While Jack was passed out on the couch; moved there with the help of Jeff and Harry and with some quick thinking I managed to save dinner and cook something edible from the mess that Lucy had created, my original plan for dinner being scraped so instead I made tacos with the left-over taco shells we had from when I last made them the week prior – lucky for me I buy extra –

"okay now everyone it's time to eat" I placed down two large plates, one with cooked mincemeat mixed with diced vegetables – they had to be because of the mess Lucy made of them – another plate had hard taco shells, the salad and cheese already placed there by Lucas once I had finished fixing it so it all looked neat "Jeff wanna help me get the fainter in a chair" he nodded at me, we moved Jack from the couch to the dining table, for someone who had a thin-looking body he was heavy as hell.

Once we had him in his chair, Lucy holding him up so he doesn't fall, I shook him awake and as his eyes fluttered open I lifted a spoon of mincemeat for him "here eat up" looking at the food Infront of him, his mouth opened slightly as if allowing me to spoon-feed him, which was nice for a change, that he wasn't being difficult. After spoon-feeding him some meat, he seemed to be able to hold himself "Lucy make sure he eats in small bites" I carefully handed him the spoon to make sure he was holding it before letting go.

I sat down on the other side of him, I turned to grab some food of my own and saw that the other three were all looking at me with open mouths "What?" I said sharply, they all looked away starting to eat as if they hadn't been staring at me. We all ate in silence, Jack while before acting like a cocky ass hat, was now eating as if my cooking was the best thing he'd had ever eaten; silently asking for seconds as he held up his plate to me, still chewing food, I knew he was just starving before but the way his face softened as he looked at me made my heart flutter – Wait? flutter? What am I some love-stricken book character – In truth, I wasn't used to this kind of attention from guys, sure Harry and Jeff were nice, but they never looked at me like that before. Jack seemed intrigued by the use of taco shells, he poked it before picking up a fork this time to eat it, and to no surprise, the shell broke and he got nothing on his fork, looking over to me, seeing me mid-bite and he seemed to understand that he needed to use his hands, which was cute in a way.

###

"Ah, so what are we going to do with him" Lucas was the first to break the strange silence that had fallen over the table, strange as normally it'd be too load with one of us making jokes and the other laughing their asses off "like he seems weird and he was in a park."

"he's not some lost puppy, he's a person," I said sternly, if this was going to be the conversation I needed to behave as mature as possible – and it didn't help that for the last ten minutes he behaved like a lost puppy – "do you have anywhere to go" I turned to him if anything I could help him get home and out of my house before anything strange, well stranger then what was currently happening, happened.

"yeah" he started, well that was good I could give him some money and send him off "here" I could feel my brain stall as he spoke "I will stay here, since I need you to fall in love with me" I dropped the half-eaten taco in my hand, for a second I thought he said that he needed me to fall in love with him, I must of miss heard him, there's no way a complete stranger would want me to fall in love with him this really isn't some weird comic or novel about love, stuff like that doesn't happen "since you were the first one I saw" he continued as if the falling in love wasn't the strangest part it was all because I saved him "it's part of my deal I made with the gatekeepers"

His eyes locked with mine, as if waiting for me to accept what he had just said "ah" was all that could escape through my mouth, leaving it hanging open as if waiting for me to give it a command, but my mind was blank, just before I had been getting flustered over his naked body, with him making fun of my wondering eyes and now he wanted them to be wondering over his body, he wanted me to love him, to love someone was to show them everything, I had seen all of him and if he wanted me to love him, did he want to see all of me too. Was I overthinking this, but wait, he said it was a part of a deal with someone, I'm lost what was I meant to say to this, my head was full of too many questions, I couldn't find anything to say no matter how much I wanted to. My brain needed to reboot or something I just kept looking at this man, he's attractive and an ass but what I don't understand is the why.

"Gatekeepers?" Lucas's voice broke through the tension that had hung over us all "who are they?" he was just a kid he probably didn't understand what the stranger before him had just asked of me, to love him as if it meant nothing, he was only fourteen I didn't need him knowing this aspect of my life.

