"When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching -- they are your family." ― Jim Butcher
The Fighter
I guess I probably should've been anxious about being back in England again, but instead, I was excited to see Darren and Jason's parents again and thank them for everything they'd done for me.
I was apprehensive as to how they were going to receive Jason, and how they were going to take the news of everything that had happened.
They knew Darren was dead, they just didn't quite know how.
So, whilst Beth and my dad went sight-seeing with Jack and Tilly, Spencer, Jason and I went to his parents'.
We rode the elevator in complete and utter silence, Jason gloomy and bored, Spencer tense and anxious, me completely and utterly nonchalant.
I knocked on the door with my bare knuckles and sighed, peering up at Spencer as he licked his lips nervously.
A few moments later, the door swung open and Jason's dad stood before us in a flannel shirt and smart trousers.
I wanted to cry at the sight of him; he'd clearly put effort into his appearance for the day.
"Fuckin' 'ell," He said, appraising me. "There ain't no way you're the same broad who was here all them weeks ago." He said, shaking his head as he looked at me.
"Hi Mr. Jones," I smiled sheepishly. "It's definitely me, Melanie."
"Fuckin' 'ell," He repeated and then stood back with a shake of his head, opening the door wider. "S'pose you best come in then."
I smiled and nodded my head before leading the way inside the small flat. I heard the door close behind me as I entered the living room.
"Jesus Christ," Mrs. Jones swore, stubbing her cigarette out as she got to her feet. She was wearing jeans and a smart blouse, her hair pulled back with a clasp. "It's no wonder our Daz died if your faces are anythin' to go by." She said, waving me forward.
"Thank you for agreeing to see us," I said as she patted my shoulder and pulled me down on the sofa beside her.
"This is my husband, Spencer." I said, gesturing to Spencer who awkwardly lowered himself into the armchair Mrs. Jones gestured to.
Jason walked around the back of the armchair, remaining in a tense stance.
Mr. Jones entered the living room, watching him with a sour expression as he hovered in the doorway.
Jason's hands were firmly in the pockets of his jacket and I could tell this was not a pleasant experience for him.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you both," Spencer was saying worriedly, his body tense as Jason walked behind his chair.
"I'll be forever grateful after everything you done for Melanie." He said with a small smile to the couple.
"Psht," Mrs. Jones scoffed, waving her hand. "It was nowt."
There was a brief silence before,
"Well? Aren't you goin' say somethin'?" I looked at Mr. Jones who had his arms folded defiantly as he appraised his son.
"I've got nothin' to say." Jason shrugged, looking out the window.
"It's been close to ten years and that's all you have to say?"
Silence.
"I think it's best if we tell you what happened." I said quickly before anyone else could take offence to the tension in the air.
The Jones' remained silent.
"This isn't going to be easy for either of you to hear." Spencer warned, licking his lips.
"But we feel it's important you know what happened to Darren," I explained, looking at Mrs. Jones seriously. "And Jason." I added and Jason turned to throw me a displeased look.
"Have you heard about the terror attacks on the President?" Spencer asked and Mr. Jones nodded worriedly as he folded his arms again.
"Those were the people who held me captive," I explained, looking between the couple. Mrs. Jones gave a small gasp and Mr. Jones staggered over to the sofa opposite us, gripping the leather back with shaking hands.
"When I got back to the states, there were too many people after me, so Jason and I had to get Darren out of prison."
"But you put him there, why would you want him out?" Mrs. Jones asked curiously.
"I'm not sure if you're aware," I said, clearing my throat. "But Darren was ill, he was living with a condition called Bipolar Disorder... He had been medicated for some time and was seeking therapeutic support... He was in a much better place."
There was a long silence as his parents processed this.
"That explains the phone-calls." Mr. Jones muttered as he sat down on the sofa.
"Darren had told us he was making more regular contact with you both." Spencer explained with a sad smile.
"We thought he was after money, or wanting us to pay off the folk who got him into trouble in the first place." Mr Jones explained.
