♡ daddy's girl

Jake put his arms around Brooke when she got comfortable in his lap and secured herself around his neck. The position was comforting and showed neither was pulling away even while discussing something as difficult as Tyler.  “I didn’t tell anyone because who was there to tell? I wasn’t going to narc. I didn’t think you’d need the warning. I never saw anything happening between you two. I guess I can’t always spot it the way I thought.” With Branson, Jake caught on before anyone. He always paid close attention to Brooke. She would try to cover it, but Jake was excellent with a shovel. When he eventually figured it out, he didn’t out her. He let her believe he ‘thought’ it was some college dude playing head games with her. But he knew the truth – Branson was playing her. How did he know? Well, because he wasn’t just watching her. Jake followed Branson expecting for him to be meeting up with Brooke, but instead of the girl being Brooke, it was Miss Lang. Mr. B was going back and forth between the two. If it were anyone else, Jake might have admired it. But not Brooke. Nobody screws with Brooke. And, he was jealous, and just waiting for the guy to screw up. Jake couldn’t understand why Brooke broke things off before France and then ignored him. But now he knew. Tyler was feeding her lies. He poisoned her with his venom in France and latched onto her. If it wasn’t for Tyler, they may have been together instead of Brooke going through shitty dude after shitty dude. Both Tyler and Branson were just using her for sex. She was a forbidden fruit to both. Which is why Jake didn’t want that with Brooke. He didn’t want to be her secret like Seth and Tyler. And that was why when she asked him to marry her, he knew it would be real. It was the only sure thing that would bring them back.

“I’m not gonna die.” Jake snorted with a small laugh. Like every other douche his age, Jake didn’t believe anything would ever catch up to him. Like Brooke pointed-out, he thought he was invincible. It’s why he never backed down to people. He spent his high school career molding the product that is the Jake: rock hard, fearless, and crazy in love with the one and only Miss Maddox. However, Jake 2.0 meant being a little less brazen and a little more careful. Especially now. Jake wasn’t just the Jake anymore. He was a husband. He has to keep his queen safe in other ways than running into creepy old buildings to save the day. If he wanted to protect his girl, he has to stand by her, on guard. “But, I get what you’re sayin’ and I promise to be chivalrous in a more advanced way. Instead of snatchin’ the shark out of the ocean, I’ll just keep you away from any ocean.” With a playful smirk, Jake leaned in and kissed the blonde’s smooth lips with a heart that races just for her. “Now that we’ve disabled Quinn’s cameras… How about,” Jake’s tan fingers slide up Brooke’s shirt and squeezes around her hips, “we forget about the shark… and make love in his failed attempt to pull us apart?” Rotating his hips, Jake lays Brooke down on her messy bed and leans across her chest, kissing her lips while his warm fingers unbutton her skinny jeans.

A girlish shriek, playful in it’s delivery, spills from her baby pink lips. Instinctively, Brook wraps her tiny legs around his waist to stay upright as Jake carries her and lays her down on her messy bed. Feathers ripped from her pillows, were sprawled out like confetti across the ruffled bedsheets. Already, they stuck to her hair and back as Jake hovered above her chest and silenced her gasps with tantalizing kisses that left her dizzy and excited. Brooke was still, but eventually raised her hips so that Jake had enough leeway to peel back the layers of her skinny jeans separating them. “Mm,” Brooke hummed against her newlywed’s lips as her fingers fumbled with the ends of his shirt prior to pulling it off.

Jake wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Tyler and Brooke never really spoke much. It was good, because it meant their relationship wasn’t deep. But it was also bad, because that meant they were fucking constantly. Jake wasn’t able to stomach them having sex once – knowing that it was multiple times kills him. It’s stupid to think you’re going to be your love’s first and only, but was it so stupid to think your love wouldn’t sleep with your enemy behind your back? Jake tried not to let it bother him anymore but truth was, there was still times when its harder to digest. As Jake was looking down, thinking of Tyler and Brooke together, she snapped his attention back to reality. She was asking if he wanted the truth? Yes. He wanted to know what happened. He wanted to know why Tyler lost it and began breaking people’s arms for her.

When Brooke started back in France, Jake took a seat on her vanity chair. He knew if he continued to stand his knees would shake. Though, he was preparing himself to be stabbed repetitively by her truth, he was at least alleviated to know that she knew he wasn’t really on the prowl for any girls in Paris. He wanted to win Brooke back but Tyler turned it into a competition and won.

Jake remained quiet as Brooke went into one of her memories. He wasn’t mad that this was the first time he was hearing of it. It wasn’t like he needed to know every haunting secret. Monica had a closet full of them and Jake was sure this wasn’t the first or the last time she betrayed Brooke. The memory was sad and that’s what Tyler wanted. It’s why he told her sad stories about his foster homes. He wanted to humanize himself. He wanted Brooke to see him as someone she could relate to. So he told her sad stories so she’d comfort him. Tyler wouldn’t have shared those stories for any other reason but to get in her pants.

