kind?”

“Thanks, Mama. Do you need some help?” I offer.

She waves her hand and once again nods towards the basement, “you have been plenty helpful today, ‘bout time you caught up with our Jed now. Go on.” I chuckle at her stern yet playful motherly tone and skip slightly to the basement door. I send her one last smile before heading down the basement stairs.

Immediately, I am struck with the strong scent of damp; it's almost overwhelming as I make my way further down the set of stairs. I squint my eyes in an attempt to make out anything around me in the dim lighting. Unfortunately, the only source of light appears to be from the very antique lanterns placed randomly around the space.

The continuous echo of dripping water fills the cold and empty space, leaving it with a heavy and eerie feeling. I frown as I glance around the decent sized room in search of Jed, though I am unable to see him. I can hear him mumbling from a short distance away, but I'm unable to make out exactly what it is he is actually saying.

I release a sigh and run a hand down my face in frustration as my anxiety begins to rise up. “Jed?” I call out whilst finally stepping off the last step cautiously.

I continue my search carefully before smiling when I finally spot a small room off the side of the stairs. Jed is perched on a wooden stool just in front of a small table, his hands moving about expertly. Though, upon hearing me approach, he sighs softly and momentarily pauses whatever it is he is doing.

“We need to talk.” I tell him while standing taller and preparing myself to have this important discussion.

He turns with a scoff whilst still remaining seated. “Yeah, we do.” He agrees lowly while staring intently at me, that previous soft adoration long gone. Honestly, I'm taken aback slightly. He looks so upset, so disappointed in me. It hurts.

“I needed to do that, Jed. I needed you to leave me with Drayton alone so that he and I could work through some things. I have to learn to co-exist with him because you aren’t always going to be there to protect me. Drayton and I need to learn to trust one another.” I explain with a softer voice. I don’t want this to become a huge argument, I want Jed to see that I'm trying to build relationships with his family for him. I'm trying to do what’s best for he and I, but he is making me feel like it’s a crime, like I'm doing something completely wrong.

“No.”

“No?”

“I don’t want you around him. He can’t be trusted. From now on, you stay with me or Mama.” he orders.

I shake my head defiantly and fold my arms as a frown forms on my face, one of annoyance. I understand his desire to keep me safe. Hell, he has been doing it from the moment we met, but right now, I need him to trust me and my judgements. I need him to work with me, not against me, and I certainly don’t need him ordering me around like a soldier. I love him, but this won’t work unless he is willing to compromise and trust me.

“No, Jed. Look, I get it, I really do. But he apologised, and he has assured me he will try to make things better between us, for you. Put some faith in him, in me. Trust me when I say that things will be better, that Drayton will be better.”

Jed’s frown deepens as he pulls slightly on the ends of his hair and laughs dryly. I can sense the oncoming outburst building within him, preparing to explode. I feel my anxiety peak as he lifts his head and stares at me for a moment. He is trying to remain calm and keep his emotions in check, but the expression on his face makes it perfectly clear that he is losing that inner battle.

I take a step forward with my hand outstretched to him, hoping to be able to comfort him and fix this, but he is quick to stand and take a step back whilst shaking his head.

“He tried to rape you!” he shouts. I involuntarily flinch at his words and wrap my arms around myself, preparing for his verbal attack. He needed to say his piece, and I would force myself to listen, no matter how much it hurt. “It’s my job to protect you, to keep you safe from monsters like him!” his voice raises once more as he points off in gesture of his brother furiously.

I nod, “yes, it is. But it's also your duty as my partner to love and trust me. This can’t work if you don’t.” I try to reach him, under all that anger. I try to reach my Jed, but it’s clear now that he is too far gone for me to be able to. At least, not in this heated moment.

“He is no better than your father! The only difference this time around is that you’re standing there and taking it instead of fighting back!”

I can see the instant regret wash over him as the words leave his mouth. All his anger dissipates the moment his gaze meets my broken one. His words had cut through me, slicing away at my heart painfully.

Never had I expected him to bring my father up, especially with something like this. I had trusted him with the secrets of my past, and now it had become perfectly clear that it may have been a mistake to do so.

He doesn’t trust my judgement, not one bit.

I wrap my arms tighter around myself as tears pool in my green eyes. I don’t attempt to hide them; I want him to see the effects his words have on me. I want him to understand the boundary he has crossed in bringing up my abusive father, especially in the context of something like this.

I sniffle slightly and wipe away my tears only for them to be replaced with fresh ones. I turn and head back to the basement stairs with the intention of getting out of the space and away from him. I need time to think. Time to calm myself and mull over his words and feelings, along with my own.

“Candace, I'm sorry. I didn’t me--” he follows behind me desperately.

I turn my head to look at him as I reach the bottom of the stairs, “For the record, he is nothing like my father. My father was a monster; a merciless creature that preyed on those weaker than himself. He found joy in punishing me. He was the devil, and I was the tortured soul. Drayton is different. He is misunderstood. He didn’t try to rape me, Jed. I know the difference between someone trying to rape me and someone trying to scare me. Trust me.”

I feel my anger bubble to the surface as I speak through clenched teeth, “That’s why I forgave him. He was trying to scare me so you wouldn’t get hurt. He thought he was protecting you. I’m trying to make this work between us, I’m trying to build a life here with you. The only problem now is that I'm not so sure I want that life anymore. Especially if you can’t talk to me calmly or trust my judgements.” I drop my head sadly and slowly make my way up the first few steps before stopping near the top and turning back to Jed.

“Oh, and don’t ever bring that monster up to me again. Ever.” and with that said, I jog up the last few steps and slam the basement door shut.

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Authors Note:

Bit of a shorter chapter. It's not so romantic and happy, but i hope you enjoy it anyway, even if it breaks your hearts a little. (I'm sorry, but i had to do it.)

Thanks for reading.

All the best!

- Hannah -