May 18, 2001
Africa had been the best trip of the year by far. It was the one place far from prying eyes where William could be himself and relax. Seeing the Craig family again had been really nice, and he was enjoying his time with Jecca. They had become close friends the last time he had visited in ninety-eight.
He knew what the media thought, but he didn't mind really. In fact, he was hoping it was taking some stress off of Jaclyn with everything she had going on, he hadn't even seen a single. Seeing as she hadn't mentioned the press in any of their conversations until the night Emma attacked her it seemed to be working, especially since he hadn't even seen a single article about Emma and her. That had also been the last time he talked to her a week ago seeing as his mobile had broke late Saturday night and it still wasn't fixed.
He pulled Jecca into her house as they returned from their drive. They were laughing together, and she squeezed his hand, something that was a little odd but he let it slide. Occasionally she did things like that, but he figured it was just Jecca being herself. She was touchy with everyone in her family.
The second he entered their sitting room his heart dropped. Batian, Jecca's brother, was watching the news, but it was more what they were reporting that made his blood boil while freezing over.
Swarms of photographers crowded around a person sprawled out in the sidewalk, but it wasn't just anyone it was his girlfriend. It was Jackie's unconscious body they were surrounding, shoving their cameras in her pale face, and it was Natania who was screaming and trying to fight the paparazzi to try and help her.
William missed the report itself, too busy focusing on the horrifying clips. When Natania finally busted through, Jaclyn was waking up, and the smaller girl had to guard her friend from the photographers waiting a minute before she could move her.
"Seems a bit dramatic to me," Jecca mumbled, crossing her arms with a huff. She wasn't fond of how this other girl could steal William's attention from her so easily. That was why she had stared to hide every tabloid that came through the house, and make sure the news channels were off when he was around.
If William wasn't so worried about his girlfriend's well being he would have asked her to elaborate.
"Batian, can I borrow your mobile?" William asked. The older guy handed it over without question looking sympathetic as he did.
"Hello?" It was Natania who answered, sounding like she was on the verge of hanging up on the assumed random person. "Nati, it's me William-"
"You want to tell me what the hell you did?" She hissed. Her voice was faint like she was still in a public place, but William feared she was about to leap through the phone.
"I don't know what you're talking about-"
"We've all seen the pictures of you and Jecca snuggling up to each other," Natania snapped. William groaned taking his leave from the room where the Craig siblings were watching him. "You should both know those pictures aren't real."
"Even if it's nothing for you, Jecca's intentions are very obvious, and it hurts to see you with a pretty girl like her."
William sighed, "Can I talk to her? She shouldn't be focusing on what the press are saying." Natania laughed through the phone, and William could picture her annoyed glare. Shouting she said, "Like I didn't think of that, girls are practically shoving them in her face daily!" She didn't even care if she lost her composure in the school in front of all her instructors and professors.
She inhaled sharply taking William's silence as a sign that she scared him.
"You know, I always had my repercussions with you two. Jaclyn's... She's been through a lot with her family, you saw all those things Bill said about her, and now it's easy to get under her skin, to hurt her. I thought, maybe, since you come from a different family that you could heal her, and instead you broke her. She's never gone through this, and maybe it's not your fault, and maybe she reacted two quickly which happens when she's scared, but I swear if you did something I'll kill you."
Then she inhaled sharply.
"I'm sorry, it's been stressful here, and it may not seem like it, but I've been looking out for her since we were eight. And earlier today I had to claw my way through these people to get to her." Williams breath shuddered. He wanted to speak to Jaclyn to make sure she was fine.
"Nati, please, can I talk to her?"
There was silence, then some shuffling, and when the next voice came through the phone he loudly exhaled because she was alright.
"William," Jaclyn drawled out upon hearing his breath. Her voice differed greatly from the usual light that encompassed it, now it sounded like she had seen a ghost.
Clearly she wasn't fine, she sounded petrified with fear, but he had to ask anyways. "Jackie, how are you?" She laughed which turned into a coughing fit. Since she woke up she had been sickly, throwing up once and the dry scathing feeling stuck to her throat.
"Fine," she spat, "how's Jecca?" His eyes widened as she seethed his friends name like it hurt her to say it. His words were scrambled as he pleaded, "There's nothing going on I swear-"
"Oh, yeah?" She seethed, voice becoming more powerful with each word that slipped through her lips. He could hear someone in the background shushing her, trying to get her to calm down. "Then why did she tell me she was your girlfriend?" She ignored whoever it was.
His heart slowed as things started to fall in place, he struggled to believe that Jecca would do that, but he trusted Jaclyn. His friend had betrayed him, and by default had hurt his girlfriend so badly she found herself in harm's way.
"I- I don't know," he said voice on the verge of breaking down. He needed her to understand, but there was a part of him hurting now too. "You don't really think that I'd do that to you? After everything I watched my parents do?"
"I don't know William." Her voice tipped on the side of hysterical, but in the end it just sounded dead. "The evidence was right there. Her, the pictures, the fact that you didn't call me for a week."
His voice cracked the slightest, "my mobile was broke. I swear because I'm an idiot I didn't even notice her."
Jaclyn turned silent that being more scary. He wanted her to say something, and if nothing else he wanted her to yell and cry to him, at him, anything at this point.