—

“You take a piece of every person you meet. They rub off on you. It’s why we’re so in sync. It’s why Myles knows Quinn will be okay. Tyler grew up with animals and so he became one. I can’t justify why he does what he does, but he doesn’t have remorse. He wasn’t apologizing at the warehouse. He’s not going to apologize, ever. He’s a sociopath. When I met him… he had a few tattoos which I thought was strange for a fourteen-year-old. But other than that, I didn’t see anything wrong with him. Until he started showing me his idea of fun. It wasn’t basketball or video games. He liked knocking on the devils door and running. Drugs, knives, threatening people… He was in and out of juvie. When he was fifteen he would wait outside of bars and beat up the drunks and rob them. At sixteen he was drugging people. That’s why I thought he drugged you at Pharm. Now he’s seventeen and breaking into houses. He’s getting worse. By the time he’s eighteen I’m sure he’ll be killing people. But not yet. I think if Tyler wanted to kill us, he would have. He does everything in stages and it seems like he’s psyching himself up for it. He could have shot me in the back of the head but he hit me with the gun instead. I don’t know if we should be comforted by that? I’m just hoping he doesn’t swing by my house next. I don’t know if he’d try to hurt my mom. He smacked your dad over the head with a pipe in the warehouse. That’s why I went after him… I need him caught.”

Brooke didn’t like recalling her and Tyler’s history (if one could even call it that) any more than Jake liked hearing it. Which, he didn’t, by the way. And thus, she didn’t enjoy it either. She didn’t enjoy feeling guilty for betraying him. She didn’t enjoy hurting him. And she definitely didn’t enjoy how the details continued to haunt and torment Jake. He, like herself, had various tells. She knew when something bothered him. The topic of her and Tyler, especially. Brooke understood that. In Jake’s position, she’d be bothered too. And there was a strong chance she’d never really get over it. Just like he might not. Jake, however, was much more forgiving than Brooke was. She was her father’s daughter when it came to how she dealt with betrayal. Quinn didn’t take it lightly, if at all. And neither did she.

Jake knew they were pawns. It was obvious. Though maybe not to Brooke at first. Tyler and Nina always had their own agenda. All of the blackmail and all of the drama, it was always stirred by Riverwood’s very own Joker and Harley Quinn. They loved chaos. And when they hit that off switch on their relationship, Tyler tried continuing the games with a new partner, Brooke. Jake looked at Brooke for a long moment before she grabbed something hard from Quinn’s desk and hurled it at the wall. Having a bit of PTSD, Jake flinched away from her. Her outburst was reflective to what they saw on the security footage. She was just as angry as Tyler. For different reasons of course, but the result was the same. She wanted chaos and blood.

“Look, I can’t believe I’m saying this but, killin’ Tyler? I wouldn’t have let you. That’s what he wanted. You heard him. He said killing him would have been like some sort of imprinting. It would haunt you. Tyler is going to get his. We just gotta get your stuff and lay low until he’s found.” Jake hoped Brooke knew he had her back. If Tyler were to show back up, he’d break his neck. It wouldn’t haunt him in the same way. He didn’t share anything intimate with Tyler. And whether the memory killed her or not, she had given herself to Tyler multiple times within the span of a year. Jake knew for a fact that Brooke only had sex with him before France, which meant Tyler was her second. Maybe they were on drugs every time and maybe she was manipulated, but in those moments she felt something with him; taking his life, with her own hands, would destroy her mind.

“C’mon. We know he’s not in the house… and Quinn will be happy we took these.” After stuffing the tapes in his hoodie, Jake grabbed her hand and walked back to her bedroom. This time, he wasn’t as on edge. He relaxed some, picking up items of clothes that were strewn across her floor; including things from her lingerie drawer. It was probably where he got the pair of black panties he threw at them in the warehouse. “If I ask you a question about some of this…would you get mad?” He waited a moment before continuing, “what did you guys talk about? The times you were with him. I mean, it couldn’t have been all — “ he swallows the word ‘sex’ and stutters before continuing “— I’m just wondering what could make someone do this? I was full-blown devastated and this never would have crossed my mind…” Jake lifts a broken picture frame of Quinn and Brooke: last year’s carnival. Tyler obviously hated seeing the two happy. Jake looked around some more. There used to be pictures of them together too, but they were all gone. 

Since when did Jake believe Tyler’s press? He was insane. His philosophies were hardly considered gospel. Let alone, were anything worth taking into account. At the same time, killing was an intimate act. It was personal and permanent. More so than a tattoo. So in that respect, Jake was right. Therefore Brooke didn’t argue otherwise. Besides, she wasn’t actually serious. Deep down, no matter how vile and horrible both; Tyler and Nina were, Brooke couldn’t actually kill them. Nor could she bring herself to inflict them any harm. She wasn’t that kind of person. Her heart was too big for that. It was a blessing as much as it was a curse in times like this.

As Brooke fell into a seat at the foot of her bed with tormented wonder Jake sat down next to her and rubbed her knee. Why did Tyler latch onto her of all people? He could have had anyone… Maybe that was the point. Brooke was the one girl he couldn’t have. At the time, she belonged to Jake. Having sex with her was like getting to taste forbidden fruit. There was something sexy about fucking someone who belonged to someone else. It felt like winning. While Jake was miserable over something he couldn’t have, Tyler was enjoying it. It made him feel superior. So when Tyler lost her to Jake, he felt the opposite. He became the inferior. The loser. “This is Tyler’s fault, not yours.” Although a part of Jake knew it was somewhat her fault too. She chose to bail him out of jail and climb into his car to seduce him. Did she know all this would come out of it? No. Did Jake think she deserved it? No. “He’s clearly pissed off. It’s his game. Why do you think Nina flirted with Will in public? It was to capture an audience. They do these things to get back at each other. Tyler thinks this is the norm. He’s expecting you to retaliate. It’s the foreplay.” Same as it was at Pharm. Tyler belittling Brooke and saying she’s nothing. A part of the game was to break down the other’s confidence and have them crawling back for approval. “Brooke, you can’t blame yourself for Ty’s rage.” The only thing that was Brooke’s direct fault was allowing herself to cheat on Jake. Everything else was just Tyler. She couldn’t control him. Kicking people’s ass was a part of who he is; fucking and fighting his way to hell.