"But he was really just wanting to be back in our lives." Mrs. Jones whispered, tears shining in her eyes.
"Jason and Darren have a connection of people we needed to help us," Spencer continued. "That's why we needed Darren out of prison. Once he got out, we had so many more people helping us, and they were essential in protecting the president."
"So is that what all of this was about?" Mrs. Jones asked worriedly. "Protecting the President?"
We nodded our heads and she frowned.
"But Darren wasn't even American... You're not even American." She said, turning to glance at Jason.
There was another silence.
"Darren had worked most of his adult life in the States. He felt a responsibility to fight with us... And... He believed he owed it to me, after everything we'd been through together..." I explained, bowing my head as I clasped my hands on my lap, feeling the weight of guilt and shame.
Just as a lump began forming in my throat, I was relieved to hear Spencer speak.
"Darren and Melanie had a very complicated relationship as you both know, but when he came out of prison he was a changed man. He was respectful, polite, caring, he fit right into our family. He was no longer a threat, and played a crucial role in helping us."
I looked up at Spencer, surprised by his words, and even more surprised by the tears shining in his eyes. Mr. and Mrs. Jones were watching him intently, Darren's mum hanging on Spencer's every word.
"There's no doubt Darren was fighting a lot of demons," I sighed. "But we wanted to come here to pay our respects and thank you for your son... He saved our lives... Spencer and I..." I sighed and shook my head.
"A grenade had been thrown," Spencer explained. "Darren didn't hesitate to sacrifice himself for us."
Mrs. Jones whimpered and Mr. Jones sighed, rubbing a hand across his jaw, covering his mouth.
There was a long, thick silence, and surprisingly enough, Jason was the one to break it.
"I guess I'll go make some tea or something." He turned and walked off towards the kitchen and I looked after him with my mouth slightly parted.
The Protector
"And how does he fit into this anyway?" Mr. Jones grunted, jerking his head in Jason's direction.
"I can still hear you." Jason said from the kitchen which was directly adjacent to the living room.
Mr. Jones nodded his head and rolled his eyes.
"Jason's been extraordinary," Melanie said with a sigh. "Once we left here, Jason took me home and looked after me, he managed to get me back to my family safely, and was insistent on staying with us until the fight was over. He's saved all of our lives just by being with us."
"Not to mention the fact that Jason is as big a part of our family as our blood relations." I added honestly.
"How can you say that? He's a gang banger." Mrs. Jones choked.
"No," Melanie said, shaking her head. "He isn't."
"And even if he is," I continued. "He's also so much more than that."
"But aren't you supposed to be agents or somethin'?" Mr. Jones asked, waving his hand between us. "If you condone his behaviour then you're just as bad as him."
"Yes," I nodded. "We are agents, but we're also human beings. Your son has saved our lives, and your other son died to protect us. Jason fell in love with one of our closest friends, and unfortunately she died in the fight... Not only has Jason sacrificed his brother and his men for us, he's also sacrificed his love."
"Not to mention the fact that our daughter adores him." Melanie added and Mrs. Jones smiled in disbelief.
"Is all this true, Jay?" She asked and Jason came walking around the wall with a sheepish expression.
"I ain't gon' brag," He shrugged. "But they're only sayin' I saved their lives cause they were pretty reckless with 'em."
Melanie and I smiled and Mrs. Jones sniggered.
"I..." She sighed. "I don't know what to say."
"It's clear that you three hve a lot to discuss..." Melanie said, getting to her feet.
"We need to go to a meeting now, but we think it's important you spend some time catching up." I explained, joining Melanie as she made her way towards the door.
"I knew we'd be comin' here but I didn't think you'd be leavin' me." Jason said, looking wounded.
"You know where we'll be," Melanie shrugged, smiling up at him. "Be with your family," She nodded. "It'll help."
He looked down on her for a moment longer before pulling her against his chest in a bear-hug.
She chuckled and I smiled emotionally; seeing the pain and heartache in Jason's eyes.
