Project S.T.A.T.I.C. Part 5: The Asylum

Jake walked into the main room of Eclipse to find Beth talking with Jaosn beside the computer system they’d built. Rebecca and Pam were over by the bar chatting, and he could hear Jason cussing as Beth tried to get the systems working. The smell of eggs and sausage was filling the air. The smell was bittersweet. On the one hand it meant they were going to eat well this morning. However, it also meant that Pam was hoping to mask the bleakness of their situation. Then again, things hadn’t exactly been on the upswing since they’d made it back to their world. The biggest win they’d had was taking the club for themselves, but that victory was wearing thin given the state of their progress.

“Piece of shit,” Jason grumbled, walking away from the monitors for a moment, “Would it have killed you two to make something that didn’t require a degree in jerry-rigging?”

“Hey, we worked with what we had,” Beth argued, flipping the switches under the table, “We needed something that would keep us from getting caught broadcasting, and this is about the best that we could do, alright? If it means that it only works eighty percent of the time, it’s better than nothing. Dammit, which one was it again?”

“You don’t even know which one it is!” Jason snapped.

“Flip the two on the left, then the one on the right,” Jake chimed in, “Hold the button down for thirty seconds then flip the switches in reverse order.”

“About damn time you decided to join us, Blackridge,” Jason sighed, watching as Beth followed Jake’s instructions, “Why the hell did you two decide to make this thing so complicated?”

“It’s just routing the power through the right breakers,” Jake replied, “It’s the best we could do considering we spliced together different types of scrap tech. If we can retake the Birdcage at some point then I might be able to do better.”

“Yeah, you’re assuming that things are going to be just like you left them,” Jason scoffed, “Tellar is working with the Brunswicks and Ritters which means they know where your cave is. The safe bet is that they’ve either scrapped everything, or that they’ve moved the bulk of the equipment that was under there. Either way, I wouldn't bank on there being much of anything useful down there.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing down there we can’t use,” Jake countered, sitting down beside Beth, “Here, let me have a go at it.”

“Fine,” Beth sighed, getting up, “I’ll grab you a plate. For the record, Jake’s right, Jay. There’s more than just computers down there. You might have a point about them dismantling and scrapping things, but there’s a lot of stuff down there we can make use of that I’m betting they’d overlook. It might only be small stuff, but the two of us can make something out of nothing. Well, the three of us, I guess.”

Jake flipped the switches in the order he’d given Beth and got back to his feet. The screens flickered to life and Jake typed in the password to unlock the system. “There we go,” he said, gesturing to the keyboard, “You should have everything you need now, Jay.”

“Come eat, genius,” Beth called to Jake from the bar, “You need your strength.”

Jake wasn’t going to argue with his friend. He let Jason work on the computer while he grabbed his plate from the bar. Jason opened the working map of the city they’d been constructing since they’d begun their scouting while Jake shoveled in a forkful of eggs. He took a seat close to Rebecca and watched Jason work. Not long after setting up their make-shift computer system, they’d pooled together old maps and intel to build a living map of the new Metropolis. It was constantly evolving, but it had given them an advantage when plotting routes and strike points. They had identified hot zones, safe havens, choke points, factories, and potential places of interest throughout the sprawling concrete jungle.

“Did you sleep well, Jake?” Pam asked.

“Well enough,” he shrugged, “Do we have any new updates?”

“Jay has something, but you need to slow down, Jake,” Beth said, “You’ve been pushing yourself too hard lately. We can’t-”

“Win if we’re not all at full strength,” Jake rolled his eyes, “You, Rebecca, and Ash have all been saying the same thing. I’m not going to argue, but I can rest while we plan.”

“It’s rare that you two agree on anything,” Pam said, walking out from behind the bar and pushing Jake down onto one of the stools, “We are worried about you, Jake. We lost you not that long ago, and we don’t want to go through that a second time if we can help it. We are facing odds greater than anything we’ve ever seen, and we cannot afford to make our first move unless we are at one hundred percent. There is a good chance that once we start our assault in earnest that we won’t have time to catch our breath.”

“Which is why we need to have as many safe zones and choke points mapped out as possible,” Beth pointed out, “In order for us to stand a chance, for us to save our people and survive, we need to have places to fall back. So, sit down, shut up, eat something, and then go back to bed, dumbass.”