“Everything in here is replaceable right? You’re safe, I’m safe, Quinn’s safe. Let’s count our blessings and get out of here.” As Jake stood up from the mattress, he turned around near the doorway. His features were twisted in a way that showed he had something going on behind his dark-brown eyes. “Remember when he came here and we saw him carving up your front door? Why don’t we just check the cams again?” A part of him wanted to make sure Tyler wasn’t still in the house and another part of him wanted to see what he was after. Did he come there cocked, loaded, and ready to kill? Or was the message on Brooke’s vanity a love letter?

After entering Quinn’s office, Jake lingered back as Brooke punched in all the codes to replay the recorded footage. When they finally got to the intruders, the time stamp read: 11/17/17. A week before they got back. “Is that Tyler?” Jake was squinting as two guys in ghost masks wandered the house, breaking everything in their path. After a couple of minutes they disappeared into Brooke’s room. “No spy zone…” Jake sighed. “Fast-forward it.” After around 7-minutes both figures left the room, but now the one was screaming at the other. “Bullshit, Nina! I helped you bug everyone at school, I helped you get dirt on Branson! I did every-fucking-thing! I am the motherfucking brains of this operation, you slut-bag bitch!–I blackmailed Quinn, I filmed Will fucking Emma, I DID IT ALL” Jake’s back straightened out as he stood up and shook his head with disbelief. “That’s Ty, right? Tyler, and he said Nina. She was probably the one in the warehouse, too.” Jake knew it! He knew it was Nina. Tyler was lying when he said it wasn’t. “He said it wasn’t Nina and I knew he was lying. Those screams we heard were to lure us out there so they could finish the job.”

While Jake tried for sympathy, a part of Brooke could tell that he believed what happened was a product of her own making. Therefore, he blamed her. And it wasn’t a feeling that Brooke could really stomach. Then again, wasn’t it what she deserved for cheating on him? For breaking his trust after he gave her his heart? Though Jake attempted to reassure her and she was grateful, Brooke didn’t say anything. She merely nodded and cracked a soft, sad smile. Her way of saying ‘thank you’ for trying before he stood up and made his desires to leave right away, very clear. He didn’t give her much time to sort through the damage and disarray or collect a few things before he made his way towards the door. But, then he stopped to address a thought that must’ve occurred to him in the last few seconds. 

With all the big events that had been happening in Riverwood recently it had impacted a lot of peoples lives, just not Noel’s. He woke up every morning, ate his cereal, went to school, planned some parties, and went to bed. Nothing had changed, and now after Tyler’s passing it was still the same. He didn’t have any beef with the guy to be happy about him being gone, like a lot of people were, but he also wasn’t his best friend so he wasn’t seriously grieving the loss either. Noel had been lucky in this sense, that nothing bad had happened to him or someone he cared about.

Walking down the halls in a world of his own, eager to get as far away from his class as possible he accidentally knocked into Brooke. “My bad, gotta start watching where I’m going,” Noel apologized, bending down to help pick up her books.“You know this is how all bad romcoms start, right? The good looking guy helps pick up books for the girl who ends up –” He started to say when he saw the girls tear-filled eyes. Awkwardly stopping mid-sentence he didn’t know what to say. “Are you alright? Do you need me to go get someone?”

Ignoring Noel’s synopsis of how most bad romcoms started, Brooke continued scooping up her books only to later clutch them close against her chest once she finally got a decent enough grip. His question which followed shortly after his awkward concern, triggered memories Brooke would have rather forgot. The same question about whether or not she needed him to get someone was the same question Tyler asked her at Noel’s pharmaceutical party a few weeks ago when Tyler took her into a bedroom intoxicated. Right before a fight broke out between Tyler and Jake all because Jake had assumed that Tyler took advantage of her. That was the party that set so many other bad things and events in motion. Looking up at Noel, all Brooke could see was Tyler’s face. It was like she was hallucinating him on Noel Kahn’s body. “Get away from me!” Brooke screamed as she threw her books down at Noel’s feet (who she still believed was Tyler) prior to backing away. Despite knowing Tyler was dead, that fact didn’t register. And it wasn't until she whipped her phone out and started dialing 9-1-1 or talked to an operator that she realized, “Please help! Tyl--” His full name never left her lips. And when the thought registered, Brooke hung up and blinked, staring back at Noel with an intense cloud of fear in her eyes. “I--,” She wasn’t sure what to say? Sorry? Sorry for accusing him of being a deranged psychopath who was now rotting in some lab as city officials and medical examiners tried to solve the gruesome puzzle of what happened to him. 