"The ones in charge of the gates between each world" Jack's voice was distant, even though he was right next to me "you are but one of many who look and act like you, most humans are, it's a pain to think you all act like you're special, when there are a limitless amount of you that are having this conversation in one way or another but I guess the lucky part for you is there is only one of me"

I wanted him to stop talking, he didn't make sense, nothing about this whole day made sense, it was such a normal day, I worked a double shift at work only to be back in the one place I didn't want to be, where I had lost them, where Lucas was always hoping they'd come back when they were actually in two jars above the decorative fireplace, nothing more than ashes, but Jack kept talking as if he had this conversation a thousand times "I said I was a reaper, but I belong to the clan of reapers, the best in soul collection, by far the best trained under the grate Grim himself before he threw away his life to protect you pathetic lot, might I add, but now I am here just like the lot of you, just because of a stupid mistake that didn't matter, you lot reproduce faster than rabbits, and are twice as destructive."

I didn't know if he stopped talking or if I had zoned out too much to even hear him anymore, I was alone with my thoughts the only thing to keep me company, why had what he said affected me so much, I've been in love before and said the words myself, please to the guys who never wanted me. One-night stands or just something on the side if they needed it when their girlfriends or wives wouldn't in their words put out. Lucy had saved me from it all, after finding me in a back ally, I hadn't seen her since middle school, how many years had it been two? Or maybe three? She found me, beaten and bloody, and I'm ashamed to admit but butt naked; hidden behind a dumpster, moaning as I curled around myself – I could feel something leaking out and it made me fear ever finding out what came next – she had been walking home with her latest projects she wanted to submit to an art program, a quilt, a masterpiece I bet, but she had used it to cover me as she walked me to a hospital, it got soaked with blood, mud and anything else that had covered my pathetic body. She said it wasn't a big deal but she had saved me the last bit of respect I had that day, pulling me back from the dark, the dark I craved, the eyes I had seen pulled me there, calling to me, but I had stayed there too long and wasn't able to escape without help and since then she made me promise not to go out in the middle of the night, guilt-filled my mind as she reminded me what I would be leaving for Lucas to discover and he'd be all alone in it and then she hugged me as the doctors and nurses rushed around me, putting needles in me, all looking me as they judged me, she was the only one who stuck by me. She kept me on the straight and narrow, even trying to convince me to go back to school but I couldn't I had missed too much. So she got me a job at one of her uncle's restaurants, a small one but I was treated well and I was given much leeway in the early days of my recovery she always came to visit, but never asked questions about what had happened that day, and I was glad because I couldn't remember myself, I didn't want to think too much about it and yet just one word 'love' brought it all back to my mind as if it was just yesterday.

"Sam" I was pulled from the depths of my own madness, a trap I never escaped easily, I looked to see that I had fallen from my seat, Lucy was over me, she looked worried as she did that day, her eyes watery and red, she was too kind "oh thank god, you just fell over" she tried to hold a smile, she knew all too well about my blackouts, she had worked me through them many times before.

"is he okay?" I heard a voice ask her, I was still coming back from the darkness, it had been a while but it was still as familiar as my ability to give up control "he just fell" another voice sounded causing her to look up, her voice I could hear but the others were distorted possibly because they were guys and she was a girl.

Lucas came into view, Lucy moving out of the way to allow him to get closer and that's when I saw him; just a glimpse between Lucas and Lucy, Jack, he looked at me, I thought I saw a worried look across his face but it must have just been my eyes as I looked closer it just appeared to be a smug smile, he was enjoying my breakdown.

"Yeah, I'm fine" I managed, though it probably came out all fumbled as, if the way I moved could say anything, my mouth wasn't fully mine to control.

Lucy looked to Jack as she helped me back into my seat, I could tell she wanted to ask him to leave, probably scream it at him, she was strange that way, she'd be fine making jokes about me and hot guys, even going so far as to be turned on by violent ones, she once told me it was her guilty pleasure but she drew the line when it came to me and my breakdowns, I once watched her make a guy regret being a guy, once he had pushed me over trying to impress her.

"I think you should –"

"it's okay Lucy" I cut her off as if I could stop her, but she stopped, looked at me, waiting for me to speak "he can staythe night, but just tonight" it's all I could manage to say as I got up and walked out of the room. As much as he was an ass, he did save me, I didn't realise it before, but I didn't drag myself out of that lake, he did and then he collapsed, no wonder he was being an ass, he must have been exhausted, since he looked so peaceful when asleep, almost dead. Then again, I am just making up reasons to look past his behaviour am I still that sick.