She’d added the last part with a hint of mirth and a grin. However, it was clearly lost on Rebecca who frowned and got to her feet, “Do not sit there and insult him, Elizabeth.”

“Huh?” Beth frowned, “What the hell are you going on about now? I’m joking with my friend, you overgrown asshat.”

“Here we go,” Pam sighed, stepping between the two of them, “Both of you take a moment and breathe before this escalates into something it doesn’t need to be. Rebecca, why don’t you ask Jake if he took offense to what Beth said?”

“Yeah, let him speak for himself,” Beth crossed her arms and grumbled.

“And you need to control yourself,” Pam cut her eyes at Beth, “Just because she overreacts doesn’t mean you need to jump to being aggressive.”

“She started it!” Beth argued.

“I don’t care who starts it,” Pam sighed, looking back at Rebecca, “I would be saying the same thing if the roles were reversed. Our only chance at victory comes from us standing united as one. You two being at near constant odds with one another doesn’t inspire confidence for our side.”

Beth stared at her girlfriend for a moment as she turned back to face her. She bit her lip, crossed her arms, and huffed after a long moment, “Fine…”

“It will never cease to amaze me how you can get her to go along with damn near anything you say,” Jason remarked.

“Screw you,” Beth glared at him, “She doesn’t have total control over me, asshole.”

“No just the big things,” Jake chuckled.

“Don’t be a dick,” Beth rolled her eyes.

“I personally find the loyalty you have to your mistress inspiring,” Rebecca admitted.

“You’re gonna join in on this shit too?” Beth asked.

“I’m being sincere, Elizabeth,” Rebecca countered, “I understand it may be difficult for you to believe, but the way you follow her commands and cooperate is refreshing. Your relationship, even with all the ups and downs you’ve had, gives me hope that things can work for people like us.”

Beth frowned at Rebecca’s comment, “People like us?”

“She means like her and I,” Pam clarified, sensing the sincerity in her former mentor’s mood, “While a lot has changed, I earned my place and learned much of what I’ve used with you throughout my stay with her as a disciple, Kitten. I learned more from friends and fellow students, but that I was close to being her right hand when we found one another.”

“It reminds me that not everything I believed was born from darkness,” Rebecca explained, looking away, “I don’t expect any of you to understand, but it isn’t necessarily easy for me to distinguish between what was me and what was Lilith. There is a sense of hope that I get from seeing how both of you have grown and how happy you are.”

“This is moving and all, but let’s focus on the task at hand,” Jason said, “Everyone form up. I’ve got some new information that you’re going to want to see.”

Jake scooped up what was left of his eggs and picked up the last two pieces of sausage from his plate. He walked over to get a closer look at the screen and what Jason was doing. Rebecca was close behind him followed closely by Beth and Pam. Jason had opened the map of Metropolis and navigated to the outskirts of the city. “What are we looking at here?” Jake asked.

“While I was out there, I picked up some chatter on the radio,” Jason explained, pointing to the suburbs, “Apparently, there were a number of patrols that have gone missing in this area. So much so that the Brunswicks have pulled back on sending people and resources out that way.”

“Hold up, I know that subdivision,” Beth said, walking up and looking closely at the map, “That’s where Alexis was hiding out last year. Back when I first donned this whole new persona and we were working together, she was holed up in an old house outside the city. It’s been a while, but I’m pretty sure that’s the area where that house was.”

“Do you think that’s where she’s been hiding?” Jake asked.

“Hard to say, but considering how she typically operates, it’s not outside the realm of possibility,” Jason admitted, “It’s not the first time that I’ve heard some pretty grisly reports over the last year. From what I’ve been able to tell, that entire block has been treated as a lower priority. At first I thought it was because they were focusing on their infrastructure and building up their strongholds. However, based on some of the talk I’ve overheard and reports I’ve read, I’ve been starting to suspect that there might have been something keeping them out of that area, or rather someone. Given that news of Jake’s death wasn’t exactly kept a secret; hell they relied on it to remind people their hero was gone for the first three months.”

“You think Alexis was working from the shadows,” Pam surmised.

“Similar to what she was doing when I began to seize control of Metropolis when Jake defected to my service last year,” Rebecca added.

“Again, it’s one of those things that I don’t have a lot to go on outside of speculation, but that’s what I’m leaning towards,” Jason sighed, “It would make sense given how unhinged she is on a good day. Blackridge’s death would have pushed her over the edge, or rather further over the edge. Combined with that little psycho she had running alongside her, and you’ve got a pretty twisted and deadly combination.”

