Part Thirty of the PW Timeline
A JSE Fanfic
[This is THE FINAL part of a complete series I wrote from July 2019 to July of 2022. Everyone wraps up unfinished business. Jameson, especially, has someone he needs to see. Meanwhile, Schneep has a very important visit.]
[It’s here: the final part of the PW Timeline. I'm amazed that I’m finishing my third AU series. PW started as a one-shot based on the idea of an outsider’s perspective on what the septics go through, but over time I got more and more ideas that I just had to expand on. In the beginning, it was a sort of mystery, wondering if Anti was even real, and then over time it became this sort of—I don’t know. Thriller? Crime drama? Both? Either way, I’m so happy how it turned out ^-^ I’ve loved writing it and I appreciate all of you guys for coming along with me on this ride <3]
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“Are we allowed to have this many people here at once?” Marvin glanced around the room, bouncing on his feet. “I mean, there’s got to be some sort of regulation for visitors, right?”
“I checked online,” Chase said. “And I asked Laurens. She says that there are some limits depending on, like, security or whatever, but Schneep is fine.” He finished signing his name on the check-in list and held it out to the others. “Who’s next?”
“I’ll do it.” Jackie stepped forward, taking the clipboard and a pen from the cup on the desk. “You know, I’m still not used to this place. Different than I expected. More like a hospital.”
Chase raised an eyebrow. “Well, what were you expecting? It is a hospital, just not one for physical injuries.”
“I don’t know, I guess I was thinking, like…something like a retirement home or something?”
Laughter. Jack, sitting in one of the waiting chairs by the wall, leaned forward, grinning. “I don’t think Schneep would appreciate you comparing this place to a retirement home.”
“Hey, I know he’s technically the second youngest, but sometimes he really acts like an old man.” Jackie walked over to Jack and handed him the sign-in sheet and the pen. After he finished signing, he handed it back to Jackie, who passed it to Marvin.
“Oh, hey.” Chase turned back to the front desk, addressing the staff member behind it. “We have another person coming, but he’s going to be a bit later. Is that okay or do we need to, like, leave and come back?”
“That should be fine.” The staff member didn’t even bother to look away from her computer. “Have you been here before, sir?”
“Yeah, a lot,” Chase said.
“Great, then.” She gestured down the hall. “In that case, just return the sign-in board and head down there. You should remember the way.”
“Thanks.” Chase gave her a thumbs-up—which he regretted immediately afterwards for how awkward it felt—and turned around to face the others. “Alright, guys, we’re good to go.”
Marvin put the sign-in sheet back on the desk where it belonged. Jackie reached down and helped pull Jack to his feet. Once everyone was ready, Chase led the way, heading down the familiar route to the Silver Hills visitor’s room.
About ten minutes passed, with the group of four waiting patiently. “Damn, they need to get better reading material,” Marvin muttered, flipping through one of the provided magazines.
“What’re all these crayons and stuff for?” Jack asked, looking over one of the crayons in question.
“Oh, that’s for if kids come visit,” Chase explained. “I brought Sophie and Nick last month, they loved them.”
“Marvin, if you’re so bored by the magazines, just use your phone like a normal person,” Jackie said.
“Hey I can look at whatever I want to,” Marvin said defensively.
Before the banter could escalate into a mild argument, the other door to the visitor’s room opened. Chase stood up, anticipating what was about to come.
“Ah, my friends!” No sooner had Chase got to his feet than he was wrapped in a tight, squeezing hug. “It is so good to see you!”
“Oof! H-hey Schneep, good to see you too,” Chase laughed, returning the hug before pulling away. “Yeah, the gang’s all here.”
Schneep stepped back, looking at the others. “Ah, yes, the entire ‘gang.’ Hello, Jackie! And, ah…Marvin, Jack. How are you two? I have not seen you since…well, you know.”
“Hi, Schneep.” Marvin waved from where he was sitting on the sofa. “I’m fine. Changed all my locks, got one for the side door, uh…that sort of stuff. But I’m fine.”
