Promises

Haunting Past

Writers Note: You're gonna sorta hate me for this.

God have these years been brutal to me... Jacob thought to himself, resting his chin on his thumbs, covering his lips with his fingers, Where the bloody hell should I even start...?

Jacob peeked over at Evie, examining the look of anxiousness she has been giving him since his agreement to an explanation. He hid his face in his hands, groaning with annoyance before rubbing his face, preparing himself to finally open back up to Evie. The young man began to wonder on why he became so bitter and cold to her when all she did was marry the one she loved. He of course knew his selfish reason, but as he thought back to that day, he viewed his action as a childish tantrum for the sudden feel of abandonment when he knew very well that she didn't mean to do so on purpose. Jacob sighed deeply with the feel of disappointment before resting his arms on his knees, clasping his hands together, cocking his head to the side, opening his mouth slowly, trying to figure out on where to begin.

"Well... since I've already told you when my feelings began, might as well jump ahead a bit..." He sighed, looking over at her.

As Jacob began, Evie tried to recollect the past as she listened.

Eleven Years Ago...

1862

Fall

Today was the Frye twins fifteenth birthday and they were training attack and defense in their fathers ring while their father was pointing out what they both needed to practice on more. Jacob was getting better on attack and improving his strength, which gave him the ability to knock out his opponents with just a few strikes, but his defense was lacking, leaving him open for hard blows which would lead him to being an easy target. As for Evie, she was well-balanced on both attack and defense, but she needed to build up her strength if wanting to keep her opponent down. 

The twins were sweating harshly, leading them both to panting heavily, neither twins giving in. They were both competitive, especially stubborn since their father promised the winner could do anything they pleased for the rest of the day, including teasing the other without punishment seeing as to how it was their birthday today. Though the only twin that would most likely tease would be Jacob, while Evie would love nothing more than to be left alone to read.

Evie struck Jacob a few times, swiftly pulling out the handmade blade George made for them, which led Jacob to doing the same. Grunts left Jacobs lips as he tried his best to dodge Evie's hits while growls left Evie's, both of them getting irritated by the other. Within a matter of seconds, Evie was able to strike Jacobs face twice with her blade once she found an opening, making Jacob stumble back. Jacob glared, wiping the blood off that was coming from his right eyebrow and his left cheek. A smirk appeared before he began to run towards her, preparing to jump for a fake strike to the face. Jacob grabbed her wrist that was open to grasp when she tried to shield her face, raising her arm over his head, twisting her arm, leading it behind her back, kicking the inside of her knees, making her fall forward, soon putting all his weight on her.

Evie struggled her way through as she growled with frustration, but resigned once she heard clapping come from their father, "Well done." A chuckle left his lips, "You did wonderfully on your attacks and defenses per usual, Evie. And I must say, you did fairly well on your fast strikes with your blade, but keep in mind to always have a plan b if ever caught in a position you're in now." Evie nodded with a deep sigh, "And as for you, Jacob?" He looked over at the other twin, "Nicely done on your attacks. You need to work more on your defenses, but I'm proud on how you shammed your opponent on such a false move, throwing your opponent completely off guard." Jacob didn't react to his fathers comments, he just ignored them, wanting this training to end soon, "I know you two will improve more and more as you both continue to grow. Well, lets return home and celebrate your birthday, shall we?" He grinned at them, walking ahead of them.

"Impressive move, brother..." Evie mumbled, slightly miffed and disappointed on how things ended, "I am amazed how you came up with that move." She spoke with a sarcastic tone.

"Oh, stop being such a sore loser, eldest sister." He smirked, wiping the sweat and blood off of him with his towel, "Lighten up and learn from your mistakes, Evie." Jacob looked over at her with a triumphant grin.

"Don't mock me!" Evie grumbled.

"Oh, do I happen to hear anger and jealousy in that tone of yours?" He peeked over at her with a smirk, "Does the little lass happen to be sour by the cause of being defeated by her younger brother?"

Evie scowled at him with a huff, "Best watch what you say or else..." She looked over at him, stopping in her tracks.

"Or else what, Evie? Hm?" He stopped, looking over at her, his smirk never leaving, "What the--?!"

Evie swept her brothers leg, making him fall on his back. Jacob was surprised to where it took him a few seconds for him to process on what just happened which gave Evie an opportunity to pin him on the ground. She jumped him, landing on his lower abdomen, pinning his hands above his head.

"This." She looked at him with a triumphant grin in turn, "Better start thinking on how to not make your allies turn into your enemies." Evie gave him a sly smile.

Dear God... don't do this to me... Jacob thought to himself, Not now... He tried to keep himself composed, waiting for her to get off of him.

Evie began to get up, but got grabbed by the wrists once releasing Jacob, giving him the ability to pin her down this time, "You should think just the same, Evelyn Frye." Jacob smirked, giving her a mischievous look, awaiting for her facial expression to turn red, knowing very well on how she'd react to what he just called her, trying to distract himself by teasing her as a brother should.

"NEVER call me by that damn name!" Evie growled, struggling to get free by the cause of her frustration, "Now let me go!"

"Not unless you promise me that you're not going to pin me down again." He narrowed his eyes, his smirk never leaving, Though I will admit I wouldn't mind... He chuckled faintly to himself, finding himself ridiculous by the thought, What the bloody hell am I even thinking?

"Fine! I promise..." Evie glared at him with a growl.

"Good." He chuckled faintly, suddenly kissing her forehead before getting up.

Once he stood up, he looked down at her, offering his hand, suddenly noticing her face turned crimson. He tilted his head, curious on why her face was flushed as she just stared up, not even noticing him holding out his hand. Jacob crouched, looking at her, poking her cheek.

"Everything alright, Evie?" He asked, not even realizing the kiss he gave her on her forehead.

"H-Hm...? Oh! E-Everything's fine... Brother..." She looked over at him, hoping her look of embarrassment was no longer visible as she bit her cheek, trying to distract herself from the kiss, What the hell was that...? Evie questioned herself, knitting her eyebrows, Why did he do that...?

She was lost in thought, wondering why her heart skipped a beat and why her face became flushed. It was odd for her brother to do that, she thought, in yet, a part of her didn't mind it at all. The adolescent shook her head, trying to erase the emotional response. She held out her hand, awaiting for Jacob to grasp it. The young teen grabbed her hand and pulled her up. As he did, Evie stumbled in the process, landing into his arms, their hearts suddenly pounding. Neither one of them moved for a moment.

Evie froze, trying to evaluate why she was feeling such a bizarre feeling she has never dealt with before. While Jacob was in complete disbelief of having his sister in his arms, never expecting for one of his wishes to come true, he looked down, seeing Evie's face begin to glow which led him to a weak snicker. He stroked her hair as he hugged her before releasing her, sighing with slight sadness that he was the one that pulled away, losing his chance to keep her in his arms. Without a second thought, he kissed her temple lightly, before turning his heels, walking ahead of her.

"Let's go... people are waiting." He smiled back at her faintly, wanting to hold out his hand for her to grasp, but ended up just beckoning her over to follow.

"Y-Yeah..." She nodded, running up to him to walk beside him.

Their return home was just uncomfortable silence. Their hearts pounding, trying their best to hide it while also hiding their crimson colored faces. Jacob placed his hands in his pockets, fiddling with the cloth just to distract himself, trying to forget the feel, though failing. While Evie placed her hands behind her back, fiddling with her fingers, trying to do the same.

Once they reached home, they saw everyone from the town stand in front of their house. They froze, surprised by the gathering, suddenly being stared at. Once they were spotted, everyone cheered and shouted Happy Birthday to them, calling them over. Jacob walked forward first, heading over to his friends with a huge grin on his face. Evie watched him walk off before she headed towards their father.

"Happy Birthday, ya old chap!" One friend shouted, wrapping his arm around Jacob's neck, ruffling his hair, "How does it feel being the oldest in the group?"

"Enough..." He laughed, pushing him off of him, "Also, I'm not the oldest one here." Jacob slicked back his hair before pointing over at Evie, "She is four minutes older than me, don't forget that."

"Lighten up, buddy." Another friend nudged him, "She may be older, but you're the oldest in this group." His friend smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Jacob chuckled sparsely, nudging his friend in turn, "Anyway, anything fun to do? I defeated my sister this time so I get to do anything I want today." He stood tall with a sly grin, "Though I normally do anything I want, even without approval."

"Of course you do, that's the fun of it all." His friend laughed.

"Though after hearing that, how about we play the usual game your father barely ever let's you play?" One of his other friends smirked, placing his hands on Jacob's shoulders.

"Really...? You think I'm still interested in that kind of game?" He scoffed.

"This year I think you would be, seeing as to how there's a certain lass that has been eyeing you ever since you've returned." Another friend chuckled as he whispered in his ear while pointing over at the young lass.

Jacob looked over, noticing the adolescent that was leering in his direction was the one that was the most popular in their school. He gave a crooked grin as he waved with a wink. There was a flock of adolescents about six feet across from the lads standing beside the young lass, giggling.

"Here's your chance, chap!" One friend pushed him towards her, making him close to falling to the ground, but he kept his balance.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Jacob Frye." The young lass began with a grin, "How is the birthday boy this evening?" She walked closer towards him, placing her hand softly on the nape of his neck, leading him to gulp hard.

Jacob cleared his throat, a smirk appearing on his face to disguise his disquiet, "Well, I'm feeling quite grand this evening, Emily." He chuckled, "I won this years fight so I get to do anything I please." He gave a mischievous look at the young lass, Though I normally do whatever I please even if I don't get approval from father. He scoffed, thinking to himself.

"Oh, is that so?" The adolescent giggled, gliding her hand down to his chest slowly, "Does that mean you get to join us in the game this year?" She smirked, looking up at him.

"It appears so." He chuckled, hiding the look of displeasure, seeing as to how he didn't want to join this year.

"A pleasure to hear that." She grinned, placing her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him towards her, "I hope I end up being your partner this evening." She whispered in his ear, before brushing her lips on his cheek, soon walking back to the flock of girls.

His face became burning hot. Jacob didn't know how to take it. The young lad grabbed the collar of his shirt, fanning himself with it. He cleared his throat, trying to keep himself composed. As he cleared the fogged thought, he felt eyes on him. He looked aside, seeing Evie stare at him for a few seconds before jerking her head away from the sight of her brother. Jacob tilted his head, inquisitive on the reason she gave such a look.

"Alright birthday boy, time to get you ready!" One of his friends blindfolded him, leading him to the field, putting him in the center of the circle, surrounded by lasses that wanted to participate, "Let's see who the lucky lass is going to be this evening." His friend chuckled, spinning him slowly before releasing him.

Jacob heard all of the adolescents giggling, walking around. The young lad didn't want to participate, but he knew this was one thing that would distract him from his sister. The teen listened closely, trying to aim for Emily, seeing as to how they were just close friends, so she would understand that he wouldn't want to interact as much as he did back then, or so he viewed it that way. As Jacob walked around cautiously, he heard a familiar giggle. He reached out, following the sound. Once he grasped the person, he heard a gasp. Jacob removed his blindfold, noticing where his hands landed, pulling away as his face became as hot as a furnace.

"M-My deep apologies, Emily!" He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "I-I didn't mean to g-grab there!"

"No need for an apology, Jacob." She laughed lightly, her face slightly crimson, "I'm happy to be the lucky lady this evening. I hope you're not disappointed." Emily walked up to him, grabbing the blindfold and wrapping it around the back of his neck, pulling him towards her with a sly grin.

