Point of View Matters

Honestly - this story started as something that was supposed to be erotic and... it's ended up as something else. I'm only posting it here because I egotistically believe people want to see the end :p

Reece is not caught yet... He does some things to "Grandma" and um that's the next and final part.

Jared

Jared threw his phone onto the sofa. The world had been taken over my brain- eating zombies and everyone else had ceased to exist. His wife, daughter, best friend... parents... none of them were replying to text messages OR answering their damn phones.

It was almost eight pm. His parents should be home from work and able to let him know that they hadn't been eaten by the army of the undead.

JARED: Mom... did you get eaten by zombies?

MOM: My phone was on the charger, next to your dads. What on earth do you need? Fifteen missed calls. Twenty-four messages all saying call me.

JARED: I can't find anyone. I decided you were all dead.

MOM: Shit. Answer the phone then.

"Mom, I get home from work, and nobody is here. No notes. No messages. So yeah, sorry. I might have gone a little crazy," Jared said.

"I truly meant to message you and let you know that Melissa and Emma are here," Elisabeth said. She should have just called but texting was much easier.

"She's there?" Jared said. What the actual fuck. "Damn, is she okay?"

"She's okay. Can you drive or have you been drinking?" Elisabeth said.

"Sometimes, I really hate that you live two hours away because it's close," Jared said, chuckling, "Right now though, it's too far away. Yes, I can drive. Unless you wanna send a helicopter?"

Elisabeth snorted, very unladylike, "We do not own one!"

"She's there?" Jared said, "Melissa is voluntarily at your house... I feel there's a story there."

"You want that from me, now? Or from her, when you get here? I solemnly promise that she is one hundred percent healthy and fine," Elisabeth said.

"Yeah okay, I'm on my way."

"Dearest?"

"Yes mom."

"Drive safe."

Jared ended the call.

He managed to arrive, safe and well, within ninety minutes.

"Jared!" Elisabeth said, answering the door herself.

"You said drive safe, not drive slow," Jared said, automatically leaping to his own defence.

They made their way into the empty living area.

"Right. I'll be more clear next time," Elisabeth said, "have you eaten?"

"Yeah, leftover meatloaf."

"Remind me to ask Melissa for the recipe," Elisabeth said.

"Where is she?" Jared asked, "Where is anyone?"

"She is asleep, and Emma is with her," Elisabeth said, pointing in the direction of the bedroom, "Your dad is in the shower. I'm heading to bed."

"It's not mine," Jared said, embarrassed that he could feel tears, "the baby's not mine."

"You don't know that, not for sure. You should come in tomorrow and get your stuff checked. Pretty sure conception was the middle of January, not the start." Elisabeth said, putting her hand over his, "please just listen to Melissa and be gentle."

"Last time she was knocked up, you told me to leave her." Jared said.

"Yes, that happened. But that was a long time ago."

"Last month, you told me to leave her if being with her was making me miserable!" Jared snapped.

"Again, yes. I did say that," Elisabeth said, "but you didn't leave. You love her. She loves you. She just doesn't know how to say the things she should."

"Damn. Things I never thought my own mother would say for five hundred, Alex!" Jared said, dropping onto the sofa.

Elisabeth laughed, earning herself a filthy look from her son. "Your daughter said the same thing pretty much, only she was only willing to go for the two hundred dollars."

"You know something, don't you!" Jared said.

"Have you spoken to Reece today?"

"No. I tried to call him, but his phone number has been disconnected," Jared said, "probably just changed his number and hasn't thought to text me the new one yet."

"Emma punched him and requested that he no longer be allowed access to the house." Elisabeth said, trying and failing to hide a yawn.

"What the fuck?" Jared said. Emma smacked him and didn't even bother to at least text -- hey dad, I smacked your friend?

"She loves you. She needs you to be patient and kind." Elisabeth said, yawning twice more.

"Emma?" Jared asked.

"Yes. But I was talking about Melissa." Elisabeth said.

"Emma punched Reece... because he did something to Melissa?" Jared said, trying to process what the hell was going on.

"Yes."

"Why?" Jared asked.

"Not my story to tell." Elisabeth said.

"Mom..."

"Just let her talk," Elisabeth said, "I love you, but I need to go to bed. I was at the hospital at two this morning and didn't get home until seven. I'm exhausted. You know where your girls are."

"Good night, Mom."

Elisabeth merely waved as she trudged upstairs and into her own room. Kicking off her shoes and climbing in next to her husband and cuddling close.