“Hmm.” Schneep pursed his lips. “Well, if you are ever…not-so-fine, then I am sure there are people who—”
“Yeah, we all need therapy, I know.” Marvin rolled his eyes, but his tone wasn’t hostile. He leaned to the side, noticing someone else lingering in the doorway. “Hey, Laurens, do you have any suggestions?”
“Oh. Um.” Dr. Laurens clearly hadn’t been expecting that question—or to be acknowledged at all. “Well, I know a few agencies. If you’re really asking, you can talk to me afterwards.” She stepped into the room, closed the door behind her, and took a seat in the farthest chair from the group. “Don’t mind me, I-I’m just here because it’s a requirement. This is for you guys.”
“Aww, how could we forget you, Rya?” Jackie grinned. “You’we ouw fwiend!”
Laurens laughed. “Thank you. But really, I don’t want to interrupt. I’ll just be over here.” She was holding a clipboard as well as a paperback book, and put the clipboard down on the nearby table in favor of opening up the book. Soon, she was completely immersed.
Schneep sighed, smiling a bit. “Well in that case.” He sat down in a nearby armchair, leaving Chase to sit on the sofa next to Marvin. Now, all the friends were in a circle. “I cannot help but notice there is one of the ‘gang’ missing. Is Jameson…alright?”
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Chase assured him, noticing the anxious edge in his voice. “He just had…something to do today. He’ll be late, but he’ll be here.” He hesitated, then blurted out, “So did you hear about the trial?”
Schneep froze. Marvin turned and gave Chase a sharp look. Jackie shifted awkwardly.
“I-I mean…you don’t…have to talk about it, I just…thought you should…know. If you didn’t…already…” Chase trailed off.
“I…was told about it,” Schneep said slowly. “I was asked to write a statement, and—a-and I tried my best. It sounds as though…it worked.”
Jackie nodded slowly. “I had to do that, too,” he mumbled. “I’m surprised they didn’t ask us to…show up.”
“I think when there was that much evidence, they didn’t really need it?” Marvin speculated. “The prosecutor must’ve had a real open-and-shut case.”
For a moment, everyone was quiet. The tension in the room was almost a physical force.
“Let’s stop talking about this,” Jack finally said, speaking up for the first time in a while. “It’s just depressing everyone. And god, we’ve had enough of that.” He turned to Schneep and smiled. “Sorry, you asked me earlier how I was doing and I didn’t answer. I’m pretty good. I’ve finally taken my channel back.”
“Hey, I took good care of it!” Chase protested.
“I know you did.” Jack leaned over and patted Chase’s hand. “And thanks for that. Can’t imagine running two at the same time, let alone while keeping up with my old upload schedule.”
“Old schedule?” Jackie asked. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you know, I’ve been thinking a lot about health recently,” Jack said. “For obvious reasons.” He still had to use a cane while walking; It was possible no amount of physical therapy would fix that. “And I really need to take better care of myself. I don’t think uploading twice a day would be the best move anymore.”
Chase laughed. “Honestly, I can’t blame you. I don’t know how the fuck you did it in the first place.”
“Neither do I, really.” Jack chuckled. He glanced back at Schneep again. “Hey. You okay, man?”
“I…” Schneep coughed awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with Jack. “I…Jack, have I said sorry yet? Be-because I am, I am truly, deeply sorry, I-I never should have—I should have recognized the signs and never—it is all because of me that—”
“Henrik.” Jack’s tone shifted to one more serious. “It’s alright. I promise you. I know there was more to it. It’s forgiven. I mean, you’re never going to be my doctor again—”
“I am probably never going to be ANYONE’S doctor again,” Schneep muttered.
“No. Stop that,” Jack said firmly. “You’re the most capable person I know.”
“Even though I—”
“Even though you put me in a coma.” Jack nodded.
“That was my fault,” Schneep said weakly. “You lost an entire year.”