"You'd never be a disappointment to me." He chuckled, whispering into her ear, "If anything, I'm glad my ears led me to the most beautiful lass this evening." He wrapped one arm around her lower back, pulling her up against him as he grabbed her wrist, making her lose the blindfold as he turned with her, leaning down as though leading to a dance pose, "I'm more than happy to have ended up with you." Jacob smirked, slowly closing in the gap between them, pretending to aim for the lips, but planning to place his lips on her cheek until...

"Ahem... George is about to bring out the cake and father wants to know if this means you'll be staying out late this evening." Evie appeared in front of them, making him suddenly drop Emily in the process.

"Dear God, I am so sorry!" Jacob picked her up, apologizing quickly, "I-If you'll excuse me for a moment..." He kissed her cheek before he fled, catching up with Evie, "Really? Did you really have to interrupt me?!" Jacob growled as he reached Evie.

"I just wanted to inform you before you run off with that wench." Evie spoke calmly, speeding her pace a little.

"Evie!" He grabbed her arm, making her turn, "Don't be so rude! She has not done a single thing towards you!"

Evie scowled up at him, "I know she hasn't towards me, but as your eldest sister, I feel you should be more cautious on who you spend your evenings with, brother."

Evie looked at him calmly, but he felt a negative aura surrounding them both, "Goodness, Evie... what has tied your knickers in a knot?" His eyebrows knitted in disbelief by the cause of her sudden remark, "This is unlike you."

"It's nothing for you to worry about, brother." A smile came across her face as she yanked her arm away, "Let's just go have cake and inform father on how you're going to spend your evening before you leave." Evie turned her heels, leaving Jacob behind, making him feel dumbfounded.

As the evening passed, Emily stayed beside Jacob for most of the party after the twins blew out the candles and opened presents. Jacob felt eyes boaring into the back of his head as he spent his evening with friends. He kept turning to find the person, but he didn't see anyone, so he tried his best to ignore it. Jacob peeked over at Evie from time to time, his emotions blending into something he continued to struggle with as the years passed.

"Is the birthday boy happy on what he received this evening?" Emily glided her arm around his waist, popping up beside him.

"Emily..." Jacob chuckled lightly, jolted and still felt slight discomfort, "I am as happy as ever!" He grinned from ear to ear, Though I will say, there is one thing I really want, but know I could never receive... He thought to himself as he sighed subtly, "Though I will admit I am getting a tad sleepy from the party." He falsed a yawn as he stretched out his arms, "So, I might not go out to the hill this evening with you lads and lasses. My deep apologies."

"Is that so? Well, I'm quite saddened to hear that." Emily looked down, "If you're going to end your evening early, would you mind if I made a request then?" She looked up at him with a grin.

"And what would that request be?" He smiled, wary of the request, but hiding his concerns fairly well.

"A kiss?" She cocked her head to the side, giving a mischievous grin as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I-I beg your pardon...?" His face turned red once hearing her question.

"A simple kiss." She answered with a giggle.

His heart pounded hard against his chest. Jacob didn't want to start anything with other girls, seeing as to how he's in a complicated situation with his emotions at the time being. He was about to turn her down, but once he opened his lips to speak, they were sealed with a kiss. The adolescents eyes widened, stiffened by the shock wave from the sudden kiss he was not prepared for. His eyes shut tightly, praying others would not notice, but within seconds, cheers and hoots surrounded them. Once they separated their lips, all Jacob could give was a look of shock. After snapping out of his paralyzed state, his eyes searched for Evie, hoping she didn't see, but once his eyes met hers, his heart sank, especially after seeing her run off.

"I-If you'll excuse me..." Jacob softly placed his hand on Emily's arm before passing by her, pushing his way through the crowd, "Great... just great..." He covered his lips, irked for how things turned out.

From the look in her eyes... I've never seen that look before. What could it even mean...? Jacob ran to the abandoned barn, assuming that was where she was going to be.

The abandoned barn was a place they always went to to play together whenever having free time. Then as they grew it became a place for them to practice their aims with the crossbows, daggers, and blades George prepared for them to let them practice with. And a place to spend time alone if ever needing to clear their minds from stress caused by the tasks they were always given.

"Evie...?" He called out, beginning to search the area, "Evie! I need to talk to you!" Jacob continued to call out, trying to use his eagle vision, but was still lacking the ability.

As he looked from top to bottom, he didn't find any trace of her. He stepped outside, thinking to himself on if she went somewhere else. Jacob looked around the area, suddenly hearing familiar voices coming from the roof of the barn. He climbed his way to the top quietly, peeking up to see who it was that was up there. Once he recognized who it was, he was about to approach them, but he froze once seeing Evie's lips connect with his best friends. That evening, he felt overwhelmed to where he began to try to lock away his feelings towards her, putting effort into acting as the younger brother he felt he should be.

Present Time...

"So... you didn't have any means to kiss her?" Evie looked over at him, feeling slight guilt for jumping to conclusions and kissing his best friend.

"Not at all... she just pulled me in and what happened, happened unexpectedly." He sighed looking over at her, rubbing his stubble, "I'd like to ask you something, seeing as to how I recall you walking off after that sudden kiss." Jacob rested his chin on his arms, "Why did you behave abnormally that way that evening? And... why did you kiss my best friend?"

"Well..." Evie sighed lightly, looking away, trying to figure out on how to respond, "I don't really understand it myself on why I reacted in such a way, so I'm sorry I can't answer that part." She felt a minor sting in her chest as she knew she lied, "As for the kiss... Well, I... I happened to have found interest in him at the time." Her face turned slightly pink as she looked away.

The answer struck Jacob in the gut a bit, but he tried his best to get over the response, telling himself it was in the past. It still bruised him a bit, remembering the day he put as much effort to stop loving his sister in that kind of way and close to losing a friend. He sighed deeply, trying to ease the feel of agony so he could focus back on his explanation.

I'm sorry, brother... Evie thought to herself, feeling slight guilt after telling him a lie.

"Anyway... as the year passed..." Jacob sighed, relaxing all his muscles by slight depression.

Nine Years Ago...

Jacob still struggled accepting the fact Evie would end up with others when it was obvious it was bound to happen at some point or another. He put effort into distracting himself with others, but could never bring himself to being closer with other lasses. Seeing as to how it felt wrong of him to use other people's emotions for his own gain when in the depths of his heart, he knew nothing serious could occur between him and others he was seeing. So he just stuck around friends most of the time and tried to distract himself with training.

"Jacob?" Evie called out to him, entering the training room.

"Hm?" Jacob grunted as he was punching and kicking the punching bag.

"Is father around?" The adolescent placed her leg on the bench close by, resting her arms on her leg, leaning forward.

Jacob stopped and stood up straight, tilting his head back with a groan of irritation, "No, I haven't. Why do you ask?" He looked over at Evie with a look of disatisfaction.

"I wanted to ask if he had any tasks for me today. I want to build up more of my abilities." She responded, walking up a little closer to him, though keeping a good distant so she wouldn't get hit by the bag.

"Well, I hate to tell you, but I finished the tasks he had on the list this time. You can take over tomorrow's tasks if you want." He grunted after each punch, "I'm going to be out all day tomorrow, so have fun." Jacob glanced over at Evie before focusing back on his hits.

"Where are you going to be tomorrow?" Evie questioned, suddenly joining in on punching the bag as though playing pass back.

"Does it really matter to you? Shouldn't you be spending your time with you boyfriend after you're finished with the tasks?" He smirked at her, "After all, you two seem so lovey-dovey, I thought you'd be married by now." Jacob chuckled, shaking his head, trying to hide his feeling of displeasure.

"Oh, hush, brother." Evie squinted at him, "As a matter of fact, there is nothing going on between Johnathan and I any longer." She sighed, punching harder.

Jacob grabbed the bag, peeking over with a look of confusion, "What the hell happened this time? He not pleased you always focus on the missions father hands us?" He scoffed, kicking the bag over.

"No, it's... it's something else. It's nothing to fuss over." She sighed, "I've already taken well care of what happened."

"What are you hiding, Evie?" Jacob grabbed the bag again, placing it in the center, walking towards her.

"Stop questioning about my personal life, Jacob. Mind your own like I do mine." Evie looked up at him with a stern look.

You sure as hell do not mind your own business, Evie. He chortled to himself, "Fine..." He held up his hands, stepping back, Doesn't mean I'm not going to find out on my own. He thought to himself.

"Let's just practice on our strikes, alright?" Evie grabbed the punching bag and began to punch it.

"Your form needs to straighten a bit and your reflexes need to loosen up, too." Jacob spoke, wiping the sweat off of his face with a towel.

Evie didn't listen, she just continued onward with her strikes. The young lass tried her own types of hits, ignoring Jacob's advice since most of them tended to fail when she tested them out back then.

"Evie..." He scoffed, shaking his head as he walked up to her, "I know my suggestions are not always on point, but that's because I noticed a little too late that our physical strengths are on different playing fields." Jacob stood beside her, "Though now that I've noticed the difference in our physical strengths, I know what to advise you on, so please at least let me help you on this seeing as to how father is always away on missions now, okay?"

Jacob stopped the bag and walked back to Evie. Without even perceiving on what he was doing, he stood behind her, placing his hands on her wrists. Evie's heart began to pound out of her chest as she felt his body heat, feeling as though he was hovering over her when he placed his face beside hers, speaking in a tone that sounded raspy. As Jacob was showing how she could move faster and save stamina during fights, Evie could barely focus on the short lesson. The young lass tried her best to pay attention, but her racing heart kept deafening her hearing as she begged for Jacob not to be able to hear.

"Do you see now?" Jacob released her, standing beside her, "All that's needed, if wanting to stun them, is to just hit usual points on the body." He looked at her with a grin, "Reflexes and positions when striking at your enemies will save your strength and time." He rubbed her back and patted her shoulder before turning around, "I'm going to go out for a run, I'll see you at home later tonight. Keep practicing, sweet sister." He waved as he left the building.

"What in the world was that...?" She placed her hand on her chest, confused of the feeling, "No matter..." The young lass tried to ignore it by following his suggestion for once, even though she barely recalled on the things he stated.

Meanwhile...

"Now where the hell could that bloody bastard be?" Jacob questioned himself, looking around before jumping up onto the buildings to use his eagle vision, "Ah-ha! There you are, you smug bastard."

Jacob jumped a couple buildings over, waiting for the man to come closer so he could jump down and land in front of him. As the man grew closer, Jacob hopped down and landed just inches in front of the man. He jolted, stepping back with a laugh of awkwardness, about to question on why the sudden suprise, until Jacob spoke first.

"Why hello there Johnny boy." A crooked grin appeared across his face, "Mind if we chat for a moment?" Jacob placed his arm over John's shoulders, walking him into an alley.

"Wh-What is it you want to talk about...?" Johnathan asked, sounding frightened.

"Oh, just something simple I'd like to ask you." Jacob grinned, "If you don't mind me..." Within a matter of seconds, Jacob grabbed the man behind the collar and dragged him to the top of the building swiftly, holding him on the edge once they reached the top, "I'd like to ask what the bloody hell you did to my sister." His smile faded as he scowled.

"Wh-What? I-I didn't d-do anything! I-I swear!" A look of fear appeared on his face as he responded with trembling lips.

"Oh please, don't think I can't tell when you're lying." Jacob scoffed, "If you don't want your legs broken by this high fall, I suggest you answer me truthfully! What did you do to her?"

The man closed his eyes tightly, "F-Fine... I... I became a little over... over excited that I... I ended up groping her. I didn't mean to go that far and I swear to God I didn't go any further!" Johnathan looked at Jacob, scared to death.