There was a time when my reflection looked like that, when all I felt was pain and suffering, when no amount of talking or company would suffice.
Heartbreak was excruciating.
And so was grief.
The Fighter
Being out in the air was such a relief, feeling the cold bite to the winter chill, the smell of fuel and dirt not so pleasant but a welcome respite from the cigarette smoke and booze from the Jones' flat.
"They seem delightful." Spencer commented as we huddled together and walked for the car rental.
"They're... colourful." I agreed, sliding into the driver's seat.
"We owe our lives to the Jones family." Spencer mumbled as I started the engine and blasted the heaters.
"It's funny how it all works out, isn't it?" I commented as I pulled out of the car park and into the steady flow of traffic.
"What do you mean?" He asked curiously, leaning against his window to look at me better.
"I just mean that for years I ran from Darren, terrified in case he killed me, always looking over my shoulder and petrified to even associate myself with people from that time... And then he saves our lives and Caitlin's the one to betray me..." I sniggered without humour and shook my head.
"I..." My eyes filled with tears and I had a whole two heartbeats before I broke down.
Right there, at a red light.
My knuckles were white as I gripped the steering wheel and I leaned my forehead against them, sobbing as my entire body shook; the adrenaline and fear from the last year draining from me in heartbroken terror.
Spencer slammed on the hazards and loosened his seat-belt, leaning over the centre console to wrap an arm around me and press a kiss to the side of my head.
He didn't say anything, he just let me cry.
Some cars honked their horns, but most just assumed we'd broken down.
The Protector
I knew it would happen eventually, I just didn't bet on it being in a car in the centre of London.
We spent fifteen minutes with the hazards on, traffic slowly weaving around us.
We ignored the gestures and shouts and horns, and thankfully Melly seemed to block it all out.
When she'd calmed, I hurried out of the car and around to the driver's side. She slid over the central console into the passenger's seat and I braced myself for British driving.
We were silent the rest of the journey and pulled into the underground parking lot, explaining to the security who we were before we were allowed to park.
I cut the engine and we sat in silence for a few moments.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." She whispered.
I looked over and smiled, reached out and stroked her cheek gently.
"You don't ever have to apologise to me, Melly," I said sincerely, cupping her chin and encouraging her to look at me. "I adore you."
She smiled tearfully and brought my hand away from her chin, lacing our fingers together before kissing them delicately.
"And I adore you," She sighed shakily. "You're my anchor." She said, meeting my eyes confidently.
"And you're mine." I reached across and kissed her lightly.
The Fighter
Just as Spencer straightened, my mobile began ringing in my inner pocket.
I sighed as I glanced at the caller ID and Jack's picture on my lockscreen.
"Hey Jack, where are you guys?" I asked, glancing around the parking lot.
"We're just approaching Thames House just now. Where are you?"
"Spencer and I are in the parking lot, we'll meet you out front."
It was even colder in the underground car-park and we huddled close together as we hurried onto the street where our family were approaching.
"Momma, momma, I met Pudsey the bear!" Tilly squealed, running for me excitedly.
Thankfully, Spencer caught her and raised her up into his arms.
"Who's Pudsey the bear?" He chuckled as she showed me a polaroid picture Beth had taken of Tilly and Jack with the big yellow bear.
"He helps the sick babies, daddy," Tilly explained sweetly. "I got a sticker!" She grinned and pointed to her duffle coat.
"That's wonderful, baby," I smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear and kissing her delicate cheek. "What else did you guys do?" I asked as we all headed into the building.
"We went in the eyeballs and had pizza in the covert gardens, but they're not gardens and there wasn't even any flowers!" She exclaimed exasperatedly, and her little voice ricocheted off the marble foyer we found ourselves in.
"Oh how dreadful," Harry Pearce said. "I must contact someone about that," He smiled and Tilly looked at him in complete surprise. "You must be darling little Matilda," He grinned as Spencer set Tilly down on her feet and took her hand. "I'm Harry Pearce, a friend of your parents'."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." She smiled sweetly and shook Harry's hand, a small chuckle escaping his lips as Ruth chuckled behind him.