“It was. And I did. But like I said, I know there was more to it. I don’t…blame you,” Jack said carefully. “I know you were responsible, but I don’t blame you. That’s a different thing. And…you’re still my friend, Schneep. Despite it all, I still care about you. So…don’t put it all on you, okay? It happened. It was a terrible, awful mistake with horrible consequences. But don’t blame yourself. Cause none of us do.”
Schneep blinked rapidly. He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater, but that didn’t stop a few tears from trickling free. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“Don’t worry,” Jack whispered back. Then he cleared his throat and looked at the others, who were trying to pretend they weren’t paying attention. “Wow, I thought I JUST said we shouldn’t talk about depressing stuff anymore.”
Everyone laughed. “Well, you know,” Jackie said. “It’s got to be a sign of a good friendship, if we can talk about depressing things together. Means we trust each other. Or some other corny shit like that.”
Before anyone could reply, there was a knocking sound. Laurens stood up and instinctively walked towards the door at the back of the visitor’s room—the one she and Schneep came through—before realizing it came from the door at the front. She quickly crossed the room and opened it. “Oh! Hello,” she said, opening it wide.
JJ leaned into the room, eyes quickly scanning it and taking in the others. He waved. 'Sorry I’m late,' he signed.
“It’s fine, bro,” Chase said. “Honestly you’re earlier than I thought you would be.” He paused. “Did the, uh…thing…go well?”
Jameson walked in. Laurens quickly closed the door behind him and returned to her chair at the edge of the room. Meanwhile, JJ took the final spot on the sofa, sandwiching Chase in between him and Marvin. It went well, yes, he said with a slight smile. Thank you for asking.
“Sooo…” Marvin cleared his throat. “It’s all taken care of? And, like…over?”
'Yes, it’s all over,' Jameson said.
“Good. Great.” Marvin let out a long breath. He muttered something under his breath—something that sounded suspiciously like “fucker deserved it”—and then moved on. “Okay, so I was thinking. We need to try again with the party.”
“Really?” Schneep asked, surprised.
“Hell yeah, second time’s the charm.”
“Third time,” Chase corrected.
Marvin nudged him. “I KNOW, but that ruins it.”
“I’d be down for another party,” Jackie said. “I went to all the trouble of bringing all the Spider-Man movies and I never even got to take them out of my bag.”
“Oh my god.” Marvin groaned. “I am not going to spend the whole night listening to you drooling over Andrew Garfield.”
“Hey, that’s not fair!” Jackie said defensively. “Emma Stone is also very cute and cool in those movies, I give both of them equal attention!”
Jack chuckled. “Well if we’re going to do it, we need a good day. I’d rather have it sooner instead of later, but I have more movement therapy stuff tomorrow and on Thursday this week.”
“Well I can’t do Wednesday,” Chase said. “I have an, uh, appointment.”
'Friday, then?' Jameson suggested. 'I’m pretty sure we’re all free.'
Schneep shook his head. “No, unfortunately. I have an outing on Friday.”
“You do?” Marvin asked. He whistled. “I’m impressed, a man out on the town once more.”
Schneep chuckled and looked away. A small blush bloomed on his face. “Well, i-it is not a big deal. I am just…Mina wanted me to come visit…her. A-and I still can go leave with supervision, so Laurens and I will head out.” Over by the edge, Laurens briefly raised her head from her book to nod, confirming Schneep’s words.
“Oh that’s so cool, man!” Jackie leaned over and gave Schneep a playful shove. “Hey, good luck with that. Really.”
“Th-thank you.” Schneep’s face was growing steadily more red. “I-I am nervous about it, really. About meeting…her.”
“You’ll do great, doc,” Chase reassured him. “She’ll love you.”
“Hmm.” Schneep was fidgeting, playing with his fingers. “If you say so. I-I think you would know.”
“Wait, I’m confused.” Marvin looked around at everyone else. “Isn’t ‘her’ just…Mina? Why are you all saying it so significantly?”
