Jack sighed as he looked in the mirror, "Damn.." He huffed, his precious niece was to die at his hands that night. "It's for the greater good, Jack, it's what needs to be done.." he muttered to himself as he ran his hands over his face, "Damn it Jack! Pull yourself together!"He hissed at himself as he looked at himself again.
The face of a young, innocent, Jack looked back at him. His face was still unscarred with the terror of war.
Jack saw a young version of himself in the mirror and began to cry, "I - I couldn't do that to her…I can't take that away from her."Jack sobbed as he looked at himself in the mirror as the delusion disappeared from the mirror.
"Who am I kidding? You´re not real! None of this is! Who says we aren't living within a snow globe!" Jack cried out.
Jack slammed his hands on his bathroom counter and got himself together, "It's okay, Jack, she'll have a quick, painless death… no suffering, fear, or confusion at all." he promised himself as he buttoned his shirt, grabbed his coat and put his handgun within it.
Jack had dropped Caroline with Art and Gray earlier that day 'while he was running errands.´, which was obviously a white lie but he thought Caroline was stupid enough to believe that.
Jack sighed as he fixed himself a ham sandwich and sighed as he wrote a letter.
'Dear, Robin
Though I was the one who killed you, I love you dearly. Though you know a lot about my life experiences due to me being open and honest with you, I might as well retell it.
I typically was a prankster as a child, and did pretty good in school, pulling the occasional prank here and there but; nothing god awful.
My brother and I were the standard siblings, constantly bickering back and forth but at the end of the day, we truly loved each other. As we grew up, we ended up getting into more and more trouble but when David was drafted into the army.. I think that was the fourth saddest day of my life. I coped, but I started to get into more and more trouble.
I think that's where everything took a turn for the worse.
I ended up in juvie five times before I turned 17 .I mainly was fighting at school, most of which took a grizzly end ( to me , not them, I broke my arm twice and five ribs) .
I went to fight in Vietnam when I was 17, that was the third saddest day in my life. While there, I made a few friends but in reality , they were just people who were nice , funny, and who were much stronger than I would ever dream of being at the time. When I found my brother while in Vietnam, it felt like a miracle , but in the end it ended up giving me years of nightmares, and stress. The day my Brother died was probably the second saddest day of my life. When I met Penny was probably one of the most life changing days of my life, it gave me the opportunity to meet you, Caroline, and everyone else. Now that the saddest day of my life is upon me, I have accepted it.
I'm so sorry for cutting your life short, but some secrets are better kept quiet.
Love,
Your Uncle Jack.´
Jack sighed as he folded the letter and then put it in an envelope.
Jack went back to his room and splashed his face with cold water, "It's okay, it's for the greater good…"He told himself as he looked in the mirror.
"Why can't I pull myself together?"He asked himself as he looked in the mirror.
Jack let his emotions go, and buried them deep within himself.
Jack got the fireworks for Sunny to set off and He sighed, he despised fireworks with a passion.
He didn't care that he was working with an enemy at that moment; because then He technically wasn't lying.
Jack went out to the garage and put the fireworks in his back seat, then went back into the house and called Sunny.
Sunny picked up the phone, "Hello? Sunny Williams speaking, how may I help you?"
"Hey Sunny, It's Jack… It's time."Jack said somberly.
"Oh… It's still light outside though.."Sunny told him as she looked outside, It was only Four O 'clock.
"It doesn't matter, by the time we get where we're going, it'll be night,"He told her.
"Oh, Okay, I'll be there in Five minuets alright? I just finished a job for Weasel so it might take me a minute."Sunny smiled happily.
"Alright..''He Sighed "Also , do me a favor.. Bring us some back up, She'll most likely try and run and we can't have that.''He Huffed.
"Noted, alright, I´ll see you later."She told him.
Ten minutes later, Sunny Knocked on Jack's door, and Jack answered it.
"Ya ready? It took you long enough…"Jack sighed.
"Sorry, It's a bit of a hassle to get blood out of this fabric, I swear…"Sunny Chuckled softly.
"It's fine, at this point half of my clothes are dedicated to work and work only since they've been stained out of recognition." Jack smiled, "I like your hair, It looks good when you do it like that."