“You haven’t bothered to check out that side of the city?” Jake asked.

“It was too far out of the way for me to make much use of that area,” Jason shrugged, “Getting in and out of the city didn’t seem plausible when it was just me. It was better for me to focus my efforts locally. Our friends are being kept here in the city, and Aleixs has been in the wind since this started.”

“So why now, Jason?” Jake asked.

“Like I said, when it was just me it wasn’t worth the effort,” Jason replied, “I’m not saying that we go after it immediately, but with there being five of us now, it might be worth considering. Especially since we’ve got two magic users to boot, we can move in and out with relative ease. If there’s a chance we could bring that crazy time-bomb back into the fold for us, then it’s worth it.”

“You’re assuming she’d work with Rebecca,” Pam said, nodding at her friend, “Nevermind their past, Alexis isn’t known for working with people that share romantic affections for Jake.”

“You’re also assuming she’s still going to be there,” Beth pointed out, “We spent years fighting against her, and it’s not likely that she’s going to wait around longer than necessary.”

“Unless she has a death wish,” Jake frowned, “If she thinks that the both of us are dead and gone, then there’s a chance that she might have given up.”

“I don’t believe that,” Beth shook her head, “If she was completely alone then maybe, but as crazy as Miri is, she wouldn’t let her give up.”

“You’re putting an awful lot of stock in what-ifs, Beth,” Jake sighed.

“She wouldn’t just give up,” Beth argued, “I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but you and I both know how strong she is.”

“I cannot believe I’m saying this, but Elizabeth may have a point, Jake,” Rebecca spoke up, “While she and I have had countless differences, I can acknowledge the strength of her spirit and determination. I can also attest to the surprising amount of strength that hatred and grudges can lend one. They can be powerful motivators in the face of despair.”

“This is detracting from the original point,” Pam cut in, “There is no guarantee that she is still there, but there could be useful supplies in that house. Alexis was a chemist, a scientist, and a novice in the arcane. There is a good chance that we could find a slight trove or cache of items that we could use there. The immediate question is whether or not we should make this our next step or not, though.”

“That brings me to my next point,” Jason interjected, typing in coordinates on the map, “I still don’t have high hopes for what we’ll find in the Birdcage, but I picked this up off one of the busted drones while I was out.”

Jason pulled a thumbdrive out of his pocket and plugged it into the laptop. A different application opened up and Jason began scrolling through various messages that appeared on screen. “What’s this?” Pam asked.

“How I passed the time while I waited for the shit storm to pass,” Jason answered, “It’s some communication logs from Duchess, Babydoll, and someone calling themselves EvilEye.”

“EvilEye?” Beth repeated, “Ingrid…”

“That miserable little…” Pam growled, stopping herself before her emotions got the better of her.

“Ingrid?” Rebecca repeated, looking at Pam, “Dare I ask who this woman is that’s earned Pamela’s disdain?”

“She’s an entitled, demented, selfish, and arrogant little techie,” Pam spat.

“Here we go,” Jason rolled his eyes, leaning against the table and waiting for another emotional outburst to blow over.

“She’s a hacker,” Beth clarified, trying to ignore Pam’s blatant bias, “She had, or rather has, a pretty big crush on me. Did you see that giant robot that attacked the city before the Brunswicks made their move?”

“I heard about it, but I was on the other side of the city then,” Rebecca shrugged, “That was her?”

“It was her final attempt to rid Beth of the person that actually cares about her,” Pam growled, “I should have finished her when I had the chance.”

“Pam, please,” Beth sighed, “She was already indebted to Eva when you took her down. We don’t know why she’s fighting alongside them.”

“I need a minute,” Pam frowned, stepping away and walking down the hall.

“I’ll pull up the relevant messages while we wait, I guess,” Jason sighed, “Can you people go a few hours without arguing or letting your emotions get the better of you?”

“I’ll go talk to her,” Jake said, nodding at Beth who offered a thankful look.

“I take it this is a bit of contention between the two of you?” Rebecca asked, stepping closer to Beth.

Beth bit back the sarcastic comment that threatened to spill out. For once, she was certain that Rebecca wasn’t being antagonistic. “Sadly, yeah,” she replied, “I’m stuck in the middle too. I get Pam’s side of things, I do. Ingrid abducted me, held me hostage, molested me, and then kidnapped both Jake and Pam.”