'We’ll tell you about it when you’re older, Marvin,' JJ joked. 'You see, when two people love each other very much—'
“Ohhhh!” Marvin’s eyes widened, and he laughed. “Right, I forgot about that part. Yeah, you’ll do great, Schneep. Trust us.”
Schneep smiled softly. “Well, it is good to hear you all say that.”
“Yeah, bro.” Chase nodded. “Anyway, on a related note, I can’t do anything this weekend cause I have the kids over. What about Monday or Tuesday?”
The group continued planning. But JJ went quiet, the others’ voices fading into chatter. They weren’t talking about why he was late. Which he was relieved about. But noticing the absence of questions…it just made him think about it. About where he’d been all day.
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It had been a long bus ride to get there. Jameson got up early in the morning just to make sure he had enough time. Not that he would need that much. Ideally, this would all be over in less than five minutes.
The bus didn’t drop him off right outside. He had to walk for another fifteen minutes. It was inconvenient, but it made sense. Putting a bus stop right outside a maximum security prison seemed like a major security risk. Luckily, the weather was good.
Actually getting inside the building proved to be the most time-consuming part of the visit. Once Jameson arrived at the central building—it probably had a proper name, but he wasn’t aware of it, since there were no signs—he quickly explained who he was, writing it down on a notepad he’d brought. Luckily, he’d emailed in to schedule his visit beforehand, because most of the guards and other workers were suspicious of him. Again, understandably so. He would be suspicious, too. It was only three days since the transfer, who would visit a killer so soon afterwards?
Jameson would. He wanted this done as soon as possible.
The security checks were thorough, and surprisingly boring. There was a lot of waiting in between procedures, and Jameson couldn’t even browse his phone to pass the time because he wasn’t allowed to bring it past a certain point. Eventually, it was over, and a guard appeared to escort Jameson to the visiting room.
Given all the precautions, Jameson wasn’t surprised to see the visiting room was entirely empty. Just a concrete box with a wall of bulletproof glass dividing it in half. The guard explained that there was an intercom system connecting the two halves so the visitor and the prisoner could communicate. Jameson wanted to comment that they should just leave it off for this particular occasion, but the guard didn’t understand sign and it wasn’t worth writing it down.
Even though everything up to this point had taken much longer, the wait dragged on the most. Jameson stood there, fidgeting, eyes fixed on the door on the other side of the glass, as his stomach slowly tied itself in knots. Was this a mistake? Maybe he should have just left it alone. But when he thought about turning and leaving, something wouldn’t let him.
When the door opened, there was no sound through the glass, but Jameson could practically hear the heavy ka-chunk it no doubt made. Another guard stepped inside first, followed closely by a familiar figure in a gray jumpsuit, then another guard.
Anti’s eye instantly locked onto Jameson. He grinned, and almost too quickly to follow, he darted up to the glass, pressing his hands against it. Jameson automatically took a step backwards. “It’s you!” Anti laughed. “I can’t believe it’s—”
The two guards were there in a split second, pulling Anti away from the glass. He glanced back at them and scowled, but didn’t resist. Anti looked the same as he always had. Mostly. For some reason, he was missing his glass eye, leaving only a dark socket on the right side of his face. The scars hadn’t changed, but they…stood out more, somehow. Probably because there was no makeup to soften their appearance in prison.
“I can’t believe it’s you,” Anti repeated. His voice sounded tinny and artificial through the intercom. “But I should’ve known you would come. I really appreciate it, Jamie. What—”
'Don’t get excited,' Jameson interrupted, carefully keeping his expression neutral despite the way his heart was jumping in his chest. 'I just wanted to make sure it was real.'
“Real? Who are you, Henrik?” Anti laughed again. “Of course it’s real. Let me tell you, it is shockingly boring in here. I can’t do anything to keep busy! And I haven’t really seen anyone,, either, I think I’m not allowed in common areas yet. Anyway. What have you been up to?”
'Nothing,' Jameson said shortly.