"You did what?!" Jacob growled, pushing the man to terrify him.

"Jacob! I'm sorry, okay?! I didn't mean to do that! I apologized and everything! Please spare me!" The man looked behind himself, horrified by the height.

"You're lucky you're not going to die today, but as a warning to you and to others..." He glared at him, grabbing some rope from his back pocket, tying him up.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Johnathan screeched.

Jacob tied the man's wrists tightly then his ankles, covered his mouth with cloth, and glued paper with writing on his shirt, "You ever touch my sister again, you'll never see the light of day." He grinned with a dark aura hovering over them, "Understood?" The man nodded fearfully, "Good." Jacob pulled out his blade and placed it along the mans neck, "See you next fall." The man stumbled back with muffled screams as he closed his eyes, scared to death of hitting the ground, but ending up dangling, swinging back and forth, leading him to pass out, "Fucking prick..." Jacob scoffed, collecting his items before fleeing the scene, hearing a crowd of laughter behind him.

Present Time...

"So you were the one that caused that scene?!" Evie interrupted.

"Guilty..." Jacob chuckled with fear, praying tonight isn't the night for his death.

"Goodness... proceed..." Evie was furious, having to look the other way to try to cool herself down while continuing to listen.

"Okay, okay..." He chortled softly, sighing with relief.

Nine Years Ago...

The younger twin returned home, catching his breath by the front door before entering his house. He inhaled as much as he could before releasing a light huff. The adolescent wiped the sweat off of his face as he entered the house. Once the young man did though, he saw an angered Evie stand before him.

"Brother...?" Evie folded her arms, a look of irritation on her face, "Mind explaining why Johnathan was dangling from a building with a piece of paper stating, Keep your hands off Evie, or else you'll end up in the same position as him?"

"What? What makes you think it was me?" He scoffed, "It could've been one of your exes."

"Jacob, stop lying and be forward with me!" She scowled, "Why did you do something so idiotic?"

"Like I said, Evie." He held up his hands with a grin, playing innocent, "I did no. Such. Thing. I swear."

Evie groaned, "I appreciate the gesture, but you needn't have done that. I put him in his place that evening, okay? You didn't need to add fear to him."

"I didn't, Evie!" Jacob guffawed, "Stop accusing me for doing such a thing."

"Stop. Lying!" Evie walked up to her brother and yanked him by the ear, her annoyance rising, "Goodness, if father were here I bet--"

"If father were here, I bet he would have done the same thing to that arsehole." Jacob chuckled.

"Stop being childish for once and listen to me." She growled into his ear, making him flinch, "Goodness, brother..." She sighed as she released him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head on his chest, "Thank you, but you needn't do such things anymore, alright?" Evie looked up at him with a chuckle, releasing him, "Anyway, let's eat. George said father will be home late this evening again."

"Oh... I'd love to, Evie, but..." He looked aside as he tilted his head, rubbing the back of his neck, I can't stay near her  alone when father is away... He thought to himself, glancing aside, This would be bad...

"What? Are you having to meet your friends again?" She folded her arms, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Well, you know how my gang and I always spend our evenings once the weekend hits." He chuckled thinly, slowly backing away.

Evie sighed as she headed towards the door, "Well, if you're going to spend your evening with your friends, I might as well spend mine with someone, too." She grabbed her coat.

"Wait, with whom would you be spending your evening with, oh sister of mine?" Jacob questioned, his eyebrows knitted by concerned curiosity.

"Does it matter to you on whom I spend my evening with, brother?" She cocked her head to the side, a teasing look crossing her face.

"Well... I..." Jacob was dumbfounded on how to respond.

"Then have a fun evening fooling around with your buddies, brother." She smiled, turning around to walk out the door.

"Wait..." Jacob murmured, "I'll... I'll stay..." He looked down, Damn this all to hell... Please Lord give me the strength to do nothing regretful...

"What was that, brother?" Evie turned with a smirk.

"I'll stay." He looked up, a look of slight annoyance on his face, "So what's for dinner this evening, Evie?" He planted a fake grin across his face, hiding the look of irritation.

"Oh? You would like to have dinner with me? I thought you wanted to spend your evening with friends?" Evie smirked, "Why the sudden change?"

"Stop being coy with me and tell me what there is you have for us this evening." He chuckled, taking his coat off.

The young lass rolled her eyes, "What I have for us is what you and I shall make together." Evie responded.

"I beg your pardon?" Jacob scoffed, "Why must I join you on the cooking?"

"Well, if you want to leave this place, live on your own, and possibly catch a woman's heart, then cooking will be your best friend." She chuckled.

"You have got to be joking me, dear sister." Jacob scoffed with disbelief, "I... I sure as hell know a man, such as myself, could not succeed at such a task."

"Do I happen to hear a man surrendering so soon?" Evie looked up at him, "What poppycock is this that I hear?" She asked, sounding boisterous, "I thought you could do anything, Jacob Frye."

"I can do anything!" Jacob scoffed, his irritation rising slowly.

"Then show me what you have, brother." She poked his chest with a smirk before turning to head to the kitchen, "May the best twin win."

"You're on!" He raced to the kitchen.

As the evening passed by, the twins were finishing up on making their meals. Jacob failed many attempts to the point of where he gave up, leaving Evie with the cooking. Several sighs escaped Jacobs lips as he rested his chin on his hand, looking over at Evie, enchanted by her appearance as she cooked. Many thoughts crossed his mind as his imagination ran wild with the thought of what she would be like as a wife when they get older. Once the thought of marriage hit Jacob's mind, he felt as though he was stabbed in the heart by the thought.

If she gets married... where will that leave me? He looked down, his heart sinking, Would she leave me...? Would I be the one left behind? Jacob shook his head to clear the negative thoughts, but they continued to surround him, Why must my mind do this to me now? We're still young and there is so much ahead of us... there can't possibly be a way for marriage to happen any time soon. A long sigh escaped his lips as he looked back over at Evie, hearing her suddenly hum, "Hm? What is that you're humming, Evie?" He questioned her.

"Hm? Oh, you don't recall the melody grandmother hummed everytime she cooked and baked for us?" Evie looked over, surprised.

"No, I don't recall such a melody." He tilted his head to the side, looking at her like a curiously lost child.

"Do you remember the music box grandmother played for us before we fell asleep each night?" Evie questioned, placing the food on the plates.

"Are you talking about the one with a picture of mother inside...?" He questioned, the words having to be forcefully pushed out of his throat.

"Y-Yes... that one..." She turned with the plates in hand, a look of grief surfacing on her face, "I'm... I'm sorry for bringing up such a memory, brother..." Evie looked over with an involuntary grin, "It's just... that tune is so soothing, I can't help, but hum it each time I cook." The adolescent looked down, her hands suddenly trembling.

"Evie..." Jacob stood up and walked over to her, "It's a loving memory to always keep in our mind and heart." He grabbed the plates and set them aside so he could wrap his arms around her frame firmly to comfort her, "There's no need for sadness to take over such a recollection." The young man chuckled quietly, kissing her forehead, hoping to calm her.

"I know, brother... I know..." She looked up at him with a weak grin, closing her eyes to hold back the tears that were trying to break out, but they slipped between her eyelids and slid down her cheeks that she embraced him tightly to hide away the tears.

"Evie... are you crying?" Jacob questioned, his heart sinking by the thought.

"N-No, I'm not... do not worry about me, brother... just... just leave me be for a moment." Evie buried her face in his chest.

Dear God, please let her not hear my pounding heart... He prayed, wrapping his arms gently around her, resting his head on hers as she quietly weeped away the thought. The night continued on with nothing, but silence...

1868

Winter

It was a harsh winter in Crawley when the new year began. The twins had difficulty completeing tasks when snow hit the town, but they never gave up just because of the weather. At one point or another, the twins turned it into a competition to make things more... fun in a way. Though as the days passed, one eventful evening hit the twins grimly.

"What do you mean he has fallen ill?" Jacob questioned, his eyes narrowed with the feeling of incredulity, "What the hell has caused such an abrupt moment like this?!"

"Jacob, please calm down." Evie placed her hand on his shoulder, stepping forward, "What happened to our father, George?" She questioned, trying to stay calm.

"Your father has fallen ill by the cause of pleurisy." George responded, "The doctors have given him treatment and he has started taking the medication they prescribed to him."

"Pleurisy? As in inflammation of the tissues that line the lungs and chest cavity?" George nodded to the question, "He'll heal from this, right...?" Evie looked up at him with a concerned look.

"The possibility of recovery is thin..." He looked down, "We'll have to pray and see how things will turn out. May the Creed guide him." George responded with a sound of hope in his tone.

"Creed this, Creed that. Christ... when has it ever supported us?" Jacob growled, mumbling to himself as his fists clenched tightly.

"Do not speak the word in vain, Jacob! It has helped us throughout our lives while we've grown!" Evie turned, speaking sternly.

"Oh? It has, has it now?" Jacob glared at her, "Has it kept grandmother safe? Has it given mother strength while giving birth to us? Will it keep father from dying? Explain to me how it has helped us throughout our life, Evie! Explain to me that!"

Evie fell silent by the harsh words leaving his lips. Her faith did not die down, but with what Jacob has pointed out, they were valid. She had the negligible clue on how to retaliate those remarks, but nothing could come out. There were no valid points to go against his questions. She had no answers. All she could do was look down with a groan at that point.

"Precisely... now if you'll excuse me..." Jacob stormed out, not caring that the coldness was hitting his skin as he left the house with a fuss.

"Jacob!" Evie ran after him, "Jacob, get back inside! The cold will be the death of you if you don't put something warm on!"

"Nothing matters to me right now, Evie!" He turned, looking over at her, "I don't care if this storm hits me hard and buries me in this snow!"

"Jacob! Stop being ridiculous for once!" Evie ran up to him, facing him, "I don't want to lose you!"

"Oh, please... as if I ever mattered to you." He rolled his eyes, about to turn away, but was abruptly stopped by a slap to the face.

"Jacob Frye! Don't you dare speak like that! You matter to me as much as grandmother, mother, and father! Stop being childish and listen to me, brother!" She wrapped her arms around him tightly, "If father... if father doesn't pull through, you're all I'll have left, brother... I don't want to lose you... so please... stay, brother... I beg of you..." She whimpered, burying her face in his chest.

Jacob was dumbstruck by the sudden slap. He placed his hand on the cheek she hit then looked down at her, suddenly realizing the words that left his lips, leaving him with guilt sharply stabbing him in the chest over and over. The young man shook his head, closing his eyes tightly, wrapping his arms around Evie, concealing his face between her head and shoulder. Jacob trembled once he realized the reality of the matter, suddenly letting every emotion he has hid about his father with the look of hatred, shed out into the open and into Evie's hold.

"I'm sorry, Evie... I'm sorry..." He wheezed, gripping onto her tightly, "I just... I have the slightest fucking clue on what to do right now..." The young man spat out, "With the relationship I have with father right now... I don't even know if I could connect with him after the amount of times he and I fought... I know I can't take things back, so I don't know what..."

"Jacob..." Evie spoke softly, "There may be little time left, yes, but you can still make amends with father with the time he has left." All she received was a faint nod.

"Evie! Jacob! Come quick!" George yelled out once finding the twins, "It's your father!"

Within seconds, they bolted back to their home without a stop for breath. Once reaching their home, they saw a doctor leave their house. They froze in place, fearing to walk in. The twins looked at George who was beckoning them to hurry inside. The twins slowly walked in the house, looking petrified. As they entered, they heard coughing in their father's room.

