A SIMPLE SOLUTION
Chapter Ten

Tommy stood in the corridor outside the guys' apartment, still not sure whether he should go in, or what he would say. Rose had begged him not to tell Jack the reason for her need to speak to him and Tommy wasn't about to break his promise to her. But he didn't know what to say…how was he going to convince Jack that Rose still needed and loved him? Tommy's hand moved over the door and then he knocked quickly, before he could change his mind.

Fabrizio had just left the apartment, so Jack had to be alone in there. Soon enough the door opened and Jack was standing there, his hair tousled and wet, as if he had had a shower.

"Tommy, hi, come on in," he said, smiling. Jack's peaceful expression made Tommy uneasy. He almost looked like he was getting over Rose…

"Sit down. I'm just getting ready to see Tina." Tommy sat down on the couch, studying Jack as he brushed back the damp locks from his face.

"Tina? You're seeing her now?" Tommy asked gently, not wanting Jack to get angry with him for asking. Jack sighed, sinking down on the foot-end of the bed.

"She's just a friend. She needed to talk to me." Tommy looked at Jack intently, trying to find the right words.

"Rose came to see me yesterday," Tommy said quickly and Jack froze, staring at his friend.

"She…she did?" He looked at Tommy with a mixture of hope and doubt and Tommy just smiled.

"She asked me to tell you…to come to Mrs. Brown's house. She…" Tommy stopped mid-sentence, suddenly uncertain of what to say again.

"What Tommy? She's decided that I'm good enough for her again?" Jack snapped, picking up his shoes from the floor and then he laced them angrily.

"No, Jack. She…would've come here, but I told her she might run into Fabrizio and that…"

Jack stared at him, dumbfounded and then he licked his lips and spoke.

"And that what, Tommy? Fabrizio doesn't trust her or like her, but would never hurt her. Never." Tommy nodded his agreement.

"No, he wouldn't, but he would try to keep her out of your life. He doesn't trust her and…"

Tommy looked at Jack even more seriously. "You think that girl of yours never wrote back to you? She did, Jackie. It's as true as her standing in front of ya on her toes the night when she danced with us. She wrote to you and Fabri has been hiding her letters."

Jack looked doubtful at first, then remorseful, but then angry.

"She lied to you?" he asked calmly, determined not to get his hopes up about Rose's love.

"No, Jack. I'm telling ya, she loves you and needs to see you tonight. Come on, Jackie, you know she still loves you." Jack winced and drew breath, the air suddenly thick and heavy, making it hard for him to breathe.

"I…" Jack ran his hand over his face, closing his eyes as two fingers covered them and the palm of his hand was warm from his hot breath. He sighed deeply.

"What does she want?" he asked coldly, but behind it, a warmth was beating and he could feel his legs almost buckle as he stood up again.

"She…will have to tell you herself. Just come to Molly's tonight, Jack." Jack felt something snap inside and he glared at Tommy.

"I just have to follow her every instruction, don't I? She wants me, doesn't want me, then she wants me again? What kind of damn idiot do I look like?"

The pain in Jack shone like lightning in his eyes and his voice and made Tommy back away. "And now you claim that Fabri had something to do with this? Did Rose put you up to it? Well, let me tell you something, Tommy…I'm not going to see Rose until I know why she has to talk to me."

"I can't tell you. She made me promise," Tommy said, exasperated. Jack just shrugged, walking towards the door.

"You gonna see Tina?" Tommy asked loudly. "She's a prostitute, Jack. A whore, can you get that through your thick head? She's just playing on your emotions, for God's sake!"

Jack looked like someone had punched him in the gut and his immediate reflex was to grab Tommy's collar in a despair-filled rage. Seconds later he let go, knowing that Tommy was right.

"I'm just her friend. I need her as a friend and she needs me. Nothing more than a friend. Do you understand that?" His voice was loud now and Tommy just nodded, his friendly face reflecting his guilt.

"I'm sorry, Jack. But Rose needs you more."

Jack's anger was replaced with concern and love for a brief minute and he leaned on the door with one hand, the other hand resting on his forehead as he looked at Tommy.

"Why? Why Tommy? Why does she need me? She…oh God, Tommy, I miss her so much…" he whispered softly, but the next second he built the wall of anger around him again.

"Damn it, Tommy…why does she want to see me? I'm dying to see her…but I can't go there only to hear that she's over me. I can't."

He looked almost pleadingly at Tommy, who just shook his head. "She won't tell you that. She…"

Jack interrupted his friend with a frustrated sigh.

