A Reunion

Jack had stumbled out of one of the bars when he was approached by a raven-haired woman. It was obvious he had been drinking. The woman looked at him with disapproval written over her face. “Hello, pretty lady,” he said, slurring his words. The woman did not say a word. He would have left if she had not placed a hand on his arm. He looked at her again. She looked familiar. He could not recall who she reminded him of or why she seemed familiar. He swayed a couple of times. Then he blacked out, very faintly hearing the woman screaming out his name.

How did she know who he was? The sound of her voice reminded him of Amelia, but she died seven years ago. Loki had killed the people behind it long before Jack got to the scene of the crime. Her death was the reason why he drank heavily once a year, on the anniversary. The nightmare played out in his dreams, not letting him forget the gory details. Why him; why did he fall in love and that love seemingly taken away so suddenly? When he woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. It had the makings of a bedroom.

He would have gotten up if it were not for the massive headache and the knock on the door. A black haired woman entered with a tray. She reminded him of Amelia. She set the tray on the nightstand next to the bed. He watched her as she picked up a glass of water and a small, clear cup with two aspirins. “Take them,” she said. He sat up and took the pills. He had noticed there were eggs, toast, sausage, and pancakes with honey, syrup, butter, and strawberries, a bagel with cream cheese, milk, and orange juice. 

It must be morning. He did not bother looking at the time since he could already see light trying to get into the room from the window. “What’s your name?” he asked, croaking out the words like a frog, making her giggle. The sound reminded him of Amelia’s giggle. He found that odd. She was dead, was she not? He had seen the mutilated body before Loki took it away. He now pondered if that was still true. If she were still alive, he would have been drinking for nothing.

“I am Amelia Loki.”

What?

“But—”

“You saw my sister’s dead body, Jack.”

He did not say anything else. Rubbing his head, he felt tired. “Get some sleep. We’ll finish this later,” she murmured, kissing his head. “I’m leaving this here if you’re hungry,” she added. All he could do was nod. He slept for an hour, and then ate most of the food Amelia had left out for him. It was cold, but he did not care. Somehow, he managed to keep the food down. Must be Amelia’s doing, Jack thought. The thought made him smile. She was always considering all the possibilities. That was one reason why he loved her.

He slept on and off for the next four hours. She had removed the tray and dirty dishes when he was done. When he finally came down, he saw she was in the living room. As he moved towards her, she looked up. He noticed the relief in her eyes. A part of him felt bad for not looking deeper into the situation. She stood up and went to him. “Jack…” She stopped herself. He gently placed his hands on each side of her face, pulling her closer to him. She rested her own hands on his hands. He kissed her forehead, hearing her sigh of content.

“I’m sorry I didn’t do more,” he murmured.

“Don’t beat yourself up, Jack.”

She hugged him. He missed that and more. He missed her, most of all. Having her with him again made him grateful he was still living. Unconsciously, he stroked her hair as she rested her head against his chest. “I would be lying if I said I hadn’t missed you,” she said, looking up at him.

“I thought I lost you…” He paused. He then added, “I missed you every day we weren’t together.”

She placed a hand on his cheek, looking into his eyes. He wondered what she saw. There must have been something good there because she kissed him. He kept her close, returning the kiss. She wrapped her arms around him.