     “shit..” archie groaned as the body collided into his right arm, his eyes closing tightly as he felt the pain surge through. he was still annoyed about the fact he couldn’t do much. being at school was basically pointless considering he couldn’t write and if he was even going to use a laptop, it would take him so long to type one sentence. at this point, he was just gathering the teacher’s notes and staying at home. there was a highlight to being principal blossom’s favourite, even if it was deceptive of him to advantage of it. the redhead was just about to brush it all off, tell the other person not to worry about it, but then he saw the tear fall from brooke’s face. “hey..” he whispered, crouching down to help her. he moved to put the books on his cast, balancing them as best as he could as he stood up. “brooke.” archie addressed, hoping to catch her attention. “it’s nice to see you again. are… are you alright??” he could see the pure fear in her eyes, something that worried him instantly. “can i walk you somewhere??“

Brooke didn’t want to cry. She didn’t want anyone to see the chink in her armor. Besides, she wasn’t the best liar. And so any excuse she came up with trying to explain what was wrong would just sound like complete, utter bullshit. It was hard to pretend to be okay when you were constantly reminded of all the reasons why you shouldn’t be. Jake, her dad, Ronnie, Noah, and now even, Archie. They were all victims of Tyler’s abuse. And Brooke couldn’t help but look at Archie and feel guilty. If she had never gotten involved with Tyler, he would have never come to town. He would have never harassed her friends and their friends looking for her. Part of Brooke felt like she owed Archie an apology. “I’m sorry,” she muttered after wiping the few tears that escaped the banks of her eyelids. She wasn’t just sorry for bumping into him or his injured hand but for the fact that he was injured in the first place. “It’s all my fault,” she told him while shaking her head with genuine remorse. When she finally looked up, Archie stared back at her with genuine concern. “Have you seen Jake?” Brooke wondered. Her fear clogged her memory. She couldn’t recall which class he was supposed to be in but, she really needed to find him. He was the only one who would be able to help. “I really need to find him.” With trembling hands, Brooke started off down the hall, assuming Archie would probably follow. “Help me find him please.”

Jake knew she could feel it too. It was in the air. The feeling of not belonging. The safe house in Lakesdale had become their home. Jake already missed the living room they turned into a fortress, the kitchen they shared many food fights in, and the upstairs bedroom where they made love over and over and over again until they were sore. Being back felt like a step down. As Brooke turned to him and grabbed onto his forearm, Jake followed her eyes back to her house next door. The last time they were there, they saw Tyler carving a snake into her door with a hunting knife. Who’s to say he wasn’t back? “Okay…” Jake sighed as Brooke mentioned grabbing some clothes. He wasn’t going to tell her he was nervous but he was. All Jake’s life he was the playful monkey, it hadn’t been until high school when he turned into a lion. Jake wasn’t as fearless or as psycho as he liked the world to believe. It was all a mask. Riverwood High was full of ‘em. The emo. The nerd. The cheerleader. And the jock. Jake ditched his clown shoes for cleats. He knew who he had to be to survive: One of the populars. “Yeah, let’s go.” Jake wrapped his long, tanned arm around her skinny waist and held her close to his side as they crossed the starlit lawn.

The snake was still on the front door; watching them both with menacing eyes. It was like Tyler was still looking at them. Jake waited until Brooke unlocked the house and when they entered something immediately felt off. Some lights were left on and there was glass all over the floor. “Babe!” Jake pulled her back and gripped his arms around her. Tyler could be in the house right now. Jake’s heart was pounding so fast. All he could hear was his pulse racing. “Stay by the door. Don’t move.” Jake warned. He looked for a weapon and settled on a candle holder. “Yo! Tyler, this isn’t funny, man. Brooke doesn’t want you! She’s never going to want you!” Jake inched further into each room, seeing more and more damage. Tables were flipped, portraits were smashed, and Brooke’s bedroom was turned upside down. On her vanity mirror was a message written in her lipstick: “Never stop looking up” with a drawing of a moon. Jake recalled Tyler’s tattoo at the warehouse when he removed the poncho. It was a picture of the moon. A memento to the night they shared together while Brooke was cheating on him. Jake tried not to judge again but he just felt sick and instinctively held onto his stomach. Backing up out of the room, Jake bumped into something and quickly turned around with the candle holder raised threateningly over his head. When he realized it was Brooke, he sighed and lowered the weapon. “It’s Tyler.” he pointed the candlestick at the mirror.

While Jake might have thought that he was keeping his inner turmoil and anxiousness to himself, he wasn’t. Perhaps, he forgot that Brooke knew him better than anyone. The same as he knew her. She could tell when something was off, or when he was nervous or upset or mad about something. Right now was no exception. Brooke could tell that he was feeling anxious about going back to her house. So was she but, she didn’t know what else to do. Granted, the second Jake agreed, Brooke actually started second guessing the idea. What if Jake’s suspicions were right? What if Tyler came back to finish the job? What if he knew they’d go home and was waiting in her room to ambush them? Holding onto Jake’s hand tightly, Brooke crossed the lawn with her newlywed and entered her house. It took Brooke a minute to take in her surroundings. The place looked like it’d been trashed. And the scary part was, that it could have been anyone. The Serpents, Tyler, some other enemy of her dad’s. Maybe even Nina? She hated Brooke enough that she could con some jocks into doing her dirty work. Stage an attack just to push Brooke back out. At this point, the suspect could have been anyone. Tyler had taught Brooke not to trust anyone. 