"Thank you both ever so much for coming." Harry said, shaking my hand next.
"Thank you for having us."
Together we all travelled downstairs and through glass and metal tubes that body-scanned us before we were allowed to enter their department.
Tilly and Beth were taken on a tour of the building by Ruth, as the rest of us went with Harry Pearce into his special meeting room.
"We were so sorry to hear about the Carter's." Spencer said as we sat down.
"You and I both," Harry sighed. "They were our top agents on loan from MI6," He sighed. "I doubt we'll be given any more agents now."
"So what will happen?" I asked curiously.
"For now we have to power on with the team we have... We're in the midst of fighting the political backlash after helping you in the States."
"Political backlash?" Spencer frowned in confusion and I leaned forward, just as confused as he was.
"MI6 handles all foreign business, a lot of toes have been stepped on." Zoe explained.
"But, if the Carters were from MI6, then technically MI6 were handling it?" My dad suggested.
"Unfortunately that isn't how they're seeing it." Harry sighed emphatically.
"Is there anything we can do?" I asked. Harry and Zoe shared similar expressions and I sighed.
Why did I open my mouth?
The Father
"So how was it, seeing your parents again?" Beth asked Jason as we all sat around the table for dinner.
Jason was kind enough to allow us to stay with him in his large mansion, which seemed rather empty with just the seven of us here.
"Bizarre..." He admitted after a long thought.
"In a good way, or...?" Mel looked sheepish at him and he made her wait for a few long silent moments before smiling and nodding.
"Yes, in a good way." He chuckled.
"Will I get to meet your momma Jace?" Tilly asked from Jason's side and he grinned.
"Of course you will, when we say goodbye to Darren tomorrow."
Tilly nodded her head and looked back at her food, pushing her chicken around her plate.
"What's on your mind sweetheart?" I asked, seeing her little pout from directly opposite the table.
"I'm just sad because Jace doesn't have a brother anymore." She shrugged.
Beth sniffled from next to me and Mel cooed.
"I'm okay, Tills," Jason smiled, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "I can just annoy you and Jack instead."
"Hey, leave me out of it." Jack joked and Tilly giggled.
"I wish I had a brother sometimes," Tilly said and Spencer choked. Silently, I smirked into my food. "But yours made you sad and I wouldn't want to be sad like that."
Jason sighed and reached over to touch her cheek gently.
"Brothers are pains," He said. "But they're also the bestest friend you'll ever have. Just ask your mum, she has Jack."
"Before we go renting my womb out," Melanie said carefully and Jack sniggered. "You have enough brothers to last a lifetime, baby-love," She leaned on the table to peer down at Tilly. "Just look at Jason and Jack and all of their friends... They're like brothers, aren't they?"
"Yes but they're not." Tilly said this in such a 'duh' voice that I couldn't help but smirk again.
"Okay, moving on," I sang before anyone could lose their temper. "Is there anything that needs to be done before tomorrow?"
Jason and Mel looked between each other before shaking their heads.
"Everyone who matters will be there," He shrugged. "My folks sorted everything," He explained. "All we gotta do is be there."
The Protector
"How wild was that conversation tonight?" Mel laughed as she applied cream on her cuts in bed.
"Wild?" I asked in confusion, pulling off my t-shirt with a wince before yanking the sheets back and climbing in beside her.
"Yeah, everyone determined to have a say in whether we're going to provide Matilda with a brother." She rolled her eyes and I glanced at her as I lay down on the pillows.
"Tilly and Jason is hardly everyone," I smiled. "I guess Tilly's had a lot of time to think about how nice it'd be if there was another kid around to play with." I shrugged.
"But..." Mel sighed and stopped rubbing at her hands. There was a long pause before she shook her head.
"Never mind." She sighed and leaned over to turn off the light on her night-stand.
"No," I said, reaching over to gently take her arm. "No, let's not never mind," I said delicately, sitting up on the bed to glance down at her.