"I did this to myself," she whispered only to herself.
"No, Jackie, don't start that. It's my fault too. I should have contacted you from a different phone, I should've noticed what Jecca was doing. She just wanted to split us up, and you didn't know any better."
"But I overreacted," she mumbled again her voice just the same. More silence passed through them, and then like someone cut her open she burst into tears. "I can't do this anymore." William was sure he started to argue but only her cries could be heard. He wondered if she was crying over everything going on, if it was too much, or over the idea of calling off what they had.
He knew how important her performances were coming up. She needed to focus, and then they would discuss it after. He cared for her too much to affect her further.
Time altered around them as they just listened to each other, knowing that if they hung up it would be different. William couldn't cling to like he wished to, not if she was struggling so badly. His life was rough, and anyone connected to him had to be prepared for that, and he watched it swallow his mum whole. He would not let that happen to her.
-----
May 20, 2001
Jaclyn sat in front of the wide window of her grandparents hotel room, she had her graduation ceremony in a few hours and her grandma was doing her hair, but her mind was elsewhere.
Her heart still wretched over her and William's last conversation, but she knew it was necessary for the time being. She was trying to be strong, but the last thing she had wanted was to walk away from him. She knew she had too though because the thought of being with him almost scared her more than the thought of walking away.
Then there was the whole passing out situation...
Everything had been dark, a mask over her eyes blocking any sight, yet she could feel a surging warm energy around her. It had touched her head like a gentle kiss, and wrapped like a hug around her. She swore it whispered to her, yet she could never verbalize her thoughts.
"Don't be scared, I understand..."
The motherly warmth had protected her, she was sure of it, and she had a feeling she knew who it was, but there were more questions with that revelation. How was it possible? Did she make it up entirely? Was she going insane?
"Sweetheart?" Her grandma asked. Jaclyn turned catching on to the worry in the older womans eyes.
"Grandma Janet?" She asked, if anyone were going to understand it would be the crazy redhead in front of her. "What do you think happens to us after we die?" Her grandma smiled, and turned her back around running her brush through her hair again.
"Jac, you know what I think." That was true her and Papa Larry went to church every Sunday, when Jaclyn was little she would tag along but as she got older the Sundays dwindled as she got more into dance. Now, however, she wasn't even sure what she believed. The thought of something being out there after this world was comforting, because that meant William's mom wasn't completely gone. It meant maybe Diana could see all of them.
Whatever it was Jaclyn liked the idea of her being there with all of them, even if she did just dream it she didn't want to believe that.
"Did you see someone dear?" Her grandma asked. In that moment Jaclyn decided it was something she wanted to keep to herself. Maybe she would open up floor it one day, but for now it was something just for her.
"I don't know, maybe."
A comfort in her out of control life.
-----
May 20, 2001
Jaclyn slid out of the car her stage face already plastered on, her posture needle straight as if she were about to perform. In some ways she was. With the twenty photographers already waiting for her outside the RBS gates, she was in more ways than one. They weren't going to get an unflattering picture of her tonight.
Tonight she was going to be the picture of grace, ready to leave a young woman with a bright future. For tonight she was strong despite how low they had seen her two days ago.
"Jaclyn has William called you?"
"Are you and Prince William still speaking?"
"How do you feel about the Prince's outings with Jecca Craig?"
"Brad, Michelle, did you set your daughter up to meet a prince?"
"Is it true your family had this all planned?"
Her mom was about to pounce, already on edge when she arrived, and her Gaga looked like she was going to faint. So her dad steered Michelle towards the door and Jaclyn took her grandma. Thankfully her father and his parents had excellent poker faces and nothing seemed to bother them. Even her little brother served oblivious to the press.
"Tonight's not about them," her dad said calmly once they were inside, "It's not about him either." He leaned over to kiss her cheek, taking one last chance to admire his daughter up close, she looked like a princess in his mind. Jaclyn also took the chance to look her dad over grateful he dressed up and didn't just throw on a pearl snap cutoff.
Her Papa Larry came up behind her wrapping his arms around her making her squeal quietly. It was so nice to have them here, and especially after her scare on Friday.
After kissing both her grandmas, her mom, and her little brother (who was bouncing up and down excitedly) she went where all the other students were lined up.
Everyone started to whisper, but she held her head high taking her place beside Thomas. Natania and Leo were lined up on front of them, and other than them Jaclyn didn't care about anyone else.
"You're killing that dress," Thomas gasped, admiring the pink tulle dress that brushed the floor. The portrait neckline accentuated all of her lean muscles and long neck, and her bouncy curls tumbled down covering her bare shoulders.
Natania nodded, her and Zara had helped Jaclyn pick out the dress, but she was still amazed by the final look. "You look like Aurora."
"Thanks guys," Jaclyn blushed. That had been the look she was going for since she would be Aurora in a few days.
Natania leaned over to whisper in Jaclyn's ear, "Have you talked to William? How are you guys?"
Jaclyn shook her head trying to keep her smile up It was a big misunderstanding, with Jecca trying to manipulate them and bad timing, but how she handled was proof enough that she at least needed a break. "No, but we're trying to give each other space," then in a more fragile and quiet voice, "I don't know what we are anymore."