Anti tilted his head. “Nothing? Oh, come on.”
'Nothing that you need to know about,' Jameson said firmly.
He’d actually been rather busy lately. Even though he’d decided not to move out of his apartment, he’d still packed up a lot of his stuff, and had to spend time unpacking everything. That started a week of organization, getting rid of things he didn’t want anymore. And that was in between his normal work schedule, not to mention therapy. But he wasn’t going to tell Anti about all that. He didn’t deserve that—or anything else from him.
“Well if you don’t want to talk about anything, then why are you here?” Anti asked, folding his arms. He sighed, pretending to be disappointed. “Can I ask you a question, then? What did they do with all my stuff? I know they probably confiscated a lot of it, but not everything I own is illegal. They can’t possibly have taken all my clothes and shit.”
'I don’t know,' Jameson lied. 'Probably auctioned it off.'
“Really?” Anti looked sad, but he might’ve been faking it. “I thought they would’ve given it to you.”
In truth, the police had offered some of Anti’s stuff to him—after it had all been thoroughly inspected. Jameson had turned down most of it…except for one item. The old, broken pocket watch on the rusted chain. The one Anti had worn around his neck. He wasn’t sure why he took it, or what he was going to do with it. Eventually, he might just throw it away. But…it felt right to take it, at least for a little bit. After all, it had been JJ’s first. Anti had bought it for him, but it was his. He’d always meant to take it with him the night he ran away, but paranoia had taken hold that night and he left it behind, in case Anti could use it to find him. Right now, it was sitting in a box under his bed. He might leave it there.
Jameson shook his head. 'I don’t know what happened. Don’t ask me.'
“Hmm.” Anti narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure?”
'Of course.' Jameson didn’t back down from that glare.
“Well, shit, then.” Anti sighed. “I was going to ask you about that old pocket watch. I don’t know if they’ll let me receive packages, but maybe you could have brought it the next time you visited. Just so I could see it.”
'There’s not going to be a next time.'
Anti froze. His eyes widened, pure disbelief on his face. “What did you say?”
'I’m not coming back.' Jameson kept an eye on his hands as he signed, making sure they weren’t shaking.
“…what?” Anti whispered harshly. “What do you mean?”
'I just said what I mean. I’m not coming back.' He could feel his pulse in his neck.
“…Heh. Very funny, Jamie.” Anti smiled. Not out of happiness. Muscles clenched in his jaw. “What would be the point of coming once if you’re not coming again?”
'I had to see you here,' Jameson simply said. He hadn’t been sure about the visit at first. But after spending a whole session talking with his therapist about it, he made up his mind. She’d said it would probably help with closure, but reminded him to be safe. He promised her he would be, and said he would only be going once. Just to finish things off.
“Ha. Haha.” Anti began to laugh again, forcing it out. “You’re so funny, Jameson. Pretending like—like it doesn’t matter to you.”
Jameson shook his head. 'It doesn’t matter to me.'
“Don’t be fucking ridiculous!” Anti snapped. “Of course it does! Because you care! Don’t shake your head again, I know you do! If you didn’t, then why the fuck did you bother with the seizure? You could have ran as soon as I dropped the gun, but you went right up to me. You helped! Why did you do that if you don’t care?!”
'Because I’m not a terrible person.' Jameson almost added ‘like you,’ but he thought better of it. 'If someone collapses in front of me, I’m going to help. I wouldn’t want them to be hurt.'
“Right, right.” Anti’s fists were clenched. “Because you’re all soft and sweet. But it’s different when it’s me. You know what I’ve done to you and your friends, and you helped anyway! You—you could only have done that if you care!”
Jameson raised his eyebrow at the indirect confession buried in there. ‘What I’ve done to you.’ So. He admitted it. 'I care very much about people,' he said slowly. 'But you’re not special. You stopped being special a long time ago. I keep telling you, we’re not family anymore.'
“Don’t you fucking say that,” Anti hissed. “You know nothing will change. You know it! You—you—What are you doing?!”