"Really!? Thanks! Elizabeth and Monty taught me how to do it like this."Sunny told him.
"I know who Monty is, but who on earth is Elizabeth?"Jack asked her.
"Oh, Liz works on Intel, She's really good at hiding and blending into her surroundings, So even if you have seen her you probably wouldn't recognize her."Sunny explained to him.
"Ah, The Mink, She's pretty good at hiding, I've tried to chase her down before but she typically gets away.."Jack admitted.
"So, are we going to get this show on the road?"Sunny smiled.
"Yeah, let me call her…"Jack nodded.
Jack went back to his house phone and dialed the house number for the Xiara's, Penny picked up.
"Hello? The Xiara Residence, Penny speaking?"Penny said.
"Hey Penny, it's Jack, I'm ready for Birdie to head on over here."Jack told her.
"Aright, she's actually just gotten her license so She'll be driving herself over to your house, alright?''Penny Smiled, unknowing of what was about to happen.
"Alright, Penny, I'll talk to you later."He smiled.
Jack then hung up, "Jesus Christ, The child is driving now…"He chuckled.
"So is She going to drive herself?"Sunny asked
"Yes, because then, we can say that she said she was 'going to get something to eat before she came home' and then, we can say 'that we had already eaten so we didn't go with her and on the way there she was killed.' and honestly that's probably the most elaborate lie I personally have come up with.''Jack grinned.
"That is a pretty smart lie…"Sunny told him as she played with the curls at the end of her braids.
"The only thing we might get in trouble for, is me 'dating ' you. Amelia would understand why , and maybe help us get a free pass."Jack sighed softly.
"No other mobs are involved on this one, right?"Sunny asked skittishly, she hated dealing with Zeta and Would go to the ends of the earth to avoid it.
"We're using the Carmichael' s land , Stephan, Morton and Iris are also helping out as well. They've been allies of mine and the Mob for a long time…"Jack told her.
"Oh? So Why did That Robin Girl try to fight Iris Carrow then?"Sunny asked.
"You know about that too?"He laughed as he cracked himself open a sprite, and then chugged it.
"Yeah, it's pretty common knowledge now.''Sunny laughed as she looked at the walls, "You have Children?''She asked him as she saw the plaster hand prints of Jessica, Art, Robin and Caroline.
" Yes and No, I ended up taking in a few strays and they basically because my unofficial adopted children, and Caroline… Is a foster child of mine and Vip- Penny and Amelia are planning on adopting her next spring."Jack told Sunny.
"Ah , I see.."Sunny smiled, "I like kids, they're typically so wholesome.."
"The ones I end up taking in are never wholesome or pure...they always end up having some sort of issue and then they go down a wrong path.."Jack told her as he looked at pictures of Robin and Caroline together .
Despite Jack not having much family anymore, he had found one.
"I took in Jessica and Arturo when they were ten, their parents had died working for Penny about two years in with me working with Penny. Art and Jess watched their parents die so they obviously ended up with a lot of issues.."Jack Explained as Robin knocked on the door.
Jack slapped on a fake smile and went to welcome her, "Birdie, I heard you got your driver's license?''He asked Joyfully.
"I did, I had to take the test three times but I got it."Robin told him before stopping in her tracks, "Who's that?"She asked quietly.
"This is My girlfriend, Sunny." Jack lied, that was not his girlfriend, he was single as one would get out and preferred to stay that way.
"Oh.. How long have you two been going out?"Robin asked shyly as Sunny smiled and waved, the bandages on her arms showing.
"About Six months or so…" Jack told her, "She likes setting off Fireworks- I personally don't like to be in their line of fire, so-"
"-So I'm coming to help out, and maybe get to know you?"Sunny asked her.
"Sure, I don't mind."Robin nodded and smiled softly before she tied up her hair.
Robin looked at the couple, "So are we going to go - or?"She asked , "It's starting to get dark already.."
"Yeah, let's go."Jack nodded as he got his keys and Sunny followed him to his car.
"Your Girlfriend, seriously?"Sunny Chuckled playfully when she got into his car, sitting shotgun.