Jared stood in the doorway watching his wife and daughter. They were lying together - Melissa in the front and Emma behind. He pushed the door so that it was now fully open.

Emma looked at him, "Dad. You can't yell at her. She's had a really shitty day."

Jared grumbled.

"She told me she loves me and she's proud," Emma said, her eyes filling with happy tears.

"You doubted that?" Jared asked. Sometimes he doubted if his wife actually loved him or not. Maybe she was just with him out of habit.

"Sometimes, yeah. Like maybe she loved me because the whole giving birth thing... but secretly hated the person that I've become and was filled with disappointment because of the things I do and say and wear..." Emma said.

"Like having sex with both of your parents within the same evening," Melissa said, "also owning a pretty pink wearable penis thingy. I forget the word. Nope. Couldn't imagine hating you. Or disliking either. Too busy loving my darling, sweet, sex-loving daughter. Most definitely love you. No regret, no judgement. No need for a repeat act though."

Emma kissed her mom on the head, "I'm gonna go climb into my bed and leave you two alone. I love you too, Mom."

"Jared? You're here," Melissa said, twisting until she could see him in the doorway.

"Yeah. Both Emma and my mom say I should listen and be kind."

"I thought your parents hated me because Reece told me they did," Melissa said, she wanted to bury her head under the cover but didn't, "I need to tell you that he... he and I ... um ... I don't expect you to believe me because you've known him longer ... but um ... he slipped something into a drink I had, and he and I slept together at the party..."

"What?" Jared asked. The words had all come out very fast and he wasn't completely sure he'd heard what he'd heard.

Melissa took a deep breath. It was strangely easier to say the more times she said it. "He raped me." She'd said no. She said please don't. He'd drugged her. It was not cheating. It was rape.

"I'm gonna kill him."

"Wait... no. You believe me?"

Jared moved to the side of the bed, "can you scootch backwards?"

Melissa scooched closer to the side of the bed. Jared sat and twisted as he lay down so that they were lying face to face.

"Emma punched him?" Jared said.

Melissa grinned, "Yeah, right in the nose. She then told Mrs Simmons that he was no longer allowed on the grounds. Emma is thankfully more like you than me when it comes to conflict and stuff."

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Jared asked.

"Fair question," Melissa said, "I promise it's related but follow up question, did you ever meet my cousin?"

"You mean that asshole that tried to sell me pictures of you kissing girls? Hate him. Who the fuck would try to sell your fiancé pictures at your wedding?" Jared said.

"Fuck."

"Excuse you?" Jared said, whistling. Melissa never swore. It was somehow incredibly hot when she did.

"I just... you knew about those damn pictures the whole time?"

"Yeah."

"Dammit. Reece threatened to show you unless I drank the stupid drink at the stupid party when I was hiding in the stupid kitchen heating up stupid quiche that I didn't even get to eat because someone ate them all while I was busy being ... dammit. And damn them both."

"I'm confused..." Jared said. He'd heard the word stupid and little else. Melissa was using all her words but incredibly fast.

"I am an idiot."

"I'm confused and you're the idiot?" Jared said.

"Yes. I let my cousin abuse me for four fucking weeks because I was so damn scared of him showing those damn pictures to my fucking parents. You know, the people who kicked me out and still refuse to acknowledge that I exist... what the fuck is wrong with me," Melissa let out a wounded cry, "Why am I such a fucking joke."

"Please look at me," Jared demanded. It was not a request.

Melissa met his gaze, breath rapid, eyes filled with tears.

Jared took her hand and placed it on his chest, "we're breathing slowly. In."

Melissa curled the ends of her fingers, just a smidge, feeling his chest rise.

"Out."

"In."

"Out."

They lay quietly, Jared watching as Melissa's face and breathing both got calmer.

"You are not an idiot or a joke," Jared said, "You're the funny, silly, awkward, gorgeous woman that I fell in love with and still am completely in love with."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Jared said, kissing her forehead.

"I've been a truly shitty wife. I do know that. Please don't lie... I'm not fragile. I'd rather you be honest than kind." Melissa said.

"Complete honesty. It has been difficult this year," Jared said, "but I should have told you about your cousin's antics at our wedding. That would have made a difference. You would have told Reece to stick his drink up his tooshie. You maybe would have mentioned why he would be offering me pictures of you kissing a bunch of girls... zero judgement by the way. So technically, my keeping that secret makes me responsible."