As Myles and Vera discharged Jake and walked with him and Brooke to the truck, Jake had trouble quelling the eerie feeling in his gut telling him to keep looking over his shoulder. Tyler had to be following them. He wouldn’t have given up that easily, not after pointing a gun at all three of their heads. Nobody was safe, not even Quinn; which was why Jake wasn’t going to let him stay at the hospital overnight, alone. There was a bond between them now – a sense of loyalty that couldn’t be broken until the job was done. He promised Quinn that Brooke would be safe, but if her father was murdered by her ex-fling, that would surely wreck her psychosis. In a way, Brooke brought this guy into their lives. If she wasn’t having sex with a psycho, he would have never entered their lives with a gun and knife. Jake of course wouldn’t blame Brooke for this, but he knew she’d be blaming herself.

When Vera turned to Brooke and questioned the rock on her finger, Jake’s eyes narrowed with suspense crawling into his stomach. It had only been 5-months since Vera gave that ring to Jake in Mexico. He was supposed to hold onto it. Save it for the right moment. Sure, that moment might have never come with a killer on the loose, but was that all this was? A just in case? If so, Vera would slap him upside his blockhead. As Brooke started off, nervously smiling before giving him the floor, Jake hugged his mother and whispered in her ear “I’ve been married since I was seven, mom. The ring just makes it official.” Bringing his head back with a smile playing at the corners of his lips, Vera pinched one of his dimpled cheeks and shook her head with tender disbelief and mucho amor. “I knew you would get engaged someday. I didn’t know so soon! But the heart wants what it wants. I’m happy the two of you have made such strides. Just last week you were barely speaking.” It was obvious Vera was confused but also understanding. Jake inherited his need-to-know-all from her. Vera wanted the full story. “We did get engaged and then we got married at a private little chapel.” Noting the way Vera’s eyes grew bigger and sadder, Jake smiled reassuringly while rubbing her shoulders. “We’re going to have a bigger wedding with everyone invited. This was just something we wanted to do for us. Trust me, it’s still going to be amazeballs.” Vera and Brooke both grimace at the same time, “you marry him and he still speaks like imbécil? I’d give you a concussion if you didn’t already have one.” Vera appeared serious until her features gave way for a Fitzgerald-esque smirk. “I’m happy for you two, I am. But I’m coming to the next wedding!” with an elated whine, Vera pulled them all together; even Myles, who had been quiet up until now. “You’ve had my blessing at seven-years-old. You have it now. You both have shared a relationship longer than most couples our age. There’s always been a love between the two of you. I don’t think any of us really understood. Jake, you drove her crazy, and Brooke you had him wrapped around your finger since diapers. He’d do anything for you. And I know you’d do anything for him. That’s not something you grow into… it’s something you have or you don’t. You guys have shared that for sixteen years. Congratulations.” Myles was never a man of many words but their special moment struck his muse. A muse he thought had died years ago. “Can I DJ your second wedding?” Jake snorted and laughed, thinking of that CD Myles threw out the car window. “Sure,” he shook his head and gave Brooke an eye roll: sorry.

“—Is Quinn safe here?” Jake asked after all the commotion died down to a minimum. “I mean, he did have some people after him, right? What if they come back?” as happy as everyone just was, now there was a dark cloud sitting where the sun had been. “He’s the mayor. There’s police inside and outside his room. No one is getting in there. Trust me, nobody knows Quinn Maddox like me. Just as you and Brooke go back to the cradle, Quinn and I do, too. I don’t know if you’ve heard this story before, Brooke. But, Quinn and I were actually switched at birth for like, three days before they realized it. I got the gold crib and he got the hand-me-down one made of old wood. Our families were always close. Still, they didn’t realize it until the hospital called.” In high school Myles would tease Quinn that he was breastfed by his mom for three days. That part of the story Myles would leave out. “The message I’m sending is, gold crib or cardboard box…Quinn Maddox is a survivor.”

• Name: Brooke Maddox Fitzgerald
• Age: 16
• Height: 5′1
• Weight: 130lbs
• Eye Color: Brown
• Hair Color: Blonde

• Did you know the victim?  “Yes. We were –”  There’s a pause, as her hands fidget underneath the table. The word, she knows, will sound dirty leaving her lips. And she doesn’t want to say it because it’s not true anymore but she has agreed to keep all intimate details of that night between herself, Jake, and the Mayor AKA; her dad, “–friends.”
• What was your relationship with the victim?  “We were friends like I said, who occasionally hung out. My dad and his foster parents used to get together for dinner every now and again to play card games. So sometimes, I’d see him there.”
• How would you describe the victim?  Unhinged, psychotic, violent, angry, homicidal. Brooke knew these descriptions of Tyler were accurate but, wouldn’t be acceptable when voiced aloud. There was no proof to back them up either, not without implicating herself or her loved ones who suffered at the hands of Tyler before his death. And quite frankly, it didn’t matter now because he was gone. “Lost, I guess.”
• When was the last time you saw the victim prior to his death?  “Almost 3-4 weeks ago? He contacted me before I left town with my boyfriend, now husband, Jake. You know, just checking in. I didn’t respond.”
• Can you describe the victim’s behavior leading up to his death?  Obsessive. Or so at least, that’s what Brooke wanted to say. She felt bad for lying. However, had she told them the truth, they would’ve suspected that she had something to do with Tyler’s accident. Or worse, they would have suspected that Jake did because he hated him. “I don’t know? The usual. He’s not exactly the friendliest person we all know. But, he was normal. All that was different about him were the rumors that he joined a gang. He moved away so he lost touch with a lot of us.”