"Father!" Evie ran to their father once entering, "Is everything okay? How are you feeling, father?" She knelt down beside his bed, relieved to see him still breathing.

"All is well, Evie." He chuckled lightly, "I just need time to rest and heal. Everything will be fine."

"Father..." Jacob softly spoke, walking into his room, "Do you need anything...?" The young man looked at him, having difficulty communicating with him.

"No thank you, son." Their father looked up at him with a faint grin as he shook his head.

Jacob nodded, "Then if you'll excuse me..." He turned his heels, trying to keep his emotions kept tightly inside him so he could release all of them elswhere.

"Brother..." Evie was about to stand up to stop him, but their father placed his hand on her arm gently, gesturing to leave him be.

As the days passed, the twins took turns on helping their father heal. It looked as though he was healing just fine as the weeks passed which made the twins feel relieved by seeing the change in his conditions. Everything was going well, especially when the communication between Jacob and his father was beginning to improve. Until one evening...

"What do you mean you've arranged things, father?" Jacob was baffled.

"Time is of the essence, son." Ethan responded, "You are to meet the heiress of the most prestige that this family has protected for several years."

"Hold on one moment, are you stating I'm having to marry someone of your choosing?!" Jacob's voice rose as he stood up with a look of irritation.

"Son... I'm sorry to have brought this upon you so suddenly, but to keep this families connections with our allies tied tightly together with a firm grip, we are needing you, the sole heir of this family, to marry the heiress." Ethan stated, staring up at Jacob severely.

"You have got to be fucking joking with me, father!" Jacob scowled with gritted teeth, "Please tell me this is a bloody lie!"

"I would appreciate it if you could refrain yourself from cursing and my sincere apologies, but no, Jacob, this is not a lie..." He looked down, "You are to marry her by the end of this fall."

"By the end of this fall...?" Jacob scoffed, "No! I refuse such requests henceforth!"

"I'm sorry, but you have no choice in the matter, son!" His father stated firmly.

"Don't you ever call me son! If I'm not able to choose my own path, then I'd rather be left behind to rot on the streets than be your son!" Jacob glared sharply at his father before briskly turning around, storming out of the room.

"Jacob!" Ethan yelled out, but Jacob didn't stop, he left the house with anger.

"Is it true, father...?" Evie entered with a look of anguish.

All their father could do was close his eyes with a nod. As the days continued to pass, Evie was left at home to take care of their father, with the support of George at times, while Jacob stayed away from home after the conflict he had with his father. He spent his days with training and his friends and spent his evenings exploring factories and gambling dens. The young man tried to stay level headed by distracting himself with several activities, but with the town being so small, there wasn't much to do, leaving him with the feel of anger continuing to rise.

Jacob was returning home one late evening, exhausted from his training. He saw the light on in the living room so he did his usual routine of jumping up to his bedroom window. Once he entered, a yawn left his lips, leading him to wanting to fall right into slumber once landing on his bed, but once he entered his room, he saw a sleeping Evie lying right on his bed.

"Shit..." Jacob groaned, knowing fully well this was not a good sign for him, This isn't good... why the hell is she on my bed...? He questioned himself, I better leave before anything happens. As he was about to leave, he heard words leave Evie's lips, leading him to jolt.

"Jacob... don't leave me..." She mumbled as she turned in her sleep.

"Jesus, Evie..." He looked at her, pain piercing sharply in his chest, "Why are you doing this to me, God...? Why did you lead me to falling in love with my sister, soon leading me to an engagement I wish does not proceed?" Jacob fell to his knees, resting his head on the side of his bed, clenching onto the sheets.

"Jacob...?" He flinched once feeling the warm touch of soft skin on his cheek.

"Evie?!" He jerked back, praying she didn't hear what he said, but once he looked up, he saw Evie was still fast asleep, "What the devil...? Who the hell said my name?" He looked around, not seeing any other single soul around, "I must be losing it from stress..." He shook his head, chuckling lowly. As several seconds passed, after admiring his sisters sleeping form, he soon fell into a deep slumber, resting his head on his bedside.

"Jacob! Jacob! Wake up!" Evie shook him hard in his sleep.

"Hm? What? What do you want, Evie?" Jacob groaned with annoyance, half asleep.

"It's father! He's... he's..." The young woman fell silent, pulling him off the floor, shoving him to their father's room.

"What the bloody hell is going on, Evie?" He looked behind him, at Evie, as he was being forcefully shoved into their father's room, "Why are you-- Father!" Once Jacob's eyes landed onto his father's body, he bolted to him, "Father! Please wake up! Father!" He gripped onto his father's pale hand, "What the hell happened?! I thought father was healing just fine these past few weeks!" Jacob looked up at Evie.

"...These past few days... his conditions began to worsen..." Evie looked down, struggling to continue, "He passed this early morning..."

"Christ... why...? Why the hell did this happen?!" He rested his head on the matress as one hand gripped onto their father's hand while the other slammed onto the matress over and over.

"He... He wanted me to hand you this last night, brother..." Evie pulled out a white sheet of paper from her coat pocket, "It appears to be a contract of some sort..."

"A contract of what?" Jacob looked up at the piece of paper, grabbing it with trembling hands, "For Christ's sake... why... why now?!" He clenched the paper after reading, tears pouring down his face as he closed his eyes tightly, "You damn bastard! Why did you leave before I could even say anything to you?!" He fell into a fetal position, burying his head between his legs, "WHY DID THINGS HAVE TO END LIKE THIS?!" The young man cried out.

Once the harsh winter passed, their father's funeral began. The twins were dressed in black and were to meet several other people from both, their town and their brotherhood, at their father's funeral. Evie cried lightly while Jacob stared blankly at their father's casket. Everyone mourned over the news and gave their sympathy for the loss of Ethan Frye who meant so much to many. Once their father was buried, the twins were left under Geroge's wing to continue on their training.

Once the funeral came to an end, everyone began to leave after saying their good-byes, leaving the twins be the last two standing at their father's grave. Evie was about to leave, walking closer to Jacob to tell him it's time they should head home. The young woman placed her hand on his arm, but he jerked away, walking into the opposite direction.

"Jacob? Where are you going?" Evie questioned, beginning to worry.

Jacob didn't respond, leading Evie to follow after him. She stood in front of him, stopping him so she could receive an answer from him.

"Jacob..." Evie looked up at him with saddened eyes, hoping to get an answer.

"Just leave me alone..." Jacob passed by her, but she stopped him again.

"Not until you tell me where you're heading off to." She looked at him with a look of concern.

"It's none of your goddamn business, Evie!" Jacob growled, "Just leave me be!" He shoved his way through, storming off.

As their distance increased, she ran up to him and embraced him from behind, "Bloody hell, Evie..." Jacob huffed, his body trembling as he struggled to hold in his tears, "Just please... for the love of God just please leave me the hell alone..." His voice crackled as his hands clenched tightly.

"No... Never, brother!" She hid her face in his back, squeezing him even tighter.

Jacob looked up at the sky that was beginning to turn gray, tears streaming down his face as he felt he was suffocating from air. He felt he couldn't take much more of what was going on. The young man wanted nothing to do in this life after what has been happening, but the thing that pulled him back. The one thing that made his shattered heart whole again and put back into place were the three simple words that left Evie's lips.

"I love you." She whispered, gripping him tightly, "I love you so much, Jacob..."

In the back of his mind, he knew those words were just meant as a brother and sister love, but it brought him back to reality and made him turn. He embraced Evie tightly and released every emotion he held deeply within his heart. That day, he bawled into Evie's shoulder, releasing all the sadness. All the anger. All the guilt. Everything that weighed him down for years as they grew up together. Every emotion finally lifting off of his shoulders as he let out every tear he has held back for so long...

Present Time...

"Well, time for something you've been dying to hear..." Jacob chuckled faintly, staring blankly in front of him.

1869

Winter

After Evie's leave, Jacob wasn't doing so well. His drinking became heavy. His agression rose. His stability went haywire. It felt as though to Jacob, everything was colliding down on him. The young man felt his life spiralling out of control to where he felt completely lost. He didn't care how things were turning out as the days passed by. Jacob just wished this feeling of misery would come to an end.

"Happy Holidays, Mr. Frye." Rose smiled at him, holding out a present.

"Hm? What's this...?" Jacob questioned, setting his beer mug down after chugging it.

"A present for you. Today is Christmas after all." She smiled brightly towards him.

"Ah... of course..." He chuckled lightly, "Just another holiday to spend in misery." He scoffed, "I appreciate the earnest gesture, but there's no need to hand me such a gift. After all, I came here empty handed, as you can see, and here I am, keeping you away from celebrating such a holiday with those who are most dear to you, Ms. Moore."

Rose felt dumbfounded by the statement, "Well..." She looked down, her face become faintly pink, "You're not keeping me away from others, Mr. Frye." She chuckled lightly, "If anything, you're keeping me company. And... you're a very dear person to me." The young lass looked up at him.

Jacob scoffed, shaking his head slowly, "You're making a grave mistake, Ms. Moore." He chugged down his fifth pint of beer before standing up, "It's best you not waste time on a man like me. Hell, I can't even call myself a man with the position I led myself into." Jacob laughed lowly, "Thank you for the great beer you serve here. Have a nice evening, Ms. Moore." He left money on the bar and tipped his hat before leaving, leaving the gift behind in her hands.

Rose just watched Jacob walk away with sadness filling the air. As he left the building he heard a young woman's scream nearby. He looked around fast and noticed it was one of his Rooks. Jacob rushed his way toward her and kicked the blighter in the side that was assaulting her before throwing a dagger straight to the head.

"Che nessuno ricordi il tuo nome. Riposa in pace." Jacob murmured, "Rot in hell for all I care." He placed his dagger back in his cane before turning, "Is everything alright Ms...?" When Jacob turned, he froze in place, falling silent.

"Ah... Mr. Frye... M-My apologies, I'm still new to this gang and my physical strength is still improving..." The young lass looked down, biting her bottom lip, "How embrrassing..." She covered her face, "My deepest apologies, sir!" The young woman bowed.

"Th-There's really no need to apologize, Ms...?" Jacob lifted her head as he chuckled, looking deeply into jet colored eyes.

"C-Call me Margaret..." She looked up at him with a sheepish smile, "I am lower class than you after all."

"Don't be absurd, I must call you by your last name out of courtesy, Ms...?" He chuckled lightly, still gazing into her eyes as he waited for her to state her last name.

"Ms... Ms. Margaret Gale. At your service." She grinned up at him.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you." He placed his hand on her petite shoulder, "I'm looking forward to working with you, Ms. Gale."

"As am I, Mr. Frye." A huge grin crossed her face, "As am I. Well, have a nice holiday, I shall return to my post. I bid thee farewell, Mr. Frye." She waved him goodbye, running off.

"Margaret Gale... Hm..." He mumbled to himself, intrigued to learn more about her.

Present Time...

"There was another woman?" Evie asked, surprised by the sudden name appearing.

Jacob just nodded, his look becoming more dismal as the memory began to go further back.

"But what about Rose? She said you kept visiting her every evening with cuts and bruises." Evie stated.

"I trained every evening at fight clubs and afterwards I like to drink to ease the pain." Jacob responded.

"Then what about Margaret? Were you seeing both of them?" The young woman questioned, baffled.

"I beg your pardon...?" Jacob was perplexed by the question, "Of course not! I'm not that kind of man, Evie!" He gave her a look of offensiveness.