Melissa frowned, grumbling, "You don't get to make this your fault."

Jared laughed, without having intended to, "oh, no sweetheart. You don't get to make this all your fault."

"Please don't leave me," Melissa whispered, "I promise I can be better. I might need help, but I can learn to share more and not keep so many things quiet. There's so many things I want to tell you and want to share with you and I'm so tired of being too scared. But mostly, I do not want to lose you. Please."

"I'm never going to leave you. I wanted you tell me to fuck off when I suggested you stay somewhere else..." Jared confessed.

"What?"

"Yeah. You telling me that you weren't fucking the red head probably one of the best things I've ever heard you say," Jared said, grinning.

"I'm not."

"I know," Jared said. "To be clear, you did not cheat. Reece doesn't count. His number no longer exists, and I got someone on the parental unit's security team to check -- his place is empty. Which is good because if I see him, I'm gonna have to--"

"--Nothing, if you see him, you do nothing. Nobody needs to have to visit you in prison thanks."

"Well, look at you being all bossy."

"Sometimes," Melissa paused, "it was a birthday party."

"The kissing fest that your cousin tried to claim was a lesbian orgy?" Jared asked.

"There was some things slightly more than kissing," Melissa admitted.

"We talking oral?" Jared said.

"Yes."

"Giving or getting?"

Melissa went bright red.

"Both?" Jared said. He whistled. They'd tried oral when they were first married but she'd panicked every single time, so they had quickly given up. She'd panicked. Cousin blackmailed with pictures... He might be slow, but he got there eventually. "Damn, what did your cousin do to you?"

Melissa moved her head forward to rub her nose against her husband's chest hair, he smelled like strawberry scented soap. "He decided that I was going to learn how to give him a blow job and used the pictures to make sure that I'd try. My parents would have kicked me out. I'd be unable to return to school because lack of funds. I'd never have seen you again... I wouldn't get a job as a high school dropout. Be living in a box... I hated it. He would hold my head and force himself so far in that I couldn't breathe. After four weeks, he finally had to leave. I just ... I wanted to do that for you... I wish I'd said something."

"Me too. But you said something now, that counts. Are you sleepy?"

"No, I want milk." Melissa said, "maybe with ice cream."

"Let's go then," Jared said, getting up off the bed and helping Melissa to her feet.

"We might wake someone!"

"We'll be very very quiet. Quiet like bunnies who are not fornicating like themselves."

"Jared!" Melissa said, giggling.

"Yes, dearest?"

"I kinda want cheese too."

"By itself?"

"No."

Jared gave her a look. But once he'd made her a milkshake he watched, without passing comment, as she dipped her chucks of cheese into the milkshake and clearly truly enjoyed the combination.

"You wanna try it?" Melissa said, holding out a piece of cheese that was covered in ice cream.

Jared took a bite and pulled a face, "that's not great."

"More for me," Melissa said, chuckling. "Your mom offered to help me find someone to talk to. A therapist someone."

"Firstly, that's great. Having someone to talk to about all you've been through sounds like an awesome idea. But I gotta ask -- don't you hate my mom? Dad too?"

"Did Reece tell you that? He told me that they hate me. But no, I love your mom. I wrote a paper on her when I was eight and won an award for it."

"You did what now?" Jared asked, mouth wide open.

"We had to write a paper on someone we viewed as a hero. Well, at that point she'd walked away from the socialite lifestyle and had graduated top of her class for both undergrad, post grad and medical school and was already considered one of the tops in her field."

"But you got super weird... oh... you got shy when you found out your hero was my mommy," Jared said, teasing just a little.

"Your dad could have had a cushy life if he'd followed his father's footsteps but instead decided to make his own choices and start his own company," Melissa said, "I was a little surprised because you'd said they were just a regular doctor and builder type person. Which was fine but so wrong."

"It's just a simple version of the truth," Jared said.

"So is 'one is a boy, and one is a girl'!" Melissa said, swatting at his hand as he tried to steal some of her cheese, "No. Get your own."

"Melissa doesn't share cheese! Rude." Jared said, cracking up as she guarded her last three chunks.

"I shared when there was more. Now I have a limited supply so no, no sharing."

"Can I offer you a trade?"

"Peanut butter?"

Jared got up and grabbed the jar of peanut butter and a spoon. He gasped as Melissa filled the spoon with the peanut butter, then dipped it into the last of her milkshake before putting it into her mouth, followed by a bite of cheese. The look on her face was one so blissfully happy that he left the jar right next to her and grabbed her some more cheese.