"Nope, It's the only thing Birdie would have believed though."Jack laughed as he got in the car, "She's been bugging me to go on a date with someone , honestly anyone, for months now so might as well give her what she wants before it's too late."He explained as he started to pull out of the driveway and pulled into the street.
"I mean, If you want , I would go out with you…"Sunny offered as her cheeks turned a nice shade of pink.
"Nah, relationships across mobs are too difficult, especially if they're rivals…"Jack sighed.
" I get that, but what if it brings them together?"Sunny asked.
"Fat chance, Sunny, I highly doubt that Penny will ever stop hating Weasel… and honestly, Weasel is probably going to get blamed for this …"Jack admitted.
"What did Weasel even do in the first place?"Sunny asked as she looked out the window.
"When we get back I'll tell you, it's a long story and you'll probably want to have a drink once you're done hearing it…"Jack cringed.
"I don't drink, what- so- ever, I only stopped two years ago because it became an issue for me."Sunny told him honestly.
"When did you start?"He asked
"1979… The year that Penny tore up my arms, I still have phantom pains from it.."She sighed.
"I remember..You put up one hell of a fight.."Jack sighed as he looked at Sunny´s bandaged arms, "Twelve years later and you still wear the bandages?"he asked her softly as he ran his hands over her bandages.
The bandages were no longer soft and clean but stained with faded blood, dirt, and grime. The bandages had lost their stretch long ago, and were now tough and flimsy, the small metal clasp that held the bandages in place was now rusty and bent out of recognition.
"Why do you still wear them?"Jack asked her softly, as she looked at him with soft eyes.
" I want to forget about that day… That was my first solo mission, and it wasn't even to protect the weasel. All the mission was, was to kill Penny or die trying." Sunny explained as she finally unwrapped her bandages, showing Jack her scars.
The scars from a Struggling Victim being held under water.
The scars from A Victim fighting back.
The scars from the Victim staining her body.
Sunny sighed, "She clawed the daylight out of my arms.. I remember going home and cleaning the cuts off and sobbing because of how deep the cut was." She told Jack as Robin´s car followed swiftly behind them.
"You probably could have benefited from stitches, I never realized how deep the cuts had actually gone.."Jack sighed as he ran his fingers over the divots in her arms , where Penny had once drugged her nails.
Most of the car ride there was silent after that, Sunny did turn on some music as she looked at the night sky.
"It's beautiful out tonight, there isn't a cloud in the sky.."She hummed as She played with her curly braids.
"You're right, maybe when we get stopped, I can show you some of the constellations that are visible this time of year.."Jack smiled, only as doubt came in, and his heart faltered.
Jack desperately didn't want to kill Robin, he watched her grow, but he had already crossed and burnt bridges.
Jack Let his heart grow cold, and he removed his hand from on top of Sunny's,
'Who am I to take the life of one young woman , just so many can survive?' Jack asked himself in his mind, 'who do I think I am? Who am I to think that she would allow herself to die? Robin is strong, and capable, she could out run me in a heartbeat… but yet I am the one assigned to bring it to an end..'.
"Jack? Are you okay?"Sunny called softly, hoping to bring him out of his trance.
"Y-yes, sorry, I zoned out.."Jack admitted softly as he put his cold hand back on top of Sunny's small , warm hand.
"It's okay, just hold on and as soon as we get this job done, we don't have to remember anything about this night ."Sunny told Jack promisingly.
Jack nodded and painted another fake smile on his face, "Alright, let just get it over with."
Jack used his cell phone and called Robin, "Hey, this next left turn is ours, get ready.."He told her.
" Alright!" Robin cheered, her eyes and voice were filled with the light and joy of a child, as she saw the left hand turn and turned her blinker on.
Jack sighed and hung up the phone, "Jesus Christ, I've been preparing this for months… So, why is this so hard?"He groaned as he turned in the field.
"Because, when you have the job we have : We have to do things we don't want to do, unless we want to be left in a ditch or shot in the leg.."Sunny explained to him.
Jack's phone rang,and He picked it up.
"Hello? Jack Kingston Speaking?"Jack said in a cheerful voice, like he wasn't going to commit a heinous crime.
"Hello, this is Morton and Stephan from the Carmichael residence, We were wondering how much longer?"Morton asked with his kind, honey-like voice.