"Alright, brother... alright..." She held up her hands, Then was Rose lying on that part...? Evie questioned herself, It doesn't matter... I should just continue listening...

1869

Spring

"Hey, Gregory?" Jacob gestured one of his men over, "Do you happen to know a young lass named Margaret Gale?"

"Margaret Gale? Are you talking about one of the new recruits?" The man asked.

"Oh, so she is new. How long has she been with us?" He asked, curious.

"Well, last I heard she used to be a blighter who joined our side last month. She used to work in Westminster before our men took over. Once we took care of that Warlord in Westminster, only half of the blighters took our side while the rest chose death. She used to be one of the top in that gang before she joined us." Gregory responded, "So she will be quite useful to us."

"One of the top, hm...?" Jacob scoffed, "Thanks for the information, Gregory. I'll come by later again so we can do our usual rounds before nightfalls." He said, patting his back before running off to find Margaret.

Within a matter of time, he found her with a group of his men, talking to them in the park in Lambeth. As he approached the group, he waved his men off, signalling them to leave them be. The young lass wondered where the others were going, about to follow, but stopped once hearing Jacob's voice.

"Your physical strength is still improving now, is it? Ms. Gale?" Jacob asked with a chuckle, "Last I heard, you were at the top of your previous gang. Mind explaining to me why you were dishonest on your strength?"

"W-Well, you see... Mr. Frye I..." Margaret chuckled lightly, nervousness taking her course.

"We don't normally welcome liars in this gang, Ms. Gale. So if you want to stay in it, then explain to me why you did so in the first place." The gang leader spoke firmly.

"Alright... alright... to be honest, with the amount of work that was given to me in my former gang I just couldn't handle much more of it." She looked up at him with a look of intimidation, "I'm sorry for acting weak and my apologies for rigging the fight, but I literally wanted to free myself from that wretched Warlord I worked for the past three years."

"Wait, what do you mean you rigged the fight? You couldn't possibly have--"

"Oh, please." She scoffed, "You think eliminating that Warlord would be as easy as pie? If I didn't do anything to the leaders shoes and the shoes of half of those blighters, most of your men would have died during that fight."

"Excuse me? I take offense to such words. What the bloody hell makes you think my men couldn't take them?" He glared at her, his interest beginning to change.

"Their stances were off, their hits were firm, but weak, their blocks were horrible, their weapons need to be upgraded, and their abilities need to improve if wanting to survive surprise attacks, Mr. Frye." She looked at him with a stern look, "Need I say more?"

Jacob was stunned by her automatic response, his interest returning, "I'm quite impressed of your observations. I shall take note on that matter." He chuckled, slightly offended, but still amused, "Any other suggestions, Ms. Gale?"

"As long as I'm not having to overwork, I'd be gladly to assist you on defeating the other Warlords and convince the Blighters to join us from the different cities." Margaret smirked, which ended up hitting Jacob straight in the chest, charmed by her radiant beauty and her keen eye, "Do we have a deal, Mr. Frye?"

"Heh... you have yourself a deal, Ms. Gale." He smirked, shaking hands with her.

As months passed, their bond became strong quite instantly than they both ever expected, to the point of where their charisma led them both closer to each other than ever before. Within a few months, they both found interest amongst one another as their time spent together increased day by day. They trained the Rooks and themselves everyday. They've kept everything up-to-date. They've taken down almost every Warlord in London faster than they ever expected. And after every event ending with success, they've always ended their day with something they've kept a tight and secure secret from everyone. 

"Well, how is my lovely assistant doing this quiet evening?" Jacob wrapped his arms around Margaret from behind, whispering huskily in her ear.

"Quite well, Mr. Frye." She smirked, glancing over at Jacob.

"Oh, Ms. Gale, you know you needn't use formality when speaking to me." He chuckled lightly, nipping her ear.

"When it comes to business, I must call you by your last name." Margaret turned and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck

"But there is no one in sight. So please, do call me by my first name when we are alone." The young man inching closer to her.

"Oh, Mr. Frye, I must say, it's more thrilling to think of the positions we are in and how close we are to getting caught when both doors are unlocked." She giggled, inching closer to him in turn, "Don't you agree?" The young woman whispered before meeting his lips.

Present Time...

"Alright, enough. No need to go on further with your romantic life." Evie waved her hand, stopping Jacob from describing a scene she does not want to hear, "Please go a little further ahead."

"Do I happen to hear a hint of jealousy, oh sister of mine?" He chuckled, glancing over at her.

"Just continue on further ahead. Goodness..." She threw a pillow in his face, looking away, hiding her reddened face, "You don't hear me talking about the life I had with Henry..."

Jacob shook his head with a chuckle, "Alright, alright..."

1869

Summer

"Are you positive our gang is prepared to go against the strongest Warlord in London?" Margaret asked, worried, "From the things I've heard about him, his gang is strong and his methods are quite harsh..."

"With the amount of training we've done with our men the past several months, the supplies and weapons we've continuously upgraded, and the methods we've talked to them about, I'm quite sure our men can help take down that Warlord and those blighters easily. And with you by our side, I'm positive we will be able to make it through anything." Jacob rubbed Margaret's back before walking ahead, "Let me talk to Freddy once more before we head out, I'll be back shortly."

"Okay..." Margaret spoke lowly.

Nightfall arrived and Jacob and his gang were heading over to Whitechapel to do a sneak attack, but once they reached the destination they were ambushed.

"What the bloody hell?!" Jacob shouted, "Give it your all, men!" The young man yelled, signalling to attack and follow the routine he and Margaret suggested to them several times. 

Everyone fought as hard as they could as their life depended on it. Jacob was caught up on fighting Blighter after Blighter that he noticed too late that every one of his men were lying on the ground. Dead. He could barely focus after seeing all of his men on the ground. His heart pounded as his mind went straight to Margaret, trying as fast he could to find her as he defended himself.

"Shit..." He mumbled to himself, "Please be alive..." Jacob continued to kill every Blighter that was near, putting all of his anger to avail.

As he was fighting his way through, trying all his might to make it through while searching for Margaret, his eyes landed on someone dressed in black, fleeing the scene. He put his eagle vision to use that once he got a closer look at the figure, that was escaping the fight, he noticed it was Margaret. Before he knew it. He snapped by the thought of Margaret two timing him after seeing her in a uniform he was oh so familiar with. Within a matter of minutes, every man was down. After the fight was finished, he ran off to find the person who fled.

"So, you chose to continue to lie to me, hm? Ms. Gale?" Jacob threw a dagger at a tree, landing inches away from her face.

"Heh... caught me." Margaret peeked over with a chuckle.

"Why the bloody hell did you do this to me?!" Jacob approached her, anger rising to his very core, "Were you the cause of my men's death?! Why the bloody hell did you do this to us?!" The young man pinned her against the tree, "Was everything a goddamn lie?!"

"Heh... you don't know much about London and what it has in the shadows, do you Mr. Frye?" She turned to face him, "I will admit, most of the things were a lie, but my affection toward you were quite real." Margaret looked down with a small sigh, then soon looked up to him with sadness in her eyes.

"Stop deceiving me already!" He pushed her against the tree, glaring daggers at her, "Tell me the truth about yourself now or else tonight will be your very last!"

"Quite feisty this evening, hm?" She chuckled lightly, looking up at him with a smirk, "You think you would be able to kill me? After all the things we've been through together? After all the time we've spent together? After all the alone time we've spent each night?" Margaret placed her hand along his neck gently, massaging his cheek with her thumb, getting closer to him, "Don't think I don't recall every weak spot of yours, Mr. Frye." A growl left his lips as he shuddered by her touch, "Even though there are several misdeeds I have done, I doubt you would have the will to kill me." She scoffed, "I am truly sorry about the loss of your men, but--"

"Heh... appears you're really asking for a death wish this evening, Ms. Gale." Jacob hissed in her ear, "It was a pleasure knowing you. Faccio questo sacrificio per il bene piu grande. Riposare in pace, Ms. Gale..."

"What are you stating--?!" Those were her last few words before Jacob put all his might in piercing his blade straight into her gut.

Jacob pulled out his blade, wiped the blood, and turned, "Christ... why did things have to end this way?" Jacob closed his eyes tightly, looking away from Margaret's body, unable to see the woman he thought he loved, lie dead on the ground,  "Heh... what a fool I am." When he turned he got stabbed by a couple of Blighters who happened to have been near, "Son of a..." Jacob put full force into killing them before dashing off to Rose's bar, the place he feels is his safe haven, which was thankfully near.

Present Time...

"I presume Rose informed you on what happened from there?" He glanced over, expecting a nod which is what he received, "Of course..." He laughed faintly.

"I'm sorry, brother..." Evie whispered.

"There's no need for you to apologize, Evie." He scoffed, "You took no part in this whatsoever."

"Which is why I'm apologizing, brother!" The young woman looked over at him with sadness in her eyes, "If I were here none of this would have happened to you!"

"The past is the past, dear sister... What happened, must have happened for a reason." He chuckled, shaking his head.

"Brother..." She spoke weakly.

"Please do not worry, Evie..." He looked down with a crooked grin.

"Well... before you continue... I'd like to ask you one thing." She clenched her hands tightly, glimpsing over at him.

"Hm?" Jacob looked over.

"If you loved me for so long... why were you with someone else? Why did you end up with others?" She questioned.

"Well, what the hell did you expect, Evie?" Jacob scoffed, "Did you expect me to be alone the rest of my life, still loving you? God was it hard enough to stand back and watch you be with others..." The young man looked away, "My heart knew it could never let my love for you die, but my mind knew it was unhealthy of me to suffer in such a way I could not heal from. So lets be realistic here, Evie... I needed to try and move on." He looked over at her with a look of misery in his eyes.

"Of course..." She shook her head with a scoff.

"Heh... though... after looking back at it... in a way..." He looked away, hiding his reddened face, "She was like you." Jacob looked back over, "The same strength. The same intelligence. The same ability. Practically everything about her... reminded me of you..." The young man looked down, his face still as red as a tomato.

"Brother..." She chuckled faintly.

"Anyway..." Jacob said, continuing on with the past.

1870

Winter

"Well, if it isn't the famous, Jacob Frye." Roth spoke loudly with a huge grin across his face when Jacob entered the theatre, "Care to have a drink with me?" The man held up a beer mug and a bottle of alcohol.

"Famous? Heh... if anything, I'm just a simple young man trying to keep London safe." He laughed, sitting down.

"Oh, don't be modest!" Roth laughed, nudging Jacob, "A strong man like you, saving the citizens in London is, of course, a hero."

Jacob's face turned slightly red, covering his face with his mug as he drank, "Heh... so, what did you want me here for?"

"Nothing more than a drink, young man." He grinned, "I must say, it's quite an honor to be next to the man who led Starrick straight to his downfall."

"Heh... that bloke was nothing, but a waste of existence in London." Jacob scoffed, finishing his pint of beer.

"Well, seeing as to how he's gone, how about you and I work together to rid the rest of his men?" Roth asked.

"Why would you want to help me? I've been picking off your soldiers one by one, doesn't that make you angry?" Jacob looked at him with a perplexed look.

"Angry? Far from it young man." He laughed, "If anything, it has helped me find out on who were the weakest links. Plus, the entertainment has ridden my boredom quite fast."

"You're quite an odd one, you know that?" Jacob chuckled, amused.

"I'll take honor in those kind words of yours, Mr. Frye." Roth grinned, "So, do we have a deal, Mr. Frye?" He held up his glass, "Will you let me help you, help me on ridding the rest of Starrick's men?"