My light was still on and casting shadows across her face.
"What went through your mind there?" I asked, running my hand gently down her arm.
"It's just..." She looked at the sheet and began picking at a loose thread.
"After everything I've been through..." Her voice was barely audible and I struggled to hear her mumble the next few words,
"I'm not even sure if my body could handle another pregnancy."
We paused and my mind suddenly conjured images of her body, scarred and bloody and bruised after she'd come home to us.
I recalled listening and overhearing the tales of what she'd been through in that horrible cell.
"Mel," I whispered in a broken voice. "For what it's worth, I'm terrified of what they've done to you," I admitted, lacing our fingers together as I finally lifted my eyes to hers.
"The last thing I'd want is for us to go through the nightmare of losing another baby."
She nodded and when she lifted her eyes to mine, I realised she was crying.
"I couldn't go through that again, Spence." She whispered before a sob broke across her chest.
I cooed and pulled her into my arms, pressing her face to my bare chest as she sobbed and held onto me for dear life.
Her skin felt greasy and slippery against mine, the cream a delicate layer over the bumps of her scars and cuts.
Her body was a map of everything she'd been through; the Hell, the toture, the pain, the heartache...
I adored every inch of her, imperfections and all. I didn't care if we stayed in this house and never left. I didn't care if we never worked another day. I didn't care if MI5 and the FBI crumbled in our absence.
All I cared about was the woman in my arms and the little girl asleep next door.
If that meant keeping our family a tight-little-unit and never seeing the light of day again, then that's what we'd do.
The Fighter
The next morning I felt stronger after having cried all of the moisture I could possibly release.
After my breakdown in the car on the way to Thames House, I didn't believe that I had anymore tears left in me. But, I guess I'd surprised myself by sobbing for over an hour in Spencer's arms, grieving the dream of a big family.
But none of that mattered now; we had our baby girl and we were alive and on the road to recovery.
"And remember what we talked about?" Spencer said to Tilly, kneeling down in front of her to fasten the buttons on her dress whilst I plaited her hair.
"Yep," She nodded. "Uncle Jace is very sad today so I need to be on my bestest behaviour."
"That's right, and what does that mean?"
"If anyone's mean to Uncle Jace, hold his hand and be respectful."
I smiled and swallowed my laughter, overwhelmed at how much of a little lady our five-year-old was.
"You're our Angel, you know that don't you?" Spencer smiled, tipping her chin gently.
"Of course I do." She shrugged sweetly and I patted the top of her head, leaning down to press a kiss on her cheek as Spencer kissed her other one, making her giggle uncontrollably.
"Knock, knock," Beth's voice came at the door and she entered to see the three of us with Tilly.
"I think you should come speak with Jason, if that's okay?" She asked me, her eyes a little worried.
I sighed and nodded my head, squeezing Tilly's shoulder lightly.
Spencer distracted her by asking if bright orange and blue socks were appropriate to wear with her dress, causing her to giggle uncontrollably and shake her head.
"Is everything okay?" I asked Beth and she sighed.
"A few of Darren's old friends have arrived," She explained. "Jason's already punched one of them and thrown another one out. He's hitting the bottle."
I sighed and looked back at my daughter.
"If I'm not back in ten, send Spencer."
I smiled as I checked my gun in my inner pocket, but Beth gulped and turned an odd shade of grey. I realised that perhaps my humour had become too dark for my family.
On the way downstairs, Jack emerged from the front room and rubbed at his jaw.
"Is he in there?" I asked, and a moment later I heard smashing and swearing followed by a thud.
"Be my guest." Jack said, sweeping his hand behind him towards the doorway.
I pulled my gun out and clicked off the safety carelessly.
I then entered the front room to find Jason with a man almost twice his size pinned against the wall, bottles from the bar smashed on the floor.
I pointed the gun and shot at the picture frame above the man's head and Jason swore, dropping the guy as he ducked.
"Fuck sake, Mel, you could've killed me!"