"Morton! We just got here, if you could unlock the gate for us that would be splendid!"Jack chirped.
"Good, I'll be there, just give me a second." Morton told him before hanging up.
Morton was seen poking his head out of the front door and then trotting over to the gate, across the field.
His lovely Girlfriend came with him, following not too far behind, just wanting to say 'hello' to her employees.
Jack's stomach immediately turned when he saw the pale, tall, goddess like woman.
Her curls had fallen out by this time of day, and she was just wearing some gray sweatpants and a Red sweater.
Zeta graced Jack with a smile and a wave, 'The Lady of The Criminal Underground' was a lot less threatening when she wasn't all dressed up or on a business trip. In Fact, Zeta actually looked kind hearted, and soft, which she had grown away from.
Zeta gave Sunny a nod of approval and respect, and then she saw Robin in the car behind them.
Zeta had seen Robin a few times a year at this point, They only really saw each other at Business meetings, since Penny drug Robin along. Zeta was never a big fan of children, but Robin was the one exception.
Zeta had known Robin since she was nine and got to see her grow into a dangerously beautiful young woman, So knowing she had to go was painful.
Robin smiled softly and waved at Zeta, once she was able to see her and Zeta smiled back.
Zeta gave her a wave and a head nod of respect, and in her smile was sadness as Morton opened the gate for them.
Like a Lamb to the Slaughter, Jack led out Robin two miles into the field.
"She doesn't know, does she?"Zeta asked softly as she held Morton's hand, and looked at him with sorrow in her eyes.
"No, but, it's for the greater good…" Morton answered softly.
"I hate it when children die young, Mort…"Zeta hissed, the cold night air making her breath visible.
"I hate it too, Zeta, but, It's what has to happen...She knows what Amelia did and it would break Penny to know that´s who took her first wife away from her."Morton sighed as Stephan joined them.
Stephan, being from California had never felt it get this cold, "Jesus Christ! Is it this Cold every year?"He shivered.
"Yes Stephan, Now before shit hits the fan, Can you please go get the side by side out so, we can head on out there and give Jack some help?"Morton huffed before he looked at his girlfriend, "Babe, you go on inside and get ready for bed, I'll be right back.."
Zeta nodded and went inside, and watched from her fireplace after brewing a cup of apple cider.
Now from here , this story is split: from six different people , there are two different views.
This is the first.
Zeta sighed as she put on her fuzzy Christmas socks and looked at the Family Christmas Tree, decorated in Silver, Gold, and Dark Green. Iris smiled as she came back in from after her bath, she was in an old sleep shirt which was worn past recognition and some old yet comfortable sleep pants. Iris's dark, thick, curly hair was still in a turban like towel ; as though it was delicately placed there to dry.
Simmons also joined the two cousins in the living room, unlike Iris and Zeta, Simmons had to work overtime and drive Richard, Zeta's uncle, to Zeke Wallflower's house to get fitted for his suit and to pick up Zeta's dress for the upcoming gala.
Zeke was a long-time-friend of the Carmichael Family, and He was once one of Zeta's Best Friends while growing up.
"How was Zeke?"Zeta Smiled, anxious to hear about her dear friend.
"Zeke was slammed with orders for the Gala, He was working on the alterations for Penny Xiara´s dress when we got there." Simmons smiled as she took off her jacket and heels, leaving her barefoot and just in her skirt and blouse.
"Where's Stephan?"Simmons asked as she put up her hair in a velvet scrunchie, "You didn't send him out in this weather, did you, it's supposed to get into the single digits tonight…" Simmons yawned as she sat down and took an ibuprofen.
"He's out with Mort tonight, he and a few friends went to meet out in the field and they're going to set off some fireworks."Zeta answered happily as she stretched her legs and yawned.
"Oh! That's nice, we should go watch them from the back porch!"Simmons smiled as she got up and went to her room to change clothes.
The Carmichael Estate was an older house, so you could hear anything through the thin walls, this helped people not shout as much.
"It's too cold for that, We can watch from the window!"Iris chuckled
Simmons came back out with a hoodie and sweatpants, "If y'all aren't going to watch outside, then what's the point?"