Jacob was hesitant for a moment, looking down, thinking to himself before looking up at the man, "You have yourself a deal." Jacob smirked, clinking his glass with Roth's.

A few days passed and everything was quite jolly for the two. They had some fun times while they were herding all of Starricks men, shipping them away or sending them off on train. Some were difficult to handle, but Jacob succeeded nonetheless on gathering Starrick's connections. As the days continued onward smoothly, Roth planned to end their time together with a bang. And that being explosives set around a building with all of Starrick's plans and contracts that were no longer in use, both wanting to put everything to an end for the fun of it.

"Everything's all rigged up." Jacob grinned, looking forward to the results.

"Perfect! Let's put our plan into action... Stand back!" Roth said, looking below at his men, "Ready..."

"Wait!" Jacob shouted.

"Whatever for?" Roth yelled out with a look of irritation by the hold up.

"There are children in there!" Jacob glared, pointing down at the building.

"Jacob, my dear, Starrick used child labor to manufacture all of his things. We must put an end to this once and for all." Roth laughed.

"Not like this." Jacob narrowed his eyes, exposing his look of disbelief.

"Why not? I can do whatever I damn well please! Soon you will understand what it is to be free, as I am." He glared at the young man, "Light 'em up, boys!" He signalled his men.

"No!" Jacob swooped down, knocking out his men.

"What the hell are you doing?!" The man yelled.

"We're not playing games anymore, Roth!" Jacob shouted, glaring up at the man, running up to the building where the children were.

"No. We're not..." Roth said lowly, pressing the button to set everything off, putting the building on fire, watching Jacob dash toward it to save the children.

Once he saved every last child that was in the building, Lewis, Roth's servant, approached him with a letter in hand. A grim look across his face as he held out a letter to Jacob.

"You surely asked for the death penalty, Mr. Frye..." Lewis spoke, "And not just for you, but for many others. May God have mercy on you." He said, before walking away.

"This game ends now you damn bastard." Jacob said to himself, gripping onto the letter, heading towards the theatre.

Jacob rushed to the theatre to ends things once and for all with that ruthless man. Anger boiled up inside Jacob as he recalled all the things that have gone wrong the past couple of years. He couldn't believe himself on how things have been turning out. He's been lied to, cheated, and close to facing death as he fought alone. With the things he has suffered through the past year, he couldn't take much more of it.

"Maxwell Roth?! Expose yourself! Now!" Jacob rushed into the theatre, entering the backstage, holding out his blade.

"Ah, Jacob, my boy." Roth sighed with a chuckle, "Quite pleasant to have the honorable guest tonight. And the main attraction for our performance."

"Where the hell are you getting at, Roth?" Jacob glared, looking around to find him.

"Ladies and Gentleman, I have for you here today the infamous, Jacob Frye!" Roth signaled his men to pull the curtains.

Once the curtains were pulled back, there were tons of Warlords and Blighters that filled the theatre. All were glaring daggers at the young man, leading Jacob's eyes to widen with full concern. Though once thinking of the outcomes and the thought of two birds with one stone came to mind, he decided to wing it. Per usual. But before he could attempt an attack, he was grabbed by two men, under tight restraints.

Roth stood before him with a sly grin, "Well, it's quite a shame to see the strongest man in London reach his breaking point." The man grabbed Jacob's chin and looked deeply into his eyes, "Quite a shame indeed."

"Go to hell, you fucking bastard!" Jacob spat in his face, his irritation rising as he struggled to release himself from their tight hold.

Roth wiped the spit off his face with his handkerchief, looking at the young man with a piercing glare, "It's sad to see quite a handsomely strong man go. Well, no matter. There will be several others right after you, of course." A smirk crossed his face, "It was a pleasure knowing you, Mr. Frye." He planted a forced kiss on his lips before turning, "Have fun with him, lads and lasses." Roth walked off, waving farewell to the young man.

"You fucking arsehole!" Jacob growled, "This isn't over!"

"No, it isn't, darling." Roth turned, looking at Jacob with a grin from ear to ear, "The fun has just begun." He sat down, crossing his legs as he awaited for a show.

Jacob kneed one of the men in the stomach, leading him to fall, then pulled out one of his hidden blades, plunging the other man in throat before slitting the one that was lying on the floor by the cause of Jacob's kick. Once he freed himself, several men went in for an attack, but Jacob dodged each and every one of their hits. Slitting, piercing, or shooting each person he passed. He rolled his way to one of the ropes and cut it, shooting him up to the top, away from all the men that were below. When he began to run swiftly on one pipe to another, he got grazed by a bullet from one of the Blighters.

"Shit!" The young man tried to avoid each and every shot, "Those smug bastards..." 

He looked around after he found a safe place to hide. The young man tried to think of how to get back at that man. He saw an opening. A rope was dangling just above Roth's head, once Jacob noticed, he took the opportunity to pull the man up by wrapping the rope tightly around his neck, dragging him up to the very top. There Roth was, dangling from the rope, seeing Jacob's deathly glare. Roth was gripping onto the rope, trying to keep himself away from suffocating. A grin appeared on the older man's face before they both said their good-bye's.

"May your madness end here and now, Roth..." Jacob growled.

"Heh... I'll see... you in hell... Darling..." He scoffed as he choked, awaiting for his death.

"Farewell." Jacob pulled Roth towards him and plunged his blade straight into the man's throat before throwing him out the window.

Before Jacob planned his escape, he saw several torches hanging on the wall near the stage. There he found his opportunity. The young man threw knife after knife at the torches and saw the theatre begin to go up in flames, leading him to head to the window soon after. Jacob jumped out the window, leading himself into a leap of faith. Once he landed, he hopped out and blocked the doors, having all the Warlords and Blighters burn to ashes. Jacob turned, seeing the man he just killed lying down on the cold floor. His anger simmered as he pulled out his handkerchief, wiping off his blood.

Present Time...

"I presume Freddy told you the rest?" Jacob chuckled, looking over at her, seeing her nod, "Heh... of course..." He shook his head, filled with disbelief, "Well... from then on, I ended up becoming more cautious around those I worked with." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking down.

"I feel you're hiding one other story, Jacob..." Evie looked over, knitting her eyebrows.

"What makes you so sure I am, Evie?" He glanced over, one eyebrow raised.

"The first one broke your heart. The second one broke your trust. And the third one I feel you're hiding ended up being the one that broke you completely... which is what led you to becoming, something I can't believe I'm about to say, the wise and intelligent young man you are now..." She scoffed, looking at him with skepticism.

"Heh... the third one is nothing compared to the very first thing that broke me..." He scoffed.

"Oh? So Margaret was the one that broke you the most?" Evie questioned.

"Margaret? Ha... sure she broke my heart, but that was nothing compared to what I dealt with for the past twenty years, Evie." Jacob stood up, beginning to feel irritated.

"Oh? So, I'm the one that caused this?!" Evie said, feeling offended.

"Look... I'm not blaming you for what has been happening these past years, but my time spent with you has been agonizing me. My thoughts about you has been torturous. And my time apart from you kills me." Jacob mumbled, trying to calm himself, "It has brought nothing, but grievance on my part as the years passed, Evie. I don't know what to fucking do. I'm sorry, Evie... I really am."

Evie looked away, sighing deeply to rid the petty anger, "I'm sorry, too..." She looked down, speaking lowly, "For how things have turned out for you, brother... I am deeply sorry I did not see things sooner."

"Heh... even if you did notice, I doubt anything good would have come from it." Jacob laughed faintly, "You are my sister, after all." He looked over at her, "I would have been sent to the madhouse if my feelings were ever exposed..."

"You and I both, brother... you and I both..." Evie chuckled lightly.

"Where are you getting at, Evie?" Jacob cocked his head to the side.

"After you tell me your last story, I will do as I promised, Jacob." She smiled, "I will tell you my side once you finish with yours."

"Evie..." Jacob groaned, annoyed by her look of teasing, "Fine... I give..."

1871

Spring

The season was peaceful and everything seemed to have been calm once Jacob and his Rooks took care of every city in London. He has lost some of his member's during the fights, but gave them honor and supported those who had families. Jacob got the hang of finances, supply and demand, and even cooking with the support of his allies on the train. He has helped several civilians in needs, including all of his associates. There were times when things became a feud, but with what the gang leader has learned as the days passed, the one main key he kept in his mind was to never give up nor give in. Jacob spent his days doing his usual routines with the Rooks and assisted many citizens that were in need of help and ended his days spending time with Rose at her bar after fighting and before heading home. All was well in Jacob's view, until one fateful evening struck him hard.

"What the devil are these? Where the hell did you get these?! Who are you?! Show yourself, you coward!" Jacob crumbled up pieces of paper he received in the mail one morning, "What the hell makes you think this blimey shit is true?!"

"Well, by the way you're reacting right now, sure makes it quite revealing, Jacob Frye." Someone chuckled, "Plus, that letter you threw away made things oh, so helpful. And lets not forget how helpful a friend of mine was that happened to have made perfect timing to take this picture of you and your dear sister." The person chuckled, throwing a copy of the letter and photo toward him, "You can do whatever you please with that one. I have plenty more I could easily send to the reporters as you can see."

Jacob went pale after seeing an old letter he threw away and a picture he never knew existed, soon leading his face to turn red by the cause of anger, "Expose yourself now!" Jacob shouted, throwing the crumpled up letter and photo on the floor and stepping on the copies, ripping them both apart with his shoe, "Who the hell are you and why are you doing this to me?!"

"You needn't know who I am, Mr. Frye." The person responded with the sound of amusement, "All you need to know, is what you have to do for me in order for things not to become... exposed to those that are close to you. So listen to me closely and clearly. Understood, Mr. Frye?"

"What are your terms?" Jacob growled, his hands turning into fists.

"If all of my requests goes smoothly well, then all of these photos and letters will be dissolved." The person sounded diverted.

"Fine... what is it you ask of, you fucking prick?" Jacob asked, gritting his teeth.

"There will be shipment after shipment each week this whole season arriving at the docks in the Thames." The person threw a map, leading to an abandoned factory in Westminster, "If you bring them to this location for the rest of this season, all of those copies will be gone. Deal?"

"Christ..." Jacob groaned, "Deal. Shall we shake on it?" The young man smirked as he narrowed his eyes.

"I say our words of agreement is good enough, Mr. Frye." The person chuckled, "You start tomorrow."

Jacob was both stressed and irritated of how things ended up this way. He had a gut feeling to never reach that point in life, in yet his hormones when he was a teen nudged him to something he regretted ever since.

Present Time...

"What was it you wrote and did, brother...?" Evie asked with the sound of concern.

Jacob was silent for several seconds before he stood up and grabbed something out of one of the drawers from his desk, "It's nothing that big of a deal, but if you really must know..." He mumbled, "I happened to have kept... the copies of both..." Jacob rubbed the back of his neck as he handed her something.

"You... You kissed me when I was asleep?! When we were teens?!" Evie asked, shocked by the picture, "Is this... is this a love letter?!" Her heart skipped after reading, shocked

"Quiet down for Christ's sake! There are some Rook's in the next box over!" Jacob held up his hands, gesturing her to whisper.

"When and why did you do this?!" Evie looked at him, mixed emotions swarming inside her.

Jacob looked down, biting his bottom lip, "Do you remember the night I stayed home and tried to cook with you...?" Evie nodded, "Well, while I held you in my arms, you ended up crying yourself to sleep again." He rubbed the back of his head, having difficulty looking up at her, "I carried you back to your room and was about to leave quickly before anything regretful occurred." He mumbled, "Though as I was about to leave, you ended up grabbing my shirt which reminded me of the very first day I fell in love you..."