"Well, then what will she tell me? What is it, Tommy? What?"

Tommy saw Rose's vulnerable eyes in front of him again and heard her begging him not to tell Jack…but at the same time, he had seen the nervousness about telling him…he sighed and stood up again to face Jack.

"She…she's pregnant, Jack," he said simply.

"She's what?" Jack gasped and without even knowing what he was doing, he sank to the floor, feeling his hands shaking as he used the couch to get up again.

"Is it mine?" he asked in the same strange whisper and when Tommy nodded, he felt the world spinning and almost wanted to pass out, to wake up and find out that the past few months had all been a horrible dream.

"Will you cancel your little date with Tina now?" Tommy asked harshly and Jack just nodded, sitting down on the couch, his hands still shaking.

"Oh God, what have I done…" he breathed, burying his face in his hands. "I should have gone to her…earlier…I…I should have known…"

Just as Jack was getting up again, strength and life returning to his face as he thought about her, about his Rose…she had never stopped being his, the door opened and Fabrizio was standing there.

"Jack…I thought you were out," he said in a surprised tone and Tommy just stared at him, waiting for him to notice that Jack wasn't alone.

"I…I'm going out now. Not to Tina. To Rose," Jack said steadily, his heart skipping two beats as he thought about the sweet and wonderful sound of saying her name, how her presence was back in his life and now he knew that he could never again let her go. But then he looked at Fabrizio more closely, saw the annoyed look in his friend's eyes.

"Fabri…I have to ask you something before I go. Did you take Rose's letters and did you hide them from me?" he asked calmly, looking squarely into Fabrizio's dark eyes.

"I…I thought…" He seemed to fidget under Jack's gaze, but Jack didn't let him go with his eyes. "Yes, I did, Jack."

Jack breathed in deeply and then cast Tommy an apologetic glance. "I have to go now. I'll talk to you later."

"Jack, wait…I thought…I wanted to help you. She would have left anyway…" Fabrizio said desperately, staring at his friends leaving. He followed them downstairs, having forgotten why he had come back home, what he had been doing altogether.

Tommy disappeared, saying something about having other plans and then he wished Jack luck. Jack was alone with Fabrizio, who kept following him, as he went to Tina's, apologized to her, said he had something else to do and then he hurried to the other side of town, the rich side, Rose's part of the world. All he could think about was touching her face, wipe away tears, make her smile again, make her feel lucky and not abandoned.

Fabrizio was breathing down his neck as he ran through the streets, but Jack didn't listen to him. In his improvised English, he tried to explain to Jack why he had done what he had done, but Jack didn't care, he just kept moving. He knew what Fabrizio's reasons had been and he didn't care. All that mattered was that he had to get to Rose, that he had to hold her in his arms and say that it was going to be all right.

"You not understand…her fiancé…he is there tonight."

Jack whirled around and stopped thinking about Rose for a second. Cal was there? Or was Fabrizio lying now?

"Jack, please believe me. He…came to the apartment a while ago. He said that when he see you come to Mrs. Brown's house, he would hurt her, take her back with him. He knows where we live, Jack. He knows everything and he just waiting to act."

Jack froze, his forehead crumpling up into wrinkles.

"Cal is there? Oh you better pray that he won't hurt her…if has harmed a hair of her head…you don't even want to know what I'll do to you and to him. Damn it, Fabrizio, why didn't you tell me? She needs me…more than ever…and you just have to come along and ruin it."

Fabrizio put a hand on Jack's shoulder, silently asking his friend for forgiveness.

"I thought she would break your heart. I'm sorry, Jack. I never meant to…I'm sorry."

Jack looked at him, as the people passed by him on the street, as the sounds of the city filled him and made him feel dizzy. Fabrizio had been his friend since the day they had met in the south of France, both on their way to Paris. Jack had never been to Italy, Fabrizio had always told him what a wonderful country it was, and how he wanted to go back there with Jack. Instead, they had managed to get to England and then win tickets to America, Jack's home and fatherland. They had always gotten along perfectly, been the best of friends…of course, there had been some problems when they had tried to talk to each other and Jack had had to learn some Italian to be able to understand his best friend at times, but it had been worth it. And now…because of one girl, one woman, it could be over.

"I…we'll talk about this later…" Jack said quickly. He couldn't concentrate on this now; he had to go to Rose.

"Jack, he's already there if he thinks we're on our way to her. He has people around Molly's house and around our place. He wants her back and he won't give up. I thought she'd be happy about it…" Fabrizio said slowly.