Jameson had turned around. He looked at the guard, and held up his notepad. Written on the page was ‘I would like to leave now.’ The guard nodded, and opened the door to the visiting room.
“What are you doing?!” Anti shouted.
Not looking back at him, Jameson began walking, heading out of the room.
“Jameson! You can’t just leave! Jameson!” THUD! Anti punched the glass wall.
Jameson flinched. Immediately, shame pooled in his stomach at that. But he pushed it away. It was okay that he did that. It was normal to flinch at a sudden loud noise and a scream. Especially in this situation. Nothing to be ashamed about. He took a deep breath and kept walking.
“JAMESON!” Anti screamed.
The door was still open. The guard gave him a sympathetic look as he walked through it, leaving the room behind. A wordless scream echoed from the intercom. As Jameson turned to head down the hall, he naturally caught a glimpse of the room one more time. The two guards were trying again to pull Anti back, but Anti was fighting against them this time, trying to stay as close to the glass wall as possible. His expression was inhuman in its anger.
'Goodbye, Aneirin,' Jameson signed. It was too small for Anti to see from this distance, especially as the guard was closing the door. But it wasn’t for Anti. It wasn’t for him at all.
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“Hey.” Something nudged him.
JJ blinked, and looked over to see Marvin, who had reached around and behind Chase to nudge Jameson, staring at him. 'Are you okay?' he signed.
'I’m fine,' JJ replied, smiling faintly. 'I think I’m just overwhelmed.'
'Well, you’ve been busy,' Marvin said. 'Emotionally, physically. It makes sense. Is there anything you need?'
JJ shook his head. 'No. But…thank you.'
Marvin smiled. 'No problem. Just tell me if you do need something, okay? Or any of these guys.' He gestured to the rest of the room.
“Hey, wait a minute.” Jackie looked over at the sofa and narrowed his eyes. “Are you two having a secret sign language conversation? Without us?! How dare you.”
“Yes, it is a secret exclusively from you, Jackie,” Marvin said, turning to face him. “Everyone else has got it.”
“Ha ha, very funny.” Jackie rolled his eyes.
“Oh, wait a minute,” Chase said. “You guys were talking about the thing, right?”
“Yes, the thing,” Marvin said. “Are you still in?”
“Of course I am!” Chase had no idea what was going on, but he jumped in ready to commit anyway. “I’ll bring the smoothies.”
“Wait, what?” Jackie looked back and forth between them, confused. “What’s going on?”
“Ah, right, you don’t know,” Jack said, also jumping in. “Well, we can’t tell you now. You have to figure it out for yourself.”
“This isn’t actually a thing, is it?” Jackie asked, uncertain. “You’re just messing with me and Schneep, right?”
“Ah, I am sorry, Jackie,” Schneep said. “But you have not watched the video, so you will not understand what we are talking about anyway.”
“What video?!” Jackie cried. “I thought you weren’t allowed to watch YouTube in here!”
“Ah, no, see, I showed him cause it wasn’t fair for him to have to find it,” Marvin sighed. “He’s the one exception, you are not.”
“This is a terrible prank! You’re all awful people!” Jackie looked at JJ. “This is a bit, right? You guys were talking about something different.”
JJ said nothing for a while. Until he raised his hands and signed, 'I’m sorry, Jackie, but it’s no fun if you don’t find the video yourself. Then you can get a smoothie with us.'
“Oh come on!” Jackie threw his hands in the air.
At that point, it was too much for the others, and they all burst out laughing in unison. Jackie folded his arms, glaring at them until they all stopped. “God. Sorry, Jackie, it was just too good to stop,” Marvin said, wiping an imaginary tear from his eyes. “We should’ve kept going with it, guys.”
“You’re all stupid,” Jackie said grumpily. “That was so dumb.”
“Hey. Jackie. Bro.” Chase pointed a finger gun at him. “Kettle pot black.”