Zeta nodded, "She has a point, Iris."Zeta nodded, "It isn't as pretty when you're inside." She stated.
"Fine…" Iris smiled playfully, "I'm going to get Dec and see if They want to come watch as well."
Rocco and Richard walked in, they were still dressed for work, They typically just forgot that they were wearing it .
"Hey Dad!"Iris smiled as she waved at him.
Richard smiled, "Hello, what are you three up to?"He asked, as his Brother started to make a grilled cheese sandwich.
"Simmons, Can you remind me to get some more bread and cheese from the store tomorrow?"Rocco sighed, though it wasn't heard , since the first firework was shot.
"Oh crap! They're starting now?"Simmons smiled as she sprinted to the back porch , grabbing her socks and boots.
"Yeah!"Iris smiled as she slid on her house shoes and walked out to see the show.
The rest of the Carmichael Estate Residence, Who happened to be home, all went outside.
Growing up, Zeta and Iris never had the pleasure of seeing fireworks so this was quite the treat.
Zeta looked out at the site where the child was scheduled to die, and heard a gunshot.
Iris's head whipped around and Zeta nonchalantly brushed it off, "It's probably just deer hunters.."Zeta smiled, a scream rang out.
there wasn't a way to hide it anymore.
The Second way the story could be told goes like this;
Sunny bitterly smiled as she held Jack's hand , "Are you sure You're the one who wants to take her out?"She asked him softly.
"It's only right, I don't want her to die alone.."Jack said as his hand shook.
When Jack first started his job within the mafia , His hands would violently shake before and after he went on missions. After 13 years of trauma , he became Numb: Numb to Love, Numb to regret, and Numb to fear. Jack's hands over time would stop shaking due to his numbness.
Jack sighed and flexed his hands and wiggled his fingers to make the feeling go away, but it didn't, it stayed.
At that moment, Jack decided that this place would be good enough, it was far enough away and no one could possibly hear it now.
Stephan and Morton joined the friends, after five minutes or so, Jack went to get Robin out of her car.
Robin smiled, "It's been so long since I've seen the night sky this bright, there are always typically city lights dimming the sky…"She smiled in disbelief as she looked up and found a good spot to put her picnic blanket down.
Stephan and Sunny went to set up the fireworks while Jack and Morton stayed close to Robin.
"I swear I know you from somewhere…"Robin sighed as she tried to remember where she had seen the honey haired man.
"We saw each other at the pool in Little Rock, when the hurricane rolled through.."Morton answered.
"Thank you for reminding me, I knew I remembered you from somewhere I just couldn't put my finger on.."Robin Smiled as Sunny set off the first firework, and a flash and pop of red stained the sky for just a moment.
Robin smiled and noticed that Stephan was gone now, but she paid no attention to it.
Robin got up so she could take a Polaroid picture of the fireworks when another went off.
Jack looked at her and nodded at Morton and Sunny , Sunny set another firework off and Jack cocked his gun.
To Jack's dismay, Robin's keen ears heard the click, and she looked down.
"Jack? What was that?"She asked as she started to back away.
Stephen, who was now hiding in the trees , loaded and cocked his gun as well.
Robin took off in a flat sprint, running as fast as she could, as set off her car horn but it couldn't be heard.
Sunny kept setting off fireworks to distract the locals from the noise as Robin darted into the trees, running as fast as she could.
Robin bolted down the hill and took a tumble, tripping over a log, the shinbone came out of her leg and busted through her knee cap. Robin yelped out, and started to cry as the adrenaline rushed through her body.
Robin limped her way to behind a tree and hoped that the men wouldn't find her, "Dear god, please let me live to see another day…"She cried softly as she heard the wind pick up.
Robin found the will and the strength to keep walking until she heard the crunching of leaves, and she dove to hide.
"Robin! Come on! I'm here to help you, It's okay!"Sunny lied as Jack followed close behind, staying silent.
Robin didn't believe her for half of a second, and she stayed still, praying they would go away.
Alas, No matter how the story is told, it all ends the same.
Jack saw Robin's blue ribbon fluttering in the wind and her converse sneakers, and managed to shoot her in the back of the leg.
