Never Alone

An In the Heat of the Night Fan Fiction

Disclaimer: I own no names or places of ITHOTN. Only the story is mine.

Chapter six

Fire!

It had been twenty four hours since anyone had seen Jake. Amelia was going crazy with worry. She sat in Bubba's kitchen, crying.

Bubba tried to cheer her up. However, it was fruitless.

"Bubba, what am I going to say to Jake's mother? 'Your son is missing because I forced him to testify to what he saw. I just had to take his picture that ended up in the Herald.' What am I to do? If anything were to happen to him, it would be my fault!"

Bubba stood up an pulled her to him. He looked deep into her eyes. He ran his fingers thru her long auburn hair. ""Sweetheart, none of this is your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's Pollard. He stole your picture."

"Bubba, I'm the one who took the picture. I was so stupid for taking Jake's picture."

"Amelia."

Amelia looked up at Bubba. He had never used her first name before.

Bubba placed a hand to her cheek, his eyes burning with intensity. He bent down and kissed her. He pulled back. "Forgive me, Amy. I had no right to kiss you."

"VL," Amelia said softly, "Kiss me again."

Bubba bent down and reclaimed her lips. He wanted things to continue. However, Bubba Skinner was an honorable man.

He pulled away, breathless. "Darlin, I think we better stop, before we get to a place where we can't stop."

"You're right, Bubba. I didn't mind you kissing me. I love you. I'm just sorry it took nearly thirteen years for me to realize it."

Bubba smiled. "I've always loved you. You were the one that got away. Why did I let you get away?"

Amelia raised an eyebrow. She really didn't know why she'd let him get away. She sighed. Maybe it was fate.

"I don't know, Bubba. Remember the first time we got married?"

Bubba chuckled. He did. He was thirteen and she was twelve.

He had seen his sister get married. He tried to show her what he'd seen. They reinacted his sister's wedding. They didn't know what do after 'kiss the bride', however, Bubba was called home for pizza night.

"I got dumped for pizza," Amelia remarked.

Bubba looked at her. "Yeah, but you're prettier than a pepperoni."

She playfully punched him. "Bubba Skinner, you say the cutest things!"

Before Bubba could say anything else, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

Amelia tried to make out Bubba's expression as he listened to the voice on the other end.

"Oh my god. Yeah give us five minutes."

He turned to Amelia. "That was Luanne on the phone. Someone reported a fire."

"Where?"

"Your place."

"What?!"

"Amy. Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down. We need to get over there. Now!"

Amelia was hoping that the fire was something small. What she wasn't expecting was the large cross in her front yard. It had caught the large magnolia tree on fire, which in turn had laid claim to the house.

Amelia jumped out of the truck and ran to the house.

Bubba stopped her. "No, Darlin."

Amelia crumpled. "Memaw's house. It's gone!"

She stood against the old pecan tree and watched the house burn. All her memories. Gone.

Bubba hugged her. "I'm sorry, Amy. We can rebuild."

"But Pawpaw built this house with his bare hands. I can't get those memories back."

"Darlin, you'll always have those memories. Nothin can take those away."

He ran a hand thru her hair. His hand felt wet. He looked down at his hand. There was blood on his hand.

"Amy, are you injured?"

"No. Why?"

He showed her his hand.

Amelia's eyes went from his hand to the old pecan tree she'd been standing under.

"Oh my god! Jake!"

Bubba's eyes followed her gaze. What he saw turned his stomach.

The little boy he'd made friends with only a few days ago, was hanging from a tree limb. A noose around his neck.

Amelia fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"It's my fault, Bubba. I'm responsible. My fault."

"You did nothing wrong, Amy."

"I took that damn picture. The picture that Pollard stole. If I'd never taken that picture, Jake would still be alive. I'm responsible for that boy's death." She began hyperventilating. "It's all my fault! All my fault."

Bubba pulled her to her feet and gave a her a slight shake.

"Amy! Listen to me. You are not responsible. We will find the person who did this."

Amelia looked at Bubba's face. She pressed her face against his chest, sobbing.

Bubba felt rage building inside him. Rage against the man who'd destroyed so much.

Meanwhile, as John and Nadine Peterson were preparing to bed down for the night, a crash was heard in their front parlor.

John was the first person up.

"John, what is it?"

"I'm not sure, Nadine. Stay here."

John walked downstairs. What he saw surprised him.

"Uncle John!"

"Keith," John said with disgust. "What the hell you doing in my house?"

Keith walked to the table where the decanter of bourbon was kept. He poured himself a drink.

"Good question. What am I doing here? You just had to talk to the police, didn't you?!"

"Keith, you need to turn yourself in. Do you realize what you've done? You've blown up a building nearly killing four people."

Keith smiled a wicked smile. "Oh dear Uncle. That's not the half of it. I've set a house ablaze and killed the only witness that can place me at the soup kitchen."

"You did what?! Keith, please tell me you didn't kill that poor child."

"What's one less useless member of society? Now, I just need to deal with Dalton's granddaughter."

"No! You leave Amelia out of this. Why do you think you need revenge against her grandfather?"

"Because of that damn building. That building rightfully belonged to Daddy, which in turn made it mine. Then that damn Dalton comes in and buys the place to serve food to the residents of the Bottoms. Daddy and Grandpa would be rolling in their graves."

"Keith, our family losing that building wasn't Dalton's doings. Besides being a racial bigot, my father hated paying taxes. the government seized that building and auctioned it off. Dalton bought it. He knew what went on in that building. He decided that helping the same people the Klan tried to destroy would be a better use for that building."

"You knew?"

"Yes. I'm the one that told Dalton it was a great idea."

Neither of them knew it, but a frantic Nadine was phoning the police.

a/n sorry this story has been on hiatus. I am currently dealing with health problems.