“Yeah, don’t pretend like you wouldn’t do the same thing,” Jack chuckled.
“Well…alright, you got me.” Jackie looked at Schneep and JJ. “I can’t believe you two did it, too. I thought you were the serious ones.”
“Yes, I am totally serious, one hundred percent,” Schneep said, completely dead-pan. “I am serious man. I think only of serious things like paperwork and dictionaries.”
Jackie made a snrk sound as he kept himself from laugh. “When—when you said dictionaries, I-I thought you were going to say something else, I-I thought you were gonna stop after the first sylla—”
'Oh my, Jackie!' JJ pressed a hand to his chest and pretended to look scandalized. 'I can’t believe you’d say that in front of someone so much younger than you! I’ll be complaining about you on social media.'
“Hey, you’re only one year younger than us and you don’t have anything online!” Jackie protested.
“Also you were smiling,” Marvin pointed out. “You were expecting the same thing, weren’t you?”
'I deny everything,' JJ said firmly.
“Oh my god, you two,” Chase snickered. “I can’t believe I was the mature one here.”
“How’s it feel, Chase?” Jack asked.
“Oh, it’s so strange and new, bro. I kinda…I kinda hate it.”
And again, everyone burst into laughter. There was no real reason. It wasn’t an incredibly funny comment. But it was that sort of mood, the sort where the slightest thing could set off a burst of giggles. The sort that only happens when you are around friends you share everything with, people who you know well, who you understand and who understand you in turn.
And in that moment, everyone was truly, fully happy.
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The townhouse was unassuming, one in a line of identical houses with the same two-story design and the same brown-brick walls. Laurens double-checked the address to make sure they didn’t knock on the wrong door. Number 14. Good, the bus had dropped them off right outside. “This is it,” she said out loud. “How are you doing?”
“Laurens, please, I am fine.” Despite saying that confidently, Schneep kept fidgeting nervously. “There is nothing to worry about.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.” Laurens gave him a reassuring smile. “But let me know if you need anything. Do you want to knock or should I?”
“I’ll knock.”
The two of them walked up the two steps to the front door. Schneep took a deep breath, then reached forward and knocked solidly. Hardly ten seconds passed before the door opened, revealing Mina inside. “You are here! Right on time.” She smiled. Her dark hair was pulled back in a bun and she wore her brown jacket. “Come in, come in. Both of you.”
The two of them stepped inside and Mina closed the door behind them. “Hi, Mina,” Laurens said, looking around the small front hall. “Uh…nice place.”
“It is fine,” Mina said neutrally.
“This is different, yes?” Schneep said. “I could have sworn you lived somewhere that did not share walls with the neighbors.”
Mina chuckled. “Well, my lease expired with that place, so we are here now. It is not so bad.”
“You did not sound so happy just a few seconds ago,” Schneep teased.
“Ah, you caught me.” Mina laughed again. “Trust me, this will be just temporary. I am saving up for someone bigger, out on the edge of town. Hopefully with a yard of some kind, though I doubt something like that will be available.” She stepped to the side, opening the nearest door. “Anyway, this is the living room. Come on. Both of you.” And she disappeared into the other room.
Schneep hesitated. He glanced at Laurens, who gave him a quick thumbs up, and then looked away again. Taking a few deep, even breaths, he stepped through the door. Laurens followed, slightly behind.
The living room was much nicer than the tiny entrance hall. Maybe the yellow wallpaper lended it a warm look, or maybe the window framed by pink curtains let in just enough sunlight, but whatever it was, it made the room feel cozy. There was a single sofa and an armchair, as well as two end tables and a floor lamp in the corner, but Schneep was not looking around at the furniture. His attention was fixed on the wooden cradle in the center of the room.
“Here she is, der kleine Schatz.” Mina leaned over and picked up a small bundle in pastel pink blankets. She kissed the small round head peeking out of the blankets, then turned to Schneep and smiled. “You look scared.”
“I am not scared,” Schneep reflexively denied. “It is just…she is so much smaller than I thought.”