Jack inhaled deeply and then turned around, continuing to run. All that was in his mind was that he couldn't let Cal hurt her again, he couldn't let it happen. "He hit me…I'm sorry I came, I didn't know what to do." "Just hold me Jack." Images of her knocking on the door of his cabin that night, of her beautiful face covered in bruises, filled his mind and he kept on running, not caring that Fabrizio was behind him.

*****

The door closed behind Molly and Sean and Rose was alone in the hallway. Molly had had to go to a dinner party, leaving Rose with the house to herself. Molly had been reluctant to leaving her, but Rose had just said that Jack was coming anyway, if Tommy had convinced him to go, that is…she sighed lightly and headed back upstairs. She sat down on the bed and on a sudden impulse, she took out her bag from under the bed and started filling it with her belongings. Jack was coming and she knew it…she had to be ready to leave with him.

She was just putting down the last item in the bag when she heard something downstairs. Thoughtfully, she looked up, holding her hand over her bag as she strained her ears to hear what that had been. Maybe Jack had knocked on the door and she hadn't heard, so he had gone inside on his own? The door wasn't locked. Or was it?

She took a few steps towards the door and then walked downstairs, taking one step at a time. When she had reached the bottom floor, she just stood there, staring in shock. Cal was there.

"C-Cal…" she whispered, trying to sound secure, but her heart was beating so hard that she was sure that he saw it.

"Hello sweetpea…how are you?" he asked calmly as he walked up to her. He took her hand, ignoring her attempts to back away.

"I've come to take you home again. Your mother misses you and postponing the wedding didn't do any of us any good." Rose licked her lips nervously and tried to think of a way to avoid going with him. Why hadn't she asked Molly to let someone stay here with her? But it was the staff's night off and she was alone. Where was Jack?

As if Cal could read her thoughts, he smiled confidently at her. "Dawson is on his way, if that's what you're asking. But we'll be gone when he comes."

"No. No we won't," she said steadily and pulled her hand back, looking at him with eyes that could kill.

"Oh yes we will," Cal said warmly, but his eyes were as cold as ice. He shook her harshly and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the door.

"Let me go," Rose hissed and she hit his chest furiously, but he was much too strong. And she had already known that…he just held her, still smiling.

"Stop that, Rose. You don't want me to hit you again, do you?"

She just shook her head, remembering that it wasn't just about her now. She breathed in deeply and then she heard something…Jack's voice…

*****

Jack hurried through the large garden to the door, but when he heard Fabrizio's voice, he stopped running. "What?" he asked, partly annoyed, partly worried.

"Look," his friend whispered, pulling Jack closer to him. "It's one of Cal's men," he went on and Jack stared at the shadow guarding the door. He pushed Fabrizio away and made his way through the bushes.

"You're right," he breathed, panic rising in his heart. If Cal's men were here, that meant Cal was here and he had to get to Rose somehow. He had to. "Why are they here now? Why not earlier?" he asked.

"They were waiting until she was alone…and until you came to find her," Fabrizio answered him in a guilty tone of voice.

"Okay, Fabri, you go to the front door…I'll distract that man and then I'll go to the back door. Okay?" Fabrizio nodded and then Jack headed to the right side of the house.

Quickly, Fabrizio sneaked through the bushes, keeping his eyes on the man, still walking in the other direction, not noticing Fabrizio. He managed to open the front door, which to his surprise wasn't locked. He looked behind him once more and then stepped inside, almost gasping at the sight that met him.

Rose was standing below the stairs and her beautiful face was twisted in a grimace as she tried to break free from the man who was holding her. Guilt surrounded Fabrizio when he recognized the man. Cal. Fabrizio walked up to her, praying that Jack would manage to get inside soon, too.

"Let her go," Fabrizio said calmly and Cal turned around, pulling Rose along with him. Rose let all air out in one single breath, feeling her lungs burn at the lack of oxygen and she knew that if she didn't do something soon, Cal would hurt her…and Fabrizio. Her eyes widened when she realized that he was there. What was he doing here? Fabrizio of all people…where was Jack? Had she really heard his voice?

"How the hell did you get past my men?" Cal asked with a fiery rage and stared at the young Italian, his dark eyes flashing with anger. Fabrizio cursed his ignorant behavior inside and tried to lock eyes with Rose, trying to apologize. She just shook her head at him, silently asking him to leave.

It was as if time stood still as they looked at each other, but suddenly Rose turned around, trying to make Cal loosen his grip on her. She had heard noises from somewhere in the house and by the look on Fabrizio's face, it had something to do with Jack. What had happened now?

Chapter Eleven
Stories