JJ had been away on liaison conference call in Middleton, Wisconsin for the past week-
and-a-half. Her six-year-old son Henry had spent a lot of time with his friend from school Elizabeth. while her husband Will has been getting closer to one of the neighbors. JJ is expected to be away for another four days but the account is settled quicker than thought. She excitedly packs up and heads home to surprise her family. She arrives home at two in the afternoon, somewhat surprised to see a familiar car dazedly parked in front of the garage. She shakes her head, realizing Tom or Nancy must be visiting.
JJ quietly turns her key in the door and steps inside. She sets her suitcase by the door, keys in purse and purse at table. She then hears strange sounds coming from her bedroom area and silence elsewhere. Upon instinct, JJ grabs a gun taped to the underside of one of the steps. She scales the staircase and noiselessly maneuvers to the bedroom door. The shock of her lifetime befalls the minute she turns the knob. She subconsciously clicks the safety off, alerting her husband.
"JJ?"
She glares at him, holding her stance. Nancy turns to face her neighbor with blood draining from her face. She opens her mouth to speak but stops with a squeak upon realizing where JJ's aim is following. Will pulls a blanket around his midsection and steps a foot out of the bed. There are so many things she wants to tell him or ask him, but she is a little surprised at the words that fall from her mouth instead.
"Where are Henry and Michael?"
Will tries to explain what is happening without answering her question. She knows all about diversive tactics from her career and doesn't want to be interrogated in her own house. She shakes the gun toward him. She repeats herself in a lower, more serious voice.
"Where are Henry and Michael? Where are my boys?"
"They're at Sandy's." Will answers defeated.
"You took them to my mother's." She repeats calmly. "Fine. I will go get them. We're staying somewhere else for the weekend and by Monday you'll be out of here."
"JJ, c'mon."
"No, Will. I won't be cheated on in my own house. I'm filing for divorce and I'm keeping the house. Be out by Monday."
She slips her gun into the holster she had yet to remove. She grabs a Go-Bag from beneath her bed and heads downstairs for her purse. She also grabs her cell phone and she locks the front door and walks to the car.
"Jennifer?"
"Hey, Mom."
"Oh, checking in on the boys? Well, they are absolutely wonderful. Little Michael is getting bigger and Henry is so smart."
"Mom, you think you could hold onto them another day?"
"That would be a gift. Of course, Jennifer. Something wrong at work?"
"Yeah, I'm on my way to meet a colleague now."
"Alright, Jennifer. Be sure to call me if anything serious pops up."
"Sure, Mom."
"Love you."
"Love you too."
JJ sighs a choked sob as she ends the call. She pulls over to the side of the road, allowing herself to cry freely. She hits the steering wheel several times, wary of the horn. When she takes a good glimpse in the mirror, she sees her makeup is running and her hair is a mess. She opens the dashboard to fix herself up but decides she doesn't really care. What she needs now is a friend; someone who can listen and talk it out with her. She pulls back onto the road and starts driving with no particular destination in mind.