“She is a tiny baby,” Mina agreed, adjusting her hold. “But the doctors say it is not a problem. She is much bigger than she was when she was born. And now she could stand if she wanted to. But she likes being held more, doesn’t she?” She cooed at the baby for a moment, then looked up at Schneep. “Well? If you are not scared, why are you standing all the way over there?”
Schneep straightened the hem of his sweater, then slowly walked over until he was standing next to Mina. He leaned down to look at the baby. “Hello, Elise,” he whispered, his voice already full of fondness. “It is good to see you finally.”
“You should hold her,” Mina said.
“I—I have never held a baby before,” Schneep admitted.
“Really? Never?”
“Well maybe when I was younger, but not in years.”
“It is alright. Here, I will help.” Mina slowly pushed Elise towards Schneep, who hesitated before taking her. “She is older, but you still must support the head—put your hand here. Yes. Now adjust your arms like this.”
Laurens stayed in her spot by the doorway, watching. She knew that she had to be here, but it felt like this was a private moment, so she chose not to go any farther into the room.
“Oh. Oh, you woke her up,” Schneep gasped softly. “Hello, there. You really are der kleine Schatz, ja?”
“She is going to stare at you with bug eyes for a little bit,” Mina said. “But that is okay, she just does not know you yet. Let her get used to you.”
“Is it alright to bounce?”
“A little, yes.”
Despite asking that, Schneep paused for a moment before beginning to slowly bounce the baby, being very careful. “Hello, Elise.” He smiled gently. “I am your papa. I-I am sorry we did not meet sooner. But…at least I am here now. Alles Gute zum Geburtstag. Happy birthday.”
“Alles Gute zum Geburtstag,” Mina repeated. “Oh, watch this.” She held up her hand near Elise. After a moment, the baby managed to get her own hand out from the blankets and clumsily slapped her mother’s palm. “She does high-fives.”
“Oh! You are a very talented little girl, aren’t you?” Schneep laughed.
Elise grabbed onto one of Mina’s fingers. “Mama,” she gurgled.
“Mama,” Mina repeated happily. She reached out and gently angled Elise’s head to look ast Schneep. “And this is Papa. Say ‘Papa.’ Papa?”
“Puh-puh,” Elise said.
“Oh, not quite,” Mina grinned. “But you are close. Isn’t she, Mr. Papa?”
“I…” Schneep blinked furiously, but a single tear still slipped out. “Ja. Papa.”
“Pa-puh,” Elise said again.
“I think we should sit down,” Mina suggested. “You can put her on the sofa and she will sit.”
“I-I remember, you showed me pictures.” Schneep smiled down at Elise. “Come on, kleine süße. We can sit and play.”
As the two of them sat down on the sofa, Laurens slowly backed out of the room. She was confident that nothing was going to happen while she was gone. And at this point, she just felt bad for intruding. Besides, she could still hear what was going on.
Laurens went over to the front door and opened it, letting in a cold breeze. The townhouse was a bit stuffy, so it felt good. She closed her eyes, feeling the snap of the cold February air. Then she opened them again to stare at the cotton clouds drifting across the sky.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a turquoise notebook. Her notebook, the one that had gone missing months ago. Somehow, that monster of a man had gotten hold of it, and the police had returned it to her once they realized it was her property. Idly, she opened it up, scanning her early notes. Reading her old thoughts caused her to wince. She had been mistaken about a lot. Schneep was not the threat everyone had thought he was—including her. It had all been someone else.
And yet…Laurens was also proud as she read. Proud of Schneep, of Henrik. As the sounds of quiet talking and baby babble drifted from the living room, she reflected how much had changed. She was glad he was better now. It wouldn’t be long before he didn’t need her anymore. And though that made her strangely sad, the feeling was overwhelmed by the happiness and relief she felt as well.
Laurens shut the old notebook and put it back into her bag. She watched the clouds for a moment more, then finally closed the door.