"Why is there no cheese?" Elisabeth said, staring at her husband.

"I didn't do it, this time," George replied.

Jared pointed at Melissa, "it was her. She eats cheese with peanut butter and ice cream. Combined."

"I believe there's still a large chunk of cheese within the peanut butter jar..." Melissa said, trying very hard to keep a straight face.

"That explains why the peanut butter is in the fridge," George said.

Elisabeth pulled the jar out of the fridge and handed it to Melissa, "that's all yours now. Would you like some milk with that?" Elisabeth grinned.

Melissa opened the jar and pulled out the large piece of cheese that she'd stuffed into the middle before she and Jared had headed back to bed a few hours ago. "Yes please."

"She said yes," George said, pretending to swoon as he grabbed a mug and held it out for his wife to fill with milk and then handed it to his daughter-in-law.

Everyone laughed but in that way that is warm and inclusive. Melissa had a long history of saying 'no, thanks' to all questions. Never wanting to put anyone out.

"Thank you," Melissa said. She dipped her peanut butter coated cheese into her milk and took a bite.

"Mom, that's disgusting." Emma said, wrinkling her nose as she sat eating a bowl of cereal with chocolate sprinkles added on top.

"Probably best you think that, she won't share," Jared said, making kissy faces at his wife.

Melissa simply poked her tongue out at him and continued to eat her cheese and peanut butter between sips of milk.

Elisabeth chuckled, enjoying watching her family sitting around eating breakfast together.

George kissed her shoulder, and Elisabeth turned her head to meet his gaze, "it can't be time to go already?"

"Alas, it is," George said, "who's coming with me?"

"Me," Emma said, "You're dropping me at the mall on your way to work."

"Oh, I am, am I?" George said, a twinkle in his eye.

"Yes please! I just need to grab my purse and I'm ready to go." Emma said before she dashed towards her room.

"I'm headed to the hospital, so I'll drop Mom at work," Jared said, "Melissa is staying here, and we'll head home together later."

Melissa didn't say anything. She'd shifted her chair back and rested her head on the table on her folded arms and fallen asleep.

Jared glanced at his mother, worried that his wife was sleeping, again.

"She's fine," Elisabeth said, "it can be exhausting dealing with emotions after years of hiding from them."

"I'll get her back to bed," Mrs Simmons said, "Make sure she's okay."

"Thanks. You're a peach!" Jared said, planting a sloppy kiss on the woman's cheeky.

"Hurry off with ya then, you don't want to make your mother late!"

Emma came bouncing downstairs, kissed her sleeping mother's head and then followed her grandfather out to the car, along with her father and grandmother.

Mrs Simmons watched them go and then gently rubbed the sleeping woman's back.

"My cheese," Melissa murmured.

"Yes, all yours."

Melissa lifted her head, "this is not a terribly comfortable position."

Mrs Simmons chuckled and helped her back into the bedroom, where Melissa lay down and was once again, fast asleep.

Ah sleep--perchance to dream.

Jared and Reece

Jared walked out of the hospital, whistling. He'd done the thing so that his swimmers could be checked. Potential swimmers. They'd decided it was easiest for him to get the snip around ten years ago simply because birth control was expensive and annoying.

Melissa had offered to get an IUD inserted or her tubes tied but neither appealed to Jared. One was a weird looking thing that looked painful to insert and the other was surgery. The idea of having something weird inside her also creeped him out to the point where he hadn't mentioned it to his mom because he didn't want to hear the rational, reasonable explanation in support of the thing.

Easier for him to just get a little snip, snip.

Until said snip, snip reverses.

Fingers crossed. How he deeply hoped it had. If it had, the baby could be his.

If not, it was fucking Reece's.

Reece. The asshole who had supposedly been his best friend for over thirty years. They met when they were five and he had just turned forty-two... thirty-seven years friendship and he just vanishes.

Jared still hadn't heard from Reece. All known email addresses and phone numbers were not working. His apartment was empty and up for sale. The sale was being handled by a third party who either wouldn't or couldn't pass on contact details. He'd quit his job. His parents had no idea where he was -- or they were lying. Nobody could tell Jared where the fuck Reece was.

Melissa didn't want to call the authorities. Said it was too late. Her word against his and she'd put effort into hiding it, so nobody was going to believe her.