• Where were you the night of the parade?  “I was with my husband, Jake Fitzgerald. We got some weird texts from a blocked number about my dad and asking to meet up. It was stupid, we know that now. But, I hadn’t heard from him in awhile so I was worried. Jake asked me to wait in the car and so I did. I really don’t know what happened after that. But my dad, and Jake have already given their statements about this to the police. They could tell you a lot more than I could.”
• Did you attend the party thrown on the beach that night?  “No. I was at the hospital with my dad and Jake. We never made it to the party.”
• Did you notice anything suspicious?  “Not really, no.”
• Who were you with?  “Jake and my dad. And a few others we ran into at the parade. Friends we go to school with. Teachers, too.”
• Can anyone confirm your alibi? “Everyone I just named. And the nurses and doctors at the hospital.”

“I think so,” Jake responded to Brooke’s concern. Though, he didn’t know she meant physically until she began examining the back of his head where he had a lump the size of a golf ball. Still, it was nothing compared to his inner turmoil. He was afraid Tyler would be back to finish the job. Jake knew he was crazy but he’d never seen him without control. Tyler was savage. He was going to kill Brooke and himself. He had a gun pointed to the back of Quinn’s skull. He was obsessed with Brooke, which just made no sense to Jake because he never knew about their past until recently. France and then Pharm, it contributed to something inside of Tyler that made him lose it. He said Brooke led him on. All Jake could think of was the way Tyler had always been with Nina; to think of him with Brooke in that way made him groan. “That wasn’t Nina in the warehouse. Tyler tried to stop me from approaching the mask. Tyler looked scared.” Jake was searching Brooke’s expression for any sort of concern for Tyler, “—Those screams we heard could have been his. Whoever else was in there with us had on the killer’s costume.” Sinking into the chair, he sighed. Tyler had attacked the same set of ribs he broke before and they were definitely in a lot of pain and causing him to hiss. He couldn’t help but to experience deja vu having to go into a hospital room for damage Tyler inflicted. “Are you going to come? If Tyler is looking for us, he’ll know this is the first place we’d go. He’ll probably be rolled in here any second himself.”

Agreeing to be checked out was scary because Jake didn’t want to stay there longer than they had to but after Brooke flagged down a nurse it was too late to change their mind. A wheelchair was rolled over and Jake was brought into the x-ray room to get his ribs checked before getting a CT scan on his head. “What happened to you guys?” asked the technician while Brooke helped tie Jake’s gown. Quinn told them to cover up the story and Jake would continue following every single order until he learns that his daughter has gotten married behind his back. Knowing he’d be fuming, Jake was trying to be the man Quinn hoped for. “My suegro was kidnapped. I don’t know by who… I got hit by a car and everything went black. Finding him was dumb luck.” the guy nodded and walked across the room to lay out the sheets. “What’s the damage?” Jake groaned, lifting himself up to see. “I’m just the tech’, the radiologist will be with you in just a second.” Brushing past Brooke with a friendly smile, Jake extended his hand out for her to take and sit with him. “We did it. We won. We just gotta stick together.” Jake’s arm wound around her waist, “something tells me this isn’t finished.” Taken off guard by the radiologists’ entrance, Jake pulled Brooke closer. It was obvious they were both suffering from PTSD. And would both probably be put on medication for it. “Jake Fitzgerald?” he nodded, “it appears you have two fractured ribs and a mild concussion. But the good news is, no permanent damage. You’ll be able to recover completely in due time.” Jake sighed happily, that was good news if he wanted to get back into sports. “Because you’re a minor we had to call your parents, they’re in the waiting room. So if you’ll just—” Jake refused the chair to stand up but the guy insisted it was policy forcing Jake to take the seat. “This is not going to be good.” Jake looked up at Brooke with worry in his eyes. Vera was going to be flipping out.

“Mis bebés!” Vera cooed teary-eyed as she ran over to both Jake and Brooke with her arms held open. Even Myles looked worried, which was no easy feat. “What happened?!” Last Vera heard, they were at the lake house. She didn’t even know they were back because Brooke and Jake planned to surprise her. “We got some text. Thought it was Quinn, but when we went to pick him up someone attacked us. I don’t know. I can’t remember.” The radiologists clarified there would be some memory loss and that it was perfectly normal. Vera took Brooke into her arms and hugged her for a long while, whispering in her ear how much she loves her and how sorry she was to hear about Quinn. Myles was first to spot the rings, if only because he gave Vera that same ring twenty years ago. Instead of saying anything he just smirked. Myles had lived his entire youth on the edge, wondering if he’d ever jump. His son was just as bold and just as daring, and Myles didn’t condemn him for it, he commended it.

“Fucking asshole, mother fuckers!” Tyler was seething as he squeezed out of the warehouse only to find out that Brooke wasn’t waiting by his car. He didn’t think she’d be waiting for him, but he thought she might have been sticking around for Jake and Quinn where they left her. He didn’t understand how it could be over between them. Everything she told Jake was a lie. It wasn’t just the booze and drugs; there was something there since France. But, knowing they could never be together again because he ruined it, Tyler pulled out his cell to text the one girl who always accepted him back no matter what. (text to nina: that thing about mexico. Do you think you’d want to come with me?) as Tyler hovered over the send button, he held his breath and hit it without giving it another thought. He wasn’t sure he could handle losing another person right now, but he had to do something. He didn’t want to be alone and he didn’t want the Serpents. Seeing the way Brooke was with Jake changed something in him. They were both willing to give their life up for each other. He knew that wasn’t Nina, but maybe in time? (text to brooke: i don’t know where to start. You said your piece. I know you don’t believe me but) before Tyler could finish typing he felt a presence behind him. It was strong and eerie, like Eli. Slowly looking up, a face appeared in the reflection of the window.  Having a bit of Déjà vu from when Jake snuck up behind him, Tyler quickly dipped out of the way just in time for a hook to go through the hood of his Spyder. The masked assailant was having a difficult time pulling his weapon free when Tyler tackled him onto the ground and began pummeling every area of his body with bone-crunching punches.  