“This was the girl that had them hooked into those chairs!” Rebecca gasped, “This girl tried to steal you from Pamela and simultaneously tried to imprison and kill Jake, yet you defend her?”

“It’s complicated!” Beth snapped, taking a deep breath, “Look, I blame myself for what Ingrid has become. She asked me out years ago, but I turned her down because I wasn’t into women. I still wasn’t when Pam took possession of me, and I still don’t know if I’d identify as a lesbian outright. I love Pam, I do, but it’s not the fact that she’s a woman that attracts me.”

“How is this relevant?”  Rebecca asked.

“Right, I’m getting sidetracked,” Beth sighed, “I never came out and told Ingrid. Granted, she and I grew apart after I rejected her, but I still thought of her as a friend. She was a nice girl, a little nerdy and weird, but I don’t have room to talk. She found out through Dr. Murray, Eva, and all those other dick-bags that I’m not only dating a woman in a long-term relationship, but that I’m also the Feral. I lied to her, kept her at a distance, and all because I was off-put by the prospect of her making things awkward. I don’t know for sure, but maybe if I’d have tried to talk to her before all this then maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“What makes you so sure?” Rebecca asked, more curious than accusatory.

“Some of the things she said and did when it was just the two of us,” Beth admitted, “I’m not gonna stand here and say it excuses what she did, but I could see it in her face when she pushed me too far, you know?”

It was something that hit home harder than Beth realized with Rebecca. She could remember many times when she’d overstepped or pushed too hard with Jake. The times when her emotions had gotten the better of her. As nice as it would have been to blame all of her bad decisions on demonic influence, she knew that it wasn’t all because of that. There were plenty of times where her passion and possessiveness overrode her care and concern for the man she loved. 

“Ingrid and I were friends, and I’d like to think that one day we could go back to that,” Beth sighed, “I probably sound stupid and gullible, huh?”

“Actually no,” Rebecca admitted, surprising both Beth and Jason who was half-listening from the corner, “Let’s keep this between us, but I think you could be right about this girl.”

“Believing someone can be good doesn’t make up for them working with the people wrecking your city,” Jason said, “Her motives don’t matter when she’s actively working with Voidfoot and her sick sister.”

“If that’s the case then we shouldn’t have ever worked with half the people we’ve fought alongside,” Beth countered, “Alexis is probably the best example of that, with Havoc being a close second. Again, I’m not saying that we need to excuse her, but I don’t think that we need to rule out the possibility that she can change or be saved.”

“I doubt she’s just a victim in all this,” Jason said, “Given what we know about her, and what’s in some of these messages, it’s a safe bet that she’s the one programming and controlling these annoying ass drones and surveillance tech we’ve been running from.”

“So we should treat her like we would the Brunswicks and Courtney?” Beth asked, casting a glare at Jason, “Does she deserve to die because she’s mixed up in all this?”

“I’m not saying that,” Jason shook his head, “But you know as well as I do, Beth, that sometimes good people get dragged down by the bad guys. You need to be prepared for the possibility of-”

“I won’t kill her,” Beth cut him off.

“Then you’re more of a fool than I give you credit for,” Jason shook his head, “You need to accept the fact that you can’t save everyone, Beth. That’s one thing that she taught me that I never lost. The more time has passed, the more I’ve come to believe that you can’t save everybody.”

“That doesn’t mean we don’t try,” Jake’s voice cut through the tension, “We didn’t give up on Pam, we haven’t given up on the rest of our group, and we won’t give up on everyone in their organization unless we have to.”

“Speak for yourself,” Pam huffed, throwing her shoulder into Jake’s as she stormed past him, “I’m willing to give her a chance, but should she cross me again, I won’t hesitate to put her down.”

“Pamela,” Rebecca said, hoping to appeal to her friend’s rational side.

“You do not get to lecture me on this matter,” Pam snapped, “You are the absolute last person that has any right to tell me I should show mercy. Did you show it to Alexis? What about Ashley? What about me when I helped him escape?!”

“Pam!” Beth shouted, interrupting the growing tirade that was brewing.

“I don’t need you to defend me, Elizabeth,” Rebecca cut her eyes at her friend, “I know the person that I was, Pamela. I haven’t forgotten the things that I’ve done. It’s not something that I take pride in, but it’s something that haunts me. I am not going to lecture you, but I will caution you from letting your emotions get the better of you. Some regrets are easier to live with than others, but I don’t want you to have to figure that out.”