Robin cried out and used all of her might to take off running again, and she went straight for the creek.
Jack and Sunny took off after her, while Mort and Stephan left, their job was almost done.
Jack and Sunny split off and were going to try and corner her, Jack came from in front and Sunny from behind.
Robin took another tumble and sliced her Achilles tendon, she wasn't going to be able to run anymore, but she crawled, praying she would make it through the night.
Robin saw Jack and panicked "Please Jack… don't leave me here to die, I just want to go home…" She sobbed as she looked up at him with pretty eyes.
" Oh Robin, only if I didn't have to do this.."Jack smiled as he held her chin up with his hand.
"Jack!? Please! No! This isn't fair… This isn't right…"Robin sobbed as she clung to him , "I don't want to die here, I'm only 17…I'm not ready to die.." She cried out.
"And I'm not ready to have you leave either, but..we don't all get what we want.." Jack huffed as he kissed her forehead, and picked her up.
"Put me down, damn it! " Robin shouted.
Jack huffed and propped her against a red oak tree, "I really don't want to have to do this…" Jack sighed as he unbraided her hair and stomped in her other knee cap to keep her from moving.
"Please don't kill me, I won't cause any more problems, I won't sneak out anymore, I'll try not to be annoying or too much of a hassle! I've only just been born, you can't kill me yet! Please..I'm scared…" Robin pleaded.
"I'm sorry, Birdie, I love you.."Jack told her before implanting a bullet in her forehead.
The life faded from Robin's eyes as blood trickled down her forehead, and onto her face.
Jack took a moment to respect the dead, He sighed and held her hands, "I'm sorry my love, but some secrets are better left unsaid.." Jack sighed as he hummed a lullaby his mother used to sing to him and his brother.
Sunny Saw her friend and the body, "Jack, we need to go…" She sighed, "Come on, I'll help you move the body…" She told him.
Jack nodded and got up, and helped Sunny pick the body up and then put her in the creek, tying her down to a log in the creek.
Jack sighed as he took her bracelet off of her wrist and put it in his pocket.
"You really did love her, didn't you?" Sunny asked softly as she submerged the body and put a giant rock on top of it.
"She should be secure now…" Sunny huffed as she went back to Robin's car.
"Who's going to do the honors of pushing the car in the lake?" Jack sighed as he found the keys on the ground.
"I'll do it.."Sunny hissed, as Jack tossed her the keys.
"Alright , I'll meet you back at the car.." Jack huffed.
An hour later Sunny came back "The car has been disposed of, lets go.." She sighed as she threw a jacket on, over her overalls and got in the Cordoba.
Sunny looked at Jack, "I know it's hard, I know it's a lot, but it's what had to happen."Sunny told him.
Jack nodded and held her hand, "Thank you."Jack sighed as he looked at Sunny, " Do you want to go get some food?" he asked her.
"Sure?" Sunny sighed as she jerked away her hand to take out her braid and looked out the window.
"Where do you want to eat?"Jack asked dryly, despair lingered in his voice
"What's available?" Sunny asked as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.
"Daisy Queen, Subway, honestly any fast food.."Jack sighed as he glanced at her, "I'll pay too, it's the least I can do for dragging you out here.." He told her.
"Thanks Jack, I appreciate it.." Sunny told him sleepily, as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Of course."Jack sighed as Sunny drifted to sleep , and he looked down at Robin's ribbon, "Jesus Christ…" He sighed.
Robin's voice haunted and Taunted him as he drove back to his house, Jack completely forgot about dinner on the two hour drive.
"Sunny?" Jack yawned as he pulled into the driveway.
"Yes, I'm awake, I was never asleep.." Sunny lied as she stretched her back out.
"We're back at my house, it's Eleven O'clock, there was a bad wreck on HI10, so It backed up some traffic." Jack told her as he fiddled with the ribbon and bracelet in his pocket, "I have to go pick up my kiddo…" He huffed.
" I'll go, Hey Jack? I know we're from different mobs and from different sides of our own worlds, but maybe we could be friends?" Sunny smiled, as she held his hands.
" Of course." He smiled softly.
"Aright, I'll see you later." She smiled as she waved and left.