Tyler wasn’t sure if this guy was the real thing, but whoever it was, they followed him here. He had to know which one of his enemies had the balls to think they could kill him. Holding onto the ghost’s throat, Tyler grabbed onto the bottom of the mask and removed it. “You.—” dizzy with surprise, Tyler stood up and unlatched the hook from his car. Maybe this would be his redemption… “Should have stuck to the nerds.” Tyler raised the hook but hesitated in swinging it down. He wanted to be a killer. He should be a killer. But maybe he wasn’t, maybe breaking hearts and arms was the only thing he’d ever be truly good at? In that moment of wavering, a long blade was thrusted up into his gut. “Uggggh!” the hook fell as the energy drained from his body. The killer tossed Tyler off and put back on its mask. Raising its knife high in the air, it swept down to finish its prey but Tyler kicked it hard in the knee before rolling under his car and taking off on the other side.

Meanwhile; out front of the warehouse, Jake held onto Brooke as she locked her legs around his waist and showered him in affection. “I’m sorry, babe,” he breathed happily against her lips while his arms tightened around her waist; afraid she’d float away if he let her go. “Don’t you ever do that again.” Giving up her life wouldn’t have saved them. Both Quinn and Jake would lose their willingness to live. Instead of letting Brooke go, Jake put an arm out around Quinn and pulled him in for a group hug. “Tyler got out. Someone else was in there.” Jake breathed worriedly. “We should get out of here, like now.” On the other side of the warehouse, the sound of glass shattered, following a few screams. “That sounds like Tyler… Quinn, it’s a trap.” Jake assured him. Quinn looked like he was gearing up for payback but it wasn’t worth it, not when they were all safe at the moment. “Yo. You said protect Brooke and this is a part of that deal. You’re coming with me.” Jake latched a hand onto Quinn’s sleeve and pulled, “Let’s go.”

Tyler made it through some brush and stopped just before the highway. (text to nina: NINA THE KILELER IS) before he could finish that text the killer’s hook frisbee’d across the lot and went right through Tyler’s back with enough impact to make him spit blood. When his body dropped, he was wheezing but still alive. “Stop. You don’t have to do this.” Tyler wept as the assailant turned is body around to face the mask. “We could change.” Blood splattered across the front of the mask as the killer started stabbing Tyler over and over again until his eyes went black.

In those final moments, the ones that led up to her staring death in the face, Brooke realized she still had a lot of dreams and hopes for her and Jake’s future together. A future they only just begun. As traumatized and anxiety ridden as she was, Brooke allowed herself to feel happy and excited that Jake made it back to her alive. It was all she wanted. And almost losing him again, (this time; permanently) really put even more things into perspective. “I won’t,” Brooke promised as she grabbed Jake’s face and kissed him with full force. She put everything she had into the kiss; her love, her passion, her desires for him. It didn’t matter that Quinn was standing right there, watching them, visibly uncomfortable by the intense displays of affection. Brooke refused to hide her feelings for Jake any longer. She wanted everyone to know her heart belonged to him and it would always. Nothing could change that. Not even death. Her heart would still yearn for him. 

Jake thought about not going into the warehouse, but the minute Brooke attended to Quinn, he knew she was safe. He had to find Tyler, not to kill him, but to keep him from hunting them down and slitting their throats when they weren’t looking. If this didn’t end now, Brooke would be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life. The last time Jake let Tyler get away with beating him down, Brooke pushed him away. He knew that wasn’t going to happen this time, but that still stuck with him. Especially since Tyler used it against him by calling him a bitch. “This isn’t a game, Tyler! You wanted us out here! You got it!” Jake inched further into the darkness. Everything about this place was creepy. From the high-ceilings hung giant floats: the Grinch, Snoopy, and Mickey Mouse…All staring down at him with malice in their dark-eyes. And then there was the clowns, used for the carnival; standing there with their twisted grins. In the distance a couple of things were knocked over and a shadow passed through the Christmas decor. A reindeer was bumped into and lit up; its nose flashing red while it sung the classic children's’ song: ‘Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer.’ The pulsing red glow was the only light in the entire warehouse at the moment. Flickering off and on as the eerie voice continued to sing. In the reflection of a fun-house mirror, Jake saw him. Tyler was wearing the mask again. Jake pointed the gun directly at the mirror but then heard Tyler’s laughter from the other side of the building. When Jake turned, the ghost was gone. Did Tyler bring backup? Feeling Tyler creep up behind him, Jake spun around and placed the barrel of the gun right between his eyes. But it wasn’t Tyler, it was Quinn. Quickly, he lowered the pistol and sighed with relief. “Yo, not smart sneaking up on me, man. God, you’re supposed to be with Brooke!” Jake seethed under his breath, trying to remain quiet , despite the anger boiling beneath his skin.