“Are we done here?” Jason asked, “You four can keep fighting, but I’d like to cover this briefing and get some rest before we waste the whole damn day.”

“Pam, please, can we talk about this later?” Beth asked as her girlfriend got close, “Please…”

Pam looked at Beth for a ten uh se moment. She could sense the desperation and the pleading sincerity radiating from her pet. She didn’t like it, and she definitely didn’t agree with the idea of sparing Ingrid. However, it wasn’t something she needed to decide on right now. “We are not done talking about this,” Pam eventually lamented.

Pam reached out and pulled a handful of chairs over to the desk for all of them to take a seat. Beth did something that surprised Jake and Rebecca; she mouthed a silent thanks to her as she sat down beside Pam. The tension was still apparent, but even so, Pam placed a hand on Beth’s thigh in a silent assurance. Jake took a seat on the other side of Beth and Rebecca chose to stand beside her friend. Once everybody was settled, Jason walked back to the computer.

Jason heaved a sigh as he opened the messaging threads on the computer and resumed his initial briefing, “Alright, now that we’re finished with that for now, let’s get back to work. Like I was saying, one of the bots I picked up had a communications log in it. Apparently, Duchess has been working to funnel people and other subjects to Babydoll. I don’t know what Murray has been working on, but she’s been getting a steady stream of patients from Ritters. This Ingrid chick has been going through and assisting with the transport.”

“What’s this got to do with my home and our friends?” Jake asked.

“A couple of things, actually,” Jason answered, “If you’d shut up and let me finish, I’d have already answered. The first is that there’s a manifesto of people that are being shipped at the manor. They’re picked up at the same time each week and they’re taken to the same location before being moved to wherever Murray has her lab set up. Ritters still has your butler badass, Sam, and Zoey tucked under her thumb. They haven’t been sent to Murray’s funhouse; she’s not going to give up her playthings.”

“You don’t mean that she’s been abusing them all this time, do you?” Jake asked.

“As far as most everyone is concerned, Jake Blackridge has been dead and gone for over a year,” Jason explained, “Amelia had a fixation on Jake that rivaled the worst offenders out there, Goth and Footgirl included. She wanted nothing more than to use him and make her into her personal toy. With him gone, Sam was the closest she could get. She’s a lot of awful things, but above all else, she’s cruel and sadistic. You know the type of person she is, all of you do.”

Jake clenched his fists at the thought of his sister enduring more torture and sadism. Eva had nearly broken her while she was masquerading as Meg Myers. He’d been gone for over a year now, and Sam had been paying the price because of her relation to him. “You’re sure that they’re still there?” he asked, trying to keep his composure.

“She’s not going to give up her toys, and she still has the twins working under her,” Jason frowned, “I don’t have access to the manifestos and records, but I’d put money down that they’re there. It’s not all of our people, but it’s a start. If we take back the manor, we can get them out and get a possible lead for our next move. You know as well as I do that people on the bottom are overlooked.”

“You’re thinking that Sam and the others have overheard some key parts of their plans,” Beth added.

“People in power are often arrogant and let details slip,” Jason shrugged, shooting Rebecca a knowing look, “People like us are eventually seen as objects rather than actual people. With Ritters having the ego that she does, I’m willing to put money down that she’s let a few things slip.”

Rebecca decided not to comment on Jason’s deliberate jab. Instead, she tried to focus on rescuing more of their team, “What’s your plan for dealing with her guards and patrols?”

“She’s operating with a skeleton crew,” Jason answered, “I’ve been watching the place for months before you all came back. I thought that I might have been overlooking things, but she has those two twins and the bots from the Brunswicks.”

“Why would she do that?” Beth asked.

“It removes the chance for human error,” Rebecca shook her head, “It also means there are no witnesses for her more depraved acts. I doubt that the sisters and their allies much care for what she does with those under her, but the fewer eyes and ears that are around, the less likely she is to have her toys taken from her.”

“They’re people, not objects,” Jake clarified.

“She knows, Jake,” Pam frowned, “She’s speaking from experience.”