"Yeah but I didn't," I smiled sweetly, clicking the safety back on and returning my gun to my inner pocket.
I helped the man up off the floor as I smiled at Jason who was glaring at the man.
"What's going on?" I asked as the pair dusted themselves off.
"This pillock was slagging Darren." Jason said, jerking his chin at the man.
"Jason, everyone slags Darren, even Darren slagged Darren,"
Jason glared at me and I sighed.
"Okay, what's the beef here?" I folded my arms and turned to the man who was straightening his suit jacket.
"Darren owed me," The man said in a gruff, deep voice. "I'm just making sure I get paid."
My mouth fell open and my arms fell by my sides.
"Okay, so, just so I'm clear," I said, taking a polite step closer to the man. "You've turned up, on the day of his brother's funeral, to ask for your money back?"
By this point I was right under the man's nose.
"He owed me." He repeated.
"The man hasn't been in England for years. So, either you know how to hold a grudge or you sent a loan overseas to a guy you knew in your youth. And if that's the case, you deserve to be robbed,"
The guy looked shifty as he glanced at Jason over my shoulder.
"Nuh-uh, eyes here big guy, you're talking to me, not him." I patted my chest for emphasis and the guy looked down at me bashfully.
"It was years ago, okay? He fled without paying me back."
I laughed and shook my head.
And then I laughed some more, completely disbelieving the situation.
I turned to look over my shoulder at Jason, pointing to the guy and laughing.
Jason slowly began laughing too, and then so did the guy.
As soon as he started laughing, I turned back to him and hit out, punching him harshly in the crotch.
He doubled over and whilst he was lowered, I leaned down to whisper,
"You fuck off home and don't you dare think of coming for your money ever again, d'you hear me? The guy is dead. Fuck off."
He winced and nodded his head and I scowled, tutting as I straightened my jacket and walked off, Spencer watching me from the doorway.
"I love you, you know that right?"
I smiled and reached up to kiss him quickly.
"I know you do," I smiled. "I love me too."
*
I had known that the day was going to be difficult. It was a funeral, what funeral is easy? But Darren's was just as tough as them all.
There weren't any soldiers, no flags or saluts or law enforcements dressed in full regalia.
But there were people. And lots of them.
The remainder of the men who had fought with us in the States had come to join, both from Jason and Darren's teams.
The remainder of the Jones family had come along too, alongside friends and acquaintances of the family and Darren who he'd known growing up.
It might not have been a military send off, but it was a huge funeral with people everywhere. And Darren would have hated it.
I could hear him muttering and swearing under his breath, making bitchy comments in my ear about the people who were weeping in the church, pretending to be devastated by his death when they hadn't spoken to him in decades.
I smiled at the thought, and found myself sighing, a single tear rolling down my cheek at his memory.
"And now, Melanie Hotchner-Reid is going to say a few words."
Spencer turned to me and smiled, squeezing my hand as I got to my feet and made my way up to the podium.
I cleared my throat and gripped the lectern for support.
"Good morning," I said confidently. "I'm Melanie," I said and then felt stupid because of course I was - that's just waht the priest had said.
"Most of you don't know me, but I knew Darren extremely well, probably better than he knew himself," I smiled and looked down at the lectern, forcing myself to remember that my daughter was watching me with a curious smile. I couldn't say anything I didn't want her to know.
"Darren and I first met when we were teenagers. He was cocky and arrogant and I hated him," I sniggered and a few people chuckled. "He was confident and brave and somewhat wild, and despite the fact our relationship was tense, I loved him," I said honestly with a shrug.
"He said and did things that neither of us are proud of, and it took a very long time before I could learn to forgive him. Knowing that for all of those years, he was lost inside of his own head, inside of his own emotions," I turned to look at his picture, laughing that brilliant smile of his.
"It breaks my heart to know that he was so sick," There were plenty of sniffles in the church and I could hear someone blowing their nose.
