Jacob's Thread Archive/Epilogues

[Jacob Cunningham]

Lightweight - Jacob goes out drinking with an encouragement from an old friend, but what he finds is more than just drunken antics and celebration for the new job.

[Epilogue]

Jacob awoke in his bed, and immediately his head felt like a series of grenades were going off in it in very slow motion. The light from his window was way to bright, he was sick to his stomach, and everything sounded like it was trying to kill his ear drums. It was hangover time.

"Uuuugh..."

It looked like he managed to get into bed from the couch, and that he had somehow made it back home from the bar. His memory was fuzzy. As he looked in the mirror, and saw that he was still fully dressed, crimson vest and all, he remembered that Dimitri had helped him back home. But did Dimitri clock him in the head too? There was a noticeable bruise on his forehead that was not helping his headache and baffling Jacob.

He brought up a hand to feel the bruise but his eyes caught something else. Gripped in his hand was a crinkled piece of paper, a note or something. Opening it up, he saw a series of mysterious numbers and a letter "K".

Slowly it all came back, then it hit him. Kara. Meeting her on the dance floor, her honey-colored hair, the kiss they had shared. Everything after that. Him hitting his head on the streetlamp.

He remembered. It was a relief to remember her, to know that she may have meant something to him enough to warrant her place in his head. Then again, he also remembered how young she was and he was starting to recall the feelings of why they didn't go farther than one kiss. This was going to be difficult.

But for now. Coffee. Black.

[Jacob Cunningham]

Sober Shoulder Work Better - Jacob meets up with the girl he met at the bar. At first, there seems to be a chance for them, only to find that it would not work out. Something that's mostly his fault. (Follow-up to "Lightweight")

[Epilogue]

"Sounds like a case of 'coming on too strong', son."

After the, frankly, disaster in the park with Kara. Jacob needed to talk to someone lest he either find himself sad or enraged for some reason. It sounds like an extremely feminine thing for him to do, but Jacob wasn't exactly in the mood to care. The person he decided to call was his dad, Issac. After recalling the entire tale, starting at the bar, his father's response was even-measured and slightly dismissive.

"But I thought she'd like to hear that. Y'know, break through the barriers and stuff. Get to the real Kara."

"I can see where it sounds good in theory, but some women want to keep that facade up for awhile while you gradually learn the real woman."

"I guess..."

"Plus, it kinda sounded like she was still in her wild phase. Stability just ain't her thing."

"Never thought about that..."

"Which should come as no surprise since she was SEVENTEEN YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU."

Issac didn't actually yell at Jacob but the pressure behind his voice made Jacob pull the phone away from his ear reflexively.

"... I was wonderin' when you'd get on my ass about that."

"It ain't too big a deal, I suppose, unless it turns into a pattern, Jake. Seriously, ain't no son of mine is gonna be THAT guy who dates eighteen year olds."

"Yeah you don't have to worry about that, dad."

That was kind of lie. Jacob was mostly done with younger women in the sense that he would no longer try and find that real connection he wanted in them. Maybe he would date younger women for the sex, MAYBE, but that was all. From here on out, if Jacob wanted to find an emotional connection, he'd aim for women closer to his age.

"I know you're tryin' to rekindle what you felt for... Cassie, but that ain't gonna happen overnight at a bar, Jake.

"Yeah... Yeah... I know..."

[Jacob Cunningham]

Remembering the Past - After school, Jacob runs into an old student and finds out that all things might not be going as well for her as he would have predicted. Also, apparently Jacob has become terrible with women.

[Epilogue]

Jacob finished washing his face in the bathroom connected to his own bedroom. Looking into the mirror, he could almost see the many thoughts buzzing around his head through his own eyes. Having Amita living with him was going to be a big change, and he was already wondering how he would adjust. Top of the list was getting used to the idea of having a teenage girl sharing an apartment with him.

For the first time since he bought the apartment, he was now actually getting use out of having two bathrooms and bedrooms in the suite. Amita was using the other bedroom and he basically let her have the bathroom out in the hall, so he didn't risk walking-in on her accidentally if her presence in his house slipped his mind for some reason. Fortunately for her, Jacob still kept his old bed from when he lived in a smaller apartment, so she could use that one, leaving Jacob with the larger one he bought just for the new place.

Of course he wasn't going to pull anything on her. She was his former student and waaaaay too young for him. Besides, he didn't feel anything like that for her. Hell, it was almost like she was his own kid, and she probably could have passed as such.

But whatever the case and whatever the circumstances, at least she was off the streets and maybe making her first steps towards living a stable life. She had protested, but Jacob this was for the best. Just one step at a time.

[Jacob Cunningham]

Taking a Chance - The attempt to try and provide a safe place and lifestyle for his former student, Amita, ends in a revelation and acceptance of her chosen path to maturity. (Follow-up to "Remembering the Past")