“Daddy!” the voice came before the crack! Quinn lumped over and Tyler emerged from behind him with a rusty pipe in his hands. He wasn’t wearing the Ghostface mask and poncho, which confirmed Jake’s suspicions that he had backup here. Most likely Nina. “You kill him and Brooke will never forgive you.” Jake knew it was too late for forgiveness. He’d never let Tyler back into her life or anyone else’s. And, Tyler knew this too; which, is why he was still grinning. “I’m not as naïve as you are, Jake. I know Brooke won’t forgive me. Like, you shouldn’t have forgiven her. I know it’s not the sex… She’s good, but not THAT good. What has you tethered to her? Whatever it is, she has her fun abusing it. I know you think I’m the problem but I’m not… Brooke will always be Brooke. You heard her. She thought she fucked me… Guess it was good because she came back for more. Does that sound like she was sorry? No.” Jake raised the gun and instead of Tyler flinching, he placed it to his forehead and closed his eyes. “Free yourself,” was that going to be Tyler’s last words? Jake wanted to kill him. For everything he did and everything he bragged about doing. But as Jake’s sweaty finger rolled over the trigger, someone else emerged. From the shadows, a tall stranger in a ghost mask. “Fun’s over Nina.” the person didn’t reply but Tyler’s eyes opened as he took in the third-party with surprise. He didn’t bring anyone else. “That’s not Nina,” Tyler turned back to Jake. Of course Jake wasn’t going to believe him. But before any one of them could restrategize, a long shiny knife was pulled from the black poncho. Jake pointed the gun at the figure. If it was Nina, she’d break character with a gun pointed at her head, right? “Remove it.” Jake meant the mask. However, this ghost didn’t spook too easy, and instead of listening, it swung it’s knife. Stumbling back, Jake tripped over Quinn’s body and a shot went off. Tyler had vanished once again and the ghost went with (or after) him. “—Quinn, get up.” Jake nudged and pleaded, “Quinn wake the fuck up.”

When Brooke demanded Jake stop, he looked up at her with tears in his eyes. He thought she was saving Tyler, just as he begged for her to do, through maniac laughter. Tyler reminded him of the Joker, laughing with a mouthful of blood, as if this was all some big game to him. However, something changed in his eyes when he saw the gun positioned between Brooke’s trembling hands. Would she really kill him? “Brooke, don’t.” Jake breathed, exhaustively. If she killed Tyler, it would affect her more than she realizes. “Don’t listen to him… Do it. You’d absorb me. I’d live inside you forever. In some, um, in some ancient tribes, it is believed that when you kill someone, they’re reincarnated through your blood. That means…when you have kids…my spirit would go into one of ‘em.” Tyler put his head back and laughed. It was all bullshit. He was making it up on the spot to scare her. However, Eli did tell him that when you take a life you absorb their power. It was how he was going to become King Cobra on the Southside, by killing Eli and taking his royalty. “Brooke put the gun down… He’s baiting you!” while Jake was busy facing Brooke, Tyler reached for his neck and reversed their position. Like pharm, the elder took the upper-hand and began punching Jake in the ribs. After a satisfying crack, he leaned his mouth closer to Jake’s ear, “she’s just going to keep coming back to me. My power turns her on,” his tongue slithered into the shell Jake’s ear and rolled around to violate him more than he already has. Filled with rage and disgust, but also remembering what he learned in MMA, Jake locked his legs around Tyler’s waist and torqued his hips to roll him over. When Tyler landed beneath Jake, he laughed again. “The meathead has been working out? Good! I like a challenge!” Jake punched him again in the mouth and then came down on him with a hard elbow over the nose.

Tyler seemed knocked-out when Jake dismounted his waist and staggered over to Brooke to lower the gun she’d been prepping herself to fire. “If you kill him, he wins.” taking the gun from her hand, Jake looked to the trunk, and then around for the knife. “Cut Quinn loose. Then get him out of here. I’ll take care of Tyler.” he placed the blade into her hands and sighed, “I love you.” he wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out but he knew as long as he was alive, he’d love her. And just as she was willing to die for him and Quinn, he was willing to kill or be killed for her. “Go, Brooke.” he placed his hand behind the back of her head and kissed her on the forehead. When their eyes opened, Jake turned back toward Tyler but he was gone; there was nothing there but his blood. Tyler had limped back into the warehouse, leaking from his broken nose. He wasn’t forfeiting the game but he was forfeiting Brooke. He was who he needed to be now. He was prepared to take a life. Whose didn’t matter, he’d kill them all.

“I have to,” She cried in response to Jake as he pleaded for her not to. He knew what she would later come to realize if she went through with pulling the trigger, that it would have lasting effects on her psyche. She’d have to live with the fact that she took a life. But, wasn’t it worth it? They’d both be free! That’s what the devil on her shoulder kept reminding her. And pretty soon, Tyler was repeating the devil’s words out loud. ‘Do it’ he goaded her. And oh god, did she want to.  Brooke put the gun down… He’s baiting you!  She could hear Jake talking. She could hear the words he was saying to her out loud. But, her hands continued to shake as she held the gun. Jake, being so focused on her putting the gun down, lost focus of Tyler. And in Jake’s moment of distraction, Tyler flipped the switch. He started pounding on Jake again and Brooke was hit with flashbacks of that night at Pharm. Growing angrier and more protective over Jake, her finger hovered over the trigger. She could shoot Tyler in the back and was more than prepared to, yet stopped when Jake regained the upperhand. Tyler boasted about enjoying a challenge and shortly after, Jake shut him up with an elbow to the face.