“Regardless of why, the fact is that they’re operating on a minimum security force,” Jason said, trying to redirect and keep the conversation focused, “Now, the problem is that those sociopathic whack-jobs are a force to be reckoned with. They’re on a level of crazy that gives Alexis a run for her money. Combine that with their fighting skills and you’ve got an unbelievably dangerous pair. The bots and automated defenses might prove a pain, but they’re nothing compared to those two.”

“Not to mention that Amy has done more than a little bit of training,” Jake sighed, “The last time that she and I fought at the prison was unlike any other battle I’ve had with her. She’s always been big, but she’s stronger and faster than I remember.”

“She kicked your ass pretty good when she was warden, if I remember right,” Beth said.

“Yeah, between her and the Amazon, I took a pretty bad beating,” Jake nodded, “She threw me around and I thought she was going to break my back at one point. Her fighting style might not be the quickest, but she’s stronger than we remember, Beth.”

“You think she can stand up against a bullet?” Beth asked.

“The windows are bulletproof, and the walls are reinforced steel,” Jason reminded her, “We can only test that by getting close to her, and that means we have to contend with her lackeys.”

“Then we need to study up and prepare,” Jake frowned, “Beth and I have fought against Heidi and Hannah more than once, so we can build a slight strategy for fighting against them. The problem is that they fight like one person split in two.”

“We can focus on that tomorrow,” Jason nodded, “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but everyone is right about you needing to rest. We need a map of the manor inside and out to go on for this. We cannot afford to go off of memory with this attack. We need a clear battle plan, a workaround for these drones, and a plan to route them back in case things don’t go our way. We can’t exactly dig it up in the archives or online, so that means we are going to have to go analog on this one.”

“I’ll see what I can draw up,” Jake nodded, “I’ll need some paper and pencils, but I think I can draw us something we can put to good use.”

“Good deal,” Jason said, “Beth, think you can help me comb through this harddrive for anything else we might be able to use?”

“Yeah, but why don’t you go get some rest,” Beth replied, “You spent a whole night locked in the back of a truck. Go lay down for a little while, Jay. We need to be ready when the time comes.”

“Yeah, plus that gives you time to talk it out with Pam,” Jason said, “You two take some time to hash things out and get on the same page. We might not be dealing with Ingrid right now, but the time is gonna come and we can’t afford to be fighting against each other anymore. You two were the ones who said that we need to put our differences aside for this one, and you were both right.”

“A scholar and an asshole,” Pam scoffed, crossing her arms.

“Not a scholar, just a wise ass,” Jason chuckled, “Take the compliment, Pam. I’m telling you that you were right. I’m going to go lay down while you two figure shit out. Once you’re done arguing and come to a consensus, try to decide which target you want to hit first. We can either hit the manor, or the suburbs and search for Alexis. Dumb as it might be, I’ll trust whatever the four of you decide.”

“That’s a first,” Jake remarked.

“Yeah, well, maybe I’m just tired of making the calls,” Jason shrugged, walking off, “Doesn’t matter, does it? Figure it out and let me know what we’re doing.”

Beth got up and looked over to Pam, “Think we can talk? You know, actually talk without fighting?”

Pam pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed as she got up, “Yes, but I won’t promise not to get upset.”

“Just as long as we can talk through it, I’m okay with that,” Beth smiled, letting Pam take her hand and lead her back down the hall to their room.

“How long do you think they’ll be?” Jake asked Rebecca as he got up to grab the supplies he needed.

“It’s tough to say,” Rebecca admitted, “Pamela feels strongly on the matter, but so does Elizabeth. The two of them can both be incredibly headstrong at times, and this is one matter that I’m not sure they’ll be able to reach a consensus on.”

“Nah, I know how it’ll end,” Jake said, digging around behind the bar, “Pam will end up giving in to Beth on the condition that Ingrid doesn’t try to hurt her or take her. The two of them have a give and take relationship. Beth might be the one who follows Pam for most things, but she does so because Pam is willing to hear her out on the things that matter to Beth. Hey, give me a hand here, will you?”

Was that what made the two of them work: compromise? Maybe that had been what Rebecca was missing in her time trying to win Jake over. Her former student was firm, but she was forgiving and fair as well. Perhaps it was something that she needed to find a means to balance herself. If she was going to have any chance at winning the man she loved back, she supposed it wouldn’t hurt. 

“Rebecca,” Jake repeated, “Do you mind helping me? I think I found a pad, but I’m having a hard time getting to it.”

She shook her head and smiled, “Certainly, allow me to help.”