"I did...?" Evie asked, surprised.

Jacob nodded slowly, "After I saw your sleeping form and your look of innocence again... that's when I ended up kissing you." He finally looked up at her, his face completely crimson, "Heh... my mind knew it was a bad idea, in yet... my heart took over.... I'm sorry, Evie..." Jacob chuckled lightly, "As for the letter... I was suffering through a feeling that was suffocating me to where I felt I just had to write it down to get it out of my head since training didn't rid the thought."

Evie chuckled faintly, looking over at him with a gingerly grin, "There's no need for you to apologize, brother." She began, "If anything... if I were awake... then..."

"Then... what?" He looked over at her with a curious look.

"Never mind... I'll tell you later, okay?" She laughed lightly, "Continue onward please."

"Okay..." Jacob responded, Was she about to say something I hope she was going to say...?

1871

Spring

"How many bloody shipments are there?" Jacob questioned, irritated as he arrived at the abandoned factory for the fifth time, "My men are starting to question about this."

"You can take half of the shipment, if that would lessen the suspicion, Mr. Frye." The person stated.

"What's your game...?" Jacob asked, suspicious of the additional deal.

"No game here, Mr. Frye." The person responded with the sound of amusement, "With the amount I see I'm receiving, I don't mind contribution."

"There must be some kind of catch or else..." Jacob mumbled.

"Or else what? You think it will lead you to another corner?" The person chuckled, "It may be rude of me to blackmail you, but I will admit, I am nothing like your ex-crushes."

"Ex-crushes? What are you babbling on about this time?" Jacob asked, feeling agitated.

"Emily Smith, Margaret Gale, and Maxwell Roth. You fall for quite interesting people, do you know that?" The person laughed, "Just never expected you to fall for your own sister. I presume you fell for others just so you can rid those feelings you have for Evie? Or at least bury them?"

"Emily Smith...? What does Emily Smith have to do with this? How long have you been stalking me? And where are you getting at about those I've encountered?" Jacob questioned, feeling shivers go up his spine.

"Well, I take it my assumption is correct." The person chuckled, "And to be clearly honest with you, I've actually been around you since we were kids."

"What...?" Jacob tried looking back on who it could possibly be, but he had so many friends at the time and he could never imagine any of them ever stalking him.

"Heh... of course you wouldn't recall me." The person scoffed, "We weren't close for very long, seeing as to how I had to move here sort of soon after we met."

"Who are you and why have you been stalking me?" Jacob asked, still feeling chills.

"I have my reasons, Mr. Frye." The person replied, "Reasons that do not concern you."

"From what I hear, it sounds as though it does!" He growled.

"You'll find out sooner or later, Mr. Frye. Lets just continue with our deal and I will be off your back right after. Alright?" The person said, chuckling faintly.

Jacob groaned with annoyance as he continued with the deal. As days passed, things have ended up going smoothly and his crew stopped questioning once Jacob provided the other half of the supplies he received from his so-called client. The young man was still creeped out about the person, but followed just so things would end quickly. As the last day arrived, he was tossed a file filled with some papers that involved some sort of coding.

"What the hell is this?" Jacob asked.

"It's coding. You'll have to decipher it in order to find the right destination it's in and the right shipment." The person responded.

"This has got to be a joke..." Jacob groaned, annoyed, "I have no time to decipher this! I already have enough on my plate! Why must you add complication to this?"

"If you put your mind to it, Mr. Frye, things can actually be easier if thought through well enough." The person chuckled.

Jacob thought for a moment then someone came to mind, "Right you are..." The young man groaned as he bolted off to go find his associate, Ned Wynert.

Present Time...

"I assume Ned told you the rest?" Jacob scoffed, looking over, seeing Evie shake her head, "Oh, so he didn't, hm? Appears to be the only loyal one in the group, eh?" Jacob chuckled, "Anyway..." Jacob fell silent for a moment, trying to recall where he left off.

"From what I've just heard, it really sounds like you go for the crazy ones, Jacob." Evie laughed.

"Heh... you know, from what you just said, you're calling yourself crazy, too, oh sister of mine." Jacob smirked.

"Hey! I take offense to that, brother!" Evie laughed, hitting his arm.

"Ow... you have quite the strength to leave a bruise, sis." He laughed.

"Oh, shut up and finish your story." Evie folded her arms, looking away with a huff, hiding her small pout.

"Okay, okay..." He chuckled.

1871

Summer

"Hey, Ned." Jacob rested his arm on Ned's shoulder as he stood beside him, "I happen to have a request that might tickle your fancy."

"Oh? And what might that be, Frye?" He looked up at Jacob, pushing his arm off of him, "It better not be like last time, Frye. I almost got arrested because of you." Ned glared, folding his arms, waiting for Jacob to continue.

"No, nothing like last time, Ned." He chuckled, holding his arms up as if surrendering, "This is something simple. I just need you to decipher something for me."

"Simple, huh? Doesn't sound simple to me if I'm having to translate codes for you." He glared, "What do I get out of it?"

"How about twenty-six cargos of supplies that you've been needing the past few months? Would that be enough for you to decipher a few files for me?" Jacob smirked at him, knowing fully well he'd get a yes out of it.

"Fine, but first, do you have the shipment?" Ned questioned.

"Yes, I have it heading our way. Half of it is already by the docks in Whitechapel, the rest will be arriving tomorrow at dawn. Promise." He grinned, crossing his heart, "Do we have a deal?" Jacob held out his hand.

"You've got yourself a deal, Frye." Ned shook his hand, giving a look of satisfaction.

"Fantastic." Jacob grinned from ear to ear, "The files are on the train and it'll stop in a half hour, shall we catch a ride?"

"Now when you say, catch a ride, do you mean you're going to hijack another carriage, Frye?" Ned rolled his eyes, looking over at Jacob seeing him already jump on a cart, beckoning him over.

"You going to join me?" Jacob held out his hand, "Or are you wanting me to hold you by the waist while I use my grappling hook and free run from rooftop to rooftop?" He smirked.

"Carriage it is..." Ned groaned, grabbing Jacob's hand and hopping on, holding on tight, knowing how fast Jacob is going to go.

"Off we go!" He laughed with a big grin on his face as they dashed off.

They reached the train in under fifteen minutes which was a new record for Jacob. He stood tall, proud of the change in his record, completely forgetting the aftermath of his brash driving if not fully focused on it. Ned shook as he got off the carriage, his legs wobbling by the fear he had towards almost crashing into things by the cause of Jacob's way of driving. Jacob whistled, walking all dandy while heading towards the train, looking back to see how Ned was.

"How was the ride, chap?" Jacob laughed, looking at Ned.

"Just shut up and show me the files..." Ned passed him, irritated as he tried to keep a good balance on his footing.

"I'll take it that it was fun?" The young man scoffed, amused by the other man's reaction.

The train arrived a little after, letting Jacob and a few others in his crew climb aboard. Jacob walked to his room, going through the pile of papers he had scattered on his desk. The young man mumbled curse words, getting slightly frustrated from the unorganization he left himself in.

"Where the hell did I place those damn files...?" Jacob murmured to himself.

"Ahem... Do these happen to be the files, Frye?" Ned questioned, pointing out the folders that were lying on his bed.

"If only I could keep my head on straight for once." He chuckled faintly, walking over, "Goodness..." Jacob shook his head, embarrassed, "Here are the files, think you could translate them and give them to me by this evening?"

"I'll give it a shot, but I can't make any promises on that." Ned responded, "Wait a tick..." The young man looked closer at the pages, "From the look of all this, it's easier to translate than I thought..." The man scoffed with surprise, "Now let's see here... On July tenth of eighteen sixty-nine there will be a drop-off at the dock in the City of London to pick up and deliver to the abandoned factory in Westminster by midnight. Sharp." Ned mumbled the rest, skimming through the words.

"What else does it have on there? Is there anything to our liking?" Jacob asked, ecstatic.

Ned stood there, speechless, "If my calculations are correct, there will be two-hundred and fifty explosives in one cargo, along with five shipments of medical kits, gold, and a year of supplies to live off of!" Ned looked up at Jacob with excitement, "Do you know what we could do with all of that?!"

"Half of that, actually. And yes." Jacob nodded with a smile, "Well, appears it's time for some looting this evening. I'll go assemble some of my finest men. Hope to see you tonight." He smirked with a wink before running off.

Nightfall came and Jacob arrived at the destination. He informed his men to standby while he stealthily took the men out one by one. The young man was surprised by the small amount that were aboard, so everything happened smoothly. As he finished, he made his way to Ned, informing him on what to do next. While they took all the shipments, he came across some notes, informing on where the supplies are supposed to actually go to. When he read them, he was in shock.

"Jacob? Is something the matter?" Ned asked.

"Yes, something's most definitely wrong. If you'll excuse me, please take this shipment to the address that's on this while I take care of some business of my own..." Jacob spoke, handing the paper to Ned before running off.

"No way..." Ned mumbled to himself after looking at the paper, "Alright..." He sighed deeply, seeing Jacob run off, "Be careful."

Jacob returned to the abandoned warehouse and called out to the person, "Emily Smith, show yourself!"

"Whom are you talking about, Mr. Frye?" The person questioned.

"Just by the use of your words, the handwriting I've seen, and the sound of trembling words, I assume my presumption is correct?" Jacob chuckled, "Show yourself right this instant!"

The person growled before revealing themself, "Fine... you caught, Mr. Frye." Emily walked forward.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you using me to take things that are supposed to be sent to churches, orphanages, and mines?" Jacob looked at her with a look of annoyance.

"I happen to be in a business of some sort that does not concern you, Mr. Frye." Emily began, "And as I recalled your abilities, you appeared quite useful to me."

"We used to be close friends, Emily." Jacob glared, "What the hell did I ever do to you?"

"Well, for starters, at the time it appears you used me as a distraction." She started, "When you ran off that evening on your fifteenth birthday, I followed you, going to question why you ran off. Then when I saw your expression change after you saw your sister kiss my brother, I assumed something odd was going on." Emily looked aside, "You became distant and found no interest in any girl, counting myself, that asked for your affection as years passed. My suspicions grew to where I was going to check myself. At the time I had my father's latest camera. And well, you should get the point from there on. Plus, that love letter was quite a bonus when I saw you toss it." She looked back over at him with a chuckle, shaking her head.

"You decided to blackmail me just because I didn't show any affection to you nor others?!" Jacob bellowed.

"Well, jealousy can do a lot to a person, but with the business I'm in, that's my main reason of blackmail, Mr. Frye." She chuckled lightly, "Though I will say, I'm still shocked on how you didn't want to be with me while we grew up together. Many questioned why you wouldn't date me, the most popular girl in Crawley." She laughed.

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, Emily." Jacob scoffed, "My sister was right about you."

"What? What did she say about me?" She snarled.

"None of your damn concern!" Jacob glared.

"Fine, if you're going to be cocky with me, then I guess I shall put these in the paper." Emily smirked, "Will be quite a sight for the citizens to see their hero find interest in his own sister." She scoffed, "Will cause chaos even to your own sister." She laughed.

Those last few words crossed him to where he just snapped. As she passed by him, he twisted her arm and kicked the inside of her knees, making her fall to the floor as he held her in a tight grip with her arm behind her back, soon placing a blade against her neck, "You ever show the world that photo and that letter, I will send you straight to the madhouse, leaving you tied in a straightjacket and locked away in a dark cell for the rest of your days." Jacob growled into her ear, "Don't think I don't have connections around these cities and don't think I can't easily take down with whatever remaining business you have left in London."