"This last year has been traumatic to say the least, but without the help of Darren, I wouldn't be standing here in front of you all today," I said honestly. "Darren was willing to give everything up, to sacrifice not only his freedom, but his life, in order to save my family and I,"
"We may have had our differences, we may have had our shared trauma, but there was nobody on this Earth quite like Darren Jones."
The Protector
"So how did you and Darren know each other?" The woman was short with bright orange hair and more wrinkles on her face than what was on a paper bag. She had smokers lines and was holding a pack of cigarettes, her eyes sparkling from behind her eye-glasses.
"Oh piss off Norma," Mr. Jones snapped, approaching us with a glass of brandy. "You won't get your gossip here."
The woman tutted and rolled her eyes as she walked off and Mr. Jones looked at us apologetically.
"It's okay," Melanie smiled, relief on her face as she watched Jason and Tilly playing in the backyard. It was freezing, but they were the only ones out there, and they were having a ball.
"I wasn't going to tell her anything anyway." She shrugged, leaning back against me slightly.
"Don't entertain them," He said, gesturing around the room. "They're all lookin' for gossip. Which is why I'm not drinkin'," He said, gesturing to his glass. "This has remained full since we got here. I'm not touchin' a drop. Don't wanna fill their mouths." He touched his nose before walking off, and Mel and I looked at each other curiously.
"Should we bring them inside?" Melanie asked, looking back outside to Jason and Tilly. "They must be so cold." She said, rubbing her upper arms subconsciously.
"They'll be fine, Tilly's wrapped up," I smiled, kissing the top of her head. "If they get too cold, Jason will bring her inside, it's okay." She looked up at me with sparkling eyes and nodded.
"Thank you," She said, reaching up to touch my face lovingly. "That can't have been easy today, listening to what we all had to say about Darren despite knowing what he did."
I nodded my head and sighed, looking out across the restaurant full of mourners.
"It wasn't easy," I agreed. "But Darren was a changed man. His illness had changed him," I sighed sadly and turned back to Mel. "He wasn't the same man we arrested all of those years ago, Melly, he was a hero. He saved our lives."
*
"But why can't Jace come with us?" Tilly pouted, stamping her little foot.
We'd spent the entire week in London, and now it was time to return home... Without Tilly's best friend.
"Matilda," Mel said in her warning tone, crouching down next to me in front of our daughter. "We've talked about this," She explained. "You knew we had to go home at some point, and you know that Uncle Jace has to stay here to look after his mummy and daddy."
"No," Tilly said moodily, folding her arms. "His mommy and daddy are old, they don't need to be looked after."
"You're right," I said, nodding my head and taking her arms apart so I could hold her hand. Mel reached out and held her other.
"His mommy and daddy are old, which is why they need to be looked after... Darren's gone now and they're very sad. Uncle Jace has to stay with them until they're feeling better."
"And then he'll come with us?" Tilly asked hopefully, her little eyes lighting up.
"Hey," Jason's voice appeared in the doorway and we turned.
"I'll come visit whenever I can, you know that," He smiled, approaching us. He looked down at us hopefully and we sighed, standing straight so that Jason could reach down and sweep Matilda up into his massive arms.
"A lot has happened, kiddo," He said, straightening her dress as she played with her hands sadly.
"It's important that you and your mum and dad get back home and get back to normal," He explained and she frowned at him. "Oh don't give me that look, you know you gotta get back to school," She rolled her eyes and he chuckled. "Less of the attitude," He laughed, tickling her sides.
"I'll make you a deal. If you go home with your folks and go back to school, I'll come over and spend a whole month at Easter, how does that sound?"
Tilly's eyes were sad.
"But it's Christmas soon!" She pouted. "Why can't you come for Christmas?" She frowned.
"Because I've gotta be here with my mummy and daddy, just like you've gotta be with yours, okay?"
She sighed and nodded her head.
"I know, I'm sad you gotta go too, but we'll see each other real soon, okay?" He kissed her forehead and she looked at him sadly.
"Promise?" She asked.
"Pinkie promise."