"Heh... well, doesn't somebody have anger issues." Emily laughed, looking beside her, "Don't be so cocky, Mr. Frye. You have no--"

"Warlords-- James Mcbeth in Lambeth, Kenneth Wright in Westminster, Benedict Kane in Whitechapel, Maxwell Roth and Margaret Gale. Associates-- Keith Williams and Kennedy Graham. And let's not forget your brothers-- Ryan and Benjamin Smith who both happen to be happily married with such beautiful young children, both still living in Crawley." Jacob whispered, "Your Warlords and Associates were quite a challenge to assassinate and you wouldn't want your brothers nor sister-in-laws nor nieces and nephews to know the truth about you, now would you, Ms. Smith?" Jacob chuckled.

"You bastard! How did you--?!" She hissed.

"Just because my actions are stupid, does not mean I am. Do not think lowly of me, Ms. Smith. I do have my connections. I do have my quick wit. And I do not take things so lightly when threatened! I am a man you do not want to mess with. Do you understand?" Jacob chuckled lowly in her ear, "I can be your nightmare 'til the day you die. I can be your grim reaper. I can be your cause of death if you have done anything wrong to those who are innocent with just a flick of this blade." He pushed it up against her lightly, "So what's your choice, Ms. Smith? Do you want tonight to be your last?"

Emily growled, "Heh... sounds like you've taken everything away from me already, so what's the use of breathing now?" She chuckled. "I dare you to make this my last breath. I dare you to end things here and now. I. Fucking. Dare. You."

Jacob placed the blade closer to her throat then growled and threw her on the floor, "I hope you like spending your time in darkness all tied up, Ms. Smith. Because you're never going to see the light of day ever again." The young man tied her up, burned the factory to the ground, and led her to Lambeth Asylum.

"Heh... you think you've won? You don't know where I've placed--?!"

"Placed the copies?" Jacob pointed towards a pile of papers, "Oh, don't think I can't find things, Ms. Smith. I do have my ways you know nothing about." He smirked as he narrowed his eyes, "It was a pleasure seeing you again. I hope you have a nice life in the asylum."

Emily tried to inform everyone around the asylum about Jacob's secret, but it just made her look mad as Jacob laughed at her remarks. He had allies in the asylum who believed him over Emily, which made everything safe for him, leaving him in the clear. Jacob sighed deeply as he turned, trying to ignore Emily's repetitive shouting. He walked away into the night, heading toward the train, exhausted.  

"God do I feel sick..." Jacob groaned as he walked off, trying to breathe in the fresh air to clear his head, "Well, I'm glad things are cleared now... though I do feel horrible for the things I've said and done..." He sighed deeply, "Time for me to make up for my misdeeds..."

From then on, Jacob thought clearly. He read more. He wrote more. He analyzed more. He was cautious on everything as the years continued to pass and just buried himself with studies, work, and social life, just trying to survive things without his sister assisting him on his mistakes by finally learning from each one. Evie did cross his mind from time to time, especially when he kept receiving letters that he was not willing to read. As the years passed, he became a man he never expected to be in his life, as he continued to struggle with the thought of his love for Evie.

Present Time...

Evie was a little worried to tell her side of the story as she knew her brother was nearly done explaining. She gripped her arms that were resting on her knees as she buried her head part way beneath them. The young woman had the slightest clue on where to even start and she felt too embarrassed to explain herself. As she listened to her brothers last words, it struck her.

"So all this time there came those struggles which all included a past I've wanted to forget for a long time... my long-awaited craving for your touch killed me as years passed afterwards." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he looked forward, trying to rid the redness exposing on his face, "That sensation of temptation made me feel as though I was suffocating from such sinful thoughts to the point of where I knew I could never forgive myself if it ever became reality..." Jacob glanced over, his heart pounding.

Evie looked over at him, stunned by his use of words, "Long-awaited craving for my touch? That sensation of temptation?" She quoted as a question, "Are you telling me you only love me for my physique?" She shot up with clenched hands and a look of irritation.

"Pardon?" Jacob looked up at her, confused of her statement.

"The only thing you love about me is my looks?!" She glared down at him.

"N-No! I didn't mean it in just that kind of way, Evie!" Jacob looked up with knitted brows.

"Just...?" Evies eyes narrowed, "Bloody hell, Jacob..." The young woman turned her heels, storming out the door.

"What the hell, Evie?!" Jacob bolted up, running after her, "Do not play games with me, Evie! Do not twist this nor use this against me just so you could avoid telling me your side!"

Evie didn't listen. She didn't turn. Her infuriation towards her brothers remark left her from ignoring everything. The young woman sped up, jumping her way up from the closest building. She didn't want to deal with her brother. Evie just wanted to cool off her frustration and clear her mind.

"Evie!" Jacob shouted, "For Christ's sake stop doing this to me!" He jumped onto the building she first climbed onto, looking around, but saw no sight of her.

Evie hid in the shadows, crouching down, trying to keep herself together. She knew it was wrong of her to just get up and run out without telling him her side. The young woman also felt it was ridiculous of how she reacted, but she couldn't bring herself to explaining her side. Guilt crawled its way up and left her in shame.

"Damn this all to hell..." Jacob groaned with frustration.

The young man ran, searching everywhere for Evie, but found no trace of her. He growled with frustration as he searched and searched, wanting to end this whole affray. Jacob began to question if anyone has seen her, but no one did. He decided to run back to the train, hoping she was there. He stormed his way through the train, one boxcar after another, irritation rising to his core as he felt it was unfair of her to just storm off. He reached her room, opening it, but noticing it was locked, leading him to pounding on her door, hoping for an answer.

"Evie!" He shouted, "Evie! I know you're in there because your door is locked!" He pounded on the door again, "I poured every single goddamn thing you wanted to know about! So don't avoid me just because you need to explain yourself!" He rested his fists and forehead against the door as though begging she would open, "Don't make me have to go through a window..." He stated with a groan.

A second after his last sentence, she opened the door and Jacob just walked straight in so she wouldn't shut him out, "Evie, please just--?!" Jacob froze in place once seeing someone he did not expect to see, "Greenie...?" Jacob turned and looked at Evie with a perplexed look, "If you don't mind me asking... why is Greenie here, oh sister of mine?"

"Is it wrong of me to come visit my wife, Mr. Frye?" Henry asked.

"Well, that certainly answered for me." Jacob growled as he whispered at Evie, "It's a pleasure seeing you again, Greenie." He placed a fake grin on his face as he patted Henry's shoulder, passing by, walking off with gritted teeth and clenched hands as he was heading for the end of the train.

"Jacob, wait!" Evie ran up to him, "Please let me explain!"

"I gave you chances to explain yourself and you kept walking off or lying! What's your lie going to be this time? Hm?" He halted, "What is it you have to tell me that'll just end up being another lie?" Jacob turned with a pierced glare, "Lie after lie after lie! I gave you chance after chance and your explanations all ended up invalid! You wanted me to open up to you again just so my heart could be plunged with your lies?!" He screeched as his face turned red, "Stop wasting my goddamn time, Evie... I'm done here... we're done here." Jacob turned, running to jump off the train, but was grabbed by Evie, "Let me fucking go!" He yanked and ran, not looking back.

Jacob ran faster and faster as if running for his life. He could barely breathe. He could barely keep himself from falling to his knees. He could barely do anything. His emotions overflowed to where he couldn't take anymore of it. Without any thought given, his legs ended up leading him to Rose's bar.

"Heh... I can't believe myself... what a damn fool I am to fall for such false hope." He scoffed, "Sod everything... I need a goddamn drink."

"Hello, Jacob!" Rose grinned as she welcomed him, "What would you like this evening?"

"Give me a pint of your hardest liquor." He sat on a stool, resting his head on the bar, trying to calm all of his nerves.

"Is something the matter?" She questioned.

"Please do not ask..." Jacob groaned as he looked up at her, "Am I the only customer this evening?" He looked around after noticing the silence in the bar.

"Happen to be the last this evening actually." She chuckled lightly, handing him his drink.

"Really? Wait, are you actually closed right now?" Jacob questioned, feeling a little bad, "My apologies for entering without noticing, Rose."

"There's no need for you to apologize, Jacob." She giggled, "My doors are always opened for you." She smiled softly.

His face became a little red by her use of words and his heart began to race, "Th-Thank you..." He mumbled as he cleared his throat, soon chugging down his first pint.

She nodded with a grin, "So... anything you need to get off your chest?" Rose questioned.

"I do not want to talk about it... I just want to wash away the thought before it burns in my mind and mark itself as a memory." He covered his face, groaning with frustration.

"Alright..." Her smile became weak as she refilled his mug.

"I'm sorry for my intrusion... I just... there's so much going on to where I can barely keep my head on." He chuckled, taking his time drinking his second pint, looking over at her with a weak grin and hint of grievance in his amber colored eyes, "I feel like such fool." He massaged his forehead with his hand, trying to think clearly, slowly finishing his second glass.

"You're not a fool, Jacob." Rose began, "You're just in a small bind at the moment." She chuckled lightly, "I know in time, you will be able to figure out your issues. After all, you are the famous, Sir Jacob Frye." She smiled genuinely, placing her hand on his cheek, caressing it slowly.

The young man looked at Rose, his heart tightening once he felt the nice, warm feeling he hasn't felt for years. The caring look in her crystal ocean colored eyes, drowning him with emotions he thought he lost long ago. The loving smile from her faint pink lips turning into a genuine curl. The faint shade of crimson covering her cheeks. The sight of her just felt like a blessing to him.

Jacob noticed Rose was the only person who could keep him right on his path. She has always been there for him even when he has left her behind several times. The years they've spent together made him feel like a disgrace once he began recalling the actual reasons of her company. The young man tried his damnedest to not get so close since his heart would never accept her in that kind of way, but with the position he has been in... he felt as though his heart began to thaw just by her words and just by her touch. It made him feel like a bigger fool for loving someone he knew from the very start he could not call his own.

"I'm so sorry, Rose..." He looked down, a few shed of tears escaping his eyes as he closed them, "I'm such an idiot for doing this..." Jacob looked away, his hands combing through his hair roughly, feeling as though he's losing everything at that moment, "I'm such a damn bastard for what I've been doing my whole life, I'm such a..."

"Jacob..." Rose cupped Jacobs cheeks, leading him to look at her again, "Everything will end with blessings. You just have to wait patiently for your happy ending." She chuckled lightly.

Jacob placed his hands on Rose's and gripped them weakly. He closed his eyes, trying to ease his aching heart. The young man opened his eyes and saw a woman who always brought a smile to his face. He bit his cheek before his body made an impulsive move, leading his lips to crash into Rose's. Rose's eyes widened once she felt the warm touch of Jacob's lips, connecting with hers.

What the bloody hell am I doing?! Jacob questioned himself, his lips not separating from Rose's, Heh... what a disgrace I am, but... for Evie's sake... for Rose's sake... hell... even for my very own sake... It's really time for me to move on... He sighed faintly during the kiss, disguising it as a moan, I'm sorry, Evie... I'm sorry, Rose... Christ... I'm so sorry...

As the kiss continued onward, their actions amongst each other escalated by the second. At that very moment... Jacob didn't hold back. His body took full control and made him feel his emotions perished that fateful night. As his actions heightened by the embrace of another woman, he hoped she would be the one to heal his broken self.